The HFL's St. Louis Cardinals - A Multiplayer FOF Dynasty

NoSkillz · 02-13-2007, 12:15 PM

New Cardinals Owner & GM Meets the Media

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 10 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

St. Louis mayor James Conway introduced the new owner of the Historic Football League's Cardinals, NoSkillz, to the media and a large gathering of fans at a press conference at Busch Stadium earlier this morning. The 33 year old native of Niagara Falls, Canada assumes full control of all football-related operations for the Cardinals.

"There is a lot of talent already in place here in St. Louis and I completely expect the team to be in the playoff hunt right away", NoSkillz exclaimed. "The fans of this club have been extremely patient over the past eight years and it is time they're rewarded with a winning team."

The new GM indicates that his first order of business this weekend will be to get in touch with his coaching and scouting staff to discuss the team's offensive and defensive philosophies going forward.

When asked if all staff members would be retained for the '78 season, NoSkillz tantalizingly said that "every member of the entire franchise will be evaluated, including the players."

He indicated that he hasn't spoken with any of the players at length but did say that one of his priorities is to mend the differences between the club and it's franchise quarterback, Mike Livingston.

There have been many reports that Livingston has been disgruntled with the organization after he was slapped with the franchise tag last season.

"I can't really comment on any of the rumors about Mike and the franchise tag because I wasn't here last year", NoSkillz said. "All I know is that Mike earned superstar money last year with this club. We have a new management team in place and I trust that we can wipe the slate clean and start fresh."

He would say that there is a lot of work to do but the objective is a simple one.

"Our ultimate goal is to bring an exciting product to the great fans in St. Louis. Most importantly, however, is to develop a winning attitude in the locker room. We are one of only a few teams that hasn't made a postseason appearance and that will have to be rectified in short order."

NoSkillz · 02-13-2007, 12:35 PM

Let's set this dynasty up, shall we?

First of all, I'm a complete novice with FOF and this is my first time venturing into multiplayer in any game. So bear with me if I make a lot of rookie mistakes.

That all being said, I couldn't be more pumped about the experience thus far...and we haven't even had a sim yet! (first hiring stage is tonight)

A lot of my excitement comes from the fact that I was welcomed into the Historic Football League (HFL), an established league with a lot of FOFC's regulars. Passacaglia, Tarcone, 3Ric, JeeberD, Fantastic Flying Froggies and Chinaski are all charter members of the league, which started in 1970 with historical rosters and is now up to 1978. Narcizo, also a FOFC regular, is the defending champion after taking the 1977 Front Office Bowl.

I won't go over the entire history of the HFL right here but check out this post if you want to catch up on the league as it stands right now. I believe Narcizo wrote it originally and it's a great synopsis of the league in its current state.

It's a great group of guys and I'm just hoping that I can make up for my lack of experience with the game by making solid contributions in the forums there with my writing.

As I did with my EHM Sabres dynasty (in my sig below), I'll write this dynasty from the perspective of the newspapers to give it a more 'story-type' feel. I may break out of character once in awhile to ask for advice on gameplay but we'll see how it evolves.

I also have the grand ambition of doing an 'HFL 1978 Season Preview', similar to what IHOF has done in the past. They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery so I hope there is no one offended if I complete the task. I believe it will help get people interested about our great league and it will also help me learn about all of the other teams and their players.

I hope you enjoy the ride!

NoSkillz · 02-13-2007, 12:44 PM

New Cardinals GM Interviews Coaching Candidates; Five Players Hang it Up for Good

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 13 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

He's only been in charge for three days but there's quite a buzz around the St. Louis Cardinals offices these days.

New General Manager NoSkillz has conducted 17 interviews with potential coaching candidates since Saturday morning and is said to be pleased with how things have progressed.

"We are extremely happy with the response we've received thus far and I expect to make an announcement regarding our coaching vacancies before the weekend", he indicated.

The only staff member under contract at the moment is long-time scout Lance Lowrey. The 68 year old still has a year left on his contract and NoSkillz said the club will honor the commitment and keep him on board this season.

The contracts for Head Coach Vernon Stewart and Offensive Coordinator Rich Lewandowski expired at the end of last season but both got the opportunity to interview with NoSkillz for employment in 1978.

Stewart has guided the team for the last three seasons, going 24-24 over that time period with Lewandowski by his side calling the offensive plays. Interestingly enough, Lewandowski started his career with Seattle in 1970 as a defensive coordinator before moving to the offense with Dallas in 1973.

"Vernon and Rich are both being strongly considered for positions with the team", NoSkillz said. He also indicated that Glenn Mosby, St. Louis' former defensive coordinator, has retired. Mosby won a Front Office Bowl with the Houston Oilers back in 1972 and will have to be replaced.

While the new GM was reluctant to say who he has interviewed, rumor has it that a couple big names have been seen in St. Louis this week. Dave Abrams, the long-time head coach of the Buffalo Bills and Darrin Sporer, Cleveland's head coach are both without a contract but NoSkillz wouldn't comment on whether they've been a part of the interview process.

The new GM was a bit more forthcoming about the five Cardinals who have submitted their retirement papers.

Wide Receiver Fred Hill, center Jon Morris, guard Len Hauss, defensive tackle Andy Rice and cornerback Miller Farr all decided to hang it up for good this week.

Hill was a dominant receiver for the Cards ever since getting drafted in the 17th round of the dispersal draft in 1970. He had four 1000-yard receiving seasons, including a career-high 77 receptions for 1271 yards in 1971. For his career, he caught 435 balls (26th all-time) for 6860 yards (22nd all-time) and 40 touchdowns.

Morris was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 23rd round of the 1970 draft before arriving in St. Louis in 1972. In six years with the Cards, Morris started 69 games at center, including 11 last year.

Hauss was a fourth round selection in the 1970 Supplemental Draft and battled injury through most of his career. The right guard started 49 games for the Cards over his career but missed all of last year with an MCL injury.

Rice was a huge presence in the middle for the Cardinals right from the start. The 10th round choice in 1970 started 106 games over his eight year career in St. Louis and compiled 360 tackles and 21 sacks over that span. He started all 16 games in 1977 and will be truly missed this year.

Farr is another stellar defender who will need to be replaced. The 7th round pick in 1970 played his entire career in St. Louis and started 97 games over the last eight years. He compiled 410 tackles and 11 interceptions in his career and started 15 games for the Cards last year.

NoSkillz said that once he has built his coaching staff, he will begin to work on building the 1978 roster. "We will be players in the free agent market for sure, mostly out of necessity", he said, alluding to the fact that the club currently has only 30 players under contract.

He indicated that there hasn't been any progress between the club and its star free agent quarterback Mike Livingston as of yet but expects some resolution in the next week or so.

fantastic flying froggies · 02-13-2007, 03:00 PM

Looking great so far, keep it coming!

Narcizo · 02-14-2007, 09:41 AM

I can see what you mean about the pictures being easier to handle on this forum. Nice stuff.

NoSkillz · 02-14-2007, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Narcizo

I can see what you mean about the pictures being easier to handle on this forum. Nice stuff.

Yeah, you can use the wrap function (or float) to incorporate the photo within the text, something you can't do at the league site.

No big deal though!

NoSkillz · 02-15-2007, 12:30 PM

St. Louis GM Evasive About Rumoured Moves; Schedules Friday Press Conference

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 15 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

St. Louis Cardinals GM NoSkillz wouldn't comment today on the rampant speculation that the club has made a significant trade and also signed a new head coach.

Well-respected HFL beat writer Pub Reporter broke the news late last night that St. Louis was going to trade quarterback Mike Livingston to Chicago for their starter, Frank Patrick. His 'Inside HFL' column also reported that the club had come to an agreement with former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wade Grabowski to take over the head coaching reigns in St. Louis.

"It's a presumptuous statement for him to make right now", NoSkillz offered.

"As of this moment, I can say that we have yet to finalize our staff but will have an announcement in this regard tomorrow morning at 10:00am CST."

NoSkillz also refused comment on the rumored deal regarding Livingston.

"It's true that we have had difficulty coming to an agreement with Mike on a contract but any talk of trades is really a mute point until the roster freeze ends on Monday."

"I'll have more to say about our roster at that time."

The proposed deal is an interesting one, as the brittle but talented Patrick comes much cheaper than his counterpart. However, Livingston has been extremely durable his entire career and has always been a consistent performer. It would seemingly make sense from both sides, as the Bears have had great difficulty getting over their playoff failures in recent years, mostly due to the fact that Patrick has been injured for most of those games.

Tomorrow's press conference will be held at the Cardinals offices in Busch Stadium and we will have a full report tomorrow on the proceedings.

NoSkillz · 02-23-2007, 01:42 PM

Cardinals Hire Grabowski and Sporer; Franchise Livingston

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 17, 1978 (St. Louis) -

St. Louis Cardinals General Manager NoSkillz announced that the club has hired former Minnesota Vikings Offensive Coordinator Wade Grabowski to coach the team this year.

He also announced the appointment of the 1975 HFL Bowl winning coach Darrin Sporer as Defensive Coordinator.

Grabowski has been with the Vikings for his entire career as a coordinator and gets his first chance to lead a team.

"I've heard some people in the media doubting my leadership abilities and all I can say is that I intend to prove all the naysayers wrong", Grabowski said.

"We've got a veteran team here in St. Louis and I strongly feel I only have to lay the course for the players, not steer the ship. This is a driven locker room, one that is hungry to taste the playoffs and our mandate is to get there this year."

Grabowski is well-regarded as a student of the game and is also known for his teaching abilities. He's been labeled as a 'player's coach', something that he's fine with.

"Yeah, I'm not the type of guy who's going to call out his players in the media if they're not performing", he indicated.

"I'm a one-on-one type of guy. I'll tell it like it is but to be frank, any issues that arise in the locker room will stay there."

The announcement of Sporer as Defensive Coordinator comes as a surprise.

He led the Cleveland Browns to the HFL title only three years ago and compiled a 35-18 record with the club. Prior to joining Cleveland, he coached in Oakland for five years, four of them 10+ win seasons.

In his seven year career, he's compiled a 92-47 record and has never had a losing season.

"We are thrilled that Darrin has decided to round out Wade's staff this year", NoSkillz said. "He's a man of great intregrity and is one of the best motivators in HFL history."

Sporer wasn't available at the press conference and isn't expected to arrive in St. Louis until later next week.

In other news, it was announced that Mike Livingston was slapped with the franchise tag for the second consecutive year.

NoSkillz scheduled another press conference for 10:00am Monday morning. He is expected to verify the rumored trade between Chicago and St. Louis that would see the Cards pickup Quarterback Frank Patrick for Livingston.

The GM also announced that 1977 first round pick, linebacker Terry Beeson, was being sent to the summer league to work on his game in preparation for the coming year.

Beeson, who played college ball at Kansas, played sparingly last year, only seeing action on special teams. The team hopes that he starts fulfilling the potential that saw him drafted ninth overall last season.

NoSkillz · 02-23-2007, 01:46 PM

Cards Complete Trade for Patrick; Announce Other Signings

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
April 25, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

St. Louis Cardinals General Manager NoSkillz finally announced that the club has acquired Chicago Bears quarterback Frank Patrick in a deal for Mike Livingston.

The 8-year veteran out of Nebraska has been much-maligned in his career for his propensity to get hurt at the most inopportune times. Last year was no exception, as he played the first 12 games but got hurt in the 13th, missing the playoffs once again for the Bears.

Patrick has only been healthy for 40 of Chicago's last 64 games but says he's completely healthy and ready to prove he can last a whole season.

"The Cardinals have taken a leap of faith in bringing me over from Chicago and I intend to prove to the brass and the great fans of St. Louis that they made the right decision."

The one thing no one can dispute about Patrick is his talent for getting the ball downfield with pinpoint accuracy. He owns a career quarterback rating of 90.6 and his TD to INT ratio is greater than 2-1. Last year he threw for over 3300 yards in the 13 games, along with a superb 26 touchdowns.

Coach Wade Grabowski was elated with the move.

"Frank loves to stretch the field and that fits right in with my offensive philosophy, which is to take advantage of big plays and to attack down field. I expect Frank to have a huge year."

Livingston leaves the Cardinals after five seasons with the club and holds almost every passing record for the franchise.

"Mike was wonderful in the community and a good teammate. We wish him all the best with his new club."

GM NoSkillz also announced that the club resigned eight restricted free agents yesterday:

S Louie Wright (1 year)
CB Dusty Hartman (1 year)
CB Ethan Heupel (1 year)
OLB K.C. O'Donnell (1 year)
OG Jackie Glode (2 years)
TE Jack Funk (1 year)
TE Sean Stemke (1 year)
WR Vincent Ketchum (1 year)

All of the deals are non-binding contracts with the exception of Glode, who received a $20,000 bonus.

The GM indicated that the club is working hard in preparation for this weekend's draft and will also attempt to make a splash in the free agent market, one he called 'relatively weak'.

"There are certainly some excellent players out there but competition will be fierce in the market", he said. "We have some weaknesses right now, specifically with our defensive front and it is of utmost importance that we address those concerns before training camp begins."

NoSkillz went on to say that "the club quite frankly hasn't drafted well in the past couple years. No offense to Steve (Mayer, the Cardinals placekicker), but there's no way a kicker should be drafted in the first round." He would conclude by saying "it's up to me, Wade and the rest of the staff to make better selections with our picks."

"My whole philosophy is that a good team should be built through the draft and it will be important to get some good youngsters on the roster over the next couple of years. That being said, we have a pretty solid nucleus in place right now and we will be adding a bunch of pieces through free agency to give us the opportunity to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history."

NoSkillz · 02-23-2007, 01:57 PM

Cardinals Losing the Free Agency Battle

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
April 27, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

St. Louis Cardinals GM NoSkillz promised that the team would be a major player in the free agency market this year, stating that the team's goal was to 'win now'.

Talk about a letdown.

The Cards have only been able to lure one UFA to St. Louis, that being fullback George Amundson, who played in Detroit last season.

Oh yeah, I guess you have to count the two UFA's that played for the Cardinals last year who just resigned: DE Jack Youngblood and DT Bob Juchartz.

I'm sure the other 31 GM's are trembling with fear.

"We're not satisfied with where we are at the moment" was all the GM had to say on the matter.

I suppose not!

There are still gaping holes to be filled as it stands right now.

The team intends to build an attacking offense with Frank Patrick at the helm but there are no weapons at his disposal other than receiver John Stallworth, who looks destined for a career year.

It's like going to war with a butter knife in your hands.

Eddie Ray is coming off a 1000 yard season but looks to be aging quickly. NoSkillz indicated that the club made a last-minute offer to Fran Lynch but he accepted a lower offer (but with more upfront money) with the Buffalo Bills

The team desperately needs another receiver to take the pressure off the sure to be double-teamed Stallworth. The club made overtures to Jerry Daanen and Haven Moses but both settled with other teams.

And the team doesn't have a guy to snap the ball from center yet either. Attempts to lure All-HFL Second Team center Jan Stenerud to St. Louis failed.

The defense is even more of a mess. The team doesn't have any threats at the tackle position and the whole defensive line looks uninspiring. Overtures to FA DT Mark Lomas and DE Pete Duranko were dismissed.

The linebacker situation is interesting at least, as the club is determined to see if last year's first rounder Terry Beeson was worth the pick. He was moved to the outside at the Summer League over in Europe to better take advantage of his speed and pass rushing ability but he's still a work-in-progress. There has been talk of moving to a 3-4 defense this year to better take advantage of the team's skill level.

Or to respond to the fact that the club doesn't have a suitable pair of tackles...take your pick!

Even the typically strong secondary has a cornerback position available this year.

The Cardinals will look to the draft and hope that they can come out of it with at least two starters, a tall task in a relatively thin draft class.

NoSkillz · 02-23-2007, 02:49 PM

I'm going to step out of 'third person' and talk a little about my team and my experience thus far in multiplayer.

As said earlier, this is my first foray into multiplayer in any game and to make things even tougher, my first time actually playing FOF.

The HFL experience has been fantastic thus far - great bunch of dedicated owners who contribute to the forums and the website on a daily basis.

I can say that the whole free agency process has been humbling. I've lost out on pretty much everyone I've tried to go after and underestimated how much you have to 'overspend' on key guys. By overspend, I mean how much you have to exceed the player's initial request.

Let's take a look at my roster as it stands currently. We've completed four stages of free agency and we're two stages from the 1978 HFL Draft, which is headlined by running back Earl Campbell.

1978 St. Louis Cardinals

1978 SALARY CAP -			$16,800,000
LOST CAP ROOM -			$970,000
CAP REMAINING -			$4,320,000

					1978
					CAP	SAVE IF	POST-DR.	POST-TC	FINAL
PLAYER	POS	AGE	EXP	DRAFT	FIGURE	RELEASED	RATING	RATING	RATING
Frank Patrick	QB	29	9	1970 - 19th (32)	$320,000	$320,000	69/69
	QB
Nicky Guillen	QB	23	2	1977 - 4th (9)	$100,000	$80,000	10/40
QB REQUIREMENT - 3
QB CAP HIT -	$420,000

Eddie Ray	RB	29	9	1970 - 16th (31)	$290,000	$130,000	41/41
Arnold Weber	RB	25	4	1975 - 4th (10)	$110,000	$100,000	38/47
Clarence Williams	RB	21	2	1977 - 2nd (9)	$230,000	$140,000	34/47
George Amundson	FB	27	6	1973 - 4th (31)	$160,000	$160,000	47/47
Clem Turner (M)	FB	30	10	1970 - 46th (10)	$70,000	$70,000	43/43
RB/FB REQUIREMENT - 3
RB/FB CAP HIT -	$860,000

Bob Tucker	TE	29	9	1970 - 35th (15)	$250,000	$210,000	62/62
Sean Stemke	TE	26	4	1975 - 3rd (29)	$70,000	$70,000	42/42
Jack Funk	TE	23	4	1975 - 6th (5)	$70,000	$70,000	32/44
TE REQUIREMENT - 2
TE CAP HIT -	$390,000

John Stallworth	WR	27	5	1974 - 1st (9)	$870,000	$400,000	61/61
	WR
Ron Sellers (M)	WR	31	10	1970 - 34th (1)	$210,000	$210,000	39/39
Randy Burke	WR	21	2	1977 - 7th (9)	$70,000	$70,000	23/32
Vincent Ketchum	WR	22	2	Undrafted	$60,000	$60,000	15/33
WR REQUIREMENT - 4
WR CAP HIT -	$1,210,000

Mike Wilson (M)	LT	31	10	1970 - 3rd (31)	$640,000	$440,000	57/57
	LT
Levert Carr	LG	31	10	1970 - 4th (15)	$500,000	$240,000	87/87
	LG
	C
Brandon Maumau	C	22	2	1977 - 5th (9)	$70,000	$70,000	5/35
Bill Bain	RG	26	4	1975 - 1st (10)	$610,000	$270,000	53/59
Jackie Glode	RG	22	2	1977 - 5th (3)	$70,000	$60,000	19/39
Rick Sharp	RT	30	9	1970 - 2nd (19)	$680,000	$410,000	61/61
Kelvin Prior	RT	22	2	1977 - 6th (9)	$70,000	$70,000	11/43
OL REQUIREMENT - 7
OL CAP HIT -	$2,640,000


					1978
					CAP	SAVE IF	POST-DR.	POST-TC	FINAL
PLAYER	POS	AGE	EXP	DRAFT	FIGURE	RELEASED	RATING	RATING	RATING
Harry Gunner	DE	32	11	1970 - 9th (22)	$530,000	$370,000	54/54
Jack Youngblood	DE	27	8	1971 - 7th (15)	$200,000	$180,000	44/45
Junior Johnson	DE	22	2	1977 - 3rd (9)	$120,000	$80,000	15/34
John Farley	DE	26	8	1971 - 5th (5)	$150,000	$150,000	34/49
	DT
	DT
Keith Simons	DT	22	3	1976 - 3rd (9)	$140,000	$100,000	35/47
Bob Juchartz (M)	DT	28	8	1971 - 4th (4)	$150,000	$140,000	35/35
DL REQUIREMENT - 6
DL CAP HIT -	$1,290,000

Ross Brupbacher	OLB	31	9	1970 - 11th (15)	$780,000	$500,000	67/67
Terry Beeson	OLB	23	2	1977 - 1st (9)	$600,000	$200,000	14/53
Ron Pritchard (M)	OLB	31	10	1970 - 46th (17)	$150,000	$150,000	35/35
K.C. O'Donnell	OLB	25	4	1975 - 4th (31)	$70,000	$70,000	27/37
Tim Rossovich	ILB	30	11	1970 - 32nd (3)	$440,000	$250,000	57/57
	ILB
	ILB
LB REQUIREMENT - 5
LB CAP HIT -	$2,040,000

Charlie Waters (M)	CB	30	9	1970 - 14th (7)	$680,000	$370,000	59/59
	CB
Jim Thrower	CB	30	9	1970 - 24th (9)	$150,000	$150,000	37/37
Ethan Heupel	CB	22	2	Undrafted	$60,000	$60,000	21/26
Dusty Hartman	CB	24	4	1975 - 6th (15)	$70,000	$70,000	35/35
Nate Wright	SS	31	10	1970 - 13th (31)	$690,000	$440,000	69/69
	SS
Ike Thomas	FS	28	8	1971 - 1st (7)	$340,000	$240,000	64/64
Louie Wright	FS	25	4	1975 - 1st (22)	$70,000	$70,000	31/56
SEC REQUIREMENT - 6
SEC CAP HIT -	$2,060,000

Steve Mayer	K	23	4	1975 - 1st (25)	$420,000	$220,000	52/52
Bobby Walden (M)	P	34	14	1970 - 52nd (8)	$180,000	$150,000	69/69
K/P REQUIREMENT - 2
K/P CAP HIT -	$600,000
TOTAL PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT -				41	$11,510,000
					$11,510,000

Yeah, I'm totally an excel junkie!

The blue highlights indicate my starting slots, which I've been hoping to fill with guys rated at 50 current or better.

Fat chance!

The biggest needs on offense for me are at Wideout and Center. My running back situation isn't great either but will have to do for this year...I just have too many needs in other areas.

On defense, my front is extremely weak and I will at least need to pick up a suitable tackle among the remaining free agents or the draft.

I'm also in need of a second corner.

There isn't much left in free agency. I've got a bid on the table for Bill Bergey, who is coming off an All-HFL first team year at OLB. My intention if I get him is to move him to the inside (it doesn't look like he will take a ratings hit) due to his great run-stuffing ability. I would then go with a 3-4 to take advantage of my depth at linebacker and to mask my lack of depth at tackle.

I'll be looking to get at least two starters out of the draft this year as well - they may be green but I plan on giving my first and second rounders starting jobs right off the bat. I'll be looking for wideouts, centers and defensive tackles.

Next up: the 1978 HFL Draft and the top prospects available!

NoSkillz · 02-23-2007, 02:52 PM

Damn.

I'm not even going to try to redo the formatting...crazy board.

EDIT: I cleaned it up...it's readable now!

Narcizo · 02-23-2007, 03:18 PM

If it's any consolation I switched to 34 in HFL for exactly the same reason as you. Not some great tactical masterplan but the fact that I had one semi-competent defensive tackles and 4 semi-competent linebackers.

You've really given yourself a tough task for your opening experience of MP FOF. Taking over any team that's been AI run for any length of time is going to be tough. HFL is benefiting from going to 2007 as well, where starting 30-40 ranged guy is pretty normal, while it was a rarity in most 2004 MP leagues.

Further consolation comes from the fact that the other teams in the NFC West seem to be suffering as well.

NoSkillz · 02-23-2007, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Narcizo

If it's any consolation I switched to 34 in HFL for exactly the same reason as you. Not some great tactical masterplan but the fact that I had one semi-competent defensive tackles and 4 semi-competent linebackers.

You've really given yourself a tough task for your opening experience of MP FOF. Taking over any team that's been AI run for any length of time is going to be tough. HFL is benefiting from going to 2007 as well, where starting 30-40 ranged guy is pretty normal, while it was a rarity in most 2004 MP leagues.

Further consolation comes from the fact that the other teams in the NFC West seem to be suffering as well.

It's excellent consolation from the guy who won the HFL Bowl last year!

Yeah, I see it's going to be an uphill climb for this franchise over the next couple of years. I've got talent in the trenches but little 'elite', gamebreaking talent. Drafting 20th this year isn't going to help much either...

Oh well...it will be a fun challenge!

beargrowlz · 02-23-2007, 03:25 PM

Very nice start to the dynasty, and I agree, it's a rocking league. Good to be in it with you, you add a lot to the game.

NoSkillz · 02-26-2007, 12:58 AM

Let's now take a look at the top 15 prospects available by position for the 1978 HFL Draft, starting with the offense:

Blue Highlight = Two SD Above Mean
Yellow Highlight = One SD Above Mean
Black Highlight = One SD Below Mean

Quarterback	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adj	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd Jmp	Pos Drill	Devel	Real Draft
Doug Williams	QB	225	5.6	6.4	4.75	38	12	7.45	102	77	36%	1 (17)
Kurt Farris	QB	213	5.2	5.9	4.93	36	12	7.52	95	75	27%
Lamont Davison	QB	202	5.0	5.7	4.91	32	14	7.45	103	63	20%
Curtis Collins	QB	206	5.0	5.7	4.92	36	8	7.54	101	85	32%
Joe Ellis	QB	212	4.9	5.6	4.54	28	13	7.88	105	78	26%
Norbert Homer	QB	220	4.9	5.6	4.78	31	12	7.87	98	80	45%
A.J. Curtis	QB	239	4.7	5.4	4.83	21	8	7.25	112	73	40%
Dexter Farasopoulos	QB	210	4.6	5.2	4.86	26	11	7.72	106	75	23%
Pat Ryan	QB	224	4.6	5.2	4.93	32	10	7.80	106	63	21%	11 (281)
Mike Garrison	QB	230	4.5	5.1	4.75	26	12	7.80	102	77	22%
Gifford Nielsen	QB	225	4.5	5.1	4.86	33	10	7.80	108	77	20%	3 (73)
Eddie Jurevicius	QB	241	4.5	5.1	4.90	28	10	7.87	101	78	37%
Tyrell Fuller	QB	217	4.5	5.1	4.86	37	9	7.80	102	67	10%
Peter Banks	QB	243	4.4	5.0	4.63	25	14	7.77	113	59	30%
Walt Ross	QB	212	4.4	5.0	4.79	28	10	7.80	108	58	43%

Williams is the best of a relatively weak QB class. He had the highest Solecismic score and will be a top-15 pick for sure. Farris also has decent numbers and is also likely to go in the first.

												Real Draft
Running Back	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
Earl Campbell	RB	232	6.8	7.2	4.57	47	22	7.18	127	26	54%	1 (1)
Mosi Tatupu	RB	234	6.3	6.7	4.65	31	17	7.22	119	21	64%	8 (215)
Andy Kelley	RB	213	5.9	6.3	4.60	34	17	7.17	116	25	66%
Dan Doornink	RB	220	5.6	5.9	4.70	29	13	7.35	123	13	68%	7 (174)
Terry Miller	RB	215	5.5	5.8	4.59	23	15	7.35	114	23	61%	1 (5)
Cory Hatcher	RB	216	5.5	5.8	4.70	26	15	7.17	115	17	55%
Roy Boatright	RB	200	5.5	5.8	4.63	24	13	7.26	116	20	66%
Kenneth Moore	RB	206	5.4	5.7	4.75	25	16	7.34	120	12	65%
Donnell Blanchard	RB	220	5.2	5.5	4.63	23	14	7.30	121	15	47%
Elvis Peacock	RB	223	5.1	5.4	4.56	22	16	7.34	117	19	56%	1 (20)
Dennis Johnson	RB	212	5.0	5.3	4.70	28	16	7.30	123	11	41%	3 (59)
Kris Hartings	RB	199	5.0	5.3	4.85	23	17	7.36	115	17	70%
Ethan Butler	RB	237	5.0	5.3	4.80	25	15	7.22	115	17	61%
Arthur Whittington	RB	200	4.9	5.2	4.70	21	15	7.32	119	18	56%	7 (176)
Dennis Sanchez	RB	209	4.8	5.1	4.65	21	15	7.22	115	14	71%

Earl Campbell is the stud of the draft and surefire #1 pick of the Atlanta Falcons. It's written in stone because the Falcons GM traded something like 3 #1 picks to get the first overall pick this year. Oh yeah, he already had the HFL's leading rusher in '76 (Franco Harris) too and had just signed him to a huge deal with monster bonus. But I digress. Franco was just shipped out prior to the draft, making this a lock. Tatupu and Miller look to be well-suited to West Coast schemes and Kelley, while not loved by scouts, was a combine superstar and should also go in the first round along with Doornink.

												Real Draft
Fullback	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
Korey Jackson	FB	261	5.1	4.1	4.86	21	20	7.53	108	37	60%
Jon Prioleau	FB	254	4.9	4.0	4.78	32	21	7.65	105	28	53%
Rickey Anderson	FB	229	4.9	4.0	4.89	29	20	7.60	105	17	55%	3 (71)
A.J. Weaver	FB	247	4.8	3.9	4.75	33	27	7.59	100	24	57%
Carlton Schneider	FB	246	4.6	3.7	4.91	24	22	7.73	105	33	40%
Les Hales	FB	226	4.4	3.6	4.82	39	26	7.51	95	37	30%
Walter Danner	FB	247	4.4	3.6	4.91	19	21	7.72	104	25	57%
Harry Dodge	FB	246	4.3	3.5	4.82	18	20	7.57	105	26	50%
Dodie Donnell	FB	225	4.3	3.5	4.89	31	21	7.80	104	9	58%
Damon Robinson	FB	226	4.3	3.5	4.75	20	18	7.33	107	32	28%
Dexter Burns	FB	236	4.2	3.4	4.86	20	18	7.72	103	22	57%
Dale Galbraith	FB	244	4.1	3.3	4.84	26	21	7.42	101	26	37%
Jessie Stamm	FB	253	4.0	3.2	4.70	12	31	7.51	106	22	34%
Chill Cat Tubbs	FB	235	4.0	3.2	4.93	28	31	7.59	103	12	48%
Deon Shelton	FB	275	4.0	3.2	4.86	24	21	7.60	102	20	51%

Not much here. Third and fourth round fodder for the most part, although the low-rated Stamm posted intriguing test scores.

												Real Draft
Tight End	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
Todd Christensen	TE	245	6.5	5.7	4.79	33	25	7.60	117	40	56%	2 (56)
Ozzie Newsome	TE	255	6.2	5.4	---	40	---	---	---	41	46%	1 (23)
Butch Howard	TE	253	5.7	5.0	5.07	32	27	7.59	112	27	59%
Reed McCall	TE	230	5.3	4.6	5.06	32	24	7.61	112	38	43%	1 (25)
Darrell Atkins	TE	253	5.1	4.4	4.97	17	23	7.32	110	21	53%
Mickey Shuler	TE	237	5.0	4.4	4.96	34	20	7.71	110	36	46%	3 (61)
Brent Ridley	TE	278	4.7	4.1	4.94	19	22	7.33	112	26	47%
Mel Sheldon	TE	269	4.6	4.0	5.16	27	20	7.99	108	34	58%
Roman Shannon	TE	243	4.4	3.8	5.13	25	24	7.80	107	30	45%
Ted Jurkiewicz	TE	242	4.3	3.7	5.09	21	22	7.62	107	32	52%
Tracy Milanovich	TE	271	4.3	3.7	5.11	22	19	7.75	110	34	55%
Neal Sprouse	TE	268	4.2	3.6	4.94	21	22	7.29	107	16	33%
Charlie Duwe	TE	256	4.0	3.5	5.08	31	22	7.63	105	27	32%
Derrick Hentschel	TE	271	4.0	3.5	5.04	33	22	7.68	104	28	37%
Ken MacAfee	TE	239	4.0	3.5	5.12	29	22	7.67	106	32	24%	1 (7)

Very nice tight end class, with Christensen looking to be an elite talent. Newsome is a favourite of scouts as well but was a combine no-show. Both of these guys could go late in the first round. Howard also looks to be a solid prospect.

												Real Draft
Wide Receiver	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
John Jefferson	SE	195	6.4	6.7	4.28	34	13	6.73	118	60	15%	1 (14)
Alfred Jackson	FL	222	5.7	5.9	4.40	29	9	7.00	119	40	37%	7 (167)
James Lofton	FL	204	5.5	5.7	---	34	---	---	---	53	20%	1 (6)
Martin Kripper	SE	216	5.4	5.6	4.29	9	11	6.88	120	37	52%
Dave Stone	SE	196	4.8	5.0	4.44	26	10	7.22	117	38	48%
Winfred Sharper	FL	211	4.7	4.9	4.50	24	11	7.12	116	43	22%
Glenn Benson	FL	203	4.5	4.7	---	30	---	---	---	43	50%
Danny Fulton	FL	195	4.5	4.7	4.51	13	11	7.20	120	52	39%	3 (65)
Rico Goldsberry	FL	195	4.5	4.7	4.53	30	8	7.42	118	59	41%
Robert Harper	FL	203	4.4	4.6	4.53	26	24	7.10	117	38	19%
Jessie Thompson	SE	212	4.4	4.6	4.50	24	11	6.74	110	51	23%	6 (165)
Kerry Warren	FL	190	4.4	4.6	4.52	24	6	7.12	111	43	47%
Rod Parker	FL	183	4.3	4.5	4.51	23	11	7.02	112	35	30%	6 (152)
Lewis Woo	SE	210	4.3	4.5	4.48	15	6	6.86	114	37	28%
Joe Stewart	SE	208	4.2	4.4	4.57	33	10	7.20	108	40	48%	4 (108)

There is some elite level talent here but the depth of the wide receiver class in '78 is pretty pathetic. Jefferson will likely be a top three pick and just looks studly. Lofton interviewed VERY WELL but didn't participate in the combines, knocking his bureau score down. I'd rank him ahead of Jefferson myself and that's saying something. Jackson and Kripper are two speedsters with Kripper being an interesting case: he looks to be as dumb as a pile of bricks, with the lowest Solecismic score in the draft I believe but has dynamite physical skills. Kind of a Randy Moss clone. Jackson will likely go in the top ten while Kripper's intelligence tests will drop him to the middle of round one.

												Real Draft
Center	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
Jim Hough	C	300	5.4	4.6	5.17	16	32	7.85	104	---	34%	4 (100)
Blair Bush	C	295	5.2	4.5	---	38	---	---	---	---	13%	1 (16)
Fred Quillan	C	301	4.7	4.0	5.14	25	29	7.88	90	---	12%	7 (175)
Rex McEwen	C	314	4.7	4.0	5.22	36	27	7.93	96	---	38%
Thurman Gaines	C	312	4.7	4.0	5.18	26	28	7.90	84	---	35%
Tom Davis	C	318	4.6	4.0	5.28	33	25	7.82	90	---	43%	6 (143)
Phillip Donnell	C	338	4.5	3.9	5.22	19	27	8.08	90	---	40%
Kim Altman	C	287	4.4	3.8	5.22	36	25	7.92	81	---	39%
Willie Hales	C	316	4.4	3.8	5.22	26	22	7.98	97	---	33%
Jessie McKnight	C	306	4.4	3.8	5.20	30	23	8.03	88	---	42%
Al Pitts	C	300	4.2	3.6	5.19	38	27	8.00	92	---	28%
Thurman Blackburn	C	310	4.2	3.6	5.33	18	22	8.00	93	---	48%
Dustin Vance	C	337	4.1	3.5	5.28	53	24	8.12	93	---	23%
Brandon Ross	C	301	4.0	3.4	5.17	36	25	8.12	76	---	35%
Larry Tearry	C	322	4.0	3.4	5.22	36	23	8.22	91	---	49%	5 (109)

Hough is a good looking center while Bush sat out the combines. Doesn't matter though - none of these guys will go until the second round at best.

												Real Draft
Offensive Guard	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
Curtis Anderson	LG	345	5.0	4.8	5.08	32	27	7.84	87	---	36%
Wes Lucido	LG	294	4.9	4.7	5.07	40	30	8.23	100	---	45%
Walt Downing	RG	308	4.9	4.7	5.08	23	27	7.88	94	---	39%	2 (47)
Leotis Harris	LG	292	4.9	4.7	5.05	40	26	7.92	97	---	40%	6 (144)
John Kramer	RG	282	4.7	4.5	5.12	11	29	7.84	104	---	34%
Rich Harris	RG	296	4.6	4.4	---	37	---	---	---	---	15%
Alex Morrison	RG	322	4.6	4.4	5.19	21	31	7.90	91	---	51%
Orlando Tupa	RG	317	4.6	4.4	5.12	30	30	7.90	90	---	44%
George Collins	RG	285	4.6	4.4	5.12	20	29	7.87	89	---	46%	4 (96)
Ethan Yost	RG	307	4.5	4.3	5.16	32	31	7.82	86	---	30%
Bob Cryder	LG	302	4.5	4.3	5.06	34	26	7.71	96	---	15%	1 (18)
Ernie Hughes	LG	286	4.5	4.3	5.11	34	26	7.90	85	---	47%	3 (79)
Homer Elias	LG	314	4.4	4.2	5.11	31	30	7.90	88	---	16%	4 (107)
Jerome Boyd	RG	312	4.3	4.1	5.07	11	28	8.08	90	---	47%
Jonathan Garrison	RG	309	4.3	4.1	5.05	24	25	8.21	91	---	48%

The offensive guard class is exactly opposite that of wide receivers in that there is very little top talent but plenty of depth. Anderson is the best of the bunch but there are no AAA level players in this group and you'd be reaching by picking any of these guys in the first round.

												Real Draft
Offensive Tackle	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
Mike Kenn	LT	347	6.5	7.2	5.20	42	40	7.44	103	---	24%	1 (13)
Brent Watson	RT	304	5.7	6.3	5.27	44	35	7.62	94	---	50%
Eric Smith	LT	290	5.5	6.1	5.35	49	35	7.52	92	---	30%
Dwight Wheeler	LT	288	5.1	5.6	5.27	27	31	7.75	88	---	51%	4 (102)
Archie Wells	LT	336	5.0	5.5	5.26	50	32	7.96	90	---	40%
James Taylor	RT	338	4.8	5.3	5.27	28	31	7.77	96	---	19%	2 (33)
Frank Myers	RT	299	4.8	5.3	5.27	20	31	7.78	92	---	51%	5 (117)
Howard Huffman	LT	323	4.8	5.3	5.43	33	29	7.88	101	---	45%
Benjamin Harris	RT	275	4.7	5.2	5.23	39	33	7.71	91	---	25%
Terry Schwartz	RT	327	4.7	5.2	5.21	44	34	7.98	85	---	43%
Calvin Conway	RT	309	4.7	5.2	5.22	22	31	8.06	85	---	49%
Wesley Valdez	RT	312	4.6	5.1	5.32	49	34	7.79	93	---	30%
Gordon King	LT	289	4.5	4.9	5.25	46	32	7.77	80	---	29%	1 (10)
Orlando Marsh	RT	330	4.5	4.9	5.24	36	29	7.74	92	---	39%
Eric Laakso	RT	300	4.4	4.8	5.24	10	33	7.72	97	---	29%	4 (106)

Great draft for tackles and Kenn is a superstud - he is first pick material and will likely go #2 to the rebuilding Vikings. Watson and Smith are sure-fire first rounders as well. Deep, deep class.

I'll be back tomorrow with the available defensive players, along with a report on my needs going into the draft.

NoSkillz · 03-04-2007, 02:12 AM

Here are the top-15 Defensive players, by position, in the 1978 HFL Draft:

												Real Draft
Defensive End	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
Bill Gay	LDE	250	5.7	6.3	4.78	17	31	7.44	108	---	42%	2 (55)
Doug Colon	LDE	259	5.7	6.3	4.96	18	29	7.14	108	---	55%
Emmanuel Firestone	LDE	278	5.5	6.1	4.96	15	29	7.21	107	---	44%
Art Still	LDE	263	5.3	5.8	4.85	25	29	7.36	119	---	21%	1 (2)
Al Baker	RDE	265	5.3	5.8	4.81	28	29	7.35	111	---	24%	2 (40)
Willie Fry	RDE	245	5.2	5.7	4.89	28	25	7.60	121	---	51%
Dan Gray	LDE	288	5.0	5.5	4.93	17	28	7.60	113	---	40%	5 (123)
Ross Browner	LDE	287	4.8	5.3	4.89	23	27	7.41	111	---	39%	1 (8)
Bill Larrimore	RDE	269	4.8	5.3	4.92	24	28	7.56	102	---	53%
Dee Hardison	LDE	249	4.6	5.1	---	28	---	---	---	---	41%	2 (32)
Sylvester Hicks	LDE	280	4.5	4.9	4.92	31	28	7.90	102	---	53%	2 (29)
Dennis Baker	RDE	280	4.5	4.9	4.97	21	27	7.61	106	---	45%
Anthony Burnett	RDE	287	4.4	4.8	4.96	31	27	7.66	106	---	55%
Randall Terhune	RDE	271	4.3	4.7	5.04	25	29	7.58	110	---	40%
Reggie Doss	LDE	257	4.2	4.6	4.89	33	27	7.60	117	---	21%	7 (189)

This is an extremely deep draft for defensive ends, with about five or six possible choices in the first round. Gay was a combine stud, as was Baker, with both hitting the magical 'AAA' designation.

												Real Draft
Defensive Tackle	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
Dennis Harrison	RDT	280	5.9	6.4	5.03	34	33	7.55	110	---	52%	4 (92)
Jack Roberson	RDT	281	5.5	5.9	5.01	22	29	7.66	117	---	59%
Daryl Glenn	LDT	290	5.2	5.6	5.12	19	27	7.59	98	---	49%
Larry Cooper	NT	293	5.1	5.5	5.26	22	28	7.57	103	---	45%
Brenden Clancy	LDT	294	5.0	5.4	5.10	27	30	7.80	85	---	62%
Greg Marshall	LDT	291	4.9	5.3	5.18	16	26	7.62	98	---	60%	7 (186)
Henry Bradley	NT	286	4.8	5.2	4.73	15	32	8.14	104	---	50%	9 (237)
Harry Nowakowski	NT	289	4.8	5.2	5.20	15	27	7.80	112	---	55%
Reggie Messer	NT	322	4.8	5.2	5.04	16	29	7.74	88	---	46%
Ron Davison	NT	277	4.8	5.2	5.14	13	29	7.80	92	---	54%
Ted Vincent	RDT	292	4.7	5.1	5.12	18	28	7.71	99	---	61%	3 (72)
Bert Johnstone	RDT	277	4.6	5.0	5.07	28	29	7.74	104	---	38%
Stan Johnson	RDT	276	4.5	4.9	5.07	26	27	7.94	112	---	60%	2 (46)
Don Latimer	LDT	285	4.5	4.9	5.07	13	28	7.73	99	---	57%	1 (27)
Blake Simpkins	RDT	293	4.5	4.9	5.01	30	28	7.94	99	---	53%

On the other hand, a very weak defensive tackle class. Harrison had an incredible 'AAA' combine but scouts aren't sold on his abilities and his bars aren't great. The rest of the class leaves quite a bit to be desired, with Roberson and Glenn possible late first rounders.

												Real Draft
Inside Linebacker	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
John Anderson	SILB	243	6.2	6.0	---	35	---	---	---	37	46%	1 (26)
Ernest McCleskey	MLB	238	6.0	5.8	4.81	32	22	7.26	109	23	63%
Junior Bruschi	MLB	236	5.3	5.1	4.93	23	22	7.47	104	29	60%
Charles Cole	MLB	257	5.2	5.0	4.84	30	24	7.56	106	22	58%
Levon Preston	MLB	269	5.1	4.9	4.88	37	21	7.51	109	26	43%
Harry Randolph	MLB	243	4.9	4.8	4.79	24	21	7.60	111	32	38%
Darnell Barton	MLB	243	4.8	4.7	4.81	39	22	7.71	106	32	54%
Maurice Thomason	SILB	235	4.7	4.6	4.82	20	21	7.60	110	27	59%
Calvin Carder	WILB	237	4.6	4.5	4.81	23	22	7.71	110	32	38%
Erik Prior	MLB	250	4.6	4.5	4.82	38	21	7.56	109	23	33%
Jermaine Hunt	SILB	264	4.6	4.5	4.83	32	21	7.64	107	22	52%
Bill Matthews	MLB	253	4.6	4.5	4.86	20	20	7.60	106	26	60%	5 (129)
Brady Jeffries	MLB	245	4.6	4.5	4.91	39	17	7.60	105	25	49%
Everett Wilson	SILB	267	4.5	4.4	4.75	28	27	7.59	104	33	27%
Ted Beauchamp	WILB	236	4.4	4.3	4.80	31	25	7.80	111	25	37%

Anderson was a combine non-participant but scouts love him. He should be a top-ten pick in this draft. McCleskey is touted as a run-stopper and had a fantastic combine but scouts don't think he brings much else, knocking him down to late first round status. McCleskey and Wilson are the 'AAA' combine guys here.

												Real Draft
Outside Linebacker	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
J.J. Kiss	SLB	225	5.6	5.4	4.52	39	19	7.53	115	35	63%
Leroy Linares	SLB	264	5.4	5.2	4.71	37	21	7.28	116	25	63%
Gary Spani	WLB	244	5.3	5.1	4.68	34	19	7.28	114	24	51%	3 (58)
Mike Hawkins	SLB	235	5.2	5.0	4.69	22	16	7.39	108	33	62%	7 (188)
John McGriff	WLB	233	5.1	4.9	4.82	22	18	7.15	111	24	51%
Mike Douglass	WLB	250	5.0	4.8	4.69	26	18	7.35	113	24	59%	5 (116)
Clay Matthews	SLB	245	4.9	4.7	---	36	---	---	---	33	52%	1 (12)
Dan Bunz	WLB	240	4.9	4.7	4.68	22	21	7.30	106	23	39%	1 (24)
J.J. Diaz	WLB	254	4.9	4.7	4.74	25	20	7.44	114	30	65%
Mel Ackerman	WLB	247	4.9	4.7	4.78	27	20	7.35	111	27	39%
Arnie Cassidy	WLB	241	4.9	4.7	4.67	30	19	7.39	109	28	64%
Lonnie Sutter	WLB	235	4.6	4.4	4.70	33	20	7.40	110	29	38%
Artie Landon	WLB	243	4.6	4.4	4.84	28	18	7.40	110	24	67%
Dean Moore	WLB	222	4.5	4.3	4.78	19	19	7.17	115	11	36%	9 (233)
Mike Hunt	WLB	245	4.5	4.3	4.87	32	16	7.27	116	23	39%	2 (34)

Pretty weak class here, with no 'AAA' players. However, Clay Matthews didn't participate in the combine and his name might peak some interest. Kiss is pretty decent overall and could be a first round pick.

												Real Draft
Cornerback	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
Terry Jackson	LCB	193	5.5	5.7	4.45	26	12	7.19	111	43	51%	5 (120)
Estus Hood	LCB	201	5.4	5.6	4.49	18	13	7.10	111	35	54%	3 (62)
Gerald Small	RCB	185	5.4	5.6	4.51	33	13	7.19	114	43	49%	4 (93)
Ray Griffin	LCB	215	5.2	5.4	4.57	18	12	7.12	102	41	60%	2 (35)
Alan Martinez	RCB	192	5.1	5.3	4.57	30	12	7.10	117	35	50%
Dwight Hicks	RCB	183	5.0	5.2	4.51	19	13	7.07	118	40	37%	6 (150)
Marshall Turnbull	RCB	179	5.0	5.2	4.54	25	13	7.26	122	36	55%
Blaine Sanford	RCB	189	5.0	5.2	4.47	21	13	7.28	111	48	30%
Marcus Kramer	RCB	179	4.9	5.0	4.51	21	13	7.16	109	37	63%
Lonnie Foley	LCB	179	4.8	4.9	4.47	27	12	7.48	115	40	57%
Jermaine Reed	RCB	189	4.7	4.8	4.54	13	12	7.32	117	38	63%
John Turner	RCB	180	4.7	4.8	4.49	30	12	7.28	102	47	41%	2 (48)
Irv Edgar	RCB	190	4.6	4.7	4.52	27	10	7.03	115	40	31%
Don Schwartz	LCB	195	4.6	4.7	4.48	34	10	7.17	102	36	63%	4 (87)
Adam Kanu	RCB	198	4.5	4.6	4.49	14	12	7.20	114	39	50%

Deep but unspectacular cornerback class, however, there will likely be at least three of these guys picked in the first round. Corners always are in high demand it seems. No 'AAA' players here but some nice 'bar' guys.

												Real Draft
Safety	Pos.	Weight	Grade	Adjusted	Dash	Sole	Strength	Agility	Brd. Jump	Pos. Spec.	Developed	Real Draft
Dennis Thurman	SS	213	5.9	5.6	4.48	37	18	7.27	93	43	59%	11 (306)
John Harris	SS	196	5.4	5.1	4.51	42	16	7.21	95	44	41%	7 (173)
Gino Briggs	SS	207	5.3	5.0	4.64	25	16	7.22	113	37	49%
Keith Simpson	SS	217	5.2	4.9	4.52	26	18	7.15	99	43	39%	1 (9)
Ron Johnson	FS	225	5.2	4.9	4.53	28	17	7.17	96	33	58%	1 (22)
Maurice Harvey	FS	219	5.2	4.9	4.62	31	15	7.20	100	34	58%	4 (86)
Mike Davis	SS	220	5.1	4.8	4.56	30	16	7.28	117	42	44%
Reggie Grant	FS	206	5.1	4.8	4.55	29	15	7.09	109	41	40%	9 (225)
Ross Finkes	SS	219	4.9	4.6	4.50	34	15	7.27	100	46	35%
Ricky Bridges	SS	196	4.8	4.5	4.68	34	12	7.27	97	40	57%
Eric Felton	SS	210	4.7	4.4	4.62	36	16	7.20	93	38	47%	5 (115)
Reuben Floyd	FS	216	4.6	4.3	4.64	40	13	7.57	95	44	54%
Norbert Mangum	SS	210	4.5	4.2	4.58	33	11	7.35	105	35	53%
Charles Williams	SS	212	4.4	4.1	4.56	16	16	7.31	107	43	48%	9 (230)
Vinny Gilliam	FS	225	4.4	4.1	4.72	40	16	7.02	100	20	27%

Non-descript safety class, although Thurman looks like a bonafide first rounder. Again, no 'AAA' players here.

Next up: the 1978 HFL Draft!

MizzouRah · 03-04-2007, 10:43 AM

You're bringing a tear to my eye NoSkillz! My former team is finally getting a GM who cares for them as much as I did.

GO CARDINALS!!

Izulde · 03-04-2007, 10:58 AM

Superb dynasty, but then we should expect that after the Sabres one

I miss the HFL, damn it.

NoSkillz · 03-04-2007, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

You're bringing a tear to my eye NoSkillz! My former team is finally getting a GM who cares for them as much as I did.

GO CARDINALS!!

Yeah, being my first GM Multiplayer experience, I'm pretty pumped.

It's a shame that everything you built for the franchise pretty much got torn down when the league was forced to use a computer GM for a year or two.

There's not a lot of elite, playmaking talent here and it looks as if it might take another year or two of rebuilding before I'm a legitimate threat but we'll see...

Glad to see you on the HFL Forums...it would be great to have you back in the league!

NoSkillz · 03-04-2007, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izulde

Superb dynasty, but then we should expect that after the Sabres one

I miss the HFL, damn it.

Thanks Izulde. That's a great compliment coming from you.

Hopefully you can eventually find the time to come back to the league. I love GM's who contribute articles and analysis and I bet you would be that type of owner.

I'm currently putting the finishing touches on the 1978 HFL Yearbook, which is currently creeping up to about 50 pages (!), with team previews, player rankings and much more.

It's time consuming but will be a great marketing tool for the league and a fun read for HFL owners and 'vultures'...I hope anyway!

nilodor · 03-04-2007, 01:04 PM

Great dynasty post, good luck in the upcoming season!

MizzouRah · 03-04-2007, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

Yeah, being my first GM Multiplayer experience, I'm pretty pumped.

It's a shame that everything you built for the franchise pretty much got torn down when the league was forced to use a computer GM for a year or two.

There's not a lot of elite, playmaking talent here and it looks as if it might take another year or two of rebuilding before I'm a legitimate threat but we'll see...

Glad to see you on the HFL Forums...it would be great to have you back in the league!

Yeah, Livingston was a great trade for me and I was starting to build the team up around him. Good luck, I'll be reading and frequenting the forums.

NoSkillz · 03-07-2007, 12:04 AM

On to the draft we go. As you can see by the charts, I really prepared for my first ever multiplayer (and FOF) draft.

The team has some glaring holes on both sides of the ball but there are a couple positions that stand out more than others. On offense, we're very weak at the running back, wide receiver and center slots.

On defense, our entire front is weak and we could use another corner.

The biggest need is defensive tackle, but the only guy worth taking in the first round is Dennis Harrison and it's pretty much impossible that he'll drop from his #5 rated overall position in the draft. Jack Roberson, the #2 rated DT, is a second round talent.

So I had my eye on WR Martin Kripper, a speedster out of Florida State. He had a great combine but the #4 rated WR in the draft had a terrible Solecismic test, scoring a 9, the lowest in the entire draft class. But his skill set falls right into what I'm looking for at wideout and I kept my fingers crossed that he would soon line up opposite John Stallworth.

I've got picks in every round and two in the fifth round after a trade with the Falcons a couple days before the draft. I select #20 in the first round. My strategy was to give preference to good combine guys over good 'bar' guys, based on the reading I've done on this site.

Lets go through the whole first round, with commentary from the HFL's man on the beat, Pub Reporter:

1. Earl Campbell RB (Atlanta Falcons)

No surprises here, the Falcons get their replacement for Franco Harris and Campbell gets to play on a team that likes to run the ball a lot. Both should be happy & Campbell is already the bookies short-priced favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The Falcons traded 3 First Round Picks to get the first overall selection in the draft. They then traded Franco Harris, the leading rusher in the HFL in '77 for a couple other first rounders in order to insert Campbell directly into the lineup. A huge gamble on a rookie, without doubt.

2. James Lofton WR (Minnesota Vikings)

Well they were expected to go for T Kenn or Lofton so this is no major surprise. Lofton demonstrates a no-show at the combine doesn't necessarily lower your value. The Vikes will be hoping he justifies his selection above Jefferson & Jackson.

3. John Jefferson WR (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Strike one up for the Cub Reporter Mock Draft. Jacksonville as expected take Jefferson at 3. The fastest man in the draft, Jefferson will give the Jags a genuine deep threat.

4. Alfred Jackson WR (Carolina Panthers)

Anyone predict 3 wideouts going in the top 4? No, we didn't think so. Carolina decide to go for need as they look to replace the departed Daanen. Maybe could have traded down to get Jackson but that's just nitpicking. Jackson should make an immediate impact.

Needless to say, at this point I figure I have no shot of getting Kripper now at #20.

5. Mike Kenn OT (Green Bay Packers)

With two good relatively young Tackles on the team the Packers are clearly drafting on the basis of the best player available. Kenn is just that and has the potential to be a HFL legend.

6. John Anderson ILB (Cincinnati Bengals)
First defensive player of the draft, the Bengals plump to take combine no-show Anderson. The Bengals have plenty of talent at LB but despite this the defense was pretty awful last year. Anderson could claim a starting spot from either Stein or McCaffrey in his first year.

7. Emmanuel Firestone DE (New Orleans Saints)
First major shock of the draft as the Saints take Firestone ahead of Gay, Glenn and Colon. Projected as a late first round pick, New Orleans have obviously seen something they like in the big man from Miami Fl.

8. Todd Christensen TE (Los Angeles Rams)
They'll be a few raised eyebrows at drafting a TE with a top ten pick but Christensen is a fine athlete and the Rams currently have a major hole at this position. It's starting to look like there is going to be some unexpected defensive talent available in the middle of the round.

9. Mosi Tatupu RB (New Orleans Saints)
After taking a chance with Firestone, the Saints play it safe with their 2nd pick of the day and draft RB Tatupu. Looks like New Orleans are calling time on the killer bees.

10. Doug Williams QB (Houston Texans)
Having grabbed Bob Lee for the here and now in free agency, the Texans draft Williams for the future. We're surprised they didn't go for help on the OL but it's hard to argue that Williams isn't value at this stage in the draft.

11. Bill Gay DE (Buffalo Bills)
With the luxury of having no major holes to fill, the Bills take the best player available in Southern Cal DE Bill Gay. We think it's fair to say that with Randy White, Rubin Carter and now Gay on the roster, the Bills won't be needing to worry about their defensive line until the mid-eighties or so.

12. Ozzie Newsome TE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
With Williams and the top 3 receivers gone, we're guessing Tampa were down to at least No 5 on their draft board. Newsome will give Griese at least one decent target to aim for this year.

13. Eric Smith T (Miami Dolphins)
Smith looks to be a steal at this stage of the draft and fills a big area of need for the Dolphins.

14. Estus Hood CB (Washington Redskins)
As expected, the Redskins to look to bolster their secondary by selecting Illinois corner Estus Hood. He'll be expected to make an immediate impact in his first year.

At this point, I'm starting to think that I just might have a decision on my hands. Harrison, the top rated DT, is dropping like a rock in my direction unexpectedly.

15. Terry Jackson CB (Kansas City Chiefs)
Trading down looks like a good move for the Chiefs as they would have missed out on Lofton, Jackson and Jefferson. Their real priority is to build their secondary and so step forward Terry Jackson.

16. Andy Kelley RB (Denver Broncos)
One thing is for sure is that Kelley will get every chance to shine at the run-happy Broncos. Time will tell if he can convet his great physical attributes into hard yards

17. J.J. Kiss OLB (Seattle Seahawks)
As predicted by Cub Reporter, the Seahawks strengthen their linebacking corps with the addition of pass rushing specialist Kiss. That's three right from the last four for Cubbie just in case you're counting.

18. Doug Colon DE (New England Patriots)
Facing Payton and Simpson twice a year means the Patriots need to be able to stop the run. Colon fits the bill nicely and should start in his rookie season.

19. Gerald Small CB (Atlanta Falcons)
After their off-season clear-out of the defense, the Falcons start the rebuilding job with San Jose St corner Gerald Small.

Oh my...Kripper made it to #20 but so did Harrison! I now have to completely rework my draft strategy but I just can't pass up the #5 rated player in the draft, especially in a position of huge need.

20. Dennis Harrison DT (St. Louis Cardinals)

The Cardinals won't be able to believe their luck that they could pick up Harrison here. The need help on the D-Line and picking up the draft's top rated DT is a great bit of business.

Now, I could only hope that Kripper would drop into the second round and then, maybe, I could trade up for a shot at him. Lets look at the rest of the first round.

21. Dennis Thurman S (Kansas City Chiefs)
With their second pick of the day, KC land the drafts top-rated safety. Probably won't start this year but the Chiefs secondary looks a lot stronger after todays selections.

22. Brent Watson T (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Solid pick for the Steelers as they look to fill a hole on the right hand side of their line. Watson looks excellent value at this stage of the proceedings.

23. Archie Wells T (Indianapolis Colts)
Could have gone a lot higher but for a poor combine. The Colts will be hoping that Wells is smart enough to make up for any physical shortcomings.

24. Ray Griffin CB (Cleveland Browns)
The Browns secondary is starting to look a bit old and so they draft in young blood in the form of Ray Griffin. Griffin didn't excel at the combine and this could be considered a bit of a risk at this stage of the draft. Cornerbacks are starting to look thin on the ground as we approach the end of the round.

25. Daryl Glenn DT (Detroit Lions)
Solid pick for the Lions. Glenn should eventually start alongside Fanning to give the Lions plenty of strength on the inside of the D-Line.

26. Alan Martinez CB (Detroit Lions)
The Lions take the 5th cornerback of the 1st round by selecting Martinez. Like Griffin, Martinez is a bit of a reach at this stage but if the Lions had there heart set on a CB he's probably the best of what's left.

I was personally hoping Martinez would drop into the second round...I had my eye on him and scouts loved him.

27. Kurt Farris QB (Chicago Bears)
Farris falls all the way to 27 and the Chicago Bears. Bit of a surprise selection but we're guessing the Bears probably wanted one of five cornerbacks taken in last 10 or so picks. Farris will have time to learn his trade backing up Livingstone.

28. Jack Roberson DT (Philadelphia Eagles)
The Eagles don't have a lot of depth at DT and so Roberson looks like a good fit for them.

29. Martin Kripper WR (San Diego Chargers)
After the early run on recievers, Kripper lasts all the way until near the end of the round. The Chargers will be delighted to have landed someone of his quality to eventually take over from Taylor.

DAMN IT! The drop-off in talent between Kripper, the fourth ranked wideout in the draft and the fifth guy is off-the-charts. Not good...I really wanted a fast flanker in this draft and they are all gone.

30. Terry Miller RB (San Francisco 49ers)
As expected the niners go for Terry Miller. With great hands, Miller looks like a perfect fit for the Anderson-led offense.

31. Art Still DE (Green Bay Packers)
The Packers will be delighted to land Still here. He outperformed both Colin (1.18)and Firestone (1.7) in the combine and looks to be a player with plenty of upside potential

32. Clay Matthews OLB (Baltimore Ravens)
There was always a chance that Matthews could sneak into the 1st round and with a strong roster the Ravens can afford to take a chance on him. Could be a steal.

So there is the first round. I'd have to rework my strategy for the next six rounds - I had hoped to take an offensive player in the first two rounds but now there was really no one left that was worthy of a second round pick. It would have to be a defensive guy and I was going to look at either a defensive end or a corner.

I'll have a post with the rest of my draft tomorrow.

NoSkillz · 03-08-2007, 10:12 PM

I was definitely looking to fill a starter's slot with my second round pick and was hoping that either a suitable defensive end or a corner fell to me.

The first shocker was center Blair Bush going with the 34th overall pick...I really hoped that the combine holdout would drop to the third round. Therefore, I now had to look at Jim Hough, the top-rated center in the draft
for my pick.

The only decent end was Al Baker and he went 42nd overall to Atlanta. So my pick, the 51st in the draft came down to Hough or cornerback Blaine Sanford, the sixth rated corner in the draft.

2nd Round (51st Overall): CB Blaine Sanford, Oklahoma - St. Louis Cardinals
Sanford had great bars and was solid in the combine, with above average scores in every category but not quite AAA level. I'm a bit worried about his endurance rating and he's the greenest of the top corner candidates but he should be a good one.

As the second round turned to the third, I kept watching Hough get passed over by every team. Could he possibly fall to me in the third?

Umm, no. Narcizo's Baltimore Ravens, the defending HFL champs, scooped him up three picks before my selection so it was back to the drawing board. I decided to go with offense and a possible playmaker with my third rounder.

3rd Round (84th Overall): RB Ricky Patton, Jackson State - St. Louis
I went off the board a bit with this selection, as Patton was the 17th rated running back in the draft. However, he had an intriguing combine, almost a 'AAA', just falling short by being right on the average in the agility test. He notched the best 40-time (4.50) among backs and annihilated his peers in the strength test, raising the bar 27 times, 5 more than the second placed Earl Campbell. Fastest & strongest back? Not bad at this stage of the draft. His bars looked solid in the 'Breakaway Speed' and 'Power Inside' areas but looked weak in pass receiving. That's okay by me, as I don't plan on using my backs much in the passing game. Could be a steal but we'll see how he looks after camp.

I set my targets on another defensive prospect in the fourth round and was lucky enough to have him fall to me.

4th Round (115th Overall): NT Henry Bradley, Alcorn State - St. Louis
Bradley, the 7th rated defensive tackle in the draft, is a 6'6" 286lb monster who just happened to run a scintillating 4.73 40!!! Easily the fastest defensive lineman in the draft and the second strongest as well, falling only one rep short of Dennis Harrison, my first round pick. I'm hoping Bradley can make the transition to defensive end and be effective as a pass rusher.

I had two fifth round picks and I had my heart set on Missouri linebacker Everett Preston, one of the last 'AAA' combine guys left in the draft. However, he got scooped up by Carolina early in the round so I went with another middle linebacker who was rated higher by the bureau.

5th Round (148th Overall): MLB Darnell Barton, Mississippi State - St. Louis
Barton was the 7th rated middle linebacker in the draft. His bars looked decent and he had an above average combine but nothing spectacular. I did like his score in the Solecismic, however, as he garnered the top score among his peers at MLB. If nothing else, he should be a contributor on special teams.

I was desperate for wideout help so I went with the top combine guy remaining.

5th Round (156th Overall): WR Jessie Thompson, California - St. Louis
Thompson actually had a 'AAA' combine, notching the 2nd best agility score in addition to being above average in the 40 and the strength test. However, my scout doesn't really care for him at all and he doesn't seem to possess the bars that fit in with the downfield attacking offense we want to run.

I knew exactly who I was going to pick with my sixth round selection before the draft even started. He is a big-name player in real life but didn't participate in the combine and was ranked near the bottom of his position class by the bureau. I figured someone might snap him up in the seventh round so I fully intended to snag him myself in the sixth.

6th Round (179th Overall): WR Wes Chandler, Florida - St. Louis

Terrible bars but good intangibles (high Solecismic, leadership, loyalty), I figured I'd take a shot and hope he comes through. A big reach but immediately after picking him, a couple guys noted it in the forum, saying they WERE going to take a flyer on him in the seventh. We'll see if he makes the lineup.

I was able to also get the guy I wanted in the seventh, a green but intriguing center.

7th Round (212th Overall): C Dustin Vance, North Carolina - St. Louis
Highest Solecismic in the entire draft with a score of 53 and his bars look great. He was only ranked 13th by the bureau, however, and isn't developed at all. A project.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my draft but really wished I had the chance of getting an offensive playmaker. I guess I did with Kripper but Harrison was too good to pass up.

He better turn out to be decent!

NoSkillz · 03-08-2007, 10:23 PM

Cardinals GM Comes Through in Draft; Nab DT Harrison

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
April 29, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

The St. Louis Cardinals haven't had a lot of success this offseason in luring big-name free agents to the club.

However, it looks as if things have started to swing the other way after a solid looking first draft from rookie GM NoSkillz.

The Cards had a few glaring holes going into yesterday's entry draft, especially on the defensive line. That need was addressed when the #5 rated prospect in the draft, Vanderbilt defensive tackle Dennis Harrison fell right into their lap at the #20 slot.

The 6'3" 280lb 1977 First Team All-SEC player was also an academic standout at Vanderbilt and will get every chance at starting this season for the Cardinals.

"We're thrilled to have Dennis wearing Cardinal red this season", NoSkillz offered. "We certainly had a void in the middle of our defense and to get someone of Harrison's pedigree at the 20 slot was a surprise to say the least."

Harrison had a fantastic combine but scouts are a bit leery about his pass rushing technique and endurance, a possible reason for the drop out of the top ten.

The GM isn't worried.

"Dennis is a tremendous athlete and has every intangible you look for in a player - great leadership skills, unbelievably intelligent and an infectious personality."

"He will be a big star here in St. Louis."

The Cards took Oklahoma cornerback Blaine Sanford with their second round pick. The 5'10" 189lb Sanford had a good combine and scouts like his diagnostic and ball-hawking skills. He was the sixth-rated corner in the draft.

"We really looked at getting excellent athletes in this draft and Blaine fits the bill", NoSkillz said.

The Cards took the unheralded Ricky Patton in the third round, a Jackson State running back who wasn't highly regarded coming into the draft.

However, Patton was a standout in the combines, posting the fastest 40 time (4.50) and also destroying his peers in the strength tests (27 reps, 5 more than the second placed Earl Campbell).

"Some may look at this as a reach but we strongly believe in Patton's big-play abilities and his overall skill level. Watch out for this kid...he may just surprise", the GM indicated.

Here are the rest of the Cardinals selections in the 1978 draft:

- Henry Bradley, NT, Alcorn State, 6'6" 286lbs - Fourth Round Pick
Another combine standout, the huge Alcorn State nose tackle posted the fastest 40 time among all defensive linemen (4.73) and was just behind Harrison in the strength test. Bradley may be asked to move to defensive end to better take advantage of his speed and size and has the talent to make the transition.

- Darnell Barton, MLB, Mississippi State, 6'2" 243lbs - Fifth Round Pick
Barton had a solid combine and scouts rave about his intelligence and play diagnosis skills. Should be a special teams force at the very least.

- Jessie Thompson, WR, California, 6'2" 212lbs - Fifth Round Pick
Thompson also was selected on the basis of his combine, where he posted the second best score in the agility test and was an above average performer in the other tests. Scouts aren't sold on his abilities and his skill set doesn't seem well suited for the offense St. Louis plans to install.

- Wes Chandler, WR, Florida, 6'5" 220lbs - Sixth Round Pick
A huge reach. Chandler was a combine non-participant and scouts just don't think he has the ability to play in the league. Did well in the intelligence tests and has the size and intangibles but he has a lot to prove to justify getting drafted.

- Dustin Vance, C, North Carolina, 6'4" 337lbs - Seventh Round Pick
Vance posted the highest score in the intelligence test among all potential draftees and scouts seem to think he's extremely underrated. The bureau disagrees, however, and rated him 13th among centers in the draft. He's very green and it's unlikely that the Cards will have the patience to wait it out until he becomes a useful player.

In other news, the Cardinals announced a number of additional free agent signings:

- OG Chuck Hutchinson, 30 years old, 6'2" 262lbs (from New Orleans Saints)
- C Ed Flanagan, 33 years old, 6'3" 286lbs (from Jacksonville Jaguars)
- C Clyde Stevenson, 31 years old, 6'1" 254lbs (from Denver Broncos)
- WR Marlin Briscoe, 30 years old, 5'10" 178lbs (from San Diego Chargers)
- DT Jerry Rush, 35 years old, 6'2" 262lbs (from Kansas City Chiefs)
- QB Kent Nix, 34 years old, 6'2" 223lbs (from New Orleans Saints)

Flanagan comes into camp with the starting center job to lose. Briscoe may see time opposite John Stallworth due to his big-play abilities, something coach Walt Grabowski was looking for in the offseason. Nix will backup new Cards starter Frank Patrick. Stevenson and Hutchinson are depth acquisitions.

The biggest gamble was on Rush, a standout defensive tackle througout his career but he is currently nursing an MCL injury and may not play at all this season.

"It's a low-risk pickup as far as we're concerned", indicated NoSkillz. "If he plays, it's a bonus - he's immensely talented and we felt it was worth the money, as we have a bunch of cap space that would have gone to waste anyway."

NoSkillz also remarked that his leadership and mentoring skills would be put to great use with new draftees Harrison and Bradley.

The Cardinals also resigned middle linebacker Doug Allen and defensive tackle Manny Fernandez, who was cut by the Atlanta Falcons almost immediately after the Cards picked up a fifth round pick for him in a trade between the two clubs.

Narcizo · 03-09-2007, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

6th Round (179th Overall): WR Wes Chandler, Florida - St. Louis

Terrible bars but good intangibles (high Solecismic, leadership, loyalty), I figured I'd take a shot and hope he comes through. A big reach but immediately after picking him, a couple guys noted it in the forum, saying they WERE going to take a flyer on him in the seventh. We'll see if he makes the lineup.

I was going to take him in the 6th as I fully expected Chargers GM/fan 3ric to take him in the 7th. Sometimes I wish I wasn't the Ravens as there's no players I "ought" to have on my team. Unless you buy the argument that the Ravens are "really" the only Baltimore team and should get the stats and players of the Colts pre-move. Or you consider the Ravens to be the Browns, meaning I should have gone all out for Ozzie Newsome.

Honestly I'd rather have started as the Charlottesville Hornets or something. Well, apart from the fact that the winged shield is a pretty cool logo. So I'm alright until we change to the purple emu. In about 6 years time (real time).

NoSkillz · 03-12-2007, 12:37 AM

Here is how the rookies looked after the draft:

DT Dennis Harrison - 32/41

CB Blaine Sanford - 26/62
RB Ricky Patton - 30/47
DT Henry Bradley - 29/42 *
MLB Darnell Barton - 28/41
WR Jessie Thompson - 18/30
WR Wes Chandler - 16/30
C Dustin Vance - 13/52

I'm not really surprised about Harrison and hold out hope that the ratings can be attributed to scout error. His combine was fantastic and his bars don't seem to be where they should based on his results. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Sanford looks solid but I expect his numbers to come down a bit after camp - his combine wasn't spectacular by any means so I expect a correction.

Patton is an interesting one. His speed and inside running bars are fantastic so I expect him to perform better than his ratings. His hole recognition and receiving skills are low, as is his endurance.

I asterisked Bradley, as he improved 1 current when I changed his position to defensive end.

Barton has a major conflict with our leader up front so I don't know if we're going to keep him around. Thompson and Chandler look pretty pathetic and Vance looks like a decent prospect but a bit too green to amount to anything.

TRAINING CAMP:

20 players are asked to bulk up before training camp, including new quarterback Frank Patrick. This guy is currently rated 69/69 and has all the attributes you look for in a pivot but he just can't stay healthy. At 6'4" and about 200lbs, maybe he needs a bit of weight to withstand the hits. I hope so...

9 players are asked to trim down before camp, including my fat-ass kicker, a former first round pick who has a big leg but can't hit the broad side of a barn (Janikowski?).

For camp, I devote extra time to the weight room, pass plays and defense while I trim some time off film & playbook and 'team bonding' functions. The QB is already well-versed in most formations and the team cohesion is high enough.

We're not here for fun and games gentlemen!

Let's see how the rookies fared after camp:

POST TRAINING CAMP NUMBERS:

DT Dennis Harrison - 36/45 (+4/+4)
CB Blaine Sanford - 28/58 (+2/-4)
RB Ricky Patton - 30/46 (0/-1)
DT Henry Bradley - 30/40 (+1/-2)
MLB Darnell Barton - 43/52 (+15/+11)

WR Jessie Thompson - 21/31 (+3/+1)
WR Wes Chandler - 19/31 (+3/+1)
C Dustin Vance - 14/46 (+1/-6)

I'm pleased with Harrison's progress and continue to hold out hope that he will continue his slow upward trajectory. Sanford, Patton and Bradley remain pretty close to their initial numbers.

Looks like I found my first boomer with Barton. Conflict be damned, the kid will be sticking around and may have forced himself into the lineup. To do so, I'd have to consider changing to a 3-4 defense, as the incumbent middle linebacker isn't going anywhere. Nice development though for the Mississippi State grad!

Thompson and Chandler both see nice little increases as well and just might stick around as fourth or fifth receivers. Neither brings anything to the table on special teams or in the return game though.

The expected correction on Vance takes place.

Among other players, it's some good, some bad. Patrick gains nine pounds after his offseason training and also goes +2/+2 to hit 71/71. Nice stuff from the eight year vet.

My incumbent back, Eddie Ray, continues to drop like a rock down to 35/35 (-6/-6). The starting TE, Bob Tucker, also drops to 54/54 (-8/-8).

Thankfully, there's no change with Stallworth (61/61) because his running mate Ron Sellers drops to 29/29 (-10/-10) and is out of my starting lineup.

On the offensive line, main man Levert Carr drops to 83/83 (-4/-4) but that's manageable.

We see a nice gain from 10th year LT Mike Wilson, who improves to 62/62 (+5/+5).

On defense, my top end Harry Gunner drops to 48/48 (-6/-6) and super dud Jack Youngblood drops off the face of the earth to 33/34 (-11/-11). BUSTO! One of my young tackles, third year man Keith Simons moves up to 38/48 (+3/+1).

My top corner Charlie Waters drops to 53/53 (-6/-6) but everyone else pretty much stays intact.

I've got 64 guys in camp right now and have to cut down to sixty before my first preseason game, which takes place in week two. I also realize I will need to sign a return specialist, as the guys I have in camp just aren't good enough.

A good return guy will be important, as I may have trouble moving the ball this year due to lack of playmaking talent.

NoSkillz · 03-12-2007, 12:45 AM

Youngsters Impress as Cards Close Camp

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
August 1, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

The St. Louis Cardinals veterans have their work cut out for them this season.

Many of the rookies and youngsters on the football team's roster are making strong bids for starting positions, something that is music to the ears of rookie GM NoSkillz.

"We knew things were going to be competitive with 64 guys attending camp", he said. "However, I can't say I ever would have guessed so many of them would have a shot at starting right out of the gate."

The Post-Dispatch has been keeping a close eye on all of the developments in training camp and broke everything down by position.

QUARTERBACK -
Newcomer Frank Patrick, going into his ninth year, came into camp in tremendous shape after putting on 8 pounds of muscle after a rigorous offseason training program. The club feels the extra weight will help the brittle Patrick absorb more punishment in the pocket. He has looked very sharp and is even better than advertised.

Veteran Kent Nix and sophomore Nicky Guillen will backup Patrick. The club is disappointed in the lack of progress shown by Guillen.

RUNNING BACK -
The race for the starting halfback position is wide open. Incumbent Eddie Ray, who rushed for over 1000 yards last year, had a horrible camp and looks much older than his 29 years. Rookie Ricky Patton is turning heads in camp with his tremendous speed and power but endurance will likely be an issue, as he's never been asked to carry the full load in college at Jackson State. Also in the mix is sophomore Clarence Williams and fourth-year man Arnold Weber but neither of those two own the physical attributes possessed by Patton. All four will get their touches in preseason.

FULLBACK -
Free agent acquistion George Amundson will start this year but likely won't see a lot of time, as the team plans to utilize a lot of single back formations. Clem Turner is one of the locker room leaders and will back up Amundson while undrafted rookie Jessie Stamm is in tough to make the roster.

TIGHT END -
The Cards leading receiver last year was tight end Bob Tucker and he returns for his ninth season. He's a strong blocker and will be asked to take some pressure off Stallworth in the receiving game. Jack Funk and Sean Stemke provide solid support.

WIDE RECEIVER -
John Stallworth couldn't be more excited about the guy who is throwing to him. We don't think he'll be as happy about the constant double-teams he will have to endure this year. After gaining 9 pounds of muscle, Stallworth is poised for a breakout campaign. The 31-year old Ron Sellers isn't having a good camp and doesn't fit in with the new offensive schemes being implemented. There is a good chance he won't be starting this year. Rookies Wes Chandler and Jessie Thompson are still quite green and it's difficult to see them making much of an impact this year, although both are having solid camps. Randy Burke has been decent in camp and will likely stick. Vincent Ketchum, Marlin Briscoe and Glenn Alexander all look the same to us - disposable.

EDIT: NoSkillz announced that he just completed a trade with the defending HFL champions that will see former first round pick Allen Dunbar come to St. Louis for Offensive Guard Chuck Hutchinson. Dunbar will have a good chance at starting opposite Stallworth.

OFFENSIVE LINE -
A solid unit returns almost completely intact. LG Levert Carr is the leader of a fine group that includes Bill Bain, Rick Sharp and Mike Wilson, who's been extremely impressive in camp. Ed Flanagan was signed as a free agent and will start at center. Depth is an issue on the line, however. Rookie Dustin Vance, fellow center Clyde Stevenson, G Jackie Glode, rookie guard Walt Wooley and tackle Kelvin Prior are all inexperienced and would have difficulty filling the shoes of their much more accomplished teammates in case of injury.

DEFENSIVE LINE -
Harry Gunner returns to lead a revamped line. He's now 33 years old and starting to look the part. Rookie Henry Bradley will be given every chance to start this year after making the transition to end from tackle. He's had an solid but unspectacular camp. #1 pick Dennis Harrison is still an unknown quantity in many respects but he is improving every day in every facet of the game, something the coaches are thrilled with. He will start at tackle. There is plenty of depth here, with Manny Fernandez, Bob Juchartz and Keith Simons providing cover. The injured Jerry Rush will likely be cut or placed on injured reserve. There are too many ends in camp so expect at least one or two to be cut. Jack Youngblood has looked entirely out of place and may be the ultimate victim. Junior Johnson just isn't progressing after being picked in the third round last year. Fernando Harrison (no relation to Dennis) was signed to help tutor Bradley so he'll stay. The team also has veteran pass-rush specialist John Farley and rookie Larry Bethea in camp.

LINEBACKERS -
Lots of interesting news here. All-HFL First Teamer Ross Brupbacher has been moved to the strong side to open up a spot for last year's first round pick Terry Beeson, who made the move to WLB from the middle in the summer league. Beeson has been extremely impressive in camp and is starting to finally fulfill some of the promise of being a 9th overall selection. Ron Pritchard has taken Beeson under his wing and been a very positive factor in the youngster's evolution this summer. The best story in camp, however, is rookie Darnell Barton, St. Louis' fifth round pick. He has been absolutely tremendous and may have singlehandedly forced coach Wade Grabowski's hand in going to a 3-4 just to get him in the lineup. One thing to watch, however, is the fact that some animosity has built up between the brash young Barton and veteran lineman Harry Gunner. Recent pickup Dick Cunningham was brought in to help Barton and his transition to the pros and the coaches hope he can help mend the fued with the team's leader up front. Fellow middle linebacker Tim Rossovich also returns. Last year's starting WLB, K.C. O'Donnell, has been terrible in camp and may get cut. Doug Allen has impressed at MLB and provides excellent depth.

SECONDARY -
This is one of the strengths of the team. The safeties, Ike Thomas and Nate Wright are among the top tandems in the league. Backup Louie Wright is a former first rounder who could start on many teams and is only in his fourth year. Rookie Luther Bradley and veteran Jim Ferguson will fight for another spot. At corner, Charlie Waters returns for his 9th season and will likely be joined by rookie Blaine Sanford, who has looked fine in camp. Dusty Hartman, Jim Thrower and Ethan Heupel provide capable support.

KICKING -
No changes here, as 1975 First Round pick Steve Mayer returns for placekicking duties. He was asked to get into better shape before camp and obliged, losing 11 pounds. The team hopes his accuracy improves in '78. Veteran punter Bobby Walden also returns.

There could be as many as four rookies starting on defense this year: Harrison, Bradley, Barton and Sanford. In reality, it's almost five, as Beeson really didn't even play last year.

On offense, the team will look for someone other than Stallworth to provide the big plays needed in order to compete in the NFC this year.

NoSkillz · 03-15-2007, 12:27 AM

Our first preseason game and my first ever multiplayer game is in the books and we go down to defeat, losing 27-13 to Kansas City.

The result doesn't have me upset but injuries do. But first, the box score:

Exhibition Week 2, 1978

played in St. Louis, MO
55 degrees, fair, calm

Kansas City Chiefs	7	3	7	10	-	27
St. Louis Cardinals	0	13	0	0	-	13

Scoring Summary
1Q: 05:08 KCY - Kurt Dougan 9 fumble return (Jim Breech extra point)
2Q: 11:34 STL - Steve Mayer 35 field goal
2Q: 07:32 STL - Steve Mayer 41 field goal
2Q: 04:26 KCY - Jim Breech 20 field goal
2Q: 01:04 STL - Jessie Thompson 5 pass from Kent Nix (Steve Mayer extra point)
3Q: 11:47 KCY - Dennis Pearson 30 pass from Dick Shiner (Jim Breech extra point)
4Q: 05:27 KCY - Luther Blue 23 pass from Dick Shiner (Jim Breech extra point)
4Q: 00:14 KCY - Jim Breech 54 field goal

Team Statistics	KCY	STL
Record	1-0	0-1
First Downs	22	16
- by Rushing	5	6
- by Passing	14	10
- by Penalty	3	0
Total Net Yards	349	347
- Offensive Plays	66	63
- Yards per Play	5.29	5.51
Net Rushing Yards	113	183
- Rushing Attempts	32	26
- Yards per Rush	3.53	7.04
Net Passing Yards	236	164
- Att./Comp./Intrcpt	32 - 21 - 1	33 - 16 - 0
- Gross Passing Yards	246	188
- Sacks/Yards Lost	2/10	4/24
- Yards per Pass Play	6.94	4.43
Fumbles/Lost	3/0	1/0
3rd Down Conversions	6/13	6/16
- Avg. YtG on 3rd Down	5.5	7.6
4th Down Conversions	0/0	0/2
Penalties/Yards	6/52	9/89
Punt Returns/Yards	3/37	1/3
Kick Returns/Yards	2/43	2/37
Interception Ret./Yards	0/0	1/13
2pt Conversions	0/0	0/0
Red Zone Visits	3	2
- Red Zone TDs/FGs	1/1	1/1
Avg. Drive Start	OWN 35	OWN 21
Time of Possession	32:42	27:18

Game MVP: Stan Herrin, Kansas City Chiefs

Rushing Statistics

Kansas City	Att	Yards	Avg	LG	10+
Mario Cage	17	64	3.76	14	1
Casey Jorgenson	13	43	3.31	12	1
Dick Shiner	2	6	3.00	7	0

St. Louis	Att	Yards	Avg	LG	10+
Ricky Patton	13	70	5.38	32	2
Eddie Ray	12	106	8.83	65	2
Arnold Weber	1	7	7.00	7	0

Passing Statistics

Kansas City	Att	Comp	Yards	Sk/Yd	TD	LG	Int	Rate
Dick Shiner	17	11	154	1/5	2	30	1	108.4
Ken Stabler	15	10	92	1/5	0	21	0	83.2

St. Louis	Att	Comp	Yards	Sk/Yd	TD	LG	Int	Rate
Kent Nix	29	13	154	4/24	1	22	0	73.0
Frank Patrick	4	3	34	0/0	0	18	0	100.0

Receiving Statistics

Kansas City	Catch	Targ	Yards	Avg	YAC	LG	TD
WR Keith Wright	6	7	72	12.00	6	21	0
WR Dennis Pearson	5	9	54	10.80	1	30	1
WR Mel Gray	4	6	43	10.75	0	28	0
WR Luther Blue	3	4	57	19.00	0	23	1
RB Mario Cage	2	3	12	6.00	0	6	0
TE Henry Childs	1	2	8	8.00	2	8	0
TE Ray Ogden	0	1	0	0.00	0	0	0

St. Louis	Catch	Targ	Yards	Avg	YAC	LG	TD
WR Jessie Thompson	4	10	63	15.75	14	22	1
WR Wes Chandler	3	4	26	8.67	0	14	0
RB Arnold Weber	2	2	23	11.50	4	15	0
RB Ricky Patton	2	2	25	12.50	0	21	0
RB Eddie Ray	1	1	5	5.00	0	5	0
WR Allen Dunbar	1	3	22	22.00	0	22	0
FB George Amundson	1	1	1	1.00	0	1	0
WR John Stallworth	1	3	12	12.00	0	12	0
WR Eddie Foster	1	4	11	11.00	2	11	0
TE Bob Tucker	0	2	0	0.00	0	0	0
TE Sean Stemke	0	1	0	0.00	0	0	0

Interception Statistics

Kansas City	Ints	Yards	Avg	TD

St. Louis	Ints	Yards	Avg	TD
ILB Darnell Barton	1	13	13.00	0

Fumble Statistics

Kansas City	Fumb	Recov	Force	TD
Ken Stabler	1	0	0	0
Dick Shiner	1	0	0	0
Keith Wright	1	0	0	0
Kurt Dougan	0	2	0	1
Joey Hodges	0	1	0	0
Rufus Schreiner	0	0	1	0

St. Louis	Fumb	Recov	Force
Kent Nix	1	0	0
Kelvin Prior	0	1	0
Bob Juchartz	0	0	1
Terry Beeson	0	0	1
Blaine Sanford	0	0	1

Punting Statistics

Kansas City	Punt	Yards	Avg	Net	LG	In20
Marv Bateman	4	184	46.0	40.3	52	3

St. Louis	Punt	Yards	Avg	Net	LG	In20
Bobby Walden	6	242	40.3	30.8	59	2

Kicking Statistics

Kansas City	FGs	40+Yd	50+Yd	LG	PAT
Jim Breech	2/3	1/2	1/2	54	3/3

St. Louis	FGs	40+Yd	50+Yd	LG	PAT
Steve Mayer	2/2	1/1	0/0	41	1/1

Punt Return Statistics

Kansas City	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Ernie Jones	2	24	12.0	0
Brenden Sammons	1	13	13.0	0

St. Louis	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Dusty Hartman	1	3	3.0	0

Kick Return Statistics

Kansas City	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Bob Howard	1	22	22.0	0
Mario Cage	1	21	21.0	0

St. Louis	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Eddie Foster	2	37	18.5	0

Defensive Statistics

Kansas City	Tack	Asst	Sack	RPlay	PPlay
ILB Norman Carlton	5	1	1.0	15	21
DE Steve Furness	5	0	0.0	20	28
CB Terry Jackson	4	1	1.0	14	27
ILB Rufus Schreiner	4	1	0.5	12	12
CB Brenden Sammons	4	1	0.0	14	24
DT Willie Lee	3	2	0.0	21	26
CB Ernie Jones	3	1	0.0	12	13
OLB Jim Fulton	3	0	0.0	15	22
DE Stan Herrin	2	1	1.0	21	30
CB T.J. Stokes	2	1	0.0	12	10
ILB John Pergine	2	0	0.0	12	16
OLB John Neidert	2	0	0.0	14	19
CB Bob Howard	2	0	0.0	15	26
OLB Paul Harris	1	2	0.5	15	23
DT George Wright	1	1	0.0	6	9
OLB Ed Mooney	1	0	0.0	15	17
S Ron Gardin	1	0	0.0	14	24
WR Dennis Pearson	1	0	---	---	---
S Johnny Peacock	0	1	0.0	10	20
DT Sylvester Hicks	0	1	0.0	6	11

St. Louis	Tack	Asst	Sack	RPlay	PPlay
ILB Darnell Barton	7	2	0.0	29	29
DT Bob Juchartz	5	1	1.0	19	18
S Ike Thomas	5	2	0.0	14	15
ILB Tim Rossovich	3	2	0.0	14	17
S Nate Wright	3	2	0.0	16	16
DT Dennis Harrison	3	2	0.0	23	19
OLB Ron Pritchard	3	1	0.0	22	21
CB Dusty Hartman	3	1	0.0	18	20
DE Jack Youngblood	3	0	0.0	14	16
S Louie Wright	3	0	0.0	19	19
OLB Terry Beeson	2	2	1.0	17	18
DE Harry Gunner	2	0	0.0	16	14
DE John Farley	2	0	0.0	16	20
CB Blaine Sanford	2	0	0.0	14	14
CB Charlie Waters	1	1	0.0	11	11
S Luther Bradley	1	1	0.0	16	18
CB Jim Thrower	1	0	0.0	24	28
ILB Doug Allen	1	0	0.0	24	20
DT Keith Simons	1	0	0.0	9	15
DE Henry Bradley	1	0	0.0	13	16

Pass Rush Statistics

Kansas City	Sack	Block	Hurry	PPlay
DE Stan Herrin	1.0	0	3	30
ILB Norman Carlton	1.0	0	0	21
CB Terry Jackson	1.0	0	0	27
ILB Rufus Schreiner	0.5	0	2	12
OLB Paul Harris	0.5	0	2	23
DE Steve Furness	0.0	1	0	28
DT Willie Lee	0.0	1	0	26
DT Sylvester Hicks	0.0	1	0	11
DT George Wright	0.0	0	1	9

St. Louis	Sack	Block	Hurry	Knock	PPlay
OLB Terry Beeson	1.0	0	1	0	18
DT Bob Juchartz	1.0	0	0	0	18
DE John Farley	0.0	1	1	0	20
DE Jack Youngblood	0.0	0	2	0	16
OLB Ron Pritchard	0.0	0	0	1	21

NoSkillz · 03-15-2007, 12:31 AM

So we lose the game but more importantly lost our All-HFL 1st Team linebacker Ross Brupbacher for 7 weeks with a broken tibia. We also lost rookie defensive end Henry Bradley for the season - he's gone 20 weeks with a ruptured achilles. I had plans on him starting too.

How about a quick, Good/Bad analysis of my first EVER FOF contest -

GOOD:
- QB Frank Patrick didn't get hurt

I only played him for two series and he went 4/5.
- My running game was really, really good, even with my marginal backs. Both Eddie Ray (12 carries 106 yards) and rookie third round pick Ricky Patton (13 carries 70 yards) broke big runs. As a team, we rushed for 183 yards and over 7 yards/carry.
- Fifth round pick and monster boomer Darnell Barton had a huge game, with 7 tackles, 2 assists and an interception. He was all over the field on Solevision and was blitzing like crazy from the inside. I don't know how I can keep him off the field come regular season.
- OLB Terry Beeson, our '77 first round pick, looked solid in his first real action since moving from ILB with 2 tackles, 2 assists, a sack and a hurry.
- '78 First round pick DT Dennis Harrison had three tackles and 2 assists.

BAD:
- Backup QB Kent Nix was pretty brutal but my backup linemen did him no favours, as he was sacked 4 times and hurried 8 more.
- My running in the red zone was awful. Got to get tougher in that area.
- We allowed their second team offense a lot of big plays and took a few careless penalties, including a couple pass interference calls that gave them great field position.
- We really seemed to be blitzing too much and their QB took advantage with a lot of short passes. Is there a screen that controls the amount you blitz or is that all dependent on down and distance??

All in all, I'm not too disappointed in the result. KC played a pretty solid game and I just couldn't take advantage of the times they put the ball on the ground - heck, they even recovered one of their own fumbles and returned it for a TD early in the game.

Next preseason game I'll likely play Patrick for about a quarter or so to get him into a bit of a groove. I have some gameplan tweaking to do on both sides but moreso on the defensive side. I played a 3-4 this week but with the injury to Brupbacher, I may have to revert back to a 4-3...we'll see.

I have a lot of gameplan tweaking to do. I also will need to pickup another linebacker in the depleted free agency market, as I also lost depth OLB Ron Prichard for about five weeks.

NoSkillz · 03-19-2007, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

I also have the grand ambition of doing an 'HFL 1978 Season Preview', similar to what IHOF has done in the past. They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery so I hope there is no one offended if I complete the task. I believe it will help get people interested about our great league and it will also help me learn about all of the other teams and their players.

Well, it's not a pipe dream anymore.

It took about a month of work but I finally finished the HFL's 1978 Yearbook, a 68 page (!) preview filled with plenty of HFL goodness.

If any of you are interested, you can download the PDF from the HFL site right here.

A few of the HFL owners contributed articles so thanks to Narcizo, 3ric, Rams GM and Tarcone, along with the men on the HFL beat, Cub Reporter and Pub Reporter.

Pretty much a labour of love...somehow I'm still married after spending waaaaaaaaaay too many hours making that thing! My wife is a saint!

NoSkillz · 03-20-2007, 12:18 PM

Exhibition Week 3, 1978

played in Miami, FL
94 degrees, fair, 2 mph wind

St. Louis Cardinals	7	3	0	0	-	10
Miami Dolphins	0	13	0	6	-	19

Scoring Summary
1Q: 08:46 STL - Eddie Ray 1 run (Steve Mayer extra point)
2Q: 14:37 MIA - Geoff Dotson 24 field goal
2Q: 09:00 MIA - Dave Casper 36 pass from Joe Ellis (Geoff Dotson extra point)
2Q: 01:54 STL - Steve Mayer 20 field goal
2Q: 00:14 MIA - Geoff Dotson 23 field goal
4Q: 03:32 MIA - Geoff Dotson 32 field goal
4Q: 01:25 MIA - Geoff Dotson 35 field goal

Team Statistics	STL	MIA
Record	0-2	2-0
First Downs	13	20
- by Rushing	4	9
- by Passing	8	8
- by Penalty	1	3
Total Net Yards	164	338
- Offensive Plays	55	67
- Yards per Play	2.98	5.04
Net Rushing Yards	65	146
- Rushing Attempts	24	36
- Yards per Rush	2.71	4.06
Net Passing Yards	99	192
- Att./Comp./Intrcpt	26 - 13 - 2	31 - 20 - 1
- Gross Passing Yards	142	192
- Sacks/Yards Lost	5/43	0/0
- Yards per Pass Play	3.19	6.19
Fumbles/Lost	2/0	0/0
3rd Down Conversions	3/13	4/14
- Avg. YtG on 3rd Down	8.7	8.6
4th Down Conversions	0/1	0/0
Penalties/Yards	8/52	8/102
Punt Returns/Yards	2/13	3/14
Kick Returns/Yards	5/108	3/80
Interception Ret./Yards	1/1	2/20
2pt Conversions	0/0	0/0
Red Zone Visits	2	4
- Red Zone TDs/FGs	1/1	0/4
Avg. Drive Start	OWN 25	OWN 37
Time of Possession	25:57	34:03

Drive Charts

St. Louis Cardinals
Quar	Began	Poss	From	Plays	Yards	Result
1	12:09	3:31	OWN 30	8	70	Touchdown
2	14:29	2:09	OWN 28	3	-6	Punt
2	10:11	0:47	OWN 20	3	1	Interception
2	8:44	2:32	OWN 38	4	11	Punt
2	4:21	2:34	OWN 28	5	69	Field Goal
2	0:09	0:09	OWN 26	1	-1	Half
3	15:00	4:54	OWN 9	12	52	Punt
3	8:51	4:23	OWN 21	7	20	Punt
3	2:04	1:59	OWN 38	3	7	Punt
4	10:13	1:10	OWN 17	3	-14	Punt
4	3:25	1:19	OWN 27	4	-12	Downs
4	1:19	0:42	OWN 22	3	0	Interception

Miami Dolphins
Quar	Began	Poss	From	Plays	Yards	Result
1	15:00	2:51	OWN 23	3	8	Punt
1	8:38	9:09	OWN 27	15	66	Field Goal
2	12:20	2:09	OPP 49	3	1	Punt
2	9:24	0:40	OPP 37	2	37	Touchdown
2	6:12	1:51	OWN 12	5	13	Punt
2	1:47	1:38	OWN 37	7	57	Field Goal
3	10:06	1:15	OWN 20	3	8	Punt
3	4:28	2:24	OWN 11	5	20	Punt
3	0:05	4:52	OWN 2	11	69	Interception
4	9:03	5:38	OWN 47	9	38	Field Goal
4	2:06	0:47	OPP 15	3	-3	Field Goal
4	0:37	0:37	OPP 28	1	-1	Game

Game MVP: Geoff Dotson, Miami Dolphins

Rushing Statistics

St. Louis	Att	Yards	Avg	LG	10+	TD
Eddie Ray	12	52	4.33	11	2	1
Ricky Patton	9	11	1.22	7	0	0
Nicky Guillen	3	2	0.67	3	0	0

Miami	Att	Yards	Avg	LG	10+
Ed Shuttlesworth	19	77	4.05	11	1
Ethan Connell	16	70	4.38	12	2
John Stofa	1	-1	-1.00	-1	0

Passing Statistics

St. Louis	Att	Comp	Yards	Sk/Yd	TD	LG	Int	Rate
Nicky Guillen	20	10	87	4/35	0	18	1	41.0
Frank Patrick	6	3	55	1/8	0	24	1	42.3

Miami	Att	Comp	Yards	Sk/Yd	TD	LG	Int	Rate
Joe Ellis	15	11	105	0/0	1	36	0	114.6
Steve Ramsey	8	5	64	0/0	0	22	0	87.5
John Stofa	8	4	23	0/0	0	21	1	16.7

Receiving Statistics

St. Louis	Catch	Targ	Yards	Avg	YAC	LG
WR Herman Franklin	6	13	68	11.33	1	24
WR Wes Chandler	3	5	49	16.33	0	18
TE Bob Tucker	2	3	20	10.00	0	13
WR John Stallworth	1	3	4	4.00	0	4
RB Ricky Patton	1	1	1	1.00	0	1
WR Ron Sellers	0	1	0	0.00	0	0

Miami	Catch	Targ	Yards	Avg	YAC	LG	TD
WR Bob Wallace	6	7	55	9.17	24	21	0
WR Stan Brown	6	8	80	13.33	15	22	0
RB Ed Shuttlesworth	2	2	2	1.00	0	1	0
RB Ethan Connell	2	2	7	3.50	11	7	0
WR Robbie McClinton	2	6	13	6.50	0	10	0
FB Art Malone	1	1	-1	-1.00	0	-1	0
TE Dave Casper	1	4	36	36.00	25	36	1
TE Freddie Barreras	0	1	0	0.00	0	0	0

Interception Statistics

St. Louis	Ints	Yards	Avg	TD
OLB Mike McGill	1	1	1.00	0

Miami	Ints	Yards	Avg	TD
CB Harris Harwood	1	6	6.00	0
OLB Reggie Williams	1	14	14.00	0

Fumble Statistics

St. Louis	Fumb	Recov	Force	TD
Nicky Guillen	2	1	0	0
Levert Carr	0	1	0	0

Miami	Fumb	Recov	Force	TD
Mark Mullaney	0	0	1	0
Bill Larrimore	0	0	1	0

Punting Statistics

St. Louis	Punt	Yards	Avg	Net	LG	In20
Bobby Walden	6	270	45.0	39.3	53	3

Miami	Punt	Yards	Avg	Net	LG	In20
Tom Skladany	5	229	45.8	39.2	56	1

Kicking Statistics

St. Louis	FGs	40+Yd	50+Yd	LG	PAT
Steve Mayer	1/1	0/0	0/0	20	1/1

Miami	FGs	40+Yd	50+Yd	LG	PAT
Geoff Dotson	4/4	0/0	0/0	35	1/1

Punt Return Statistics

St. Louis	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Herman Franklin	2	13	6.5	0

Miami	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Teddy Reese	2	10	5.0	0
Troy Allen	1	4	4.0	0

Kick Return Statistics

St. Louis	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Blaine Sanford	4	90	22.5	0
Ricky Patton	1	18	18.0	0

Miami	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Stan Brown	3	80	26.7	0

Defensive Statistics

St. Louis	Tack	Asst	Sack	RPlay	PPlay
S Nate Wright	10	3	0.0	25	15
ILB Tim Rossovich	6	3	0.0	25	24
CB Charlie Waters	5	1	0.0	22	23
S Ike Thomas	4	2	0.0	12	12
ILB Dick Cunningham	4	1	0.0	31	23
DE John Farley	4	0	0.0	19	25
S Louie Wright	3	0	0.0	25	21
DE Harry Gunner	2	2	0.0	19	18
OLB Terry Beeson	2	2	0.0	31	26
OLB Mike McGill	2	1	0.0	12	18
ILB Doug Allen	2	0	0.0	26	14
DT Keith Simons	2	0	0.0	19	11
DE Junior Johnson	2	0	0.0	17	13
DT Dennis Harrison	2	0	0.0	17	20
S Luther Bradley	1	3	0.0	15	16
CB Jim Thrower	1	1	0.0	22	19
TE Bob Tucker	1	0	---	---	---
DE Jack Youngblood	1	0	0.0	17	6
WR Wes Chandler	1	0	---	---	---
CB Blaine Sanford	1	0	0.0	21	22
ILB Darnell Barton	0	3	0.0	16	11

Miami	Tack	Asst	Sack	RPlay	PPlay
S Gus Holloman	5	1	0.0	15	21
ILB Greg Bingham	3	1	1.0	14	17
CB Adam Kanu	3	1	0.0	12	14
S Pete Richardson	3	0	0.0	11	20
S Jim Bettis	3	0	0.0	11	16
OLB Reggie Williams	3	0	0.0	12	17
DE Bill Larrimore	2	0	1.0	15	23
DE Harold Exterovich	2	0	0.5	7	5
ILB Fred Forsberg	2	1	0.0	10	12
CB Harris Harwood	2	1	0.0	9	25
OLB Bobby Hudson	2	0	0.0	12	14
CB Ricky Sanderson	2	0	0.0	12	19
OLB Wayne Meylan	1	0	1.0	13	14
DE Mark Mullaney	1	0	1.0	17	26
DT B.J. Starnes	1	1	0.5	8	3
DT Kirk Booker	1	1	0.0	7	7
DT Antoine Marts	1	1	0.0	17	24
CB Marcus Kramer	1	1	0.0	13	11
WR Stan Brown	1	0	---	---	---
DT Phil Diggs	1	0	0.0	14	22
CB Troy Allen	0	1	0.0	17	12

Pass Rush Statistics

St. Louis	Block	Hurry	PPlay
OLB Terry Beeson	1	0	26
DT Dennis Harrison	0	3	20
DT Keith Simons	0	1	11

Miami	Sack	Hurry	Knock	PPlay
DE Mark Mullaney	1.0	1	1	26
OLB Wayne Meylan	1.0	0	0	14
ILB Greg Bingham	1.0	0	0	17
DE Bill Larrimore	1.0	0	0	23
DT B.J. Starnes	0.5	0	0	3
DE Harold Exterovich	0.5	0	0	5
DT Kirk Booker	0.0	1	0	7
DE Charles Smith	0.0	1	0	8

NoSkillz · 03-20-2007, 12:23 PM

Needless to say, there is little to get excited about after my second preseason game.

Well, I didn't really incur any additional injuries so that's a plus.

My first team offense only played the first quarter and that only amounted to one series, as Miami did a good job holding onto the ball.

I'm not getting any pressure on the opposing quarterbacks with my 3-4 scheme and that will be a problem once I start playing against actual starters come the regular season.

Dolphins standouts Daryl Lamonica and Walter Payton were inactive for this game.

My offense was peutrid with Nicky Guillen at the helm and the running game fell to earth with a thud.

I think I've gotten a bit too complicated with my game planning and will need to simplify, start from scratch with defaults and make a couple tweaks.

My next preseason game is our third out of four and I intend to play my starters for about 2-3 quarters. This will be the litmus test game to see where we really stand going into the regular season, as I plan on playing backups in my last preseason game to avoid injury.

Passacaglia · 03-20-2007, 01:44 PM

Damn, I was mentioned in the first post of your dynasty, then I proceed to drop out!

Anyway, good stuff. See you in the NFC Playoffs (I hope)!

NoSkillz · 03-20-2007, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Damn, I was mentioned in the first post of your dynasty, then I proceed to drop out!

Anyway, good stuff. See you in the NFC Playoffs (I hope)!

Yeah, it's great to have you back in the league. Now if we can just get MizzouRah to the front of the waiting list line we'd be on track.

I'm more in favour of bringing in owners that will contribute to the forums over there and Mizzou has more posts already than four current owners...and he's just on the waiting list!

I hope we'll be there in the playoffs with you - my team was under AI control for awhile as you know so I may be another year away. It doesn't help that I'm still trying to find my way in the gameplanning area but it will be a fun journey!

NoSkillz · 03-22-2007, 05:53 PM

Week four of the preseason is upon us and our third game - as said earlier, this is the litmus test for our club, as I intend to utilize the projected starters for about three quarters.

Exhibition Week 4, 1978

played in St. Louis, MO

90 degrees, fair, calm

Oakland Raiders	7	3	0	0	-	10
St. Louis Cardinals	0	7	10	6	-	23

Scoring Summary
1Q: 01:03 OAK - Herman Jones 4 pass from Fran Tarkenton (Rusty Rogers extra point)
2Q: 05:23 STL - Herman Franklin 3 pass from Frank Patrick (Steve Mayer extra point)
2Q: 02:36 OAK - Rusty Rogers 43 field goal
3Q: 10:49 STL - Steve Mayer 40 field goal
3Q: 00:05 STL - Allen Dunbar 13 pass from Nicky Guillen (Steve Mayer extra point)
4Q: 09:25 STL - Steve Mayer 23 field goal
4Q: 02:29 STL - Steve Mayer 36 field goal

Team Statistics	OAK	STL
Record	2-1	1-2
First Downs	13	22
- by Rushing	3	5
- by Passing	10	14
- by Penalty	0	3
Total Net Yards	219	349
- Offensive Plays	54	79
- Yards per Play	4.06	4.42
Net Rushing Yards	69	105
- Rushing Attempts	14	43
- Yards per Rush	4.93	2.44
Net Passing Yards	150	244
- Att./Comp./Intrcpt	39 - 12 - 4	32 - 20 - 0
- Gross Passing Yards	159	270
- Sacks/Yards Lost	1/9	4/26
- Yards per Pass Play	3.75	6.78
Fumbles/Lost	0/0	1/0
3rd Down Conversions	2/10	11/21
- Avg. YtG on 3rd Down	9.7	6.7
4th Down Conversions	0/2	1/1
Penalties/Yards	5/35	5/35
Punt Returns/Yards	0/0	2/10
Kick Returns/Yards	4/71	2/41
Interception Ret./Yards	0/0	4/8
2pt Conversions	0/0	0/0
Red Zone Visits	1	6
- Red Zone TDs/FGs	1/0	2/3
Avg. Drive Start	OWN 27	OWN 43
Time of Possession	18:41	41:19

Drive Charts

Oakland Raiders
Quar	Began	Poss	From	Plays	Yards	Result
1	15:00	2:32	OWN 20	5	30	Punt
1	8:17	0:28	OWN 46	2	-10	Interception
1	5:41	4:45	OWN 20	9	80	Touchdown
2	5:15	2:44	OWN 31	8	43	Field Goal
2	0:13	0:13	OWN 47	2	16	Half
3	10:44	1:13	OWN 18	3	4	Punt
3	3:31	1:40	OWN 30	3	-4	Interception
4	15:00	2:24	OWN 12	5	27	Interception
4	9:18	1:25	OWN 27	3	-9	Punt
4	5:24	0:42	OWN 23	4	0	Downs
4	2:21	0:35	OWN 20	4	0	Interception
4	1:11	1:11	OWN 30	6	22	Game

St. Louis Cardinals
Quar	Began	Poss	From	Plays	Yards	Result
1	12:28	4:11	OWN 2	8	59	Missed FG
1	7:49	2:08	OPP 47	3	2	Punt
1	0:56	10:41	OWN 21	19	79	Touchdown
2	2:31	2:18	OWN 20	8	40	Missed FG
3	15:00	4:16	OWN 37	8	40	Field Goal
3	9:31	6:00	OWN 41	10	36	Missed FG
3	1:51	1:51	OPP 34	6	34	Touchdown
4	12:36	3:18	OPP 41	9	35	Field Goal
4	7:53	2:29	OWN 23	3	-2	Punt
4	4:42	2:21	OPP 23	3	4	Field Goal
4	1:46	0:35	OPP 25	3	2	Missed FG

Game MVP: Herman Franklin, St. Louis Cardinals

Rushing Statistics

Oakland	Att	Yards	Avg	LG	10+	TD
Chuck Muncie	9	53	5.89	18	1	0
James Early	5	16	3.20	9	0	0

St. Louis	Att	Yards	Avg	LG	10+
Ricky Patton	25	56	2.24	6	0
Eddie Ray	16	35	2.19	9	0
Arnold Weber	1	10	10.00	10	1
Nicky Guillen	1	4	4.00	4	0

Passing Statistics

Oakland	Att	Comp	Yards	Sk/Yd	TD	LG	Int	Rate
Colin Shields	26	3	47	1/9	0	22	3	0.0
Fran Tarkenton	13	9	112	0/0	1	37	1	89.2

St. Louis	Att	Comp	Yards	Sk/Yd	TD	LG	Int	Rate
Frank Patrick	19	12	163	2/13	1	44	0	107.9
Nicky Guillen	13	8	107	2/13	1	24	0	113.3

Receiving Statistics

Oakland	Catch	Targ	Yards	Avg	YAC	LG	TD
WR J.D. Hill	4	9	76	19.00	13	37	0
WR Mike Brunson	3	7	44	14.67	0	19	0
WR Herman Jones	3	9	26	8.67	0	18	1
TE Bob Brown	1	4	3	3.00	5	3	0
WR Frosty Anderson	1	6	10	10.00	0	10	0
WR Ty LaRiche	0	1	0	0.00	0	0	0
FB Larry Crowe	0	1	0	0.00	0	0	0
RB Chuck Muncie	0	2	0	0.00	0	0	0

St. Louis	Catch	Targ	Yards	Avg	YAC	LG	TD
WR Herman Franklin	11	15	165	15.00	7	44	1
WR Allen Dunbar	3	5	30	10.00	2	14	1
TE Bob Tucker	2	2	17	8.50	1	13	0
WR Wes Chandler	2	4	33	16.50	5	20	0
RB Ricky Patton	2	3	25	12.50	0	19	0
WR Eddie Foster	0	3	0	0.00	0	0	0

Interception Statistics

Oakland	Ints	Yards	Avg	TD

St. Louis	Ints	Yards	Avg
S Ike Thomas	1	8	8.00
CB Dusty Hartman	1	0	0.00
OLB Terry Beeson	1	0	0.00
ILB Darnell Barton	1	0	0.00

Fumble Statistics

Oakland	Fumb	Recov	Force	TD
Frosty Anderson	0	0	1	0

St. Louis	Fumb	Recov	Force	TD
Herman Franklin	1	0	0	0
Blaine Sanford	0	1	0	0

Punting Statistics

Oakland	Punt	Yards	Avg	Net	LG	In20
Steve O'Neal	3	154	51.3	48.0	64	2

St. Louis	Punt	Yards	Avg	Net	LG	In20
Bobby Walden	2	101	50.5	40.5	56	0

Kicking Statistics

Oakland	FGs	40+Yd	50+Yd	LG	PAT
Rusty Rogers	1/1	1/1	0/0	43	1/1

St. Louis	FGs	40+Yd	50+Yd	LG	PAT
Steve Mayer	3/7	1/5	0/2	40	2/2

Punt Return Statistics

Oakland	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD

St. Louis	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Herman Franklin	2	10	5.0	0

Kick Return Statistics

Oakland	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Frosty Anderson	4	71	17.8	0

St. Louis	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Blaine Sanford	2	41	20.5	0

Defensive Statistics

Oakland	Tack	Asst	Sack	RPlay	PPlay
OLB Ron Porter	8	0	1.0	30	21
S Les Fouse	6	2	0.0	21	21
S Dwight Harmon	6	2	0.0	24	25
DE Steve Chomyszak	6	0	0.0	22	15
OLB Dave Washington	5	2	1.5	24	24
ILB Al Andrews	4	1	0.0	34	27
CB Gary Green	4	1	0.0	24	25
OLB Richard Wood	3	3	0.5	26	27
DT Richard Bishop	3	1	0.5	28	28
DE Cedric Hardman	3	0	0.0	20	9
S Keith Simpson	3	0	0.0	25	19
ILB Junior Applegate	3	0	0.0	28	13
DE Louis Ross	2	2	0.5	28	24
ILB Ellis Daugherty	2	5	0.0	29	19
DE Larry Ball	2	1	0.0	23	27
CB Steve Tannen	2	0	0.0	19	12
CB Garry Lyle	1	1	0.0	28	29
DT Jay Burke	1	1	0.0	9	5
TE Bob Brown	1	0	---	---	---
WR Ty LaRiche	1	0	---	---	---
WR Frosty Anderson	1	0	---	---	---
WR Herman Jones	1	0	---	---	---

St. Louis	Tack	Asst	Sack	RPlay	PPlay
S Nate Wright	5	1	0.0	11	35
OLB Terry Beeson	3	0	0.0	10	34
OLB Mike McGill	2	1	1.0	7	10
ILB Tim Rossovich	2	2	0.0	10	34
OLB Dave Nelson	2	0	0.0	9	16
DT Dennis Harrison	2	0	0.0	12	38
CB Blaine Sanford	2	0	0.0	3	29
ILB Darnell Barton	2	0	0.0	12	21
DE Harry Gunner	1	2	0.0	10	33
S Louie Wright	1	2	0.0	4	21
S Ike Thomas	1	1	0.0	10	33
DE John Farley	1	0	0.0	11	34
CB Dusty Hartman	1	0	0.0	11	11
S Luther Bradley	1	0	0.0	3	5

Pass Rush Statistics

Oakland	Sack	Block	Hurry	Knock	PPlay
OLB Dave Washington	1.5	0	1	0	24
OLB Ron Porter	1.0	0	2	0	21
OLB Richard Wood	0.5	1	0	0	27
DE Louis Ross	0.5	0	0	0	24
DT Richard Bishop	0.5	0	0	0	28
ILB Al Andrews	0.0	0	1	2	27

St. Louis	Sack	Block	Hurry	PPlay
OLB Mike McGill	1.0	0	0	10
DE John Farley	0.0	1	2	34
DE Harry Gunner	0.0	1	0	33
CB Jim Thrower	0.0	1	0	24
DT Dennis Harrison	0.0	0	2	38
OLB Terry Beeson	0.0	0	1	34
ILB Darnell Barton	0.0	0	1	21

Pass Defense Statistics

Oakland	Caught	Defnsd	PPlay
OLB Ron Porter	4	0	21
CB Gary Green	4	0	25
S Dwight Harmon	3	0	25
CB Steve Tannen	2	1	12
OLB Dave Washington	2	0	24
CB Garry Lyle	1	1	29
CB Tony Plummer	1	1	26
ILB Al Andrews	1	0	27
S Les Fouse	1	0	21
ILB Junior Applegate	1	0	13
OLB Richard Wood	0	1	27
S Keith Simpson	0	1	19

St. Louis	Caught	Defnsd	Intrcp	PPlay
S Nate Wright	3	3	0	35
CB Blaine Sanford	2	0	0	29
S Ike Thomas	1	2	1	33
CB Dusty Hartman	1	0	1	11
OLB Terry Beeson	1	0	1	34
ILB Darnell Barton	1	0	1	21
ILB Tim Rossovich	1	0	0	34
ILB Doug Allen	1	0	0	5
S Luther Bradley	1	0	0	5
CB Charlie Waters	0	1	0	35
OLB Dave Nelson	0	1	0	16
S Louie Wright	0	1	0	21

NoSkillz · 03-22-2007, 06:06 PM

My first win in FOF!

Lots to like in this game, as I pretty much dominated starting in the third quarter. We held the ball for over 40 minutes and that was without a greatly effective running game (43 carries for only 105 yards).

The defense was stifling, holding their backup quarterback to only 3 completions in 26 attempts (!). We also picked off three of his passes and four in total.

My #3 receiver, Herman Franklin, was spectacular in notching 165 yards through the air.

However, there was some things that cause concern. My field goal kicker missed FOUR attempts - two 40 yarders, a 56 yarder and a 57 yarder. I can forgive the 50+ attempts but missing two others? Not good...

I also suffered more injuries and one of them to a player I desperately need - WR John Stallworth, my top wideout. He'll miss up to four weeks with a strained groin. Damn.

In the end, I'm just glad to finally win a game. The offense looked decent and the D came through with countless big plays.

For the last preseason game, I'll deactivate most of my starters in order to keep them safe from injury.

NoSkillz · 03-22-2007, 08:12 PM

As I told the Jets GM before the game, if I could stay within two touchdowns in this game, I'd consider it a victory.

The Jets were giving some touches to Bert Jones and O.J. Simpson in this one while I was going with a lineup filled predominantly with second stringers.

Exhibition Week 5, 1978
played in New York, NY
76 degrees, fair, 1 mph wind

St. Louis Cardinals	7	7	7	3	-	24
New York Jets	0	14	0	13	-	27

Scoring Summary
1Q: 00:20 STL - Arnold Weber 1 run (Steve Mayer extra point)
2Q: 12:41 NYK - Mike Holmes 73 punt return (Adam Carr extra point)
2Q: 04:51 NYK - Nate Moore 7 pass from Kendrick Woodard (Adam Carr extra point)
2Q: 02:19 STL - Ron Sellers 25 pass from Kent Nix (Steve Mayer extra point)
3Q: 00:17 STL - Sean Stemke 9 pass from Kent Nix (Steve Mayer extra point)
4Q: 04:20 NYK - Rod Parker 4 pass from Kendrick Woodard (Adam Carr extra point)
4Q: 01:20 STL - Steve Mayer 24 field goal
4Q: 00:26 NYK - Brian Baschnagel 37 pass from Kendrick Woodard (Adam Carr extra point failed)

Team Statistics	STL	NYK
Record	1-3	2-2
First Downs	21	21
- by Rushing	7	6
- by Passing	13	15
- by Penalty	1	0
Total Net Yards	387	402
- Offensive Plays	66	61
- Yards per Play	5.86	6.59
Net Rushing Yards	119	128
- Rushing Attempts	27	26
- Yards per Rush	4.41	4.92
Net Passing Yards	268	274
- Att./Comp./Intrcpt	36 - 21 - 0	32 - 19 - 0
- Gross Passing Yards	287	290
- Sacks/Yards Lost	3/19	3/16
- Yards per Pass Play	6.87	7.83
Fumbles/Lost	0/0	3/1
3rd Down Conversions	4/13	5/12
- Avg. YtG on 3rd Down	7.9	5.8
4th Down Conversions	0/0	0/0
Penalties/Yards	6/45	4/30
Punt Returns/Yards	2/6	5/102
Kick Returns/Yards	4/84	2/50
Interception Ret./Yards	0/0	0/0
2pt Conversions	0/0	0/0
Red Zone Visits	3	2
- Red Zone TDs/FGs	2/1	2/0
Avg. Drive Start	OWN 25	OWN 23
Time of Possession	30:53	29:07

Drive Charts

St. Louis Cardinals
Quar	Began	Poss	From	Plays	Yards	Result
1	15:00	2:49	OWN 18	5	19	Punt
1	10:57	2:03	OWN 46	3	2	Punt
1	5:40	5:27	OWN 20	13	80	Touchdown
2	13:14	0:42	OWN 30	3	0	Punt
2	12:32	2:42	OWN 25	3	6	Punt
2	4:41	2:33	OWN 27	7	73	Touchdown
2	1:35	0:57	OWN 23	3	6	Punt
3	11:20	2:58	OWN 17	4	23	Punt
3	6:53	6:44	OWN 18	12	82	Touchdown
4	12:43	1:12	OWN 20	3	2	Punt
4	9:04	1:00	OWN 35	3	3	Punt
4	4:14	3:00	OWN 17	7	76	Field Goal
4	0:10	0:10	OWN 40	1	5	Game

New York Jets
Quar	Began	Poss	From	Plays	Yards	Result
1	12:11	1:14	OWN 20	3	-2	Punt
1	8:54	3:14	OWN 14	6	48	Punt
1	0:13	1:59	OWN 34	3	1	Punt
2	9:50	5:09	OWN 20	11	80	Touchdown
2	2:08	0:33	OWN 20	3	7	Punt
2	0:38	0:38	OWN 27	2	20	Half
3	15:00	3:40	OWN 20	6	20	Punt
3	8:22	1:29	OWN 28	3	5	Punt
3	0:09	2:26	OWN 27	5	28	Punt
4	11:31	2:27	OWN 23	5	42	Fumble
4	8:04	3:50	OWN 30	8	70	Touchdown
4	1:14	1:04	OWN 20	6	80	Touchdown

Game MVP: Kendrick Woodard, New York Jets

Rushing Statistics

St. Louis	Att	Yards	Avg	LG	10+	TD
Arnold Weber	21	81	3.86	15	3	1
Ricky Patton	5	37	7.40	14	2	0
Kent Nix	1	1	1.00	1	0	0

New York	Att	Yards	Avg	LG	10+	TD
Lawrence Gaines	21	114	5.43	12	2	0
O.J. Simpson	5	14	2.80	6	0	0

Passing Statistics

St. Louis	Att	Comp	Yards	Sk/Yd	TD	LG	Int	Rate
Kent Nix	34	19	243	3/19	2	25	0	98.0
Nicky Guillen	2	2	44	0/0	0	39	0	118.8

New York	Att	Comp	Yards	Sk/Yd	TD	LG	Int	Rate
Kendrick Woodard	26	16	243	2/10	3	37	0	130.7
Bert Jones	6	3	47	1/6	0	21	0	76.4

Receiving Statistics

St. Louis	Catch	Targ	Yards	Avg	YAC	LG	TD
WR Ron Sellers	5	9	86	17.20	2	25	1
TE Sean Stemke	4	4	35	8.75	0	15	1
WR Jessie Thompson	3	6	50	16.67	0	23	0
TE Jack Funk	2	3	21	10.50	1	18	0
WR Randy Burke	2	5	25	12.50	3	18	0
WR Wes Chandler	2	4	45	22.50	0	39	0
RB Arnold Weber	1	2	1	1.00	1	1	0
WR Eddie Foster	1	1	18	18.00	0	18	0
RB Ricky Patton	1	2	6	6.00	0	6	0

New York	Catch	Targ	Yards	Avg	YAC	LG	TD
WR Brian Baschnagel	5	7	118	23.60	1	37	1
WR Cliff Branch	4	5	56	14.00	16	32	0
WR Nate Moore	4	7	52	13.00	0	23	1
WR Rod Parker	3	3	27	9.00	0	16	1
TE Tyrell Wynn	2	2	9	4.50	3	7	0
TE Russ Francis	1	2	28	28.00	10	28	0
RB Lawrence Gaines	0	4	0	0.00	0	0	0
TE Butch Howard	0	2	0	0.00	0	0	0

Interception Statistics

St. Louis	Ints	Yards	Avg	TD

New York	Ints	Yards	Avg	TD

Fumble Statistics

St. Louis	Fumb	Recov	Force	TD
Dick Cunningham	0	1	1	0
Dusty Hartman	0	0	2	0

New York	Fumb	Recov
Tyrell Wynn	1	0
Brian Baschnagel	1	0
Rod Parker	1	0
Lawrence Gaines	0	2

Punting Statistics

St. Louis	Punt	Yards	Avg	Net	LG	In20
Bobby Walden	8	385	48.1	36.6	63	3

New York	Punt	Yards	Avg	Net	LG	In20
Ron Widby	7	302	43.1	36.6	50	2

Kicking Statistics

St. Louis	FGs	40+Yd	50+Yd	LG	PAT
Steve Mayer	1/1	0/0	0/0	24	3/3

New York	FGs	40+Yd	50+Yd	LG	PAT
Adam Carr	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	3/4

Punt Return Statistics

St. Louis	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Eddie Foster	1	5	5.0	0
Clarence Williams	1	1	1.0	0

New York	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Lawrence Gaines	4	29	7.3	0
Mike Holmes	1	73	73.0	1

Kick Return Statistics

St. Louis	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Eddie Foster	2	39	19.5	0
Clarence Williams	2	45	22.5	0

New York	Ret	Yards	Avg	TD
Mike Holmes	2	50	25.0	0

Defensive Statistics

St. Louis	Tack	Asst	Sack	RPlay	PPlay
S Luther Bradley	7	2	0.0	26	33
CB Dusty Hartman	5	0	0.0	21	31
OLB Mike McGill	4	0	1.0	17	18
ILB Doug Allen	4	1	0.0	21	24
OLB Terry Beeson	3	2	1.0	12	18
ILB Darnell Barton	3	2	0.0	8	18
S Louie Wright	3	1	0.0	24	29
CB Jim Thrower	3	0	0.0	22	31
DE Jack Youngblood	3	0	0.0	16	24
OLB Dave Nelson	3	0	0.0	23	28
DT Manny Fernandez	2	1	0.0	21	31
DE John Farley	1	0	1.0	10	11
ILB Dick Cunningham	1	0	0.0	20	18
DT Bob Juchartz	1	0	0.0	8	19
S Jim Ferguson	1	0	0.0	3	9
CB Blaine Sanford	1	0	0.0	8	15
DT Keith Simons	0	2	0.0	13	11
DE Junior Johnson	0	2	0.0	5	4
DT Dennis Harrison	0	1	0.0	5	5

New York	Tack	Asst	Sack	RPlay	PPlay
OLB Jack Reynolds	5	1	0.0	19	30
ILB Ralph Ortega	5	1	0.0	23	24
OLB Ted Cottrell	4	2	1.0	17	21
DT Dan Goich	4	1	1.0	23	31
OLB Carl Ekern	4	0	1.0	20	23
CB Raymond Jones	4	0	0.0	7	22
S Ernie Kellerman	3	2	0.0	14	13
S Kerry Reardon	3	1	0.0	13	26
ILB Bob Babich	3	0	0.0	13	14
DT Harry Nowakowski	2	2	0.0	13	16
ILB Gerald Irons	2	1	0.0	14	29
CB Jim Marsalis	2	1	0.0	22	35
S Vince Hoover	2	0	0.0	13	22
DE Fred Dean	2	0	0.0	18	31
S Dick Anderson	1	2	0.0	14	17
CB Mike Holmes	1	1	0.0	20	17
S Chuck Beatty	1	0	0.0	0	4
DE Nick Roman	0	3	0.0	16	30
CB Joe Green	0	2	0.0	7	15
DT Louis Kelcher	0	1	0.0	11	9

Pass Rush Statistics

St. Louis	Sack	Hurry	Knock	PPlay
OLB Terry Beeson	1.0	1	0	18
OLB Mike McGill	1.0	0	0	18
DE John Farley	1.0	0	0	11
DT Bob Juchartz	0.0	3	1	19
DT Manny Fernandez	0.0	2	0	31
OLB Dave Nelson	0.0	1	0	28

New York	Sack	Block	Hurry	Knock	PPlay
OLB Ted Cottrell	1.0	1	0	0	21
OLB Carl Ekern	1.0	0	1	0	23
DT Dan Goich	1.0	0	0	2	31
DE Fred Dean	0.0	1	1	1	31

NoSkillz · 03-22-2007, 08:25 PM

Well, it's definitely a moral victory in our last preseason game. The Jets were down three points with about a minute remaining and connected on two big plays to score the unlikely touchdown to win the game.

Our backups all played well and we almost compiled 400 yards in offense.

But I got hit with two more injuries, including one to my starting strong safety Ike Thomas, who I had dressed but didn't slot him in the lineup. Of course, he ended up going in for a guy who was fatigued and got hurt on that play, separating his shoulder.

He's gone for six weeks.

That gives me nine injuries heading into my first regular season game - only the influenza-stricken Dallas Cowboys are in worse shape.

We're at cutdown day now so I'll have to figure out who stays and who goes in our bid to get down to 53 players.

NoSkillz · 03-25-2007, 08:09 PM

Cardinals Cut Seven; Roster is Set for '78

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 1, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

With only three days until the start of the new season, the St. Louis Cardinals made their final roster cuts in preparation for their home opener against the defending NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers.

WR Randy Burke, OT Kelvin Prior, C Dustin Vance, S Luther Bradley, DE Fernando Harrison, ILB Dick Cunningham and OLB Dave Nelson were all dismissed from camp before practice on Thursday morning.

"There were some difficult decisions, that's for sure", indicated Cardinals head coach Wade Grabowski. "But this ain't Cub Scouts...this is professional football and these men know it's a business."

"We are certain some will catch on with other clubs and we wish them all the best."

Burke was the Cardinals 7th round pick in the 1977 draft and started 8 games at wideout as a rookie, catching 19 balls for 237 yards. He was a victim of the numbers game after new management drafted two wideouts in this years draft, both of whom made the roster.

Prior was a 6th round pick in last years draft but never saw game action with the club. He had a decent camp but just hasn't developed fast enough for management.

Vance was the Cards 7th round pick in this years draft and also had a decent camp. Many thought he'd stick around but the emergence of Clyde Stevenson in camp made the decision to cut the green Vance an easy one. Ironically enough, Stevenson's old team, the Denver Broncos, signed Vance earlier this morning.

Luther Bradley went undrafted this year and the Notre Dame grad was solid, if unspectacular in camp. Gradkowski indicates that he was the last cut and says there is a chance the team will sign him to the practice roster if he is still available later in the season.

Fernando Harrison was a 1st round pick of the Rams back in 1973 but after two relatively productive seasons, fell off the map in '75. He was signed to mentor rookie Henry Bradley but his season-ending injury meant Harrison wasn't needed this year.

Dick Cunningham was also signed in the offseason as a tutor to a rookie, in this case Darnell Barton. However, the team incurred numerous injuries during the preseason at outside linebacker and they were unable to keep as many MLB's as desired.

Dave Nelson was a 3rd round selection of the 49ers back in 1974 but the emergence of another preseason signing, Mike McGill, meant Nelson was expendable.

There weren't any shockers in the group that was let go but there were some players who made the roster that came as a bit of a surprise. First and foremost is DE Junior Johnson, who has had a horrible camp and just didn't produce in his 10 starts last year as a rookie. The severely undersized end is very close with the defensive line leader, Harry Gunner, and that may have saved his spot on the roster. The fact that he has two years remaining on his contract, one which paid him a bonus, may also have something to do with it.

The Post-Dispatch will be back tomorrow with a full report on the 55 players who made the St. Louis Cardinals in 1978.

NoSkillz · 03-25-2007, 08:15 PM

Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

Now that the final roster has been set, here is a scouting report on this year's edition of the HFL's St. Louis Cardinals, starting with the Quarterbacks.

OTHER QUARTERBACKS -

KENT NIX
34 Years Old, 6'2" 223lbs
12th Year, TCU
Drafted 30th Round (947th) by Los Angeles in 1970
1978 Cap Cost: $310,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: New Orleans 7GP 89-170 979yds 4td 7int
HFL TOTALS: 65GP 453-871 5613yds 39td 23int
Nix had a pedestrian camp and was signed as an insurance policy in case of injury to Patrick.

NICKY GUILLEN
23 Years Old, 6'0" 206lbs
2nd Year, Iowa
Drafted 4th Round (105th) by St. Louis in 1977
1978 Cap Cost: $100,000 (Expires after 1979 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP No Stats
HFL TOTALS: 16GP No Stats
Guillen isn't progressing as expected after being a fourth round pick in '77. He's rubbed some veterans the wrong way since coming into camp last year but has the potential to be a capable backup.

NoSkillz · 03-25-2007, 08:16 PM

Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

Now, let us take a look at the Cardinals backfield:

OTHER RUNNING BACKS -

RICKY PATTON (RB)
21 Years Old, 6'1" 225lbs
Rookie, Jackson State
Drafted 3rd Round (84th) by St. Louis in 1978
1978 Cap Cost: $80,000 (Expires after 1980 Season)
1977 Stats: Jackson State N/A
HFL TOTALS: No Stats
Patton had a great camp and will likely share carries with incumbent Eddie Ray. Has explosive speed and great power out of the backfield.

ARNOLD WEBER (RB)
25 Years Old, 6'0" 207lbs
4th Year, Stanford
Drafted 4th Round (106th) by St. Louis in 1975
1978 Cap Cost: $110,000 (Expires after 1979 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 132-503yds 3.81avg 1td
HFL TOTALS: 43GP 227-943yds 4.15avg 5td
Weber started the last two games of the year in '77 but even a solid preseason wasn't enough to earn a promotion. He will primarily be a third down back in '78, barring injuries to Ray and Patton.

CLARENCE WILLIAMS (RB)
21 Years Old, 6'2" 203lbs
2nd Year, South Carolina
Drafted 2nd Round (41st) by St. Louis in 1977
1978 Cap Cost: $230,000 (Expires after 1979 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 14GP 15-49yds 3.27avg 0td
HFL TOTALS: 14GP 15-49yds 3.27avg 0td
Williams has been a disappointment after getting drafted in the second round last year. He's a poor-man's Weber and will likely start the year on the practice squad.

CLEM TURNER (FB)
30 Years Old, 6'1" 235lbs
10th Year, Cincinnati
Drafted 46th Round (1450th) by Los Angeles in 1970
1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1980 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 30-144yds 4.80avg 4td
HFL TOTALS: 108GP 172-791yds 4.60avg 6td
Turner had a solid season in '77 but will be relegated to a backup role with the signing of Amundson. A solid citizen on the field and in the locker room.

NoSkillz · 03-25-2007, 08:19 PM

Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

Now, let us take a look at the Cardinals receivers:

OTHER RECEIVERS -

HERMAN FRANKLIN (WR)
28 Years Old, 6'1" 197lbs
8th Year, Michigan
Undrafted
1978 Cap Cost: $290,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: Minnesota 13GP 28-320yds 11.43avg 2td
HFL TOTALS: 96GP 223-3035yds 13.61avg 18td
Franklin was a free agent acquisition for the Cards in the offseason and will likely play the slot as the third wideout. He is a deep threat and is coming off a very productive preseason with St. Louis.

WES CHANDLER (WR)
21 Years Old, 6'5" 215lbs
Rookie, Florida
Drafted 6th Round (179th) by St. Louis in 1978
1978 Cap Cost: $50,000 (Expires after 1980 Season)
1977 Stats: Florida N/A
HFL TOTALS: No Stats
Chandler had a very solid camp and will be looked upon as the fourth receiver to start the year. His stock dropped drastically before the draft after not participating in the combine.

RON SELLERS (WR)
31 Years Old, 5'11" 182lbs
10th Year, Florida State
Drafted 34th Round (1057th) by St. Louis in 1970
1978 Cap Cost: $210,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 15GP 48-692yds 14.42avg 1td
HFL TOTALS: 113GP 319-4697yds 14.72avg 24td
Sellers has really lost a step going into his tenth season and will be hard pressed to make a contribution in '78. He was solid last year but an infusion of youth into the receiving corp has him on the outside looking in. Still a leader and solid locker room presence.

JESSIE THOMPSON (WR)
19 Years Old, 6'2" 212lbs
Rookie, California
Drafted 5th Round (156th) by St. Louis in 1978
1978 Cap Cost: $50,000 (Expires after 1980 Season)
1977 Stats: California N/A
HFL TOTALS: No Stats
Thompson was a solid performer in the '78 combines and was decent enough in the preseason to earn a spot over the now departed Randy Burke. Has the ability to rack up yards after the catch but will have a hard time getting game action this year.

EDDIE FOSTER (WR)
23 Years Old, 5'11" 201lbs
2nd Year, Houston
Undrafted
1978 Cap Cost: $60,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: New York Jets 1GP 1KR-27yds
HFL TOTALS: 1GP 1KR-27yds
Foster was signed solely to return kicks. He is equally adept at returning punts as he is on kickoff returns. Very limited in all other facets.

SEAN STEMKE (TE)
26 Years Old, 6'5" 261lbs
4th Year, Louisville
Drafted 3rd Round (93rd) in 1975 by Houston Texans
1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 13GP 5-69yds 13.80avg 0td
HFL TOTALS: 45GP 36-346yds 9.61avg 1td
Stemke is a great route runner and an excellent receiver overall but is a very poor blocker and therefore will never be a top option at the position.

JACK FUNK (TE)
23 Years Old, 6'2" 268lbs
4th Year, Syracuse
Drafted 6th Round (165th) by Philadelphia in 1975
1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 15GP 1-3yds 3.00avg 0td
HFL TOTALS: 35GP 11-104yds 9.45avg 2td
Funk is another tight end in the Stemke mold, one who is a decent route runner and receiver but a mediocre blocker. He seems to have a bit more upside than his counterpart, however.

NoSkillz · 03-25-2007, 08:21 PM

Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

And now, we'll round out the offense by looking at the men on the line:

OTHER OFFENSIVE LINEMEN -

CLYDE STEVENSON (C)
31 Years Old, 6'1" 259lbs
9th Year, UCLA
Undrafted
1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: Denver 2GP 0krb 1kro 0.0bpct 0ska
HFL TOTALS: 32GP 17krb 45kro 37.8bpct 4ska
Stevenson is the prototypical journeyman, having now suited up for seven teams in his 9 year career. His lack of versatility is a problem but he has produced in the few opportunities he's been given. He had a tremendous preseason, including one game where he notched 7krbs.

JIM SCHMEDDING (LG)
32 Years Old, 6'2" 269lbs
11th Year, Weber State
Drafted 11th Round (326th) by Baltimore Ravens in 1970
1978 Cap Cost: $190,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: Baltimore Ravens 6GP 4krb 21kro 19.0bpct 0ska
HFL TOTALS: 92GP 131krb 419kro 31.3bpct 29ska
Schmedding was a six-year starter for the defending HFL Bowl champs and is extremely versatile, with experience at every position on the line. He will surely get a number of chances to contribute throughout the season.

JACKIE GLODE (RG)
22 Years Old, 6'5" 316lbs
2nd Year, Brigham Young
Drafted 5th Round (131st) by St. Louis in 1977
1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1979 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 14GP 16krb 37kro 43.2bpct 9ska
HFL TOTALS: 14GP 16krb 37kro 43.2bpct 9ska
Glode was pressed into action very early in his career due to the season-ending injury to star Levert Carr. Glode was sensational, with a 43.2bpct in his first year out of Brigham Young. He's still got a lot of developing to do but had an excellent camp and will get the chance to build upon a fine '77 season.

NoSkillz · 03-26-2007, 12:03 AM

Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

It's now time to look at the defensive side of the ball. We'll start with a look at the new three-man defensive front:

OTHER DEFENSIVE LINEMEN -

JOHN FARLEY (DE)
26 Years Old, 6'8" 270lbs
8th Year, UCLA
Drafted 5th Round (133rd) by Miami in 1971
1978 Cap Cost: $150,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 6tckl 2asst 1.0sack 0hurr
HFL TOTALS: 74GP 26tckl 11asst 3.5sack 11hurr
Farley is a huge presence on the end of the line but hasn't been able to produce much at the pro level.

JUNIOR JOHNSON (DE)
22 Years Old, 6'4" 252lbs
2nd Year, Oklahoma
Drafted 3rd Round (73rd) by St. Louis in 1977
1978 Cap Cost: $120,000 (Expires after 1979 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 11GP 9tckl 6asst 1.5sack 1hurr
HFL TOTALS: 11GP 9tckl 6asst 1.5sack 1hurr
Johnson has been a huge disappointment and didn't produce at all in his 10 starts last year. He's just not developing like he should and may not last long in St. Louis.

HENRY BRADLEY (DE) - INJURED RESERVE
20 Years Old, 6'6" 286lbs
Rookie, Alcorn State
Drafted 4th Round (115th) by St. Louis in 1978
1978 Cap Cost: $60,000 (Expires after 1980 Season)
1977 Stats: Alcorn State N/A
HFL TOTALS: No Stats
Bradley made the transition from Nose Tackle to Defensive End in training camp and was projected to start as a rookie. However, a devastating injury to his achilles in the first preseason contest ended his season prematurely.

KEITH SIMONS (DT)
22 Years Old, 6'1" 265lbs
3rd Year, Minnesota
Drafted 3rd Round (83rd) by St. Louis in 1976
1978 Cap Cost: $140,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 4GP No Stats
HFL TOTALS: 14GP 13tckl 11asst 1.0sack 5hurr
Simons battled injury in '77 and looks to have recovered nicely. However, Harrison's presence and the move to a 3-4 defense will mean few opportunities for the youngster.

MANNY FERNANDEZ (DT)
32 Years Old, 6'2" 295lbs
12th Year, Utah
Drafted 8th Round (224th) by St. Louis in 1970
1978 Cap Cost: $360,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 6GP 15tckl 8asst 2.5sack 8hurr
HFL TOTALS: 116GP 452tckl 173asst 38.5sack 136hurr
Fernandez has started to see his game slip after the season-ending injury last year. He is the all-time Cardinals leader in sacks and will get the chance to play some defensive end this year with the injury to rookie Bradley.

JERRY RUSH (DT) - INJURED RESERVE
35 Years Old, 6'2" 269lbs
14th Year, Michigan State
Drafted 2nd Round (36th) by Kansas City in 1970
1978 Cap Cost: $750,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: Kansas City 5GP 27tckl 4asst 2.5sack 4hurr
HFL TOTALS: 101GP 401tckl 149asst 40.0sack 124hurr
Rush has been one of the top tackles in the league for sometime but won't play at all this year after being placed on the injured reserve. In fact, it is likely that he will retire after this season ends.

BOB JUCHARTZ (DT)
28 Years Old, 6'4" 298lbs
8th Year, Cincinnati
Drafted 4th Round (100th) by Detroit in 1971
1978 Cap Cost: $150,000 (Expires after 1979 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 10GP 27tckl 14asst 2.5sack 4hurr
HFL TOTALS: 60GP 145tckl 76asst 9.5sack 30hurr
Juchartz will be asked to play a backup role for the first time in his career. He's solid all-around but doesn't have a skill that stands out.

NoSkillz · 03-26-2007, 12:16 AM

Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

Now let's move onto the linebacking corp:

OTHER LINEBACKERS -

RON PRITCHARD (OLB)
31 Years Old, 6'2" 237lbs
10th Year, Arizona State
Drafted 46th Round (1457th) by St. Louis in 1970
1978 Cap Cost: $150,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 4tckl 0asst 0.0sack 0int
HFL TOTALS: 107GP 140tckl 56asst 5.5sack 2int
Pritchard is a smart player and is being counted on for his leadership and mentoring abilities.

MIKE McGILL (OLB)
32 Years Old, 6'2" 248lbs
11th Year, Notre Dame
Drafted 30th Round (944th) by Oakland in 1970
1978 Cap Cost: $190,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: San Diego 6GP No Stats
HFL TOTALS: 104GP 287tckl 99asst 2.0sack 9int
McGill was a late preseason pickup and he didn't disappoint, earning his way onto the roster. He'll likely get a chance to start due to Brupbacher's injury.

DOUG ALLEN (MLB)
25 Years Old, 6'1" 245lbs
5th Year, Penn State
Drafted 3rd Round (76th) by Carolina in 1974
1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 5GP 12tckl 3asst 0.0sack 0int
HFL TOTALS: 15GP 22tckl 5asst 0.0sack 1int
With a thin linebacking corp in '78, Allen will get more opportunities to play than in the past. He still has some upside.

NoSkillz · 03-26-2007, 12:34 AM

Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

The secondary finishes off our look at the Cardinals defense:

OTHER SECONDARY PERSONNEL -

JIM THROWER (CB)
30 Years Old, 5'10" 182lbs
9th Year, Small College
Drafted 49th Round (1545th) by San Francisco in 1970
1978 Cap Cost: $150,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 11GP 18tckl 7asst 1int 2defn
HFL TOTALS: 109GP 127tckl 39asst 5int 16defn
Thrower will play a bunch as a nickle and dime back. Can start in a pinch too.

ETHAN HEUPEL (CB)
22 Years Old, 6'1" 197lbs
2nd Year, Virginia
Undrafted
1978 Cap Cost: $60,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 24tckl 5asst 3int 2defn
HFL TOTALS: 16GP 24tckl 5asst 3int 2defn
Heupel was a nice surprise in '77, nabbing 3 picks as an undrafted player out of Virginia. He loves going for the ball but does so at the expense of his other duties.

DUSTY HARTMAN (CB)
24 Years Old, 5'11" 213lbs
4th Year, Vanderbilt
Drafted 6th Round (175th) by San Diego in 1975
1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 11tckl 4asst 0int 0defn
HFL TOTALS: 35GP 73tckl 23asst 0int 13defn
Hartman is solid in the run defense department and is a pretty versatile corner. May help in the kick return department as well.

LOUIE WRIGHT (S)
25 Years Old, 6'2" 200lbs
4th Year, San Jose State
Drafted 1st Round (22nd) by Oakland in 1975
1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: DNP
HFL TOTALS: 30GP 17tckl 4asst 0int 0defn
Injury destroyed his '77 season and the former first round pick gets a chance at redemption with the Cardinals. Wright had a nice camp and will get to start in place of the injured Ike Thomas. Wright has an abundance of skill.

JIM FERGUSON (S)
25 Years Old, 6'1" 212lbs
5th Year, Stanford
Drafted 6th Round (162nd) by St. Louis in 1974
1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season)
1977 Stats: Los Angeles 16GP 32tckl 10asst 0int 2defn
HFL TOTALS: 33GP 59tckl 13asst 0int 2defn
Ferguson returns for his second call of duty with the Cardinals after a successful season in Los Angeles. Ferguson was signed to provide mentoring for young Louie Wright and will come in for dime situations.

NoSkillz · 03-26-2007, 12:37 AM

Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) -

Lastly, the kickers:

NoSkillz · 03-26-2007, 11:39 PM

1978 - Week 1

San Francisco 49ers (0 - 0) at St. Louis Cardinals (0 - 0)

Key Players (1977 Stats Shown)

QB Bryant Salter - 65.1% 1274yds 11td 5int 97.1rate

QB Frank Patrick - 60.0% 3340yds 26td 11int 93.7rate

RB Terry Miller - Rookie

RB Eddie Ray - 243att 1034yds 4.26ypc 9td

WR Margene Adkins - 81rec 1157yds 14.3ypc 7td

WR Allen Dunbar - 14rec 130yds 9.29ypc 0td

LG Glen Holloway - 48.9bpct 3ska

RT Rick Sharp - 37.7bpct 8ska

DT Tommy Gay - 58tckl 21asst 3.0sack 4hurr

DE Harry Gunner - 36tckl 13asst 5.0sack 10hurr

OLB Tom Jackson - 34tckl 8asst 0.0sack 1int

MLB Tim Rossovich - 93tckl 40asst 2.0sack 2int

S Steve Foley - 82tckl 29asst 6int 6defn

S Nate Wright - 86tckl 29asst 2int 8defn

Series History

History

Last Game

Last Season:

San Francisco went 2-0

1977 Week 15

1

2

3

4

OT

TOT

Overall History:

San Francisco leads 11-5 (.688)

St. Louis

6

In St. Louis:

San Francisco leads 7-1 (.875)

San Francisco

10

Team Statistics

San Francisco

St. Louis

Offense

Defense

Offense

Defense

Rushing:

116.1 (19th)

Rushing:

99.1 (5th)

Rushing:

110.3 (25th)

Rushing:

122.8 (20th)

Passing:

246.1 (11th)

Passing:

222.5 (14th)

Passing:

213.6 (20th)

Passing:

225.8 (17th)

Total:

362.2

Total:

321.6

Total:

323.9

Total:

348.6

Scoring:

22.6 (T-11th)

Scoring:

17 (T-5th)

Scoring:

17.8 (T-21st)

Scoring:

18.8 (14th)

Turnovers: +11 (T-3rd)

Turnovers: +3 (T-11th)

Injuries

San Francisco

St. Louis

DT Tom Williams - Out

DT Jerry Rush - Out (IR)

QB Ken Anderson - Out

DE Henry Bradley - Out (IR)

FB Jermaine Judge - Out

LB Ross Brupbacher - Out

CB Steve Freeman - Out

S Ike Thomas - Out

S - Cornell Green - Questionable

DE John Farley - Out

CB Ethan Heupel - Doubtful

WR John Stallworth - Questionable

LB Ron Pritchard - Questionable

DE Jack Youngblood - Probable

Vegas Line

San Francisco 49ers -2

02-15-2007, 12:30 PM	#7
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	St. Louis GM Evasive About Rumoured Moves; Schedules Friday Press Conference St. Louis Post-Dispatch February 15 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - St. Louis Cardinals GM NoSkillz wouldn't comment today on the rampant speculation that the club has made a significant trade and also signed a new head coach. Well-respected HFL beat writer Pub Reporter broke the news late last night that St. Louis was going to trade quarterback Mike Livingston to Chicago for their starter, Frank Patrick. His 'Inside HFL' column also reported that the club had come to an agreement with former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wade Grabowski to take over the head coaching reigns in St. Louis. "It's a presumptuous statement for him to make right now", NoSkillz offered. "As of this moment, I can say that we have yet to finalize our staff but will have an announcement in this regard tomorrow morning at 10:00am CST." NoSkillz also refused comment on the rumored deal regarding Livingston. "It's true that we have had difficulty coming to an agreement with Mike on a contract but any talk of trades is really a mute point until the roster freeze ends on Monday." "I'll have more to say about our roster at that time." The proposed deal is an interesting one, as the brittle but talented Patrick comes much cheaper than his counterpart. However, Livingston has been extremely durable his entire career and has always been a consistent performer. It would seemingly make sense from both sides, as the Bears have had great difficulty getting over their playoff failures in recent years, mostly due to the fact that Patrick has been injured for most of those games. Tomorrow's press conference will be held at the Cardinals offices in Busch Stadium and we will have a full report tomorrow on the proceedings. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 02-15-2007 at 12:31 PM.

02-23-2007, 01:42 PM	#8
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Cardinals Hire Grabowski and Sporer; Franchise Livingston St. Louis Post-Dispatch February 17, 1978 (St. Louis) - St. Louis Cardinals General Manager NoSkillz announced that the club has hired former Minnesota Vikings Offensive Coordinator Wade Grabowski to coach the team this year. He also announced the appointment of the 1975 HFL Bowl winning coach Darrin Sporer as Defensive Coordinator. Grabowski has been with the Vikings for his entire career as a coordinator and gets his first chance to lead a team. "I've heard some people in the media doubting my leadership abilities and all I can say is that I intend to prove all the naysayers wrong", Grabowski said. "We've got a veteran team here in St. Louis and I strongly feel I only have to lay the course for the players, not steer the ship. This is a driven locker room, one that is hungry to taste the playoffs and our mandate is to get there this year." Grabowski is well-regarded as a student of the game and is also known for his teaching abilities. He's been labeled as a 'player's coach', something that he's fine with. "Yeah, I'm not the type of guy who's going to call out his players in the media if they're not performing", he indicated. "I'm a one-on-one type of guy. I'll tell it like it is but to be frank, any issues that arise in the locker room will stay there." The announcement of Sporer as Defensive Coordinator comes as a surprise. He led the Cleveland Browns to the HFL title only three years ago and compiled a 35-18 record with the club. Prior to joining Cleveland, he coached in Oakland for five years, four of them 10+ win seasons. In his seven year career, he's compiled a 92-47 record and has never had a losing season. "We are thrilled that Darrin has decided to round out Wade's staff this year", NoSkillz said. "He's a man of great intregrity and is one of the best motivators in HFL history." Sporer wasn't available at the press conference and isn't expected to arrive in St. Louis until later next week. In other news, it was announced that Mike Livingston was slapped with the franchise tag for the second consecutive year. NoSkillz scheduled another press conference for 10:00am Monday morning. He is expected to verify the rumored trade between Chicago and St. Louis that would see the Cards pickup Quarterback Frank Patrick for Livingston. The GM also announced that 1977 first round pick, linebacker Terry Beeson, was being sent to the summer league to work on his game in preparation for the coming year. Beeson, who played college ball at Kansas, played sparingly last year, only seeing action on special teams. The team hopes that he starts fulfilling the potential that saw him drafted ninth overall last season. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

02-23-2007, 01:46 PM	#9
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Cards Complete Trade for Patrick; Announce Other Signings St. Louis Post-Dispatch April 25, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - St. Louis Cardinals General Manager NoSkillz finally announced that the club has acquired Chicago Bears quarterback Frank Patrick in a deal for Mike Livingston. The 8-year veteran out of Nebraska has been much-maligned in his career for his propensity to get hurt at the most inopportune times. Last year was no exception, as he played the first 12 games but got hurt in the 13th, missing the playoffs once again for the Bears. Patrick has only been healthy for 40 of Chicago's last 64 games but says he's completely healthy and ready to prove he can last a whole season. "The Cardinals have taken a leap of faith in bringing me over from Chicago and I intend to prove to the brass and the great fans of St. Louis that they made the right decision." The one thing no one can dispute about Patrick is his talent for getting the ball downfield with pinpoint accuracy. He owns a career quarterback rating of 90.6 and his TD to INT ratio is greater than 2-1. Last year he threw for over 3300 yards in the 13 games, along with a superb 26 touchdowns. Coach Wade Grabowski was elated with the move. "Frank loves to stretch the field and that fits right in with my offensive philosophy, which is to take advantage of big plays and to attack down field. I expect Frank to have a huge year." Livingston leaves the Cardinals after five seasons with the club and holds almost every passing record for the franchise. "Mike was wonderful in the community and a good teammate. We wish him all the best with his new club." GM NoSkillz also announced that the club resigned eight restricted free agents yesterday: S Louie Wright (1 year) CB Dusty Hartman (1 year) CB Ethan Heupel (1 year) OLB K.C. O'Donnell (1 year) OG Jackie Glode (2 years) TE Jack Funk (1 year) TE Sean Stemke (1 year) WR Vincent Ketchum (1 year) All of the deals are non-binding contracts with the exception of Glode, who received a $20,000 bonus. The GM indicated that the club is working hard in preparation for this weekend's draft and will also attempt to make a splash in the free agent market, one he called 'relatively weak'. "There are certainly some excellent players out there but competition will be fierce in the market", he said. "We have some weaknesses right now, specifically with our defensive front and it is of utmost importance that we address those concerns before training camp begins." NoSkillz went on to say that "the club quite frankly hasn't drafted well in the past couple years. No offense to Steve (Mayer, the Cardinals placekicker), but there's no way a kicker should be drafted in the first round." He would conclude by saying "it's up to me, Wade and the rest of the staff to make better selections with our picks." "My whole philosophy is that a good team should be built through the draft and it will be important to get some good youngsters on the roster over the next couple of years. That being said, we have a pretty solid nucleus in place right now and we will be adding a bunch of pieces through free agency to give us the opportunity to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history." __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

02-23-2007, 01:57 PM	#10
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Cardinals Losing the Free Agency Battle St. Louis Post-Dispatch April 27, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - St. Louis Cardinals GM NoSkillz promised that the team would be a major player in the free agency market this year, stating that the team's goal was to 'win now'. Talk about a letdown. The Cards have only been able to lure one UFA to St. Louis, that being fullback George Amundson, who played in Detroit last season. Oh yeah, I guess you have to count the two UFA's that played for the Cardinals last year who just resigned: DE Jack Youngblood and DT Bob Juchartz. I'm sure the other 31 GM's are trembling with fear. "We're not satisfied with where we are at the moment" was all the GM had to say on the matter. I suppose not! There are still gaping holes to be filled as it stands right now. The team intends to build an attacking offense with Frank Patrick at the helm but there are no weapons at his disposal other than receiver John Stallworth, who looks destined for a career year. It's like going to war with a butter knife in your hands. Eddie Ray is coming off a 1000 yard season but looks to be aging quickly. NoSkillz indicated that the club made a last-minute offer to Fran Lynch but he accepted a lower offer (but with more upfront money) with the Buffalo Bills The team desperately needs another receiver to take the pressure off the sure to be double-teamed Stallworth. The club made overtures to Jerry Daanen and Haven Moses but both settled with other teams. And the team doesn't have a guy to snap the ball from center yet either. Attempts to lure All-HFL Second Team center Jan Stenerud to St. Louis failed. The defense is even more of a mess. The team doesn't have any threats at the tackle position and the whole defensive line looks uninspiring. Overtures to FA DT Mark Lomas and DE Pete Duranko were dismissed. The linebacker situation is interesting at least, as the club is determined to see if last year's first rounder Terry Beeson was worth the pick. He was moved to the outside at the Summer League over in Europe to better take advantage of his speed and pass rushing ability but he's still a work-in-progress. There has been talk of moving to a 3-4 defense this year to better take advantage of the team's skill level. Or to respond to the fact that the club doesn't have a suitable pair of tackles...take your pick! Even the typically strong secondary has a cornerback position available this year. The Cardinals will look to the draft and hope that they can come out of it with at least two starters, a tall task in a relatively thin draft class. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

02-23-2007, 02:52 PM	#12
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Damn. I'm not even going to try to redo the formatting...crazy board. EDIT: I cleaned it up...it's readable now! __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 02-23-2007 at 03:02 PM.

02-13-2007, 12:35 PM	#2
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Let's set this dynasty up, shall we? First of all, I'm a complete novice with FOF and this is my first time venturing into multiplayer in any game. So bear with me if I make a lot of rookie mistakes. That all being said, I couldn't be more pumped about the experience thus far...and we haven't even had a sim yet! (first hiring stage is tonight) A lot of my excitement comes from the fact that I was welcomed into the Historic Football League (HFL), an established league with a lot of FOFC's regulars. Passacaglia, Tarcone, 3Ric, JeeberD, Fantastic Flying Froggies and Chinaski are all charter members of the league, which started in 1970 with historical rosters and is now up to 1978. Narcizo, also a FOFC regular, is the defending champion after taking the 1977 Front Office Bowl. I won't go over the entire history of the HFL right here but check out this post if you want to catch up on the league as it stands right now. I believe Narcizo wrote it originally and it's a great synopsis of the league in its current state. It's a great group of guys and I'm just hoping that I can make up for my lack of experience with the game by making solid contributions in the forums there with my writing. As I did with my EHM Sabres dynasty (in my sig below), I'll write this dynasty from the perspective of the newspapers to give it a more 'story-type' feel. I may break out of character once in awhile to ask for advice on gameplay but we'll see how it evolves. I also have the grand ambition of doing an 'HFL 1978 Season Preview', similar to what IHOF has done in the past. They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery so I hope there is no one offended if I complete the task. I believe it will help get people interested about our great league and it will also help me learn about all of the other teams and their players. I hope you enjoy the ride! __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 02-13-2007 at 12:39 PM. Reason: added league's website

02-13-2007, 12:44 PM	#3
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	New Cardinals GM Interviews Coaching Candidates; Five Players Hang it Up for Good St. Louis Post-Dispatch February 13 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - He's only been in charge for three days but there's quite a buzz around the St. Louis Cardinals offices these days. New General Manager NoSkillz has conducted 17 interviews with potential coaching candidates since Saturday morning and is said to be pleased with how things have progressed. "We are extremely happy with the response we've received thus far and I expect to make an announcement regarding our coaching vacancies before the weekend", he indicated. The only staff member under contract at the moment is long-time scout Lance Lowrey. The 68 year old still has a year left on his contract and NoSkillz said the club will honor the commitment and keep him on board this season. The contracts for Head Coach Vernon Stewart and Offensive Coordinator Rich Lewandowski expired at the end of last season but both got the opportunity to interview with NoSkillz for employment in 1978. Stewart has guided the team for the last three seasons, going 24-24 over that time period with Lewandowski by his side calling the offensive plays. Interestingly enough, Lewandowski started his career with Seattle in 1970 as a defensive coordinator before moving to the offense with Dallas in 1973. "Vernon and Rich are both being strongly considered for positions with the team", NoSkillz said. He also indicated that Glenn Mosby, St. Louis' former defensive coordinator, has retired. Mosby won a Front Office Bowl with the Houston Oilers back in 1972 and will have to be replaced. While the new GM was reluctant to say who he has interviewed, rumor has it that a couple big names have been seen in St. Louis this week. Dave Abrams, the long-time head coach of the Buffalo Bills and Darrin Sporer, Cleveland's head coach are both without a contract but NoSkillz wouldn't comment on whether they've been a part of the interview process. The new GM was a bit more forthcoming about the five Cardinals who have submitted their retirement papers. Wide Receiver Fred Hill, center Jon Morris, guard Len Hauss, defensive tackle Andy Rice and cornerback Miller Farr all decided to hang it up for good this week. Hill was a dominant receiver for the Cards ever since getting drafted in the 17th round of the dispersal draft in 1970. He had four 1000-yard receiving seasons, including a career-high 77 receptions for 1271 yards in 1971. For his career, he caught 435 balls (26th all-time) for 6860 yards (22nd all-time) and 40 touchdowns. Morris was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 23rd round of the 1970 draft before arriving in St. Louis in 1972. In six years with the Cards, Morris started 69 games at center, including 11 last year. Hauss was a fourth round selection in the 1970 Supplemental Draft and battled injury through most of his career. The right guard started 49 games for the Cards over his career but missed all of last year with an MCL injury. Rice was a huge presence in the middle for the Cardinals right from the start. The 10th round choice in 1970 started 106 games over his eight year career in St. Louis and compiled 360 tackles and 21 sacks over that span. He started all 16 games in 1977 and will be truly missed this year. Farr is another stellar defender who will need to be replaced. The 7th round pick in 1970 played his entire career in St. Louis and started 97 games over the last eight years. He compiled 410 tackles and 11 interceptions in his career and started 15 games for the Cards last year. NoSkillz said that once he has built his coaching staff, he will begin to work on building the 1978 roster. "We will be players in the free agent market for sure, mostly out of necessity", he said, alluding to the fact that the club currently has only 30 players under contract. He indicated that there hasn't been any progress between the club and its star free agent quarterback Mike Livingston as of yet but expects some resolution in the next week or so. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

02-13-2007, 03:00 PM	#4
fantastic flying froggies Pro Rookie Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sunny South of France	Looking great so far, keep it coming! __________________ Detroit Vampires (CFL) : Ve 're coming for your blood! Camargue Flamingos (WOOF): pretty in Pink

02-14-2007, 09:41 AM	#5
Narcizo Pro Rookie Join Date: Jan 2006	I can see what you mean about the pictures being easier to handle on this forum. Nice stuff.

02-23-2007, 03:18 PM	#13
Narcizo Pro Rookie Join Date: Jan 2006	If it's any consolation I switched to 34 in HFL for exactly the same reason as you. Not some great tactical masterplan but the fact that I had one semi-competent defensive tackles and 4 semi-competent linebackers. You've really given yourself a tough task for your opening experience of MP FOF. Taking over any team that's been AI run for any length of time is going to be tough. HFL is benefiting from going to 2007 as well, where starting 30-40 ranged guy is pretty normal, while it was a rarity in most 2004 MP leagues. Further consolation comes from the fact that the other teams in the NFC West seem to be suffering as well.

02-23-2007, 03:25 PM	#15
beargrowlz High School Varsity Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Georgia	Very nice start to the dynasty, and I agree, it's a rocking league. Good to be in it with you, you add a lot to the game. __________________ -Beargrowlz [email protected] TCY Golden Scribe Winner - Bear Goes Home "The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out." --Thomas B. Macaulay

03-04-2007, 10:43 AM	#18
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	You're bringing a tear to my eye NoSkillz! My former team is finally getting a GM who cares for them as much as I did. GO CARDINALS!!

03-04-2007, 10:58 AM	#19
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Superb dynasty, but then we should expect that after the Sabres one I miss the HFL, damn it. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

03-04-2007, 01:04 PM	#22
nilodor College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: calgary, AB	Great dynasty post, good luck in the upcoming season!

03-07-2007, 12:04 AM	#24
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	On to the draft we go. As you can see by the charts, I really prepared for my first ever multiplayer (and FOF) draft. The team has some glaring holes on both sides of the ball but there are a couple positions that stand out more than others. On offense, we're very weak at the running back, wide receiver and center slots. On defense, our entire front is weak and we could use another corner. The biggest need is defensive tackle, but the only guy worth taking in the first round is Dennis Harrison and it's pretty much impossible that he'll drop from his #5 rated overall position in the draft. Jack Roberson, the #2 rated DT, is a second round talent. So I had my eye on WR Martin Kripper, a speedster out of Florida State. He had a great combine but the #4 rated WR in the draft had a terrible Solecismic test, scoring a 9, the lowest in the entire draft class. But his skill set falls right into what I'm looking for at wideout and I kept my fingers crossed that he would soon line up opposite John Stallworth. I've got picks in every round and two in the fifth round after a trade with the Falcons a couple days before the draft. I select #20 in the first round. My strategy was to give preference to good combine guys over good 'bar' guys, based on the reading I've done on this site. Lets go through the whole first round, with commentary from the HFL's man on the beat, Pub Reporter: 1. Earl Campbell RB (Atlanta Falcons) No surprises here, the Falcons get their replacement for Franco Harris and Campbell gets to play on a team that likes to run the ball a lot. Both should be happy & Campbell is already the bookies short-priced favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Falcons traded 3 First Round Picks to get the first overall selection in the draft. They then traded Franco Harris, the leading rusher in the HFL in '77 for a couple other first rounders in order to insert Campbell directly into the lineup. A huge gamble on a rookie, without doubt. 2. James Lofton WR (Minnesota Vikings) Well they were expected to go for T Kenn or Lofton so this is no major surprise. Lofton demonstrates a no-show at the combine doesn't necessarily lower your value. The Vikes will be hoping he justifies his selection above Jefferson & Jackson. 3. John Jefferson WR (Jacksonville Jaguars) Strike one up for the Cub Reporter Mock Draft. Jacksonville as expected take Jefferson at 3. The fastest man in the draft, Jefferson will give the Jags a genuine deep threat. 4. Alfred Jackson WR (Carolina Panthers) Anyone predict 3 wideouts going in the top 4? No, we didn't think so. Carolina decide to go for need as they look to replace the departed Daanen. Maybe could have traded down to get Jackson but that's just nitpicking. Jackson should make an immediate impact. Needless to say, at this point I figure I have no shot of getting Kripper now at #20. 5. Mike Kenn OT (Green Bay Packers) With two good relatively young Tackles on the team the Packers are clearly drafting on the basis of the best player available. Kenn is just that and has the potential to be a HFL legend. 6. John Anderson ILB (Cincinnati Bengals) First defensive player of the draft, the Bengals plump to take combine no-show Anderson. The Bengals have plenty of talent at LB but despite this the defense was pretty awful last year. Anderson could claim a starting spot from either Stein or McCaffrey in his first year. 7. Emmanuel Firestone DE (New Orleans Saints) First major shock of the draft as the Saints take Firestone ahead of Gay, Glenn and Colon. Projected as a late first round pick, New Orleans have obviously seen something they like in the big man from Miami Fl. 8. Todd Christensen TE (Los Angeles Rams) They'll be a few raised eyebrows at drafting a TE with a top ten pick but Christensen is a fine athlete and the Rams currently have a major hole at this position. It's starting to look like there is going to be some unexpected defensive talent available in the middle of the round. 9. Mosi Tatupu RB (New Orleans Saints) After taking a chance with Firestone, the Saints play it safe with their 2nd pick of the day and draft RB Tatupu. Looks like New Orleans are calling time on the killer bees. 10. Doug Williams QB (Houston Texans) Having grabbed Bob Lee for the here and now in free agency, the Texans draft Williams for the future. We're surprised they didn't go for help on the OL but it's hard to argue that Williams isn't value at this stage in the draft. 11. Bill Gay DE (Buffalo Bills) With the luxury of having no major holes to fill, the Bills take the best player available in Southern Cal DE Bill Gay. We think it's fair to say that with Randy White, Rubin Carter and now Gay on the roster, the Bills won't be needing to worry about their defensive line until the mid-eighties or so. 12. Ozzie Newsome TE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) With Williams and the top 3 receivers gone, we're guessing Tampa were down to at least No 5 on their draft board. Newsome will give Griese at least one decent target to aim for this year. 13. Eric Smith T (Miami Dolphins) Smith looks to be a steal at this stage of the draft and fills a big area of need for the Dolphins. 14. Estus Hood CB (Washington Redskins) As expected, the Redskins to look to bolster their secondary by selecting Illinois corner Estus Hood. He'll be expected to make an immediate impact in his first year. At this point, I'm starting to think that I just might have a decision on my hands. Harrison, the top rated DT, is dropping like a rock in my direction unexpectedly. 15. Terry Jackson CB (Kansas City Chiefs) Trading down looks like a good move for the Chiefs as they would have missed out on Lofton, Jackson and Jefferson. Their real priority is to build their secondary and so step forward Terry Jackson. 16. Andy Kelley RB (Denver Broncos) One thing is for sure is that Kelley will get every chance to shine at the run-happy Broncos. Time will tell if he can convet his great physical attributes into hard yards 17. J.J. Kiss OLB (Seattle Seahawks) As predicted by Cub Reporter, the Seahawks strengthen their linebacking corps with the addition of pass rushing specialist Kiss. That's three right from the last four for Cubbie just in case you're counting. 18. Doug Colon DE (New England Patriots) Facing Payton and Simpson twice a year means the Patriots need to be able to stop the run. Colon fits the bill nicely and should start in his rookie season. 19. Gerald Small CB (Atlanta Falcons) After their off-season clear-out of the defense, the Falcons start the rebuilding job with San Jose St corner Gerald Small. Oh my...Kripper made it to #20 but so did Harrison! I now have to completely rework my draft strategy but I just can't pass up the #5 rated player in the draft, especially in a position of huge need. 20. Dennis Harrison DT (St. Louis Cardinals) The Cardinals won't be able to believe their luck that they could pick up Harrison here. The need help on the D-Line and picking up the draft's top rated DT is a great bit of business. Now, I could only hope that Kripper would drop into the second round and then, maybe, I could trade up for a shot at him. Lets look at the rest of the first round. 21. Dennis Thurman S (Kansas City Chiefs) With their second pick of the day, KC land the drafts top-rated safety. Probably won't start this year but the Chiefs secondary looks a lot stronger after todays selections. 22. Brent Watson T (Pittsburgh Steelers) Solid pick for the Steelers as they look to fill a hole on the right hand side of their line. Watson looks excellent value at this stage of the proceedings. 23. Archie Wells T (Indianapolis Colts) Could have gone a lot higher but for a poor combine. The Colts will be hoping that Wells is smart enough to make up for any physical shortcomings. 24. Ray Griffin CB (Cleveland Browns) The Browns secondary is starting to look a bit old and so they draft in young blood in the form of Ray Griffin. Griffin didn't excel at the combine and this could be considered a bit of a risk at this stage of the draft. Cornerbacks are starting to look thin on the ground as we approach the end of the round. 25. Daryl Glenn DT (Detroit Lions) Solid pick for the Lions. Glenn should eventually start alongside Fanning to give the Lions plenty of strength on the inside of the D-Line. 26. Alan Martinez CB (Detroit Lions) The Lions take the 5th cornerback of the 1st round by selecting Martinez. Like Griffin, Martinez is a bit of a reach at this stage but if the Lions had there heart set on a CB he's probably the best of what's left. I was personally hoping Martinez would drop into the second round...I had my eye on him and scouts loved him. 27. Kurt Farris QB (Chicago Bears) Farris falls all the way to 27 and the Chicago Bears. Bit of a surprise selection but we're guessing the Bears probably wanted one of five cornerbacks taken in last 10 or so picks. Farris will have time to learn his trade backing up Livingstone. 28. Jack Roberson DT (Philadelphia Eagles) The Eagles don't have a lot of depth at DT and so Roberson looks like a good fit for them. 29. Martin Kripper WR (San Diego Chargers) After the early run on recievers, Kripper lasts all the way until near the end of the round. The Chargers will be delighted to have landed someone of his quality to eventually take over from Taylor. DAMN IT! The drop-off in talent between Kripper, the fourth ranked wideout in the draft and the fifth guy is off-the-charts. Not good...I really wanted a fast flanker in this draft and they are all gone. 30. Terry Miller RB (San Francisco 49ers) As expected the niners go for Terry Miller. With great hands, Miller looks like a perfect fit for the Anderson-led offense. 31. Art Still DE (Green Bay Packers) The Packers will be delighted to land Still here. He outperformed both Colin (1.18)and Firestone (1.7) in the combine and looks to be a player with plenty of upside potential 32. Clay Matthews OLB (Baltimore Ravens) There was always a chance that Matthews could sneak into the 1st round and with a strong roster the Ravens can afford to take a chance on him. Could be a steal. So there is the first round. I'd have to rework my strategy for the next six rounds - I had hoped to take an offensive player in the first two rounds but now there was really no one left that was worthy of a second round pick. It would have to be a defensive guy and I was going to look at either a defensive end or a corner. I'll have a post with the rest of my draft tomorrow. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-08-2007, 10:12 PM	#25
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	I was definitely looking to fill a starter's slot with my second round pick and was hoping that either a suitable defensive end or a corner fell to me. The first shocker was center Blair Bush going with the 34th overall pick...I really hoped that the combine holdout would drop to the third round. Therefore, I now had to look at Jim Hough, the top-rated center in the draft for my pick. The only decent end was Al Baker and he went 42nd overall to Atlanta. So my pick, the 51st in the draft came down to Hough or cornerback Blaine Sanford, the sixth rated corner in the draft. 2nd Round (51st Overall): CB Blaine Sanford, Oklahoma - St. Louis Cardinals Sanford had great bars and was solid in the combine, with above average scores in every category but not quite AAA level. I'm a bit worried about his endurance rating and he's the greenest of the top corner candidates but he should be a good one. As the second round turned to the third, I kept watching Hough get passed over by every team. Could he possibly fall to me in the third? Umm, no. Narcizo's Baltimore Ravens, the defending HFL champs, scooped him up three picks before my selection so it was back to the drawing board. I decided to go with offense and a possible playmaker with my third rounder. 3rd Round (84th Overall): RB Ricky Patton, Jackson State - St. Louis I went off the board a bit with this selection, as Patton was the 17th rated running back in the draft. However, he had an intriguing combine, almost a 'AAA', just falling short by being right on the average in the agility test. He notched the best 40-time (4.50) among backs and annihilated his peers in the strength test, raising the bar 27 times, 5 more than the second placed Earl Campbell. Fastest & strongest back? Not bad at this stage of the draft. His bars looked solid in the 'Breakaway Speed' and 'Power Inside' areas but looked weak in pass receiving. That's okay by me, as I don't plan on using my backs much in the passing game. Could be a steal but we'll see how he looks after camp. I set my targets on another defensive prospect in the fourth round and was lucky enough to have him fall to me. 4th Round (115th Overall): NT Henry Bradley, Alcorn State - St. Louis Bradley, the 7th rated defensive tackle in the draft, is a 6'6" 286lb monster who just happened to run a scintillating 4.73 40!!! Easily the fastest defensive lineman in the draft and the second strongest as well, falling only one rep short of Dennis Harrison, my first round pick. I'm hoping Bradley can make the transition to defensive end and be effective as a pass rusher. I had two fifth round picks and I had my heart set on Missouri linebacker Everett Preston, one of the last 'AAA' combine guys left in the draft. However, he got scooped up by Carolina early in the round so I went with another middle linebacker who was rated higher by the bureau. 5th Round (148th Overall): MLB Darnell Barton, Mississippi State - St. Louis Barton was the 7th rated middle linebacker in the draft. His bars looked decent and he had an above average combine but nothing spectacular. I did like his score in the Solecismic, however, as he garnered the top score among his peers at MLB. If nothing else, he should be a contributor on special teams. I was desperate for wideout help so I went with the top combine guy remaining. 5th Round (156th Overall): WR Jessie Thompson, California - St. Louis Thompson actually had a 'AAA' combine, notching the 2nd best agility score in addition to being above average in the 40 and the strength test. However, my scout doesn't really care for him at all and he doesn't seem to possess the bars that fit in with the downfield attacking offense we want to run. I knew exactly who I was going to pick with my sixth round selection before the draft even started. He is a big-name player in real life but didn't participate in the combine and was ranked near the bottom of his position class by the bureau. I figured someone might snap him up in the seventh round so I fully intended to snag him myself in the sixth. 6th Round (179th Overall): WR Wes Chandler, Florida - St. Louis Terrible bars but good intangibles (high Solecismic, leadership, loyalty), I figured I'd take a shot and hope he comes through. A big reach but immediately after picking him, a couple guys noted it in the forum, saying they WERE going to take a flyer on him in the seventh. We'll see if he makes the lineup. I was able to also get the guy I wanted in the seventh, a green but intriguing center. 7th Round (212th Overall): C Dustin Vance, North Carolina - St. Louis Highest Solecismic in the entire draft with a score of 53 and his bars look great. He was only ranked 13th by the bureau, however, and isn't developed at all. A project. Overall, I was pretty pleased with my draft but really wished I had the chance of getting an offensive playmaker. I guess I did with Kripper but Harrison was too good to pass up. He better turn out to be decent! __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-08-2007, 10:23 PM	#26
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Cardinals GM Comes Through in Draft; Nab DT Harrison St. Louis Post-Dispatch April 29, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - The St. Louis Cardinals haven't had a lot of success this offseason in luring big-name free agents to the club. However, it looks as if things have started to swing the other way after a solid looking first draft from rookie GM NoSkillz. The Cards had a few glaring holes going into yesterday's entry draft, especially on the defensive line. That need was addressed when the #5 rated prospect in the draft, Vanderbilt defensive tackle Dennis Harrison fell right into their lap at the #20 slot. The 6'3" 280lb 1977 First Team All-SEC player was also an academic standout at Vanderbilt and will get every chance at starting this season for the Cardinals. "We're thrilled to have Dennis wearing Cardinal red this season", NoSkillz offered. "We certainly had a void in the middle of our defense and to get someone of Harrison's pedigree at the 20 slot was a surprise to say the least." Harrison had a fantastic combine but scouts are a bit leery about his pass rushing technique and endurance, a possible reason for the drop out of the top ten. The GM isn't worried. "Dennis is a tremendous athlete and has every intangible you look for in a player - great leadership skills, unbelievably intelligent and an infectious personality." "He will be a big star here in St. Louis." The Cards took Oklahoma cornerback Blaine Sanford with their second round pick. The 5'10" 189lb Sanford had a good combine and scouts like his diagnostic and ball-hawking skills. He was the sixth-rated corner in the draft. "We really looked at getting excellent athletes in this draft and Blaine fits the bill", NoSkillz said. The Cards took the unheralded Ricky Patton in the third round, a Jackson State running back who wasn't highly regarded coming into the draft. However, Patton was a standout in the combines, posting the fastest 40 time (4.50) and also destroying his peers in the strength tests (27 reps, 5 more than the second placed Earl Campbell). "Some may look at this as a reach but we strongly believe in Patton's big-play abilities and his overall skill level. Watch out for this kid...he may just surprise", the GM indicated. Here are the rest of the Cardinals selections in the 1978 draft: - Henry Bradley, NT, Alcorn State, 6'6" 286lbs - Fourth Round Pick Another combine standout, the huge Alcorn State nose tackle posted the fastest 40 time among all defensive linemen (4.73) and was just behind Harrison in the strength test. Bradley may be asked to move to defensive end to better take advantage of his speed and size and has the talent to make the transition. - Darnell Barton, MLB, Mississippi State, 6'2" 243lbs - Fifth Round Pick Barton had a solid combine and scouts rave about his intelligence and play diagnosis skills. Should be a special teams force at the very least. - Jessie Thompson, WR, California, 6'2" 212lbs - Fifth Round Pick Thompson also was selected on the basis of his combine, where he posted the second best score in the agility test and was an above average performer in the other tests. Scouts aren't sold on his abilities and his skill set doesn't seem well suited for the offense St. Louis plans to install. - Wes Chandler, WR, Florida, 6'5" 220lbs - Sixth Round Pick A huge reach. Chandler was a combine non-participant and scouts just don't think he has the ability to play in the league. Did well in the intelligence tests and has the size and intangibles but he has a lot to prove to justify getting drafted. - Dustin Vance, C, North Carolina, 6'4" 337lbs - Seventh Round Pick Vance posted the highest score in the intelligence test among all potential draftees and scouts seem to think he's extremely underrated. The bureau disagrees, however, and rated him 13th among centers in the draft. He's very green and it's unlikely that the Cards will have the patience to wait it out until he becomes a useful player. In other news, the Cardinals announced a number of additional free agent signings: - OG Chuck Hutchinson, 30 years old, 6'2" 262lbs (from New Orleans Saints) - C Ed Flanagan, 33 years old, 6'3" 286lbs (from Jacksonville Jaguars) - C Clyde Stevenson, 31 years old, 6'1" 254lbs (from Denver Broncos) - WR Marlin Briscoe, 30 years old, 5'10" 178lbs (from San Diego Chargers) - DT Jerry Rush, 35 years old, 6'2" 262lbs (from Kansas City Chiefs) - QB Kent Nix, 34 years old, 6'2" 223lbs (from New Orleans Saints) Flanagan comes into camp with the starting center job to lose. Briscoe may see time opposite John Stallworth due to his big-play abilities, something coach Walt Grabowski was looking for in the offseason. Nix will backup new Cards starter Frank Patrick. Stevenson and Hutchinson are depth acquisitions. The biggest gamble was on Rush, a standout defensive tackle througout his career but he is currently nursing an MCL injury and may not play at all this season. "It's a low-risk pickup as far as we're concerned", indicated NoSkillz. "If he plays, it's a bonus - he's immensely talented and we felt it was worth the money, as we have a bunch of cap space that would have gone to waste anyway." NoSkillz also remarked that his leadership and mentoring skills would be put to great use with new draftees Harrison and Bradley. The Cardinals also resigned middle linebacker Doug Allen and defensive tackle Manny Fernandez, who was cut by the Atlanta Falcons almost immediately after the Cards picked up a fifth round pick for him in a trade between the two clubs. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-12-2007, 12:37 AM	#28
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Here is how the rookies looked after the draft: DT Dennis Harrison - 32/41 CB Blaine Sanford - 26/62 RB Ricky Patton - 30/47 DT Henry Bradley - 29/42 * MLB Darnell Barton - 28/41 WR Jessie Thompson - 18/30 WR Wes Chandler - 16/30 C Dustin Vance - 13/52 I'm not really surprised about Harrison and hold out hope that the ratings can be attributed to scout error. His combine was fantastic and his bars don't seem to be where they should based on his results. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Sanford looks solid but I expect his numbers to come down a bit after camp - his combine wasn't spectacular by any means so I expect a correction. Patton is an interesting one. His speed and inside running bars are fantastic so I expect him to perform better than his ratings. His hole recognition and receiving skills are low, as is his endurance. I asterisked Bradley, as he improved 1 current when I changed his position to defensive end. Barton has a major conflict with our leader up front so I don't know if we're going to keep him around. Thompson and Chandler look pretty pathetic and Vance looks like a decent prospect but a bit too green to amount to anything. TRAINING CAMP: 20 players are asked to bulk up before training camp, including new quarterback Frank Patrick. This guy is currently rated 69/69 and has all the attributes you look for in a pivot but he just can't stay healthy. At 6'4" and about 200lbs, maybe he needs a bit of weight to withstand the hits. I hope so... 9 players are asked to trim down before camp, including my fat-ass kicker, a former first round pick who has a big leg but can't hit the broad side of a barn (Janikowski?). For camp, I devote extra time to the weight room, pass plays and defense while I trim some time off film & playbook and 'team bonding' functions. The QB is already well-versed in most formations and the team cohesion is high enough. We're not here for fun and games gentlemen! Let's see how the rookies fared after camp: POST TRAINING CAMP NUMBERS: DT Dennis Harrison - 36/45 (+4/+4) CB Blaine Sanford - 28/58 (+2/-4) RB Ricky Patton - 30/46 (0/-1) DT Henry Bradley - 30/40 (+1/-2) MLB Darnell Barton - 43/52 (+15/+11) WR Jessie Thompson - 21/31 (+3/+1) WR Wes Chandler - 19/31 (+3/+1) C Dustin Vance - 14/46 (+1/-6) I'm pleased with Harrison's progress and continue to hold out hope that he will continue his slow upward trajectory. Sanford, Patton and Bradley remain pretty close to their initial numbers. Looks like I found my first boomer with Barton. Conflict be damned, the kid will be sticking around and may have forced himself into the lineup. To do so, I'd have to consider changing to a 3-4 defense, as the incumbent middle linebacker isn't going anywhere. Nice development though for the Mississippi State grad! Thompson and Chandler both see nice little increases as well and just might stick around as fourth or fifth receivers. Neither brings anything to the table on special teams or in the return game though. The expected correction on Vance takes place. Among other players, it's some good, some bad. Patrick gains nine pounds after his offseason training and also goes +2/+2 to hit 71/71. Nice stuff from the eight year vet. My incumbent back, Eddie Ray, continues to drop like a rock down to 35/35 (-6/-6). The starting TE, Bob Tucker, also drops to 54/54 (-8/-8). Thankfully, there's no change with Stallworth (61/61) because his running mate Ron Sellers drops to 29/29 (-10/-10) and is out of my starting lineup. On the offensive line, main man Levert Carr drops to 83/83 (-4/-4) but that's manageable. We see a nice gain from 10th year LT Mike Wilson, who improves to 62/62 (+5/+5). On defense, my top end Harry Gunner drops to 48/48 (-6/-6) and super dud Jack Youngblood drops off the face of the earth to 33/34 (-11/-11). BUSTO! One of my young tackles, third year man Keith Simons moves up to 38/48 (+3/+1). My top corner Charlie Waters drops to 53/53 (-6/-6) but everyone else pretty much stays intact. I've got 64 guys in camp right now and have to cut down to sixty before my first preseason game, which takes place in week two. I also realize I will need to sign a return specialist, as the guys I have in camp just aren't good enough. A good return guy will be important, as I may have trouble moving the ball this year due to lack of playmaking talent. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-12-2007, 12:45 AM	#29
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Youngsters Impress as Cards Close Camp St. Louis Post-Dispatch August 1, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - The St. Louis Cardinals veterans have their work cut out for them this season. Many of the rookies and youngsters on the football team's roster are making strong bids for starting positions, something that is music to the ears of rookie GM NoSkillz. "We knew things were going to be competitive with 64 guys attending camp", he said. "However, I can't say I ever would have guessed so many of them would have a shot at starting right out of the gate." The Post-Dispatch has been keeping a close eye on all of the developments in training camp and broke everything down by position. QUARTERBACK - Newcomer Frank Patrick, going into his ninth year, came into camp in tremendous shape after putting on 8 pounds of muscle after a rigorous offseason training program. The club feels the extra weight will help the brittle Patrick absorb more punishment in the pocket. He has looked very sharp and is even better than advertised. Veteran Kent Nix and sophomore Nicky Guillen will backup Patrick. The club is disappointed in the lack of progress shown by Guillen. RUNNING BACK - The race for the starting halfback position is wide open. Incumbent Eddie Ray, who rushed for over 1000 yards last year, had a horrible camp and looks much older than his 29 years. Rookie Ricky Patton is turning heads in camp with his tremendous speed and power but endurance will likely be an issue, as he's never been asked to carry the full load in college at Jackson State. Also in the mix is sophomore Clarence Williams and fourth-year man Arnold Weber but neither of those two own the physical attributes possessed by Patton. All four will get their touches in preseason. FULLBACK - Free agent acquistion George Amundson will start this year but likely won't see a lot of time, as the team plans to utilize a lot of single back formations. Clem Turner is one of the locker room leaders and will back up Amundson while undrafted rookie Jessie Stamm is in tough to make the roster. TIGHT END - The Cards leading receiver last year was tight end Bob Tucker and he returns for his ninth season. He's a strong blocker and will be asked to take some pressure off Stallworth in the receiving game. Jack Funk and Sean Stemke provide solid support. WIDE RECEIVER - John Stallworth couldn't be more excited about the guy who is throwing to him. We don't think he'll be as happy about the constant double-teams he will have to endure this year. After gaining 9 pounds of muscle, Stallworth is poised for a breakout campaign. The 31-year old Ron Sellers isn't having a good camp and doesn't fit in with the new offensive schemes being implemented. There is a good chance he won't be starting this year. Rookies Wes Chandler and Jessie Thompson are still quite green and it's difficult to see them making much of an impact this year, although both are having solid camps. Randy Burke has been decent in camp and will likely stick. Vincent Ketchum, Marlin Briscoe and Glenn Alexander all look the same to us - disposable. EDIT: NoSkillz announced that he just completed a trade with the defending HFL champions that will see former first round pick Allen Dunbar come to St. Louis for Offensive Guard Chuck Hutchinson. Dunbar will have a good chance at starting opposite Stallworth. OFFENSIVE LINE - A solid unit returns almost completely intact. LG Levert Carr is the leader of a fine group that includes Bill Bain, Rick Sharp and Mike Wilson, who's been extremely impressive in camp. Ed Flanagan was signed as a free agent and will start at center. Depth is an issue on the line, however. Rookie Dustin Vance, fellow center Clyde Stevenson, G Jackie Glode, rookie guard Walt Wooley and tackle Kelvin Prior are all inexperienced and would have difficulty filling the shoes of their much more accomplished teammates in case of injury. DEFENSIVE LINE - Harry Gunner returns to lead a revamped line. He's now 33 years old and starting to look the part. Rookie Henry Bradley will be given every chance to start this year after making the transition to end from tackle. He's had an solid but unspectacular camp. #1 pick Dennis Harrison is still an unknown quantity in many respects but he is improving every day in every facet of the game, something the coaches are thrilled with. He will start at tackle. There is plenty of depth here, with Manny Fernandez, Bob Juchartz and Keith Simons providing cover. The injured Jerry Rush will likely be cut or placed on injured reserve. There are too many ends in camp so expect at least one or two to be cut. Jack Youngblood has looked entirely out of place and may be the ultimate victim. Junior Johnson just isn't progressing after being picked in the third round last year. Fernando Harrison (no relation to Dennis) was signed to help tutor Bradley so he'll stay. The team also has veteran pass-rush specialist John Farley and rookie Larry Bethea in camp. LINEBACKERS - Lots of interesting news here. All-HFL First Teamer Ross Brupbacher has been moved to the strong side to open up a spot for last year's first round pick Terry Beeson, who made the move to WLB from the middle in the summer league. Beeson has been extremely impressive in camp and is starting to finally fulfill some of the promise of being a 9th overall selection. Ron Pritchard has taken Beeson under his wing and been a very positive factor in the youngster's evolution this summer. The best story in camp, however, is rookie Darnell Barton, St. Louis' fifth round pick. He has been absolutely tremendous and may have singlehandedly forced coach Wade Grabowski's hand in going to a 3-4 just to get him in the lineup. One thing to watch, however, is the fact that some animosity has built up between the brash young Barton and veteran lineman Harry Gunner. Recent pickup Dick Cunningham was brought in to help Barton and his transition to the pros and the coaches hope he can help mend the fued with the team's leader up front. Fellow middle linebacker Tim Rossovich also returns. Last year's starting WLB, K.C. O'Donnell, has been terrible in camp and may get cut. Doug Allen has impressed at MLB and provides excellent depth. SECONDARY - This is one of the strengths of the team. The safeties, Ike Thomas and Nate Wright are among the top tandems in the league. Backup Louie Wright is a former first rounder who could start on many teams and is only in his fourth year. Rookie Luther Bradley and veteran Jim Ferguson will fight for another spot. At corner, Charlie Waters returns for his 9th season and will likely be joined by rookie Blaine Sanford, who has looked fine in camp. Dusty Hartman, Jim Thrower and Ethan Heupel provide capable support. KICKING - No changes here, as 1975 First Round pick Steve Mayer returns for placekicking duties. He was asked to get into better shape before camp and obliged, losing 11 pounds. The team hopes his accuracy improves in '78. Veteran punter Bobby Walden also returns. There could be as many as four rookies starting on defense this year: Harrison, Bradley, Barton and Sanford. In reality, it's almost five, as Beeson really didn't even play last year. On offense, the team will look for someone other than Stallworth to provide the big plays needed in order to compete in the NFC this year. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 03-12-2007 at 12:46 AM.

03-15-2007, 12:31 AM	#31
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	So we lose the game but more importantly lost our All-HFL 1st Team linebacker Ross Brupbacher for 7 weeks with a broken tibia. We also lost rookie defensive end Henry Bradley for the season - he's gone 20 weeks with a ruptured achilles. I had plans on him starting too. How about a quick, Good/Bad analysis of my first EVER FOF contest - GOOD: - QB Frank Patrick didn't get hurt I only played him for two series and he went 4/5. - My running game was really, really good, even with my marginal backs. Both Eddie Ray (12 carries 106 yards) and rookie third round pick Ricky Patton (13 carries 70 yards) broke big runs. As a team, we rushed for 183 yards and over 7 yards/carry. - Fifth round pick and monster boomer Darnell Barton had a huge game, with 7 tackles, 2 assists and an interception. He was all over the field on Solevision and was blitzing like crazy from the inside. I don't know how I can keep him off the field come regular season. - OLB Terry Beeson, our '77 first round pick, looked solid in his first real action since moving from ILB with 2 tackles, 2 assists, a sack and a hurry. - '78 First round pick DT Dennis Harrison had three tackles and 2 assists. BAD: - Backup QB Kent Nix was pretty brutal but my backup linemen did him no favours, as he was sacked 4 times and hurried 8 more. - My running in the red zone was awful. Got to get tougher in that area. - We allowed their second team offense a lot of big plays and took a few careless penalties, including a couple pass interference calls that gave them great field position. - We really seemed to be blitzing too much and their QB took advantage with a lot of short passes. Is there a screen that controls the amount you blitz or is that all dependent on down and distance?? All in all, I'm not too disappointed in the result. KC played a pretty solid game and I just couldn't take advantage of the times they put the ball on the ground - heck, they even recovered one of their own fumbles and returned it for a TD early in the game. Next preseason game I'll likely play Patrick for about a quarter or so to get him into a bit of a groove. I have some gameplan tweaking to do on both sides but moreso on the defensive side. I played a 3-4 this week but with the injury to Brupbacher, I may have to revert back to a 4-3...we'll see. I have a lot of gameplan tweaking to do. I also will need to pickup another linebacker in the depleted free agency market, as I also lost depth OLB Ron Prichard for about five weeks. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-20-2007, 12:23 PM	#34
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Needless to say, there is little to get excited about after my second preseason game. Well, I didn't really incur any additional injuries so that's a plus. My first team offense only played the first quarter and that only amounted to one series, as Miami did a good job holding onto the ball. I'm not getting any pressure on the opposing quarterbacks with my 3-4 scheme and that will be a problem once I start playing against actual starters come the regular season. Dolphins standouts Daryl Lamonica and Walter Payton were inactive for this game. My offense was peutrid with Nicky Guillen at the helm and the running game fell to earth with a thud. I think I've gotten a bit too complicated with my game planning and will need to simplify, start from scratch with defaults and make a couple tweaks. My next preseason game is our third out of four and I intend to play my starters for about 2-3 quarters. This will be the litmus test game to see where we really stand going into the regular season, as I plan on playing backups in my last preseason game to avoid injury. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-20-2007, 01:44 PM	#35
Passacaglia Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Big Ten Country	Damn, I was mentioned in the first post of your dynasty, then I proceed to drop out! Anyway, good stuff. See you in the NFC Playoffs (I hope)!

03-22-2007, 06:06 PM	#38
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	My first win in FOF! Lots to like in this game, as I pretty much dominated starting in the third quarter. We held the ball for over 40 minutes and that was without a greatly effective running game (43 carries for only 105 yards). The defense was stifling, holding their backup quarterback to only 3 completions in 26 attempts (!). We also picked off three of his passes and four in total. My #3 receiver, Herman Franklin, was spectacular in notching 165 yards through the air. However, there was some things that cause concern. My field goal kicker missed FOUR attempts - two 40 yarders, a 56 yarder and a 57 yarder. I can forgive the 50+ attempts but missing two others? Not good... I also suffered more injuries and one of them to a player I desperately need - WR John Stallworth, my top wideout. He'll miss up to four weeks with a strained groin. Damn. In the end, I'm just glad to finally win a game. The offense looked decent and the D came through with countless big plays. For the last preseason game, I'll deactivate most of my starters in order to keep them safe from injury. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-22-2007, 08:25 PM	#40
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Well, it's definitely a moral victory in our last preseason game. The Jets were down three points with about a minute remaining and connected on two big plays to score the unlikely touchdown to win the game. Our backups all played well and we almost compiled 400 yards in offense. But I got hit with two more injuries, including one to my starting strong safety Ike Thomas, who I had dressed but didn't slot him in the lineup. Of course, he ended up going in for a guy who was fatigued and got hurt on that play, separating his shoulder. He's gone for six weeks. That gives me nine injuries heading into my first regular season game - only the influenza-stricken Dallas Cowboys are in worse shape. We're at cutdown day now so I'll have to figure out who stays and who goes in our bid to get down to 53 players. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-25-2007, 08:09 PM	#41
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Cardinals Cut Seven; Roster is Set for '78 St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 1, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - With only three days until the start of the new season, the St. Louis Cardinals made their final roster cuts in preparation for their home opener against the defending NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers. WR Randy Burke, OT Kelvin Prior, C Dustin Vance, S Luther Bradley, DE Fernando Harrison, ILB Dick Cunningham and OLB Dave Nelson were all dismissed from camp before practice on Thursday morning. "There were some difficult decisions, that's for sure", indicated Cardinals head coach Wade Grabowski. "But this ain't Cub Scouts...this is professional football and these men know it's a business." "We are certain some will catch on with other clubs and we wish them all the best." Burke was the Cardinals 7th round pick in the 1977 draft and started 8 games at wideout as a rookie, catching 19 balls for 237 yards. He was a victim of the numbers game after new management drafted two wideouts in this years draft, both of whom made the roster. Prior was a 6th round pick in last years draft but never saw game action with the club. He had a decent camp but just hasn't developed fast enough for management. Vance was the Cards 7th round pick in this years draft and also had a decent camp. Many thought he'd stick around but the emergence of Clyde Stevenson in camp made the decision to cut the green Vance an easy one. Ironically enough, Stevenson's old team, the Denver Broncos, signed Vance earlier this morning. Luther Bradley went undrafted this year and the Notre Dame grad was solid, if unspectacular in camp. Gradkowski indicates that he was the last cut and says there is a chance the team will sign him to the practice roster if he is still available later in the season. Fernando Harrison was a 1st round pick of the Rams back in 1973 but after two relatively productive seasons, fell off the map in '75. He was signed to mentor rookie Henry Bradley but his season-ending injury meant Harrison wasn't needed this year. Dick Cunningham was also signed in the offseason as a tutor to a rookie, in this case Darnell Barton. However, the team incurred numerous injuries during the preseason at outside linebacker and they were unable to keep as many MLB's as desired. Dave Nelson was a 3rd round selection of the 49ers back in 1974 but the emergence of another preseason signing, Mike McGill, meant Nelson was expendable. There weren't any shockers in the group that was let go but there were some players who made the roster that came as a bit of a surprise. First and foremost is DE Junior Johnson, who has had a horrible camp and just didn't produce in his 10 starts last year as a rookie. The severely undersized end is very close with the defensive line leader, Harry Gunner, and that may have saved his spot on the roster. The fact that he has two years remaining on his contract, one which paid him a bonus, may also have something to do with it. The Post-Dispatch will be back tomorrow with a full report on the 55 players who made the St. Louis Cardinals in 1978. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 03-25-2007 at 08:13 PM.

03-25-2007, 08:15 PM	#42
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - Now that the final roster has been set, here is a scouting report on this year's edition of the HFL's St. Louis Cardinals, starting with the Quarterbacks. OTHER QUARTERBACKS - KENT NIX 34 Years Old, 6'2" 223lbs 12th Year, TCU Drafted 30th Round (947th) by Los Angeles in 1970 1978 Cap Cost: $310,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: New Orleans 7GP 89-170 979yds 4td 7int HFL TOTALS: 65GP 453-871 5613yds 39td 23int Nix had a pedestrian camp and was signed as an insurance policy in case of injury to Patrick. NICKY GUILLEN 23 Years Old, 6'0" 206lbs 2nd Year, Iowa Drafted 4th Round (105th) by St. Louis in 1977 1978 Cap Cost: $100,000 (Expires after 1979 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP No Stats HFL TOTALS: 16GP No Stats Guillen isn't progressing as expected after being a fourth round pick in '77. He's rubbed some veterans the wrong way since coming into camp last year but has the potential to be a capable backup. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 03-25-2007 at 08:18 PM.

03-25-2007, 08:16 PM	#43
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued) St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - Now, let us take a look at the Cardinals backfield: OTHER RUNNING BACKS - RICKY PATTON (RB) 21 Years Old, 6'1" 225lbs Rookie, Jackson State Drafted 3rd Round (84th) by St. Louis in 1978 1978 Cap Cost: $80,000 (Expires after 1980 Season) 1977 Stats: Jackson State N/A HFL TOTALS: No Stats Patton had a great camp and will likely share carries with incumbent Eddie Ray. Has explosive speed and great power out of the backfield. ARNOLD WEBER (RB) 25 Years Old, 6'0" 207lbs 4th Year, Stanford Drafted 4th Round (106th) by St. Louis in 1975 1978 Cap Cost: $110,000 (Expires after 1979 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 132-503yds 3.81avg 1td HFL TOTALS: 43GP 227-943yds 4.15avg 5td Weber started the last two games of the year in '77 but even a solid preseason wasn't enough to earn a promotion. He will primarily be a third down back in '78, barring injuries to Ray and Patton. CLARENCE WILLIAMS (RB) 21 Years Old, 6'2" 203lbs 2nd Year, South Carolina Drafted 2nd Round (41st) by St. Louis in 1977 1978 Cap Cost: $230,000 (Expires after 1979 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 14GP 15-49yds 3.27avg 0td HFL TOTALS: 14GP 15-49yds 3.27avg 0td Williams has been a disappointment after getting drafted in the second round last year. He's a poor-man's Weber and will likely start the year on the practice squad. CLEM TURNER (FB) 30 Years Old, 6'1" 235lbs 10th Year, Cincinnati Drafted 46th Round (1450th) by Los Angeles in 1970 1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1980 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 30-144yds 4.80avg 4td HFL TOTALS: 108GP 172-791yds 4.60avg 6td Turner had a solid season in '77 but will be relegated to a backup role with the signing of Amundson. A solid citizen on the field and in the locker room. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 03-25-2007 at 08:19 PM.

03-25-2007, 08:19 PM	#44
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued) St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - Now, let us take a look at the Cardinals receivers: OTHER RECEIVERS - HERMAN FRANKLIN (WR) 28 Years Old, 6'1" 197lbs 8th Year, Michigan Undrafted 1978 Cap Cost: $290,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: Minnesota 13GP 28-320yds 11.43avg 2td HFL TOTALS: 96GP 223-3035yds 13.61avg 18td Franklin was a free agent acquisition for the Cards in the offseason and will likely play the slot as the third wideout. He is a deep threat and is coming off a very productive preseason with St. Louis. WES CHANDLER (WR) 21 Years Old, 6'5" 215lbs Rookie, Florida Drafted 6th Round (179th) by St. Louis in 1978 1978 Cap Cost: $50,000 (Expires after 1980 Season) 1977 Stats: Florida N/A HFL TOTALS: No Stats Chandler had a very solid camp and will be looked upon as the fourth receiver to start the year. His stock dropped drastically before the draft after not participating in the combine. RON SELLERS (WR) 31 Years Old, 5'11" 182lbs 10th Year, Florida State Drafted 34th Round (1057th) by St. Louis in 1970 1978 Cap Cost: $210,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 15GP 48-692yds 14.42avg 1td HFL TOTALS: 113GP 319-4697yds 14.72avg 24td Sellers has really lost a step going into his tenth season and will be hard pressed to make a contribution in '78. He was solid last year but an infusion of youth into the receiving corp has him on the outside looking in. Still a leader and solid locker room presence. JESSIE THOMPSON (WR) 19 Years Old, 6'2" 212lbs Rookie, California Drafted 5th Round (156th) by St. Louis in 1978 1978 Cap Cost: $50,000 (Expires after 1980 Season) 1977 Stats: California N/A HFL TOTALS: No Stats Thompson was a solid performer in the '78 combines and was decent enough in the preseason to earn a spot over the now departed Randy Burke. Has the ability to rack up yards after the catch but will have a hard time getting game action this year. EDDIE FOSTER (WR) 23 Years Old, 5'11" 201lbs 2nd Year, Houston Undrafted 1978 Cap Cost: $60,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: New York Jets 1GP 1KR-27yds HFL TOTALS: 1GP 1KR-27yds Foster was signed solely to return kicks. He is equally adept at returning punts as he is on kickoff returns. Very limited in all other facets. SEAN STEMKE (TE) 26 Years Old, 6'5" 261lbs 4th Year, Louisville Drafted 3rd Round (93rd) in 1975 by Houston Texans 1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 13GP 5-69yds 13.80avg 0td HFL TOTALS: 45GP 36-346yds 9.61avg 1td Stemke is a great route runner and an excellent receiver overall but is a very poor blocker and therefore will never be a top option at the position. JACK FUNK (TE) 23 Years Old, 6'2" 268lbs 4th Year, Syracuse Drafted 6th Round (165th) by Philadelphia in 1975 1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 15GP 1-3yds 3.00avg 0td HFL TOTALS: 35GP 11-104yds 9.45avg 2td Funk is another tight end in the Stemke mold, one who is a decent route runner and receiver but a mediocre blocker. He seems to have a bit more upside than his counterpart, however. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-25-2007, 08:21 PM	#45
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued) St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - And now, we'll round out the offense by looking at the men on the line: OTHER OFFENSIVE LINEMEN - CLYDE STEVENSON (C) 31 Years Old, 6'1" 259lbs 9th Year, UCLA Undrafted 1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: Denver 2GP 0krb 1kro 0.0bpct 0ska HFL TOTALS: 32GP 17krb 45kro 37.8bpct 4ska Stevenson is the prototypical journeyman, having now suited up for seven teams in his 9 year career. His lack of versatility is a problem but he has produced in the few opportunities he's been given. He had a tremendous preseason, including one game where he notched 7krbs. JIM SCHMEDDING (LG) 32 Years Old, 6'2" 269lbs 11th Year, Weber State Drafted 11th Round (326th) by Baltimore Ravens in 1970 1978 Cap Cost: $190,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: Baltimore Ravens 6GP 4krb 21kro 19.0bpct 0ska HFL TOTALS: 92GP 131krb 419kro 31.3bpct 29ska Schmedding was a six-year starter for the defending HFL Bowl champs and is extremely versatile, with experience at every position on the line. He will surely get a number of chances to contribute throughout the season. JACKIE GLODE (RG) 22 Years Old, 6'5" 316lbs 2nd Year, Brigham Young Drafted 5th Round (131st) by St. Louis in 1977 1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1979 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 14GP 16krb 37kro 43.2bpct 9ska HFL TOTALS: 14GP 16krb 37kro 43.2bpct 9ska Glode was pressed into action very early in his career due to the season-ending injury to star Levert Carr. Glode was sensational, with a 43.2bpct in his first year out of Brigham Young. He's still got a lot of developing to do but had an excellent camp and will get the chance to build upon a fine '77 season. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-26-2007, 12:03 AM	#46
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued) St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - It's now time to look at the defensive side of the ball. We'll start with a look at the new three-man defensive front: OTHER DEFENSIVE LINEMEN - JOHN FARLEY (DE) 26 Years Old, 6'8" 270lbs 8th Year, UCLA Drafted 5th Round (133rd) by Miami in 1971 1978 Cap Cost: $150,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 6tckl 2asst 1.0sack 0hurr HFL TOTALS: 74GP 26tckl 11asst 3.5sack 11hurr Farley is a huge presence on the end of the line but hasn't been able to produce much at the pro level. JUNIOR JOHNSON (DE) 22 Years Old, 6'4" 252lbs 2nd Year, Oklahoma Drafted 3rd Round (73rd) by St. Louis in 1977 1978 Cap Cost: $120,000 (Expires after 1979 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 11GP 9tckl 6asst 1.5sack 1hurr HFL TOTALS: 11GP 9tckl 6asst 1.5sack 1hurr Johnson has been a huge disappointment and didn't produce at all in his 10 starts last year. He's just not developing like he should and may not last long in St. Louis. HENRY BRADLEY (DE) - INJURED RESERVE 20 Years Old, 6'6" 286lbs Rookie, Alcorn State Drafted 4th Round (115th) by St. Louis in 1978 1978 Cap Cost: $60,000 (Expires after 1980 Season) 1977 Stats: Alcorn State N/A HFL TOTALS: No Stats Bradley made the transition from Nose Tackle to Defensive End in training camp and was projected to start as a rookie. However, a devastating injury to his achilles in the first preseason contest ended his season prematurely. KEITH SIMONS (DT) 22 Years Old, 6'1" 265lbs 3rd Year, Minnesota Drafted 3rd Round (83rd) by St. Louis in 1976 1978 Cap Cost: $140,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 4GP No Stats HFL TOTALS: 14GP 13tckl 11asst 1.0sack 5hurr Simons battled injury in '77 and looks to have recovered nicely. However, Harrison's presence and the move to a 3-4 defense will mean few opportunities for the youngster. MANNY FERNANDEZ (DT) 32 Years Old, 6'2" 295lbs 12th Year, Utah Drafted 8th Round (224th) by St. Louis in 1970 1978 Cap Cost: $360,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 6GP 15tckl 8asst 2.5sack 8hurr HFL TOTALS: 116GP 452tckl 173asst 38.5sack 136hurr Fernandez has started to see his game slip after the season-ending injury last year. He is the all-time Cardinals leader in sacks and will get the chance to play some defensive end this year with the injury to rookie Bradley. JERRY RUSH (DT) - INJURED RESERVE 35 Years Old, 6'2" 269lbs 14th Year, Michigan State Drafted 2nd Round (36th) by Kansas City in 1970 1978 Cap Cost: $750,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: Kansas City 5GP 27tckl 4asst 2.5sack 4hurr HFL TOTALS: 101GP 401tckl 149asst 40.0sack 124hurr Rush has been one of the top tackles in the league for sometime but won't play at all this year after being placed on the injured reserve. In fact, it is likely that he will retire after this season ends. BOB JUCHARTZ (DT) 28 Years Old, 6'4" 298lbs 8th Year, Cincinnati Drafted 4th Round (100th) by Detroit in 1971 1978 Cap Cost: $150,000 (Expires after 1979 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 10GP 27tckl 14asst 2.5sack 4hurr HFL TOTALS: 60GP 145tckl 76asst 9.5sack 30hurr Juchartz will be asked to play a backup role for the first time in his career. He's solid all-around but doesn't have a skill that stands out. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-26-2007, 12:16 AM	#47
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued) St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - Now let's move onto the linebacking corp: OTHER LINEBACKERS - RON PRITCHARD (OLB) 31 Years Old, 6'2" 237lbs 10th Year, Arizona State Drafted 46th Round (1457th) by St. Louis in 1970 1978 Cap Cost: $150,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 4tckl 0asst 0.0sack 0int HFL TOTALS: 107GP 140tckl 56asst 5.5sack 2int Pritchard is a smart player and is being counted on for his leadership and mentoring abilities. MIKE McGILL (OLB) 32 Years Old, 6'2" 248lbs 11th Year, Notre Dame Drafted 30th Round (944th) by Oakland in 1970 1978 Cap Cost: $190,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: San Diego 6GP No Stats HFL TOTALS: 104GP 287tckl 99asst 2.0sack 9int McGill was a late preseason pickup and he didn't disappoint, earning his way onto the roster. He'll likely get a chance to start due to Brupbacher's injury. DOUG ALLEN (MLB) 25 Years Old, 6'1" 245lbs 5th Year, Penn State Drafted 3rd Round (76th) by Carolina in 1974 1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 5GP 12tckl 3asst 0.0sack 0int HFL TOTALS: 15GP 22tckl 5asst 0.0sack 1int With a thin linebacking corp in '78, Allen will get more opportunities to play than in the past. He still has some upside. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-26-2007, 12:34 AM	#48
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued) St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - The secondary finishes off our look at the Cardinals defense: OTHER SECONDARY PERSONNEL - JIM THROWER (CB) 30 Years Old, 5'10" 182lbs 9th Year, Small College Drafted 49th Round (1545th) by San Francisco in 1970 1978 Cap Cost: $150,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 11GP 18tckl 7asst 1int 2defn HFL TOTALS: 109GP 127tckl 39asst 5int 16defn Thrower will play a bunch as a nickle and dime back. Can start in a pinch too. ETHAN HEUPEL (CB) 22 Years Old, 6'1" 197lbs 2nd Year, Virginia Undrafted 1978 Cap Cost: $60,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 24tckl 5asst 3int 2defn HFL TOTALS: 16GP 24tckl 5asst 3int 2defn Heupel was a nice surprise in '77, nabbing 3 picks as an undrafted player out of Virginia. He loves going for the ball but does so at the expense of his other duties. DUSTY HARTMAN (CB) 24 Years Old, 5'11" 213lbs 4th Year, Vanderbilt Drafted 6th Round (175th) by San Diego in 1975 1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: St. Louis 16GP 11tckl 4asst 0int 0defn HFL TOTALS: 35GP 73tckl 23asst 0int 13defn Hartman is solid in the run defense department and is a pretty versatile corner. May help in the kick return department as well. LOUIE WRIGHT (S) 25 Years Old, 6'2" 200lbs 4th Year, San Jose State Drafted 1st Round (22nd) by Oakland in 1975 1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: DNP HFL TOTALS: 30GP 17tckl 4asst 0int 0defn Injury destroyed his '77 season and the former first round pick gets a chance at redemption with the Cardinals. Wright had a nice camp and will get to start in place of the injured Ike Thomas. Wright has an abundance of skill. JIM FERGUSON (S) 25 Years Old, 6'1" 212lbs 5th Year, Stanford Drafted 6th Round (162nd) by St. Louis in 1974 1978 Cap Cost: $70,000 (Expires after 1978 Season) 1977 Stats: Los Angeles 16GP 32tckl 10asst 0int 2defn HFL TOTALS: 33GP 59tckl 13asst 0int 2defn Ferguson returns for his second call of duty with the Cardinals after a successful season in Los Angeles. Ferguson was signed to provide mentoring for young Louie Wright and will come in for dime situations. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo

03-26-2007, 12:37 AM	#49
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Your 1978 St. Louis Cardinals (Continued) St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 2, 1978 (St. Louis, MO) - Lastly, the kickers: __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 03-26-2007 at 12:37 AM.

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