FOF2007: Mr. Significant, Mr. Mediocre, and Mr. Irrelevant - A draft pick dynasty

[mrsimperless]

Overview

I really enjoyed Peregrine's Draft Pick Dynasty and it inspired me to do something similar myself. For those unfamiliar with his dynasty he basically selects a mixed group of young draftees and follows them throughout their careers in the league. Once all players have retired he then selects a new group and repeats the process.

For those of you who haven't seen his dynasty check it out because its a great read and a lot of fun. http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/...ad.php?t=53760

Now, rather than copying his dynasty exactly (I'm stealing enough as it is!) I've decided to take a slightly different approach. I'm going to follow the careers of three draft picks each and every year over their entire careers and see how they do: the first (Mr. Significant), middle (Mr. Mediocre), and last (Mr. Irrelevant) overall picks each year. Since there isn't an exact middle pick in the draft I will alternate each year between pick #112 - 4(16) and #113 - 4(17). I'm not sure if the game awards extra supplemental picks for losing FAs as the real NFL does, but for the sake of recognizing Mr. Mediocre I'm going to assume that it does not and stick with the picks I've mentioned.

Hopefully we won't end up with too many players to follow at one time and lose that personal touch with them and hopefully we'll also see a variety of positions selected as well as boom and bust players. There is currently no set "end" to this dynasty, rather I will keep going with it until I lose interest. Honestly I get as much or more enjoyment out of the game playing in a manner such as this rather than trying to manage my own team, so hopefully it will keep my attention for some time.

Current Status

Mr. Significant

2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Packers - Active
2008 - Riddick Stephens, RB, Bears - Active
- 2008 Offensive Rookie of the Year
- 2009 League Rushing Title - 1,763 yards
2009 - Brett Murphy, RB, Falcons - Active
- 2009 Offensive Rookie of the Year
- 2010 League Rushing Title - 1,715 yards
- 2010 All-League 1st Team Running Back
- 2011 League Rushing Title - 1,777 yards
- 2011 All-League 1st Team Running Back
2010 - Jonathan Anderson, QB, Texans - Active
2011 - Spencer Sylvester, QB, Lions - Active

Mr. Mediocre

2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Colts - Active
2008 - Josh Harvey, DE, Saints - Active
2009 - Bryce Yeager, K, Dolphins - Active
2010 - Ron Eichorst, WR, Vikings - Active
2011 - Steve Kippen, RB, Rams - Active

Mr. Irrelevant

2007 - Timothy Bullock, NT, Bengals - Retired - Never played an NFL down
2008 - Herman Corbett, WR, Giants - Retired - Never played an NFL down
2009 - Bert Joslyn, DE, Cardinals - Active
- 2009 Cardinals Team Sack Leader - 8.0
2010 - Roman Robertson, WR, Bengals - Retired - Never played an NFL down
2011 - Max Murdock, RT, Chargers - Retired - Never played an NFL down

[Coffee Warlord]

We're all pulling for Mr. Irrelevant!

[mrsimperless]

2007 Amateur Draft

Mr. Significant 2007
Round 1, Pick 1, Green Bay Packers - Roderick Holmes, CB, Arizona State

From a pure scouted perspective Roderick is the complete package at corner. The ability to excel in all coverage schemes as well as top-notch run stopping ability makes Roderick an easy selection for a team with the top pick in dire need of a starting cornerback and Roderick looks to immediately jump into the starting role at Green Bay. His combine numbers are solid but not eye popping, but the coaches are struggling to find even one area that they feel he could use significant improvement in. Roderick is the only defensive player taken in the top 7 picks and one of three corners taken in the first round with the others going at #21 and #31.

As an aside, it appears as though Brett Favre has retired following the 2006 season leaving the Packers in the hands of Aaron Rodgers. Mr. Significant 2008 could end up at Green Bay as well.

Mr. Mediocre 2007
Round 4, Pick 16, Indianapolis Colts - Cris Lane, TE, Boston College

Note: Indy traded down from 2(30) and in turn received this pick as well as Buffalo's 2nd and 4th selections in 2009. Buffalo used the trade to draft RB Nate Grisham out of Eastern Kentucky in the 2nd round.

Large enough to play interior lineman for many teams Cris is an imposing force for the smaller safeties and linebackers he is often matched up against. Although not as strong as hoped for his blocking techniqes, especially on pass plays makes up for this shortcoming. He is also a proficient receiver, although for such a big man Cris often shies away from contact over the middle and is therefore sometimes labelled as soft by those who would criticize him. The Colts already have a solid TE in veteran Dallas Clark, but their propensity to play from a double TE set as well as Cris's significant special teams and long snapping abilities should assure him significant playing time his rookie season. Interestingly, Cris is represented by agent Kelvin Sampson who apparently won the NCAA men's basketball championship his inaugural season at IU, retired, and is now representing mid-level NFL talent.

Mr. Irrelevant 2007
Round 7, Pick 32, Cincinnati Bengals - Timothy Bullock, NT, Cal

The second DT selected by the super bowl champion Bengals and the 6th DT on the team, it looks like Timmae could face an uphill battle to make the roster let alone obtain playing time. On top of that it doesn't look like he even contains the pass rush skills necessary to possibly contribute at DE in the Bengals 4-3 scheme in a pinch if needed. The prognosis for Mr. Bullock at this time is not good, although if he can prove his ability to stop the run as the team is hoping he could be retained as a backup.

[Marathoner]

This looks interesting. What helmet file are you using?

[mrsimperless]

2007 Training Camp Results

Mr. Significant 2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Green Bay

Roderick's numbers dipped slightly after training camp where he now sits at a scouted 58/79. His zone skills don't seem to be as strong as advertised, but he still looks like he'll be a cornerstone of the GB defense for hopefully years to come.

Roderick signed a $31.29 mil / 5 contract with $20.85 mil in bonus money.

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Indianapolis

Cris' ratings didn't change much from when he was drafted and he now looks to be a 25/46 player.

Kelvin Sampson scored Cris a $2.87 mil / 4 contract with $480k in bonus money.

Mr. Irrelevant 2007 - Timothy Bullock, NT, Cincinnati

Timmae also turned out to be just the type of player we thought he would and he is now scouted at 17/31 with most of that coming in the run defense category after a position change to RDT.

His rookie contract is $1.56 mil / 3 with no bonus.

[mrsimperless]

Originally Posted by Marathoner

This looks interesting. What helmet file are you using?

I'm using Mizzourah's FOF 2k7 Logos - NFL Helmet Logos

[mrsimperless]

2007 Regular Season Results

The Giants win the super bowl in 2007 and Eli wins the MVP award for the game. In an off-season interview brother Peyton breaks down and rambles between sobs of how he would trade all of his gaudy statistics for the one magical year that his brother had.

The Raiders owned the worst record in the league this year, but the Bears made a trade for the Raiders' 1st rounder in last year's draft and will have the honor of drafting Mr. Significant next year unless they decide to trade down.

Carson Palmer earns league MVP honors while Jevon Kearse had an incredible comeback to be named the defensive player of the year.

The offensive rookie of the year went to the Lions' Gus Fenner, a RB taken at 1(6) while the defensive award went to the Saints' Mickey Burks, a WLB taken at 2(5).

Mr. Significant 2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Green Bay

Roderick was a solid but not spectacular contributor on the Packers' defense this year starting all 16 regular season games. He recorded 44 tackles a sack and an interception in his inaugural season. His pass defense was solid with 76.7 of the passes thrown his way defensed. He also forced and recovered 2 fumbles on the year returning one of them for his first NFL touchdown and he receved 2 player of the week mentions. He was involved in 87 special teams plays on the year but only managed a single tackle in that category.

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Indianapolis

Cris saw action in all 16 games for the Colts this season and started 4 of them. He caught 15 of the 20 passes thrown his way for 167 yards and a TD and his run blocking seemed mediocre. Go figure. He was involved heavily in 131 special teams plays over the course of the season but only recorded 2 tackles. Cris bruised his sternum in the Colts' final regular season game and was limited to minimum playing time in the Colts wild card playoff loss to the Broncos.

Mr. Irrelevant 2007 - Timothy Bullock, NT, Cincinnati

Unfortunately for Timmae he was cut by the Bengals at the end of the exhibition season and was not picked up by anyone else for the remainder of the year. The league no longer has record of his whereabouts, although rumors abound that he has cashed in on his 5 minutes of fame from ESPN and is now a rising star in the porn industry.

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2008 Amateur Draft

Mr. Significant 2008
Round 1, Pick 1 (from the Raiders in the 07 draft), Chicago Bears - Riddick Stephens, RB, Illinois State

The Bears drafted what they hope will be the next Walter Payton in rookie phenom Riddick Stephens and from all appearances he could be the one as Stephens scouted numbers and combine results are truly staggering. His broad jump is longer than any other rookie by 6 inches, and he is the second fastest clocked player in the draft. His agility drill was in the top 20 and all other players in the top 20 with him were receivers and corners. His position specific drill of 35 shattered the next closest entrant by 9 points and his strength and intelligence test results put him in the top 20%-25% of his draft class. Unless this year's crop of RBs is just extremely poor Riddick looks to be a truly special player. Aside from an OT, Riddick is the only offensive player to be drafted in the top 10 with defensive linemen dominating 7 of the 10 picks this year.

Mr. Mediocre 2008
Round 4, Pick 17, New Orleans Saints - Josh Harvey, DE, Purdue

Josh is a large run stuffing DE who doesn't really jump out in any special way. Barring injury he may not see much playing in the Saints' mid-rated run defense. Lucky for Josh he doesn't have to learn new uniform colors from College.

Mr. Irrelevant 2008
Round 7, Pick 32, New York Giants - Herman Corbett, WR, Tennessee

The Giants decide to take a shot with the little speedster from the opposite coast. Satured at the position already, Herman's ability to make the roster looks like an extreme longshot.

[MizzouRah]

Very interesting read so far!

[mrsimperless]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

We're all pulling for Mr. Irrelevant!

One of my hopes for the dynasty is to see a Mr. Irrelevant play fairly decent and score a contract down the road with an actual signing bonus. That would be pretty neat.

[mrsimperless]

2008 Training Camp Results

"My" team has a new scout this year, so keep that in mind when looking at the ratings of our players from last year. Hmmmm, maybe Jim will add a spectator mode someday using a combined view from all scouts and we won't have to pretend like we're running a franchise when we're actually not.

Mr. Significant 2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Green Bay

Roderick's current rating has risen, but his future has dropped slightly and he is now a 74/74. He remains the only bright spot in an extremely poor secondary, although their front 7 is halfway decent. If opposing QBs can keep the ball away from Roderick's side of the field it could be a long year for the Packers' passing D.

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Indianapolis

Interestingly the Colts cut starting TE Dallas Clark at the start of early free agency this year which leaves our boy Cris at the top of the depth chart. He is currently backed up by two undrafted rookies, although his overall rating doesn't appear to be too much higher than theirs. Cris now sits at 30/42 according to our new scout, so he also gained a bit in current and lost some in future potential.

After being cut and sitting through free agency without signing Clark was picked up by the Cowboys for 1 year at the veteran minimum just before training camp. The Colts are 3.5 mil under the cap even after signing their rookie class from this year, so I'm not sure why he was cut as he is significantly better than Mr. Lane. Oh well, at least there's finally a Dallas in Dallas.

Mr. Significant 2008 - Riddick Stephens, RB, Chicago

Riddick is now scouted at 57/79 so he gained very slightly in both numbers. Cedric Benson is still only in his 4th year and is rated at 57/57 so it looks like it was a tough battle in training camp even though Riddick is currently named as the starter. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bears take a running back by committee approach in his first season and we end up not seeing the monster numbers that we had hoped for. Benson still has 2 years left on his contract, although it looks as though it may have been renogotiated at some point as he only counts around $3.5 mil each of the remaining two years of his current deal. That being the case it looks like we might see these two in the backfield together for a couple of years.

Riddick signed a $33.05 mil / 5 contract with $22 mil in bonus money, a modest increase from last year's Mr. Significant. The cap is at $116.2 mil this year, although I don't know the number from last year for comparison. (Something we'll know and be able to compare moving forward)

Mr. Mediocre 2008 - Josh Harvey, DE, New Orleans

Josh is now rated at 28/36 so he did make some slight gains. He looks to be the 4th best of the 5 defensive ends currently on the roster, so he may see some time off of the bench or on special teams.

Josh signed a $3.01 mil / 4 contract with a $480k bonus. Nothing groundbreaking here.

Mr. Irrelevant 2008 - Herman Corbett, WR, New York Giants

Our scout rates Herman at 14/27, so once again we see some slight gains. 3 for 3 this year! Maybe the coach will opt to keep Herman on the inactive roster since he is showing a bit of potential, but I won't be holding my breath.

He signed a $1.64 mil / 3 contract with of course no bonus, on par with the other increases we've seen over last year.

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2008 Regular Season Results

The Bengals made it back to the super bowl for the 2nd time in 3 years where they were defeated by MY Cardinals 17-14. You just can't beat superior franchise management, kids.

Atlanta and New England each tied for the worst record in the league at 3-13. They will be alternating #1 and #2 picks each round in the draft next year with Atlanta being given the 1st overall pick in round 1. I have no idea how this was determined, but barring a trade it looks like Mr. Significant will be a Falcon next year.

Arizona's Matt Leinart takes home the league MVP honors this year along with the super bowl MVP award.

The offensive rookie of the year went to our very own Riddick Stephens (see below) while the defensive award went to Arizona's Rondell Thamilarasan, a SLB taken at 1(30).

Mr. Significant 2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Green Bay

Roderick played comparably to last year in the stat department. He only played and started in 15 games this year due to a mild knee injury in week 7 which was later aggravated in week 15. He recorded 37 tackles, but failed to match the sack that he got a year ago. He did improve to 4 INTs on the year which put him in a tie for 4th on the team and increased his pass defensed % to 82.6 which put him at 3rd on the team in that category. Assuming that player of the week mentions don't carry over from year to year he did better in that regard than last year as well, picking up 3. He didn't play on special teams as much this year, which is probably a wise move by the Packers. He was involved in only 34 plays and once again recorded a single tackle. Unfortunately Roderick didn't hit quite as hard this year and failed to force any fumbles.

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Indianapolis

Cris suffered a mild leg injury in week 5, but still managed to play in every game and started all but 2. Even though his playing time significantly increased he was once again thrown to only 20 times of which he caught 17 for only 136 yards and a single TD. He increased his special teams involvement to 206 plays and recorded 10 tackles on the year. The Colts failed to make the playoffs this year and its possible that the decrease in talent at TE may have played a role.

Mr. Significant 2008 - Riddick Stephens, RB, Chicago

Riddick had to battle through a couple of injuries in his rookie season, but nevertheless took home offensive rookie of the year honors as well as 2 game MVP awards. He was also mentioned 5 times for player of the week honors although he never won. He ended the year with 820 yards on 227 carries for a 3.7 yd average and 7 TDs including 3 different 100-yard performances. He also caught 35 catches out of the backfield for 190 yards and 2 more TDs.

As expected though the Bears used both running backs about equally in a 2-headed monster approach. Riddick started 10 games to Benson's 6, although Cedric ended up with the better stat line with 965 yards and 5 TDs on 15 fewer carries. Both backs also had comparable receiving yards and TDs. It remains to be seen at this point if the same approach is used moving forward or if the Bears will try to save cap room by cutting Benson or not re-signing him after next year and giving the ball solely to Riddick. Such an approach likely would have failed miserable this season, as it was nice to have both backs available to keep the ship afloat during Riddick's recovery time from injuries. With the increased workload that comes form being the lone fulltime starter he may have been injured even more than he was. It's still unclear at this point whether the Bears actively opted for the 2 back approach or if Benson's playing time came from Riddick's injuries. Hopefully a healthy season next year by Riddick will answer our questions.

Mr. Mediocre 2008 - Josh Harvey, DE, New Orleans

Josh saw limited action in all 16 games this year and he recorded 7 total tackles and half of a sack. He also saw action on 55 special teams plays, although he failed to record a tackle in that role. His relevance seemed to increase somewhat during the Saints' 2 playoff games as he recorded 5 more tackles and forced a fumble to boot.

Mr. Irrelevant 2008 - Herman Corbett, WR, New York Giants

Once again Mr. Irrelevant is cut prior to week 1 and never heard from again. Is there no justice for the meek?

[Sublime 2]

Cool dynasty! You got a follower!

[mrsimperless]

2009 Amateur Draft

Mr. Significant 2009
Round 1, Pick 1, Atlanta Falcons - Brett Murphy, RB, Prarie View A&M

Starting a trend of 1st overall running back picks the Falcons opt to draft Murphy in order to strengthen a running game already ranked in the middle of the league with marginal talent at running back. With a true marquee player at the position the Falcons are hoping to develop a dominating ground attack.

Inevitably comparisons will be made between Murphy and last year's #1 overall Riddick Stephens. From a scouting perspective Stephens appears to have the edge in every rated category and and combine drill, but Murphy has the edge in the RB position drill as well as in overall scouted rating. It will be interesting to watch these two careers unfold side-by-side.

Mr. Mediocre 2009
Round 4, Pick 16, Miami Dolphins - Bryce Yeager, K, Kentucky

Other than a punter taken in round 3 Bryce is the first kicker to be selected in the 09 draft. Although it wasn't a popular pick with the fans, the coaching staff felt that an upgrade at kicker would provide the most bang for the buck and had Bryce pegged as their top kicker on the board.

Being a kicker, Bryce will quite possibly populate the annals of our dynasty for many years to come.

Mr. Irrelevant 2009
Round 7, Pick 32, Arizona Cardinals - Bert Joslyn, DE, Stanford

Due to the Cardinals' glaring personnel needs at DE it looks like this could be the year that Mr. Irrelevant actually makes an NFL roster and possibly even plays some football. The Cardinals currently only have 3 DEs on their roster, including the newly acquired Mr. Joslyn. Amazingly, Bert currently has the second highest rated potential of all Cardinals draft picks this year, although that could of course change after training camp.

[mrsimperless]

2009 Training Camp Results

Mr. Significant 2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Green Bay

Roderick was moved from RCB to LCB at the start of training camp this year as Ernest Vermeil, a promising rookie taken 16th overall, was brought in to man the RCB position. Our scout has him at 67/72 which is a modest drop from last year's 74/74. Hopefully he can move things back towards in the right direction again this year. After 2 of 3 years drafting a CB in the first round the Packers secondary now looks to be much improved and Roderick is big part of the improvement. Still, the coaching staff has expected more from their first overall pick and Roderick has a ways to go yet before he lives up to expectations.

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Indianapolis

With a disappointing season by Lane last year the Colts decided to bring in free agent Jeff Dugan for a one year tryout from the Vikings. Cris' ratings are now showing at 35/40 placing him solidly at the #2 spot on the depth chart. He will hopefully see at least comparable playing time to last year again this year.

Chris Lane random trivia fact: Chris Lane wears jersey #19, quite unusual for a tight end. The number is in memorial to his brother Ryan who wore #19 as a Quarterback at Palo Alto HS back in their hometown of Los Alamo, NM. Tragically he was killed by a drunk driver on the day of his 19th birthday. RIP Ryan.

Mr. Significant 2008 - Riddick Stephens, RB, Chicago

Riddick is now scouted at 65/79 while Benson dropped to 54/54 in his 5th season. It will be interesting to see how the Bears coaching staff decides to use the two backs this year and whether or not Benson's services are retained for the future.

Mr. Mediocre 2008 - Josh Harvey, DE, New Orleans

Still shining from his playoff performance last year Josh is now scouted at 35/36, quickly meeting his expected potential. He is now the highest rated RDE on the Saints roster, although still only the 3rd highest rated DE on the team. The coach has not named Josh a starter, but hopefully his quick development will get him more playing time and allow him to increase his stats.

Mr. Significant 2009 - Brett Murphy, RB, Atlanta

Brett comes out of training camp with a scouted rating of 80/82, although he is holding out for a better contract offer and is not yet signed. We'll revisit him to see if his numbers make any significant moves once he is signed to a contract and his "rookie scouting fog" as I call it has been removed.

Mr. Mediocre 2009 - Bryce Yeager, K, Miami

Our scouts tell us that Bryce is now rated at 54/67. His kickoff distance is simply amazing and should really help the Dolphins kickoff unit get more touchbacks this year. However, his accuracy didn't seem to be as good in camp as what everyone thought it would be, and the coaching staff is keeping a wary eye on his field goal kicking. The Dolphins also picked up an undrafted FA kicker to keep the pressure on Bryce during the preseason.

Bryce signed a $3.59 mil / 4 contract with an $800k bonus, a significant improvement in bonus money over Josh Harvey from this spot (or near enough to it) in 2008. The cap this year has risen to $123.3 million.

Mr. Irrelevant 2009 - Bert Joslyn, DE, Arizona

Bert exits training camp scouted at 23/42 quite close to where our scout thought he would be. A couple of the other draft picks from Arizona did better than expected during training camp and Bert now looks to have the 4th best potential of the Cardinals' rookie class with several other players close behind him. Most incredible of all Bert is currently pencilled in as the starter at RDE! 2nd year man Fred Harvey has comparable ratings, but Bert's upside is greater and the coaching staff has decided to go with Mr. Irrelevant in the starting lineup. We wish Bert the best as he really does look to have potential to become a decent player in the league, but the Cardinals are seriously hurting without an upgrade at this position.

Bert signed a $1.77 mil / 3 contract with no bonus.

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Brett Murphy Update

Mr. Significant 2009 finally signed his rookie contract in the 3rd week of exhibition play. He signed a $38.51 mil / 5 contract with a $25mil bonus. This is a substantial increase from Riddick's contract last year and the gloves have now been officially thrown into the ring. Who will emerge as the better back of the two?

The holdout appears not to have affected Brett's development at all as our scout still has him rated at 80/82, simply amazing for a first year player.

Brett strained his hammy in the final preseason game and is listed as probable heading into the season. In an interesting twist Riddick Thompson also injured himself in his final preseason game breaking his finger and is also listed as probable for the start of the year.

[Marathoner]

Mr. Irrelevant 2009
Round 7, Pick 32, Arizona Cardinals - Bert Joslyn, DE, Stanford

Due to the Cardinals' glaring personnel needs at DE it looks like this could be the year that Mr. Irrelevant actually makes an NFL roster and possibly even plays some football. The Cardinals currently only have 3 DEs on their roster, including the newly acquired Mr. Joslyn. Amazingly, Bert currently has the second highest rated potential of all Cardinals draft picks this year, although that could of course change after training camp.

[/quote]

Joslyn is probably the only Mr. Irrelevant in Cardinal's franchise history.

[JeffW]

Originally Posted by Marathoner

Joslyn is probably the only Mr. Irrelevant in Cardinal's franchise history.

Maybe, but Mr. Irrelevant is always a compensatory pick these days, so there is no reason the Cardinals couldn't receive that pick.

[Barkeep49]

I've been enjoying this twist on Peregrine's dynasty.

[mrsimperless]

2009 Regular Season Results

The Bengals made it back to the superbowl again (for the fourth time in four years, contrary to last season's incorrect information) and took home their second Lombardi trophy. the Bengals have been completely dominant and haven't missed a trip to the big game since our dynasty began.

The Texans won the Mr. Significant lottery this year finishing the season at 2-14.

Arizona's Matt Leinart takes home the league MVP honors again this year along with the offensive player of the year award. Houston's Demeco Ryans wins the defensive award being apparently the only player on their defense who can tackle.

The offensive rookie of the year went to Brett Murphy giving us 2 years running of Mr. Significants being RBs to win the rookie award. The defensive award went to Gerald Nickerson a MLB drafted by Kansas City at 3(15).

I'm also learning more about the game and will no longer incorrectly report team rankings on the player screen as how they performed that year. These are all-time team rankings and are of little concern to us until a player retires, especially so early in our dynasty.

Mr. Significant 2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Green Bay

Roderick had an injury free season this year and started all 16 games for the Packers. His tackles continued to decline and he was down to 33 from last year's total of 37, although this could be due to the Green Bay defense improving in general. His interceptions also took a dip and he disappointingly only had a single pick on the year. He did have 11 passes defensed and his percentage is still a respectable number at 81.8. His involvement in special teams this year was also insignificant. Roderick still has 2 years remaining on his rookie contract, but his cap number of course continues to grow. The team hasn't labelled him a bust just yet, but his stats are definitely not what you'd expect to see from a #1 overall selection.

On a brighter note the Packers made the playoffs for the first time in our dynasty this year, although they lost in the wildcard round. The team as a whole is definitely still improving.

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Indianapolis

Cris played in all 16 games again this year, although he had his worst season as a pro logging less than 100 yards receiving and no touchdowns. Next year is the final year on his initial rookie contract.

Mr. Significant 2008 - Riddick Stephens, RB, Chicago

Riddick absolutely blew up this year and the running back committee in Chicago was officially dissolved. Benson only played in 3 games and was given a mere 19 carries while Stephens was given the ball 406 times and gained a league-leading 1,763 yards on the ground for a 4.34 average. He had 10 rushing TDs on the year and also added 2 more via air-mail where he added 362 yards to his from scrimmage total. The one blemish on his breakout season was 10 fumbles, more than a fumble in every other game. Hopefully experience will help to cure him of this little problem. Riddick also led the league with 11 100-yard games and was a member of the 2009 Mile-Run club.

A couple of game notes: It seems more probable now that last years time split at running back was due to injury instead of a coaching decision. It remains to be seen if the AI would even adopt an approach on its own such as the one we're seeng in the real NFL this year with Indy's Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes. Also, seeing the little gems in the game such as the Mile-Run club is very cool, but I'm somewhat surprised and a little disappointed that league rushing titles aren't tracked.

Mr. Mediocre 2008 - Josh Harvey, DE, New Orleans

Josh's playing time increased this year and he was a starter 6 different times. He only recorded 19 tackles on the year, but he really shined in the pass rushing category where he recorded 5 sacks, enough to put him in a 3-way tie for 2nd on the team. Josh was also involved in 62 special teams plays this year, but did not register a single tackle.

Mr. Significant 2009 - Brett Murphy, RB, Atlanta

Brett started another trend by not only being a RB taken with the first overall pick, but shining in his debut year and taking home the offensive rookie of the year award. Brett battled a nagging hamstring injury most of the year, but still started all 16 games where he produced 1361 yards on the ground for a 3.93 ypc and league best 14 touchdowns. He also had 244 receiving yards where he picked up an additional 3 touchdowns and only put the ball on the turf 7 times during the year.

It looks like Riddick has a slight lead in the battle of the significant running backs so far, although comparing rookie seasons alone Brett comes out on top. Both back's teams failed to make the playoffs in 09.

Mr. Mediocre 2009 - Bryce Yeager, K, Miami

Bryce had a decent start to his career by making 20 of 28 field goal attempts for a 71.4 percent success rate. 10 of his 20 field goals were from beyond 40 yards, 3 were from beyond 50 and the longest one made was from 53. Bryce did seem to endure more rookie hazing than most players due to being a kicker and also due to missing his very first PAT attempt in the league.

Mr. Irrelevant 2009 - Bert Joslyn, DE, Arizona

Finally a Mr. Irrelevant to get excited about! Bert started all 16 games at RDE for the Cardinals this season and even though he recorded a mere 21 tackles his 8 sacks led the team. Being a starter on the defensive line, Bert was not involved in any significant specials teams playing time. He was only involved in 21 plays and failed to make a tackle. His Cardinals did perform the best of any active player in our dynasty, although it is recognized that he did of course get drafted by the defending champs.

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2010 Amateur Draft

Mr. Significant 2010
Round 1, Pick 1, Houston Texans - Jonathan Anderson, QB, Alabama

When I first started this dynasty one of the things I was worried about was getting a glut of QB's at the #1 position. Our first year was somewhat of a surprise with a corner being taken and our first QB didn't show up until our fourth year, in 2010. In fact, 2010 has become the year of the QB with 3 of the top 5 selections being quarterbacks and 6 teams overall looking to replace a starting signal caller by selecting one in the first round.

Houston is finally ready to look beyond the David Carr era and has decided to go with a much more mobile QB this time around hoping to ease the burden on the oft-abused Texan offensive line. Jonathan is a roll-out passer in the mold of Michael Vick, but he also seems to possess superior passing skills and initially appears to be a more controlled and better player. Drafting a QB in the top spot has historically been a toss-up at best, and the Houston front office will face even more scrutiny with this pick since Carr was taken in the same spot never really panned out. The excess of top tier QB talent available in this year's draft complicates the decision even more.

Mr. Mediocre 2010
Round 4, Pick 17, Minnesota Vikings - Ron Eichorst, WR, Temple

Eichorst is drafted by a team who has 3 unrestricted FAs at the receiver position this year. All three are marginal at best and Eichorst will not only fill a need but do so at a price likely cheaper than what it would take to resign the veterans. Other than the phenomenal Troy Williamson the Vikings lack true talent at the receiver position, so Eichorst's opportunity to contribute could come right away.

Mr. Irrelevant 2010
Round 7, Pick 32, Cincinnati Bengals - Roman Robertson, WR, Georgia Tech

Cincinnati last had the last pick in the draft 2 years ago and also elected to take a WR at that time who was cut just prior to the start of the regular season. Hopefully Roman will have more luck than the last guy.

Bert Joslyn Holdout

I just happened to notice the following email in my inbox this morning:

From: Bert Joslyn

I have decided to hold out until I receive a new contract.

I believe I made a huge difference rushing the passer last season. I believe I'm very seriously underpaid, and will not report to camp without a new contract.

I completely agree with him. I really wish we didn't have a player on our "human" controlled team as I doubt that the AI will automatically renegotiate with him as they would for a true computer controlled team. Bert isn't asking for much, a bonus of $350k and a raise of $600k in 2011, the final year of his contract. Although I don't want to interfere with the players we are following I feel that not renegotiating with him would in fact be interfering with him more than giving into what he wants and I acquiesce to Bert's demands.

[mrsimperless]

2010 Training Camp Results

Mr. Significant 2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Green Bay

Roderick is still the best corner on the team and comes out of camp rated at 68/68.

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Indianapolis

The Colts resigned Dugan to another single-year deal, so Cris will once again be backing him up. Cris comes out of camp rated at 38/40.

Mr. Significant 2008 - Riddick Stephens, RB, Chicago

Since Riddick cemented his starting role last year the Bears did not bring back Cedric Benson under a new contract. In fact, Benson's ratings have dropped to an ugly 14/14 and he was not picked up by anyone. It looks like his career is winding down after only 5 years in the league. Riddicks ratings on the other hand have risen handsomely to 76/79.

Mr. Mediocre 2008 - Josh Harvey, DE, New Orleans

Josh's ratings have risen once again to 40/40. He is still not able to supplant one of the starters, but he hopes to once again be a contributor.

Mr. Significant 2009 - Brett Murphy, RB, Atlanta

Brett renegotiated his contract during the offseason to make some additional cap room available for the team this year. The basic structure of the deal did not change from his original contract and he is still signed through the 2013 season. His ratings have risen to 88/88 and it looks like he has become a true stud at the RB position.

Mr. Mediocre 2009 - Bryce Yeager, K, Miami

Bryce is now rated at 58/58. A slight improvement, but his future potential has dropped a decent amount from 67.

Mr. Irrelevant 2009 - Bert Joslyn, DE, Arizona

In spite of Bert's season last year he is listed on the inactive roster before preseason begins. His new ratings are 28/43, slightly better than last year.

Mr. Significant 2010 - Jonathan Anderson, QB, Houston

Jonathan exits training camp rated at 36/64, although he has yet to sign a contract and therefore did not even attend. His ratings are currently lower than Carr's, who is a 45/45. It's unclear whether Jonathan will get a chance to start his rookie year, but not getting signed in time for camp certainly doesn't help matters.

Mr. Mediocre 2010 - Ron Eichorst, WR, Minnesota

Eichorst leaves camp showing disappointing ratings of 25/33. He is currently listed as a third stringer.

He signed a $2.66 mil / 3 contract with a $630k bonus. The salary cap this year is at $130.4 million.

Mr. Irrelevant 2010 - Roman Robertson, WR, Cincinnati

The Bengals actually took two receivers in the 7th round, so one of them at least probably won't make the team. Roman is rated at 19/25 while Jay Osbourne taken with the 4th pick in the round has ratings of 23/47 and is the odds on favorite to survive roster cuts after preseason.

Roman signed a $1.86 mil / 3 contract with no bonus.

[Peregrine]

Good stuff here, I like the idea of following the Irrelevant guys.

[mrsimperless]

2010 Regular Season Results

The Bengals streak of consecutive superbowl appearances ended at four this year as they were knocked out of the divisional round by the Dolphins. The Chargers beat the Bears in the 2010 superbowl by a score of 31-28.

The Lions and Redskins tied for the worst record this year with the Lions being awarded the first pick in round 1. Let's see if they decide to make Mr. Significant a receiver in the draft.

Philip Rivers won the league MVP award and was also the MVP of the super bowl and offensive player of the year. Defensive player of the year went to Charles Grant of the Saints.

The offensive rookie of the year again went to a running back for the third year running with Arizona's Casey Fogarty taken at 1(28) winning the award. The defensive title went to Roderick Bellmore, a MLB taken by the raiders at 3(29).

Mr. Significant 2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Green Bay

Roderick only started 14 games this year as a groin injury suffered during preseason limited his availability until week 3. He once again had a low interception total only picking up 2 this year. His passes defensed was slightly higher at 15, and his PDPct was the highest of his career at 85.6. His tackles were about the same at 35 and he managed to pick up the second sack of his career. His special teams involvement was only 58 plays and he did not make a tackle. The Packers did regress a bit as a team as they failed to make the playoffs.

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Indianapolis

Cris started 2 games this year, the lowest of his career. He did catch 12 passes and got his receiving yards back up over 100 at 127 and also added a touchdown. He played in 176 special teams plays and recorded a single tackle. Cris is now an unrestricted free agent.

Mr. Significant 2008 - Riddick Stephens, RB, Chicago

Riddick had to deal with a couple of minor injuries this year and only started 14 games. His rushing yards dropped to 6th in the league at 1346, but his YPC stayed at a respectable 4.30 and he had 6 100-yard games. He had 285 yards receiving this year and added another 5 touchdowns in that category. His fumbling problem seems to be a thing of the past as he didn't put the ball on the turf a single time this year.

Mr. Mediocre 2008 - Josh Harvey, DE, New Orleans

Josh's playing time took a slight hit this year with only 3 starts. He did manage to get 12 tackles and 2 sacks during his limited time on the field. His special teams play wasn't that special with no tackles being recorded in 109 appearances. Next year is the final year on Josh's rookie contract.

Mr. Significant 2009 - Brett Murphy, RB, Atlanta

The battle of the significant running backs swung back in the opposite direction this year with Brett taking home the rushing title with 1,715 yards, a 4.54 average, 9 TDs and a league leading 9 100-yard games. He also had 475 receiving yards, second most on the team and led the team with 6 receiving touchdowns. In only his second year Brett is now officially the pulse of the Atlanta offense.

Mr. Mediocre 2009 - Bryce Yeager, K, Miami

Bryce only made 19 of 29 field goals this year and his 65.5 average put him near the bottom of the league. He needs to start improving or will risk being replaced.

Mr. Irrelevant 2009 - Bert Joslyn, DE, Arizona

Bert was supplanted as the starter this year and only saw action in 7 games. His tackles dropped to 12 and he was only able to record a single sack. He also didn't see much time at all on special teams and is becoming frustrated with his role on the team. Fortunately for him 2 of Arizona's DEs are UFAs this year and the position is one of the worst on the team. I look for the Cardinals to draft a young replacement this year, although it looks like Bert's spot of a backup at least should be safe.

Mr. Significant 2010 - Jonathan Anderson, QB, Houston

A knee and hammy injury limited Jonathan in his rookie season, but he did still start 11 games for the Texans. His QB rating was only a 74.8 and he threw for 2,090 yards at 60.7% and had 8 TDs to 8 ints. His record as a starter was pretty lousy as well as he went 4-7.

Mr. Mediocre 2010 - Ron Eichorst, WR, Minnesota

Ron started 2 games this year and picked up 328 yards and 2 TDs. He also played in 133 special teams plays and had 3 tackles.

Mr. Irrelevant 2010 - Roman Robertson, WR, Cincinnati

Roman never got the chance to showcase his talents as he was cut prior to the start of the regular season. He has since retired from the NFL.

[mrsimperless]

2011 Free Agency Results

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Indianapolis

The Colts resigned Cris to a 1-year $980k contract. Cris is happy to be making slightly more than what his rookie contract offered, although some up-front money and a longer contract would have been nice.

[mrsimperless]

2011 Amateur Draft

I'm really hoping that Mr. Significant isn't inundated with just QBs and RBs, but we're bound to see a higher appearance of these players simply due to position weightings. That being said, on to the 2011 draftees.

Mr. Significant 2011
Round 1, Pick 1, Detroit Lions - Spencer Sylvester, QB, Georgia Tech

Hopefully the QB the Lions take will have a better rookie season than the one taken by the Texans last year. If Sylvester's ratings pan out as hoped he will have the highest ratings of any QB on the roster and is likely to start from day one. He is somewhat reminiscent of Mr. Significant taken in 2007, Roderick Holmes, as his scouting report shows very high in all categories, but is scouted rating isn't too impressive at 43/65. Also, Spencer's QB style is long passes, but he is also extremely fast and elusive. Let's see if he can actually make the difference for the horrible Lions team and turn things around in Detroit.

Mr. Mediocre 2011
Round 4, Pick 16, St. Louis Rams - Steve Kippen, RB, Southern Illinois

A quick shifty back, Steve dropped about a round farther than projected due to character issues. The Rams coaching staff personally interviewed him and is confident that he can turn things around and become a solid member of the community. I'm not holding my breath.

Steve was drafted to be groomed for the role of Stephen Jackson's backup and likely won't see much playing time for at least a couple of years.

Mr. Irrelevant 2011
Round 7, Pick 32, San Diego Chargers - Max Murdock, RT, Arizona State

For some reason Max decided ont to work out at the scouting combine which definitely didn't help his draft position. The Chargers starting tackles are able, but the team lacks depth at the position making Max's chances of landing a roster spot rather decent this year.

[mrsimperless]

2011 Training Camp Results

Mr. Significant 2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Green Bay

Roderick's ratings are starting to erode a bit and he is now rated at 63/63, down from last year's 68/68. He signed a $30.06 mil / 4 year deal with a $15.56 mil signing bonus, so the Packers are rewarding him even though he hasn't put up the stats that the team had hoped for.

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Indianapolis

After the resigning of Lane the Colts decided to upgrade at the TE position by signing two other TEs in free agency that were also from Cris' draft class. Both appear to be better players than he and the better of the two rated at 63/63 was given a 5 year deal. This could very well be Cris' last year with the Colts. He is currently scouted at 40/40.

Mr. Significant 2008 - Riddick Stephens, RB, Chicago

Riddick's ratings continue to rise and he is now rated at 83/83 up from 76/79 last year. The Bears don't have many offensive weapons, so they should lean on Stephens heavily again this year.

Mr. Mediocre 2008 - Josh Harvey, DE, New Orleans

Josh's ratings have risen a point to 41/41 and for the first time is looks to have taken over the permenant starting role at RDE. This is a contract year for Josh so he needs a big year to prove his worth to the team.

Mr. Significant 2009 - Brett Murphy, RB, Atlanta

Brett is in a similar position to Riddick as the Falcons don't really have any threats on offense other than him. The Falcons brought in Ladanian Tomlinson as a FA in the offseason, but in his 11th year he has become a shell of his former self and his ratings have fallen to 37/37. Brett's ratings took a slight dip and he is now listed at 86/86.

Mr. Mediocre 2009 - Bryce Yeager, K, Miami

Bryce's ratings dropped from 58/58 to 55/55 and his onfield performance has been reflecting this decline. He only has 2 years remaining on his contract and he really needs to turn things around if he wants to stay in the league and playing for the Dolphins.

Mr. Irrelevant 2009 - Bert Joslyn, DE, Arizona

Once again Bert looks to be on the inactive roster, but the Cardinals ends are still horrible and he will likely see comparable playing time to last year.

Mr. Significant 2010 - Jonathan Anderson, QB, Houston

Jonathan is now rated at 48/64, 2 points better than Carr and is shown as the current starter. Incidentally, (as I forgot to update it last season) his rookie contract was signed in week 2 of the regular season last year and was $37.41 mil over 5 years with a $24.9 mil bonus. Jonathan also spent time overseas in the summer league this year prior to training camp.

Mr. Mediocre 2010 - Ron Eichorst, WR, Minnesota

Eichorst's ratings improved to 33/33 and he is now shown as the starting SE having changed his primary position over just prior to training camp. Also, Troy Williamson the starting FL still has 7 weeks of rehab left to go for a torn rotator cuff, so Ron is currently the best receiver on the active roster. This is not good news for the Vikings.

Mr. Significant 2011 - Spencer Sylvester, QB, Detroit

Spencer has ratings of 41/65 and it looks like he will get the starting nod his rookie year.

His rookie contract is a 5 year $42.29 mil contract with a $27.45 mil bonus which is a decent improvement over Anderson's deal from last year and Spencer didn't even have to hold out. The salary cap this year is up 7 million to $137.5.

Mr. Mediocre 2011 - Steve Kippen, RB, St. Louis

Steve's post-training camp ratings are 29/42 and he currently sits at 3rd on the depth chart. His contract was for $2.49 mil over 3 years with a bonus of only $450k, quite a bit worse than last year's Mr. Mediocre.

Mr. Irrelevant 2011 - Max Murdock, RT, San Diego

Max's ratings are now at 21/40. He is currently on the inactive roster but due to a lack of depth at tackle his chances look decent for making the team.

Murdock signed a $1.95 mil / 3 contract with no bonus.

[mrsimperless]

2011 Regular Season Results

The Cowboys won the superbowl this year nudging out last year's champion Chargers 24-21. The Bengals continue to dominate even though they didn't make the big game this year as they lost in the conference championship to the Chargers 15-14.

The Vikings ended the season with only a single victory and will have the first pick in next year's draft. The Vikings desperately need a starting signal caller so we could very likely see our third QB in a row drafted #1 overall next year.

Matt Hasselbeck won the league MVP award continuing the dominance of quarterbacks winning the award every single year. Shawne Merriman was named defensive player of the year.

The offensive rookie of the year again went to a running back for the fourth year in a row now with the Steelers' Van Landry taken at 1(5) winning the award. The defensive title went to Phillip Higgs, a MLB taken by the Patriots at 1(3).

Mr. Significant 2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Green Bay

Due to injuries Roderick started only 14 games again this year, but he increased his INT total to 3 and even returned one for a TD. His PDPct remained a respectable number at 82.8 while his tackles were about the same at 31. The Pack failed to make the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive year.

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Indianapolis

As we thought might happen Cris didn't start a game for the first time in his career this year and had a mere 28 yards receiving. He is now a free agent once again.

Mr. Significant 2008 - Riddick Stephens, RB, Chicago

Riddick's injury troubles continued this year and a series of problems limited him to 10 games on the year. He was finally placed on IR in week 14 after suffering a serious groin injury. (OUCH!) He did manage to rush for 879 yards and a 4.42 average with 6 TDs before getting knocked out for the year. He also had 199 receiving yards although he did not get a touchdown.

Mr. Mediocre 2008 - Josh Harvey, DE, New Orleans

Josh started all 16 games for the first time in his career where he picked up 32 tackles and had a productive 9.5 sacks and forced 3 fumbles on the year. Josh is an unrestricted free agent heading into the offseason.

Mr. Significant 2009 - Brett Murphy, RB, Atlanta

Brett won his 2nd consecutive rushing title with 1,777 yards and a 4.41 ypc average. He was also named to the 1st team all league team for the 2nd year in a row and had 14 TDs and 8 100-yard games. He picked up 368 yards through the air for an additional 3 TDs.

Mr. Mediocre 2009 - Bryce Yeager, K, Miami

Bryce upped his percentage to 77.3 this year making 17 of 22 tries. On a down note he did have to endure the second missed PAT of his career.

Mr. Irrelevant 2009 - Bert Joslyn, DE, Arizona

Bert's stats were closer to what they were his amazing rookie season getting 17 tackles and 5.5 sacks in just 6 starts on the year. He also forced 2 fumbles and played sparingly on special teams. Bert is a restricted free agent heading into the offseason.

Mr. Significant 2010 - Jonathan Anderson, QB, Houston

Jonathan started all 16 games for the Texans this year, although his numbers failed to improve. A 72.3 QB rating was slightly worse than last year. He completed 60.3% of his passes for 3,419 yds and had 16 TDs to 19 INTs. The Houston offensive line didn't help him out much though as they gave up 47 sacks.

Mr. Mediocre 2010 - Ron Eichorst, WR, Minnesota

Ron started all 16 games this year at SE compared to only 2 last year, but his statistics barely improved at all. He only picked up 392 yards on the season and failed to find the end zone even a single time.

Mr. Significant 2011 - Spencer Sylvester, QB, Detroit

Spencer started 14 games for the Lions and had a QB rating of 74 on the year. He threw for 2485 yards and a 60.4% completion rating while throwing 11 TDs to 14 ints. A rocky start to his pro career although the Lions did go 10-6 winning their division and lost in the first round to the 49ers.

Mr. Mediocre 2011 - Steve Kippen, RB, St. Louis

Not surprisingly Steve didn't participate ina a single offensive play all season. He did play on 96 special teams plays and managed to pick up 2 tackles.

Mr. Irrelevant 2011 - Max Murdock, RT, San Diego

Although it looked as though he may make the roster Max was cut after the preseason and has since retired from the league.

[mrsimperless]

2012 Free Agency Results

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE

Cris did not have any suitors and is still a free agent at this time. He is hoping to pick up a deal during late free agency.

Mr. Mediocre 2008 - Josh Harvey, DE, New Orleans

Josh also has not been offered a new contract and is hoping to be picked up by someone later in the offseason.

Mr. Irrelevant 2009 - Bert Joslyn, DE, Arizona

The Cardinals elected to resign Bert to a one-year deal giving him an $820k salary with a $250k signing bonus.

[mrsimperless]

2012 Amateur Draft

Mr. Significant 2012
Round 1, Pick 1, Minnesota Vikings - Roman Elliott, DE, Western Kentucky

With no QB available worth the money of a #1 overall pick the Vikings try to shore up their defense with the apparent top lineman available. A somewhat controversial pick the coaches liked what they saw in Elliott's college game films and decided to take a chance on a prospect with extremely high volatility who didn't even work out at the scouting combine. This could either be a stroke of genius or one of the worst #1 picks ever made. At the very least Roman should start from day one as the Vikings are in dire need of bodies at the end position.

Mr. Mediocre 2012
Round 4, Pick 17, Atlanta Falcons - Roger Carpenter, FS, Kent

Lacking a starting calibre free safety the Falcons draft Carpenter in the hopes of him developing into a player that can fill that role. They tried the same thing with a couple of youngsters two years ago in the 3rd and 4th round of the draft and neither one of them has really panned out. With a solid training camp Roger could potentially even become the starter his rookie year.

Mr. Irrelevant 2012
Round 7, Pick 32, Dallas Cowboys - Toby Limbeck, RB, Louisiana State

The Boys' need bodies at RB and Toby is a roster filler plain and simple. He will likely face some competition with some unsigned FA rookies, but has a decent chance to make the team this year.

[mrsimperless]

2011 Training Camp Results

Mr. Significant 2007 - Roderick Holmes, CB, Green Bay

Roderick's ratings continue their slide to 62/62 and it now seems apparent that he is past his prime. There is no one else on the Packers roster even close to replacing him yet and he should continue in his starting role at least the 3 remaining years on his current contract.

Mr. Mediocre 2007 - Cris Lane, TE, Tennessee

Cris was finally picked up just prior to training camp by Indy's division rival the Tennessee Titans who signed him to a 1 year $970k contract with no bonus. The Titans already have an entrenched starter in Ben Troupe, but cris should vie for playing time behind him as a backup. His ratings now sit at 39/39.

Mr. Significant 2008 - Riddick Stephens, RB, Chicago

Riddick's ratings have worriedly eroded to 76/76 after training camp, but regardless he is now the proud owner of a brand new shiny contract. The Bears gave him a 6-year $96.95 mil deal in the offseason with a $34.38 mil signing bonus.

Mr. Mediocre 2008 - Josh Harvey, DE, Oakland

Josh was also picked up just prior to traning camp and was given the same 1 year $970k deal but by the Oakland Raiders. Josh's ratings are at 41/41 now and he should see some decent playing time, especially if the Raiders slot him in on the left side of the line.

Mr. Significant 2009 - Brett Murphy, RB, Atlanta

Brett's numbers took a very slight hit this year but he still remains a top back rated at 85/85.

Mr. Mediocre 2009 - Bryce Yeager, K, Miami

Bryce's ratings fell 3 more points to 52/52. This is the final year of his rookie deal, so he needs to continue the positive trend that he set last season.

Mr. Irrelevant 2009 - Bert Joslyn, DE, Arizona

Bert remains our only Mr. Irrelevant to ever see any form of success and his ratings currently show at 32/41.

Mr. Significant 2010 - Jonathan Anderson, QB, Houston

Carr is now officially gone from Houston leaving Jonathan in charge of a still struggling team. His numbers have improved to a respectable 56/65.

Mr. Mediocre 2010 - Ron Eichorst, WR, Arizona

Eichorst was cut by the Vikings during free agency but was then signed just prior to training camp by Arizona to a 1 year $680k deal. His ratings improved slightly again by 2 points to 35/35 and he should be the backup SE in Arizona.

Mr. Significant 2011 - Spencer Sylvester, QB, Detroit

Spencer's ratings improved to 48/65 and he now seems to be assured the starting job.

Mr. Mediocre 2011 - Steve Kippen, RB, St. Louis

Kippen's ratings didn't budge at 29/42 and he still sits in the 3rd spot on the depth chart. The drafting of another RB by the Rams in the 3rd round this year should push Steve to try and improve himself this time around.

Mr. Significant 2012 - Roman Elliott, DE, Minnesota

Coming out of his first training camp Roman looks to be a very solid player, but not quite the monster his team was hoping for. He is scouted at 51/66 and looks to be assured the starting RDE spot.

His rookie contract is a 5 year $45 mil contract with a $29.25 bonus which is on par with this year's increases. The salary cap rose another 7 million this year up to $144.6.

Mr. Mediocre 2012 - Roger Carpenter, FS, Atlanta

Roger's ratings his rookie season are 19/51. Not quite what the coaches wanted, but they like his potential and are giving him a shot at the starting spot.

He was quite pleased with his contract of $4.24 mil over 4 years with a bonus of $960k.

Mr. Irrelevant 2012 - Toby Limbeck, RB, Dallas

Toby's ratings were slightly better than expected at 27/33 and the coaches currently have him as the primary backup.

He signed a $2.15 mil / 3 contract with no bonus.