Through the Fire and Flames - An Offline Dynasty Story

[cheezymadman]

With Arkansas State's football program in a sharp decline, the school decides to withdraw from FBS competition and return to FCS play for the 2009 season. This leaves an opening in the Sun Belt conference. With Army and Navy unwilling to join, and Notre Dame unwilling to even talk to Sun Belt officials, the conference was forced to look outside the ranks of the Independents to find a suitable replacement for the Red Wolves. Enter Texas Central College.

Nestled deep in the heart of Texas, TCC boasts a total enrollment of just under twelve thousand. The Waco campus plays host to the fledging football program, known as the Firebirds. The irony of the nickname is not lost on the local population, who take every opportunity they can to compare the team's constant failure to the fiery raid on the Branch Davidian compound in 1993. The coaching staff hopes to turn this history around, starting with the 2009 season. Recruiting in Texas will be a double-edged sword for the tiny school, as the vast pool of players will be picked clean by the powerhouses in Austin, Lubbock, and College Station. Not even Waco is safe for the 'Birds, as a natural rivalry with Baylor University is bound to emerge.

Only time will tell if these Firebirds can rise from the ashes of mediocrity and join the ranks of the elite.

[cheezymadman]

Rules and Options

• Rosters: Tovarich999
• Difficulty: Heisman
• Quarter Length: 7 minutes
• Sliders: Stewaat

Recruiting rules:

• May only target needs plus five players.
• One ATH may be recruited per year.
• One JUCO may be recruited per year.
• May only target players with TCC in top 10 interest.
• No off-week visits.
• Beginning with 2010 pre-season, one OS member per year will be created as a recruit. Selection will be done via random lottery. Send recruit info via PM after Week 10 of 2009 schedule.

I might not be able to recruit you if you get picked, but I'll keep an eye on your stats regardless.

[cheezymadman]

2009 Schedule
Red denotes conference opponent

Week 1 vs Houston
Week 2 at Nebraska
Week 3 -- OPEN
Week 4 vs Troy
Week 5 at Baylor
Week 6 -- OPEN
Week 7 at UL Monroe
Week 8 vs Florida International
Week 9 at Louisville
Week 10 vs UL Lafayette
Week 11 at Florida Atlantic
Week 12 at Middle Tennesee
Week 13 vs North Texas
Week 14 at Western Kentucky

Preseason Strength Of Schedule: C-

[cheezymadman]

2009 Texas Central Scouting Report:

Offense

Quarterback: C
Starting QB Amir Hodges (JR) is a good base for an average to mediocre team, but not one that plans to rely on the option. His speed is practically non-existant, and his field vision is lacking. Freshman backup Kelvin Ross may be stepping in sooner rather than later, though he's not much quicker.

Halfback: B-
The Cummings brothers, Arthur (SR) and Caleb (FR) make for a "thunder and lightning" duo, making the Firebird backfield a deadly one in multiple-back sets. Look for the two to work off of each other well, and keep the defense on their toes.

Fullback: D+
The only bright spots at fullback are youth and size. Darrell Bean is 6'1", weighing in at 231 pounds, while Donald Larsen is an inch taller and tips the scales at 252 pounds. Both are sophomores, but neither are consistent receivers. They'll be staying home to block nearly every play.

Receivers and Tight Ends: C-
Another weakness of the Firebirds offense, but the offensive coordinators hope to minimize the damage by relying on the run. None of the wideouts top 6'2" tall, and the tight ends are all sub-240 pounds. Nothing spectacular at all here, expect entirely average stats from everyone.

Offensive Line: B+
Anchored by seniors Reggie Wynn and Eric Frank, this O-line has a real shot at opening big holes for the Cummings brothers to navigate. The front five clock in at a combined 1,497 pounds, so don't expect many blown up blocks here. This is one of the best offensive lines in the Sun Belt, and the Firebirds will need it to hold up if their run-heavy offense is going to succeed.

Defense

Defensive Line: D+
Nothing to see here, move along, folks. Only three players above 275 pounds on the whole line, and no one with the speed to rush the passer well. This line is made to stop the run, and they'll probably fail at that too.

Linebackers: C-
Another small group, the linebackers are led by three freshman. The real bright spot here is the ability to improve over the coming years.

Cornerbacks: C
If the linemen and linebackers can hold their ground against the run, these corners should be more than capable of backing them up through the air. Speed is the name of the game here, so man coverage will be the order of the day.

Safeties: D
Better hope no one gets beat deep.

Special Teams: B

WRs Jeremy Lyles and Jordan House will be returning kicks and punts. Both are elusive runners, with good acceleration. The key will be getting them good blocks. Mark Shaffer routinely hits 50 yard kicks in practice, but that's at half speed, so we'll see what his range drops to with real defenders coming at him. Terrence Rawls can boot it, but his punts have a very real chance to land in the third row of fans. If he can keep it inside the lines, though, he's liable to pin offenses inside their own 10 all year.

[cheezymadman]

Highlights from 2009 Spring Game, showcasing the uniforms of the Texas Central Firebirds. Alternate uniforms are in the works, and will be unveiled soon.


Jeremy Lyles puts a move on Ross Mosley, en route to a thrilling 100 yard kickoff return.


Anthony Rutledge swats a pass intended for Jordan House.


Mark Shaffer boots a field goal past the outstretched arm of Ronald Guerrero. The kick was good from 48 yards.

[Assassin]

Looks like your off to an interesting start man.

[dickey1331]

There is a Dynasty portion of OS that this belongs in.

[cheezymadman]

sorry about that. i guess that explains why there were no other dynasties in that section when i was looking for a place to post it.