Buffalo Bills Video Dynasty (Madden)

[bhurst99]

Quote: Originally Posted by hudso3

This is good, following.

Quote: Originally Posted by jaymee13

As much as I hated to see the end of the 09 Eagles dynasty, I'm excited to watch this new one from you!

Thanks. I got so few comments in my Eagles franchise I wasn't sure if anyone was enjoying it although it got about 30,000 views.

[JaymeeAwesome]

Quote: Originally Posted by bhurst99

Thanks. I got so few comments in my Eagles franchise I wasn't sure if anyone was enjoying it although it got about 30,000 views.

Being that it was using Madden 09 I think "new" people didn't give it a chance. Glad you're on Madden 13 and doing another though.

[bhurst99]

Quote: Originally Posted by jaymee13

Being that it was using Madden 09 I think "new" people didn't give it a chance. Glad you're on Madden 13 and doing another though.

Yeah, you're probably right which is why I didn't say what year of Madden this is in the title thread.

[bhurst99]

July 28, 2012

What in the world have I done?

It was the thought that rattled around Bryan Hurst's brain when he shook the hand of Ralph Wilson at the podium as dozens of cameras flashed.

Hurst had just been introduced as the new general manager and coach of the Buffalo Bills at a hastily called press conference in the depths of Ralph Wilson stadium and he was full of self-doubt.

It had been nearly a week since he received a phone call out of the blue from the 93-year owner asking if he was interested in returning to the NFL. He would have been less surprised if an alien the Mars Rover uncovered in the rocks had tried to phone him.

Hurst was so far removed from the NFL when Wilson called him he didn't even know the Bills win-loss record from the previous season or most of the names of the players on the roster. He hadn't coached in the NFL since 2009 when he led a talented Philadelphia Eagles team to a disappointing 9-7 record and was abruptly fired after just one season.

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...dden-09-a.html

The firing sent him into a depression. He questioned his own decisions, his own thoughts. Why had he punted on fourth and three? Why hadn't he blitzed more? He tossed and turned re-living every moment of the season. He had watched every game of that failed season at least a dozen times in the month after he was fired.

Had every decision he had made during his life that led him to that point been wrong? Had all the time he spent learning football been a complete waste of time?

His friends in high school and college were now doctors, lawyers and teachers. They had fallen in love and had families. What did he have? Failure, nothing but crushing failure in both his professional and personnel life. His life seemed nothing but a series of cruel jokes. Incredible opportunities would fall in his lap but he was incapable of spinning those opportunities into success. He was an abject failure at everything he touched.

There had been nothing like the spotlight of being a NFL coach. The highs were as soaring as a view from Mount Everest. After a win when you walked across the field and shook the other coach's hand, there was no feeling like it. You were the conqueror who had strategically led his troops to victory. No one commanded respect like a NFL coach. There were only 32 jobs like it in the world and having one of them was like holding gold in your hand.

Wilson had asked Hurst on the telephone only one question nearly a week ago: How far was he willing to go to be coach and general manager? Hurst nearly laughed as he looked around at his one-bedroom condominium unit overflowing with empty beer, gin and rum bottles that he couldn't find the energy to take back to the liquor store. He didn't hesitate: "Anything. You name it, Mr. Wilson."

Wilson then dropped the bombshell: Hurst would have input into the personnel decisions but Wilson would have the final say on all decisions. Hurst was going to be just a figure head as general manager, treating all of Wilson's decisions as his own and defending them -- if needed -- in the media as his own.

Unbelievable. No wonder Wilson was offering him the job. No one else would ever agree to those terms. He was a football coach not a Hollywood actor.

For a moment, Hurst contemplated rejecting Wilson but the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't find a decent reason to say no.

Most coaches don't get to make personnel decisions. Most coaches are stuck with the players the general manager drafts and signs. He was no actor, but during the past two years when Hurst had tried to ease his pain and self-loathing with booze, hadn't he convinced his remaining friends and family that he was stable? If he could be a functional alcoholic couldn't he also wear the disguise of pretend general manager?

He could make this work. The gold was going to be back in his hands. He was going to be somebody again.

"I'm your man, Mr. Wilson," he had told the Bills owner on the telephone that day.

But once the press conference that announced his signing was complete and he posed for photographs, Hurst came face-to-face with Wilson for the first time and realized this was an impossible situation. He knew Wilson's age but when he pictured Wilson in his mind's eye when he spoke with him on the telephone he imagined someone in their 70's, a grandfatherly type. But now he realized he was thinking of someone 20 years younger than the man before him.

What a fool he was!

Hurst had no doubt Wilson still had all his faculties and was oriented to time and space. This was no Alzheimer's patient; he still had a sharp wit and a great memory. But how in the world could he take on all the work of a general manager? How could he evaluate talent effectively?

This was bound to result in catastrophic failure. He couldn't make this work. Every week he defended Wilson's moves as his own he was going to be laughed around the league at as an idiot. He would never work in football again.

Hurst needed a drink now. A couple of rye and cokes would help him sort things out.

[Matt10]

Just a fantastic read so far, Hursty. Your writing kind of reminds me of John Grisham novels - which is my favorite writer, so safe to say this is one I'm going to keep my eye out on.

Glad you integrated Bryan Hurst's debacle that was Madden 09, think it was a smart play - and you'll get a good following. Looking forward to this one, bud.

[bhurst99]

Quote: Originally Posted by Matt10

Just a fantastic read so far, Hursty. Your writing kind of reminds me of John Grisham novels - which is my favorite writer, so safe to say this is one I'm going to keep my eye out on. Glad you integrated Bryan Hurst's debacle that was Madden 09, think it was a smart play - and you'll get a good following. Looking forward to this one, bud.

Thanks for the kind words. Yeah, I'm going to use some of my former Madden dynasty for some of the back story.

[Bubba_Zanetti]

Great stuff man! I followed your Canada World Cup dynasty and I look forward to this as well as your Liverpool dynasty. Many dynasty threads peter out after a few months or when the latest/greatest version of the game comes out. You definately get the most out of your games.

[bhurst99]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bubba_Zanetti

Great stuff man! I followed your Canada World Cup dynasty and I look forward to this as well as your Liverpool dynasty. Many dynasty threads peter out after a few months or when the latest/greatest version of the game comes out. You definately get the most out of your games.

Yeah, I know sports game get criticized a lot but I've learned to love them with all their warts and try to see past some of the bad A.I. and enjoy the ride.