Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

[Tritoch42]

Hounds Sterling

Washington Relocation Franchise

Hello all! Madden 21 is here, football is back, and the fever bites. Last year, I did a few years of a relocation franchise moving the Tampa Bay Bucs down to Mexico to become the Mexico City Golden Eagles, which was a blast until starting a new job dragged me away long enough that the itch wore off.

Now, for 2021, I want to take another crack at a relocation franchise. This time, I'll be taking the Washington "Football Team" and using their rebranding crisis as the opportunity for the team to be scooped up by new British ownership and reborn as the London Bulldogs.

I'll be simming through the first season, just worrying about getting the team moved and doing draft prep. Posts will begin in the aftermath of the Cleveland Browns' 42-3 blowout Super Bowl victory over Arizona, with the newly-minted Bulldogs preparing the roster for their first season through free agency and the 2021 draft.

Game Details
I'll be playing on All-Madden. I fall in between AP and AM skill-wise, and I prefer a stiff challenge. I'm using Matt10's AM sliders with slightly longer quarters in hopes of getting slightly more realistic stats. Other than that, no major house rules other than to just try and avoid any overly cheesy behavior.

Hopefully some of you will come along for the ride, and it should be a good run!

[Tritoch42]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

The Big Move
The London Bulldogs' First Offseason

Rumors regarding a potential sale of the Washington Football Team began circulating early in the 2020 regular season, but they had heated up significantly by the time the season reached its midpoint. As Washington sat at 2-6 at the bottom of the NFC East, the announcement finally came: the franchise had been purchased by a group of British investors headed by Dr. Arthur Clarke, and would be relocated overseas to the United Kingdom.

The 2020 season ended with the Cleveland Browns advancing from the wildcard to a convincing 42-3 Super Bowl blowout over the Arizona Cardinals, and the start of the offseason marked the start of the former Redskins' transition to London, England.

Ron Rivera will be retained as the London Bulldog's coach for the 2021 season.

While the team finished with a disappointing final record of 4-11, Dr. Clarke was adamant in insisting that no major staffing changes would be made during the team's transition overseas. Ron Rivera would be retained as Head Coach along with all of his assistant coaching staff, and he would work closely with the team's management to build the team in the offseason. That building process, however, would be a challenging one thanks to the Bulldogs' roster being very light on standout talent.

Both Rivera and Clarke were upfront about their modest expectations for the coming season. Rivera in particular admitted that, in order to fully realize his vision for the team, several years of careful rebuilding would be necessary. Dwayne Haskins had struggled to prove that he was worth the first-round selection that had brought him two the team two years prior, and both the backfield and receiving corps lacked big playmakers. The team did secure a significant offseason win by re-signing standout RG Brandon Scherff to a new three-year deal, but LE Ryan Kerrigan, CB Ronald Darby, and WR Cody Latimer all opted to enter free agency after declining offers from the team to sign new contracts.

Entering into the free agency period, the Bulldogs made two large offers in hopes of substantially upgrading the offense: a two-year, $33.9M offer to LT Trent Williams, and a 5-year, $49.8M deal to HB Aaron Jones. Williams, who had played for Washington prior to the 2020 season, rejected the deal in favor of an offer from the Cardinals; Jones, however, opted to sign with the Bulldogs to become their new primary running back. Signing Jones represented a major upgrade to the Bulldogs' offense, but as he was the only player signed by the team during the free agency, they would need to address many of their remaining shortcomings in the 2021 draft. In an effort to strengthen their draft position, the Bulldogs traded DT Jonathan Allen to the Super Bowl champion Browns, receiving a 6th round pick in the upcoming draft, as well as a 2nd and 7th round selection in 2022.

Leading into the draft, the Bulldogs' front office were heavily divided on how to best make use of the team's first round draft pick, which was the second overall behind the Miami Dolphins. Kansas State's Heisman-winning QB Kelvin Sanders was widely considered among the top players in the draft, and a sizable portion of the team management were eager to see the Bulldogs draft him as a replacement for Haskins, whose two-year performance had seen him struggle to find his rhythm.

Although he had many recommendations to trade down or invest in a high-draft lineman, Ron Rivera eventually opted to use his #2 pick to secure Kelvin Sanders for the Bulldogs, bringing the Heisman winner in to contest Haskins' starting job. The remainder of the draft was extremely one-sided -- all of the Bulldogs' eight draft selections were offensive players.



After choosing Sanders in the first round, Rivera picked up talented Georgia Center Jake Mills, who he believed could be an immediate starter on the offensive line. He drafted a pair of Wide Receivers in the third round, followed by a string of four big men: LG Rhett DaConti, FBs Junior boley and Marco Mayes, and TE Jared Stewart.

In post-draft interviews, Rivera stated that his goal was to thoroughly strengthen the offense with big, powerful players that could help drive an aggressive, physically resilient offense that could march steadily downfield and manage games. The defense could be worked on in upcoming drafts; 2021 was the year of building the Bulldogs' identity as a grinding powerhouse on offense, with Aaron Jones running behind a group of strong blockers.

From that point on, the race to prepare for 2021 had begun. Rivera and his staff would only have one chance to execute the Bulldogs' first year in London, and if they wanted that trademark physical offense to be ready in time, training would have to start right away. In just a few months time, the Bulldogs would need to be prepared for their first game under their new identity against the Steelers in the 2021 preseason.

[moose141]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

Should be a fun follow! I like the overseas narrative, plus looks like a cool logo. Should be a fun rebuild with the storyline of going from one capital to another haha.

[Careless Whisper]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

I'm following too, looking forward to this!

[Tritoch42]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

Should be a fun follow! I like the overseas narrative, plus looks like a cool logo. Should be a fun rebuild with the storyline of going from one capital to another haha.

Agreed on the logo! I thought about using the Monarchs at first, but the sweet logo and the cool red/white/blue jersey look really won me over. I think their uniform design is one of the best among the relocation franchises.

[Tritoch42]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

The London Bulldogs - The First Look
The Bulldogs split their first two games of the year to start the preseason at 1-1

After an eventful offseason that saw the team move to a new country and acquire a brand new franchise Quarterback and stud Running Back, the London Bulldogs have finally gotten the chance to show the world what the NFL's first British-owned franchise is capable of.

Trey Quinn pulls down a catch in traffic for a first-quarter touchdown against the Steelers.

The Bulldogs' preseason opened with a trip to Pittsburgh, where they started off with an impressive display on both sides of the ball. Free Safety Kendall Fuller stopped the Steelers' second drive abruptly when he picked off Big Ben for a 58-yard touchdown return, and the offense pushed the team ahead 14-0 by the end of the first quarter after Alex Smith connected on a high touchdown pass to WR Trey Quinn.

After Smith helped the Bulldogs get ahead in the first quarter, the Bulldogs sent in their first-round draft pick Kelvin Sanders to finish the game at Quarterback for the remaining three quarters. The rookie out of Kansas State looked shaky in his first outing on an NFL field, throwing for an unimpressive 7-19 and just 58 yards. The Steelers dominated the offensive game easily, with Mason Rudolph accumulating over 300 yards passing in three quarters of play. But while the Steelers were able to gain yardage with ease, they repeatedly failed to turn those yards into points. The Bulldogs showed tenacity along the defensive line, and several drives that could have turned into points for Pittsburgh were stopped by sacks.

Ultimately, a strip-sack by Da'Ron Payne -- who tallied 3.5 sacks on the day -- led to a touchdown return, the Bulldogs' second defensive score of the game and the touchdown that definitively secured the win. Rudolph did his best to bring the Steelers back, but a late-game touchdown pass was not enough to overcome a two-score deficit so late in the game, and the Steelers conceded a win to the Bulldogs in their first appearance.

The Bulldogs defense recorded three sacks against the Lions in their home opener.

The Bulldogs then took their game back across the pond, where they hosted the Detroit Lions for their first game at home in the UK. In true London fashion, the game was played through constant rainfall, and the wet conditions made their presence felt early on. On just the second play of the game, Alex Smith threw an interception after his receiver slipped and fell on the wet turf, allowing the Lions a quick 7-0 lead to start. Smith played only a few drives, however, before Kelvin Sanders was given a second shot at running the offense.

The Bulldogs kept to a simple, hard-nosed style of offense throughout the game. The Power I formation factored heavily into a slow and methodical rushing attack, and for most of the game the Bulldogs lined up in some variation of the I Formation or Single Back, rarely having more than two Wide Receivers on the field at once. It was slow and physical, but it worked. Aaron Jones showed off his own power by pushing in a three-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter, and the game was tied 10-10 at the halftime break.

The Bulldogs were able to take their first lead of the day late in the third quarter, when Younghoe Koo drove a 29-yard kick through the wind and rain for a narrow lead. By the fourth quarter, though, that lead had evaporated, and the Bulldogs were left with just over four minutes to lead a comeback drive to push the game into overtime.

Kelvin Sanders tightened up his game for the final drive, and was able to get his team inside the ten yardline to threaten the game winning score. It looked as if all had been lost when his pass sailed high over his receiver on 4th and goal, but a defensive pass interference call gave them a fresh chance at the 1 yardline. Bryce Love smashed his way across the line of scrimmage for a touchdown, and the game seemed to be headed for overtime -- until Younghoe Koo's extra point struck the left upright and bounced into the endzone, leaving the Bulldogs behind 20-19.

The missed extra point decided the game, and the Bulldogs had to accept a frustrating loss in their first home outing of the year.


QB Kelvin Sanders takes snaps during a practice session ahead of their week three matchup with the Titans.

With the opening two weeks of the preseason under their belt, the Bulldogs have some good reasons to feel positive about the back half. After a dismal performance in week one, Kelvin Sanders showed some better decision-making in week two. Though he threw for three interceptions, rainy conditions and dropped passes helped to inflate this total; his 21-30 completion rate against Detroit shows the young signal caller is moving in the right direction. The Bulldogs were back out working hard on the practice field following Saturday night's loss, and there is no reason to expect that Sanders won't turn in an even better performance in week three.

The Bulldogs have also shown surprising tenacity on defense, with the defensive line relentlessly pressuring opposing quarterbacks and racking up sacks at an impressive rate. RE Chase Young, who missed much of his rookie season last year due to an injury, has looked strong, and DTs Matt Ioannidis and Da'Ron Payne have emerged as a deadly duo in the trenches, with Payne in particular recording a staggering 6.5 sacks in the first two games of the preseason.

Wide Receiver play has been lacking for London, however, and both Kelvin Sanders and Alex Smith saw their completion percentages dampened by costly drops. The offensive line has also struggled, allowing consistent pressure to leak into the backfield to rush Sanders' passing game and stifle the rushing attack the Bulldogs are so keen to build.

The Bulldogs will remain at home next week to host the Tennessee Titans, and will then round out the preseason with a trip to Los Angeles to face the Rams.

[Tritoch42]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

An Even Split and Modest Expectations
A look ahead at the London Bulldogs at the end of the preseason

The London Bulldogs opened the preseason at an even 1-1, besting the Steelers on the road before stumbling against the Lions at home. The world's first look at the London Bulldogs showed a team with the potential to see a few stars break out, but the results were mixed at best. Now, with the preseason concluded and the final 53-man roster announced, the Bulldogs have kept their .500 record by finishing the preseason at 2-2.

Kelvin Sanders completes a touchdown pass to Logan Thomas to send the game into overtime.

After suffering a demoralizing loss against the Lions in their first home game in London, the Bulldogs stayed on their side of the pond to host the Tennesee Titans, who had also begun their preseason with a modest 1-1 record. Ryan Tannehill played most of the game for the Titans and looked sharp -- he connected to Adam Humphries in the second quarter for a 51-yard score, and then notched a second touchdown on a 34-yard pass to Jonnu Smith. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, struggled for the entire first half. Continuing to struggle with adjusting to the speed of NFL defenses, Kelvin Sanders threw two interceptions in the first half on plays that could have been touchdowns; had those passes connected, the Bulldogs would have led the game 20-14 heading into the fourth quarter, rather than trailing by 14-6.

But in the fourth quarter, Kelvin Sanders finally showed some flashes of the talent he demonstrated during his Heisman-winning final college season. After Titans' backup Cole McDonald threw his team's third touchdown pass to put the Titans up by a wide 21-6 margin at the start of the fourth quarter, Sanders kicked his game into gear. With 2:46 left in the game, he connected with TE Logan Thomas from 13 yards out, narrowing the lead to an 8-point gap at 21-13. And when the Titans failed to convert at the two minute warning, Sanders had one opportunity to get his team into overtime.

In the final two minutes of regulation, Sanders looked like a brand new player. He completed 5 of his 7 passes, working a no-huddle two-minute drill that brought the Bulldogs down to the Tenessee 5 yardline with less than 15 seconds to play. On 1st and Goal, Sanders rifled a ball into traffic over the middle to Logan Thomas, planting the ball into his chest and scoring a potentially game-tying touchdown. Rookie FB Marco Mayes punched in the two-yard run for the conversion, and the Bulldogs pushed the game into overtime.

In overtime, after the Bulldogs went three-and-out and the Titans gave up a fumble recovery, it was Younghoe Koo who, after missing an extra point to lose the team's last game against the Lions, nailed a perfect field goal from 38 yards to give London its first home win. In the end, Kelvin Sanders threw for a total of 296 yards, going 27-53 for 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.


Younghoe Koo secures a London victory with a 38-yard field goal in overtime.

The victory was a high point for the Bulldogs. Not only did they give their home crowd their first win, but Kelvin Sanders -- whose performance has been defined by typical rookie inconsistency -- commanded an impressive fourth-quarter comeback that showed glimpses of how he can play when he's at his best, placing quick and strategic passes while using his legs when things break down. The defensive line also continued to look strong, and Younghoe Koo was able to redeem himself for the previous week's loss.

Sacks continued to roll in for London in their week 4 loss.

However, the preseason finale saw the Bulldogs travel to the west coast of the United States to face the Los Angeles rams, and the game ended in a brutal 31-13 thrashing. Kelvin Sanders scored early on a high pass that dropped perfectly into the waiting arms of rookie WR Sherard McKenzie, but the second-quarter score would be among the only bright spots in an otherwise poor game.

The Bulldogs' defensive line, who made themselves one of the team's top preseason stories, continued to impress. Matt Ioannidis and Da'Ron Payne have emerged as a devastating double threat on the inside of the line, and they combined for 4.5 sacks over the course of the day. There were reasons to be optimistic for the Bulldogs' future, but their final preseason game ended on the most grim of notes.

With the 2021 preseason now behind them, the Bulldogs will prepare to enter the regular season and Ron Rivera will try to assemble his newly collected pieces into a football team that can contest for the NFC East. That process began with determining the team's final roster and starters, which included some surprising moves like carrying a staggering 10 Wide Receivers on the active roster while leaving several defensive positions lacking in depth.

Offensively, the Bulldogs will be led by Kelvin Sanders as the starting Quarterback in Week 1, but Ron Rivera is likely to work the ground as his first priority. Rivera drafted two Fullbacks to add some size to his backfield, and showed off a number of heavy formations with multiple Tight Ends, Fullbacks, and linemen throughout the preseason. Their offensive line will feature two rookie starters -- RG Rhett DaConti and C Jake Mills -- who will work under the tutelage of the O-Line's veteran leader, RG Brandon Scherff.

On defense, the Bulldogs' greatest strength will continue to their offensive line. They worked out of a 4-3 base defense for much of the preseason, with Matt Ioannidis and Da'Ron Payne bruising through opposing linemen with ease. Stand out RE Chase Young, who missed half of his rookie season due to injury, will help to anchor the outside and make the Bulldogs' front four a fearsome threat. They will need to work hard to put pressure on opposing Quarterbacks, as the linebacking corps is lacking and the defensive secondary is the oldest in the NFL. While Safeties Landon Collins and Kendall Fuller are playing hard through their 20's, all but one of the Bulldog's starting Cornerbacks are 30 or older.

With this roster in place, the Bulldogs will now prepare to open their regular season on the road, heading into the Texas heat to face the Dallas Cowboys.

London Bulldogs Roster (2021)
#	OFFENSE	POS	AGE	HT	WT	COLLEGE
12	Kelvin Sanders (R)	QB	21	6'2''	225	Kansas State
7	Dwayne Haskins Jr	QB	24	6'3''	230	Ohio State
11	Alex Smith	QB	37	6'4''	217	Utah
21	Aaron Jones	HB	26	5'9''	208	UTEP
32	J.D. McKissic	HB	28	5'10''	195	Arkansas State
33	Peyton Barber	HB	27	5'11''	225	Auburn
49	Junior Boley (R)	FB	22	6'3''	258	Southern Miss
45	Marco Mayes (R)	FB	23	6'1''	265	Georgia
17	Terry McLaurin	WR	24	6'0''	208	Ohio State
15	Steven Sims	WR	24	5'10''	176	Kansas
18	Trey Quinn	WR	25	6'0''	203	SMU
13	Kelvin Harmon	WR	24	6'2''	215	N.C. State
10	Antonio Gandy-Golden	WR	23	6'4''	223	Liberty
84	Greg Ward Jr	WR	26	5'11''	190	Houston
86	Sherard McKenzie (R)	WR	21	6'5''	220	Michigan
88	Justin Watson	WR	26	6'3''	215	Penn
19	Equanimeous St. Brown	WR	24	6'5''	214	Notre Dame
80	Bryan Calhoun (R)	WR	23	6'2''	215	Mississippi State
82	Logan Thomas	TE	30	6'6''	250	Virginia Tech
40	Jared Stewart (R)	TE	23	6'4''	265	FAU
74	Geron Christian Sr	LT	24	6'5''	315	Louisville
88	Saahdiq Charles	LT	22	6'4''	321	LSU
65	Rhett DaConti (R)	LG	22	6'2''	306	Alabama
71	Wes Schweitzer	LG	27	6'4''	300	San Jose State
52	Jake Mills (R)	C	21	6'1''	310	Georgia
60	Keith Ismael	C	23	6'3''	309	San Diego State
75	Brandon Scherff	RG	29	6'5''	315	Iowa
67	Wes Martin	RG	25	6'3''	311	Indiana
76	Morgan Moses	RG	30	6'6''	330	Virginia
#	DEFENSE	POS	AGE	HT	WT	COLLEGE
93	Jabaal Sheard	LE	32	6'3''	265	Pittsburgh
95	Jordan Bailford	LE	25	6'3''	250	Oklahoma State
99	Chase Young	RE	22	6'5''	264	Ohio State
90	Montez Sweat	RE	24	6'6''	260	Mississippi State
72	James Smith-Williams	RE	24	6'4''	265	N.C. State
98	Matthew Ioannidis	DT	27	6'3''	310	Temple
94	Da'Ron Payne	DT	24	6'3''	319	Alabama
51	Shaun Dion Hamilton	LOLB	25	6'0''	232	Alabama
55	Cole Holcomb	LOLB	25	6'1''	240	North Carolina
56	Reuben Foster	MLB	27	6'1''	228	Alabama
53	Jon Bostic	MLB	30	6'1''	245	Florida
42	Ben Gedeon	ROLB	26	6'2''	244	Michigan
59	Khaleke Hudson	ROLB	23	5'11''	224	Michigan
28	Jason McCourty	CB	34	5'11''	195	Rutgers
25	Prince Amukamara	CB	32	6'0''	206	Nebraska
26	Janoris JEnkins	CB	32	5'10''	190	North Alabama
31	Aqib Talib	CB	35	6'1''	205	Kansas
37	Greg Stroman	CB	25	5'11''	180	Virginia Tech
23	Kendall Fuller	FS	26	5'11''	198	Virginia Tech
30	Troy Apke	FS	26	6'1''	205	Penn State
20	Landon Collins	SS	27	6'0''	218	Alabama
29	Deshazor Everett	SS	29	6'0''	203	Texas A&M
#	SPECIAL TEAMS	POS	AGE	HT	WT	COLLEGE
8	Younghoe Koo	K	27	5'9''	185	Georgia Southern
5	Tress Way	P	31	6'1''	220	Oklahoma

[Tritoch42]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

And that's the preseason! From now on, each game will get its own entry.. The difficulty is steep, talent is a bit thin... But I'm hoping I can at least come away with 5-6 wins for the first year.

[johnstone1987]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

I'm curious on why you picked a QB with your first Round pick? No faith in Haskins?

[Tritoch42]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

I'm curious on why you picked a QB with your first Round pick? No faith in Haskins?

Honestly, I think with Haskins' development trait and some loving, I could have developed him into a pretty good player. But I find something really fun about having a blank-late, fictional new QB that I can build my franchise around and be free to get creative with. So that's more a decision of player preference than real gameplay necessity.

[johnstone1987]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

Ah I see, fair enough.

[Tritoch42]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)


Bulldogs Melt Down in Second Half in Dallas
A defensive battle turns into a 31-9 blowout win for the Cowboys.

After splitting the preseason with a 2-2 record, the London Bulldogs returned to the continental United States to play their first regular season game, facing the Texas heat as they took on the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East's first divisional game of 2021.

Aaron Jones anchored the first half for the Bulldogs and ended the day with 105 yards.

From the opening whistle, neither team seemed able to find a comfortable rhythm. Dak Prescott went an unimpressive 2-5 on his first two drives, and pressure kept him off-balance as the Bulldogs' defensive line continued to earn its reputation for fierce, physical play. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, kept their gameplan simple and methodical. Aaron Jones carried the ball twice as often as Kelvin Sanders passed through the first two quarters, and the result was a pair of Younghoe Koo field goals that put London ahead by a narrow 6-0 nearing halftime.

Dak Prescott began to come alive late in the second quarter, but a deep bomb to CeeDee Lamb was dropped in the endzone, and Matt Ioannidis sacked Prescott to knock the Cowboys outside of field goal range. They were forced to punt, and the Cowboys trailed 6-0 at home at halftime.

On the legs of Younghoe Koo, the Bulldogs managed to preserve some sense of optimism after the first half. Unfortunately, the Cowboys would make some significant halftime adjustments and come out of the gate swinging early in the third quarter. Dallas received the kickoff to begin the second half and marched downfield immediately, with Dak Prescott connecting on several precision strikes to set his team up inside the London 10 yardline. Then, from 7 yards out, Prescott kept the ball on a read option and ran untouched into the endzone, putting his team ahead for the first time in the game.

Kelvin sanders throws on the run on a play action fake in the third quarter.

From there, the Cowboys got red hot while the Bulldogs cooled off quickly. Receiving the kickoff down by just one point, they initially drove rapidly down the field. Power runs by rookie FB Junior Boley successfully converted two fourth-and-short situations, and Kelvin Sanders threw conservatively but intelligently to get his team back into field goal range.

That was when rookie LG Rhett DaConti committed two consecutive holding penalties, dropping his team back to an impossible 3nd-and-24. When the Bulldogs punted the ball away on that failed drive, their momentum never recovered. Younghoe Koo scored on one more field goal at the end of the third quarter, and the Cowboys ran away with the rest of the game. Dak Prescott, after starting the first half struggling heavily, threw three touchdown passes on three consecutive drives to thrust his team out to a massive 28-9 lead. A late field goal inside the final two minutes made the score 31-9, and the Cowboys left week 1 of the regular season with a home win and a big step toward leading their division.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, logged a very disappointingly weak performance. While Aaron Jones did manage to post a 100-yard day and Kelvin Sanders protected the ball by not giving up any interceptions or fumbles, the offense couldn't generate the kind of downfield momentum it had displayed during the preseason. By the fourth quarter, the entire offense looked out of sync as they tried desperately to get back into the game.

Week 2 will see the Bulldogs on the road for a second straight week, challenging the Detroit Lions as they hope to make up for their loss during the preseason.

London Bulldogs at Dallas Cowboys
Week 1	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
London Bulldogs (0-0-0)	0	6	3	0	9
Dallas Cowboys (0-0-0)	0	0	7	24	31

Team Stats Comparison
	LDN	DAL
Total Offense	230	304
Rushing Yards	146	147
Passing Yards	84	157
First Downs	14	12
Punt Return Yards	8	35
Kick Return Yards	22	0
Total Yards	260	339
Turnovers	0	0
3rd Down Conversion	5-16	4-9
4th Down Conversion	2-3	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0/2	4/0
Penalties	1-10	2-15
Posession Time	28:18	19:42

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		LDN	DAL
7:41	(LDN) Y. Koo 52yd FG	3	0
1:55	(LDN) Y. Koo 46yd FG	6	0
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		LDN	DAL
7:19	(DAL) D. Prescott 7yd run (J. Myers kick)	6	7
0:07	(LDN) Y. Koo 31yd FG	9	7
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		LDN	DAL
9:29	(DAL) E. Elliott 15yd pass from D. Prescott (J.Myers kick)	9	14
6:37	(DAL) B. Jarwin 1yd pass from D. Prescott (J. Myers kick)	9	21
5:10	(DAL) J. Johnson 11yd pass from D. Prescott (J. Myers kick)	9	28
1:09	(DAL) J. Myers 51yd FG	9	31

London Bulldogs PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kelvin Sanders 14-27 111 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Aaron Jones 27 105 3.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Steven Sims 5 44 8.8 0 Terry McLaurin 3 32 10.6 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt Ioannidis 5 1.0 0 0 Janoris Jenkins 6 1.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Younghoe Koo 3-3 0-0 3 52

Dallas Cowboys PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Dak Prescott 15-22 166 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Ezekiel Elliott 21 136 6.4 0 Dak Prescott 2 11 5.5 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Blake Jarwin 3 10 3.3 1 Ezekiel Elliott 2 20 10.0 1 Jon'Vea Johnson 1 11 11.0 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Myers 1-1 4-4 7 51

Week 1 Results

Week 1

Sunday's Games

Giants 23 - 26 Falcons

Texans 22 - 14 Jets

Broncos 21 - 28 Steelers

Bills 38 - 22 Patriots

Bears 24 - 16 Packers

Bulldogs 9 - 31 Cowboys

Jaguars 16 - 35 Colts

Raiders 21 - 28 Chiefs

Dolphins 21 - 24 Saints

Cardinals 31 - 21 Titans

Bengals 7 - 35 Lions

Vikings 21 - 31 Seahawks

Eagles 16 - 10 Chargers

Panthers 31 - 28 Buccaneers

Monday's Games

Ravens 31 - 14 Browns

Rams 7 - 23 49ers

[Tritoch42]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)


Avenging the Preseason
The Bulldogs strike back after a preseason loss to defeat the Lions 38-24

The regular season didn't begin well for the London Bulldogs. After a respectable 2-2 preseason, the Bulldogs faced the Dallas Cowboys and looked as if they had a win coming in a low-scoring defensive battle. The second half saw Dak Prescott catch fire, though, scoring 4 unanswered touchdowns on the way to a blowout 31-9 victory. This week, the Bulldogs fared much better in Detroit, showing an impressive offensive rhythm that led them to a victory in which they never trailed.

WR Steven Sims scores after a 75-yard touch pass in the first quarter.

The Lions received the opening kickoff, but the Bulldogs defense continued to live up to its reputation by putting heavy pressure on Matt Stafford. After a near-sack caused a pass to a wide-open T.J. Hockenson to fall flat in the middle of the field, Jason McCourty sacked Stafford to force Detroit to punt. The Bulldogs wasted no time in getting ahead with a fast start; Aaron Jones, the team's largest acquisition in free agency, pounded in an 11-yard touchdown run to record his first of the season. When Matt Ioannidis recovered a fumble dropped by Stafford on the next drive, Younghoe Koo kicked an easy 22-yard field goal to put the Bulldogs out to an early 10-0 lead.

The Lions responded by finally getting on the board with a 17-yard pass to HB Kerryon Johnson, but the Bulldogs struck back on the very next play. WR Steven Sims, in motion across the backfield, took a touch pass from Kelvin Sanders and ran a sweep around the edge, cutting past two defenders and sprinting untouched down the field, going 75 yards to launch the Bulldogs ahead 17-7 by the end of the first quarter.

Offensively, the Bulldogs were nearly unstoppable during the first half. Aaron Jones and rookie FB Junior Boley shared carries, with Boley handling short-yardage power runs like the bruising, 1-yard goal line score that opened the second quarter. Kelvin Sanders threw more conservative routes, rarely picking up big yardage but always moving the ball with consistent rhythm. The Lions were smothered by the oppressive front-line pressure of Da'Ron Payne, Matt Ioannidis, and Chase Young, and could only manage a field goal through the second quarter, going into halftime trailing 24-10.

Matthew Stafford is sacked by Bulldogs DT Da'Ron Payne

Things didn't get any better for Detroit in the second half, either. The Bulldogs' first drive of the third quarter ate up over half of the time on the clock, marked by consistent short passes and runs that secured first downs while hogging the time of possession. It finally ended in Aaron Jones' second touchdown of the day on a 1-yard run, and London was ahead by a seemingly insurmountable 31-10 heading into the final quarter. That lead only increased when Dwayne Haskins, acting as the holder on a Younghoe Koo field goal attempt, took the snap on a fake kick and threw a touchdown pass into the back of the endzone to rookie TE Jared Stewart.

Down by a massive 38-10, the Lions did manage to find some fight in them late into the game. After going two quarters without a touchdown pass, Matt Stafford found TE T.J. Hockenson on back-to-back touchdown passes, narrowing the gap but failing to overcome it. The Bulldogs ran out what was left of the game clock and left Detroit with a win, moving to 1-1 for the regular season.

The game marked the first opportunity for the Bulldogs' newly-drafted QB Kelvin Sanders to shine. After a disappointing first outing, Sanders completed 18-22 and passed for 230 yards, and threw one touchdown against his first regular season NFL touchdown. Aaron Jones recorded his second straight 100-yard game, averaging 4.3 yards per carry on the way to two touchdowns. It was the rushing game that carried the Bulldogs on the day, with three of the team's five touchdowns coming from its rushing attack, and one more came on a pass that functioned more like a long sweep. The entire offensive unit functioned in sync, giving Bulldogs fans hope that the blowout against Dallas was just a sign of early-season rust.

Defensively, the Bulldogs gave up almost 400 passing yards to Matthew Stafford, showing off the weakness of the team's secondary. But the defensive line continued to shine, essentially removing Kerryon Johnson from the rushing game and forcing Stafford to rely solely on his arm throughout the game. Consistent pressure, including another impressive game by DT Matt Ioannidis collecting 2.5 sacks, ensured that while the Lions may have moved down the field, they weren't able to turn those yards into points.

Now sitting at 1-1, the Bulldogs return home to London for week 3, when they will host the 0-2 Chargers at home.

London Bulldogs at Detroit Lions
Week 2	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
London Bulldogs (0-1-0)	17	7	7	7	38
Detroit Lions (1-0-0)	7	3	0	14	24

Team Stats Comparison
	LDN	DET
Total Offense	381	375
Rushing Yards	149	25
Passing Yards	232	350
First Downs	17	18
Punt Return Yards	13	3
Kick Return Yards	5	0
Total Yards	399	378
Turnovers	1	2
3rd Down Conversion	11-15	3-7
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-1	2-0
Penalties	0-0	1-13
Posession Time	30:47	17:09

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		LDN	DET
7:56	(LDN) A. Jones 11yd run (Y. Koo kick)	7	0
3:30	(LDN) Y. Koo 22yd FG	10	0
1:00	(DET) K. Johnson 17yd pass from M. Stafford	10	7
0:49	(LDN) S. Sims 75yd pass from K. Sanders (Y. Koo kick)	17	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		LDN	DET
1:17	(LDN) J. Boley 1yd run (Y. Koo kick)	24	7
0:06	(DET) G. Tavecchio 41yd FG	24	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		LDN	DET
4:18	(LDN) A. Jones 1yd run (Y. Koo kick)	31	10
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		LDN	DET
6:51	(LDN) J. Stewart 6yd pass from D. Haskins Jr (Y. Koo kick)	38	10
4:53	(DET) T. Hockenson 53yd pass from M. Stafford (G. Tavecchio kick)	38	17
1:01	(DET) T. Hockenson 6yd pass from M. Stafford (G. Tavecchio kick)	38	24

London Bulldogs PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kelvin Sanders 18-22 230 1 1 Dwayne Haskins Jr 1-1 6 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Aaron Jones 27 117 4.3 2 Junior Boley 8 28 3.5 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Steven Sims 6 110 18.3 1 Terry McLaurin 4 52 13.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matthew Ioannidis 2 2.5 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Younghoe Koo 1-1 5-5 8 23

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Matthew Stafford 25-33 370 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Kerryon Johnson 9 25 2.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD T.J. Hockenson 9 163 18.1 2 Kerryon Johnson 6 56 9.3 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Giorgio Tavecchio 1-2 3-3 6 42

Week 2 Results

Week 2

Thursday's Games

Texans 28 - 7 Jaguars

Sunday's Games

Bills 28 - 13 Bengals

Panthers 23 - 17 Saints

Buccaneers 28 - 23 Giants

Jets 23 - 17 Patriots

Rams 31 - 14 Vikings

Cowboys 19 - 22 Bears

Eagles 14 - 35 Packers

Falcons 32 - 35 Dolphins

Cardinals 14 - 27 Seahawks

Ravens 38 - 24 Titans

Raiders 29 - 28 Broncos

Colts 21 - 7 49ers

Browns 27 - 20 Chargers

Monday's Games

Steelers 27 - 30 Chiefs

[Tritoch42]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)


Herbert Demolishes London
The Charges take down the Bulldogs riding a 92% completion rate by their second-year QB.

The 2021 season didn't start well for the Los Angeles Chargers, who fell to 0-2 to hang near the bottom of their division. After gaining positive momentum following a win against Detroit, the London Bulldogs returned home to England to host the winless chargers in an attempt to climb above the .500 mark with what many analysts expected would be a solid win. Instead, they were ravaged by Justin Herbert's near-perfect day, which carried his team to its first win of the year, 27-15.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert is sacked for a safety.

Herbert was in top form from the very beginning of the game, and he made a statement by starting the game throwing a perfect 7-7 on the opening drive and finding Mike Williams in the endzone for a touchdown to cap the drive. Down by a touchdown so early in the game, the Bulldogs had to come out swinging in an attempt to narrow the gap.

Rookie QB Kelvin Sanders, who has been inconsistent in his early freshman performances, found a comfortable rhythm out of the play action. With Aaron Jones and Junior Boley again sharing touches in an effective rushing attack, Sanders was able to use their success to set up great openings downfield on play action passes, and he put his team in position for Boley to pound in a 1-yard touchdown to leave the game dead even at 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bulldogs defense buckled in the second quarter, allowing Austin Ekeler to tear off a massive 72-yard touchdown run after the previous drive ended with a Los Angeles field goal. They quickly struck back, however, after a punt pinned the Chargers back on their own two yardline. An aggressive rush trapped Herbert in the pocket, and Reuben Foster and Jabaal Sheard sandwiched the second-year QB to bring him down for a safety. The free possession following the safety only resulted in a field goal, and the Bulldogs trailed 17-12 at halftime.

Playing from behind, the Bulldogs relied heavily on Rookie QB Kelvin Sanders in the second half.

The Bulldogs made some adjustments over halftime and came out with an aggressive offense, driving into Chargers territory quickly. A deep touchdown strike to rookie TE Jared Stewart was dropped as he attempted to pull it down in the corner of the endzone, and a promising drive that would have given the Bulldogs a lead instead turned into a field goal that left them trailing 15-15.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, that would be the last time they would score any points for the remainder of the game. Herbert recorded his second touchdown pass near the end of the third quarter, and K Dan Bailey capped off the game with a late 36-yard field goal, making the final score 27-15.

The Chargers were statistical underdogs traveling overseas to face the Bulldogs, but they defied expectations and earned their season's first win by disrupting the rhythmic football that London prefers to play. Los Angeles' defense stifled the Bulldogs' rushing attack, which has been the driving force of their offense, and forced Kelvin Sanders to play a pass-heavy, come-from-behind offense that is outside of his comfort zone. The rookie threw a career-high 39 passes as he attempted to pull his team back into competition, and he had only 231 yards and an interception to show for it.

The Chargers also successfully nullified the Bulldogs' other greatest weapon -- its dominant defensive line. Outside of their second quarter safety, the Bulldogs failed to get significant penetration up front, leading to only three sacks on the day and Ekeler's impressive 100-yard performance on the ground. As the game dragged on, the Bulldogs were pulled further and further out of their gameplan, and the result was a game that was lost by a much wider margin than its 12-point spread would indicate.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, after falling to 1-2 they will have to travel to Kansas City next week to face Patrick Mahomes and the undefeated 3-0 Chiefs in a game that is widely expected to be a blowout.

Los Angeles Chargers at London Bulldogs
Week 3	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Los Angeles Chargers (0-2-0)	7	10	7	3	27
London Bulldogs (1-1-0)	7	5	3	0	15

Team Stats Comparison
	LAC	LDN
Total Offense	320	288
Rushing Yards	116	77
Passing Yards	204	211
First Downs	16	16
Punt Return Yards	17	10
Kick Return Yards	79	53
Total Yards	416	351
Turnovers	0	1
3rd Down Conversion	2-7	6-16
4th Down Conversion	0-1	2-5
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-1	1-1
Penalties	0-0	1-15
Posession Time	23:29	24:31

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		LAC	LDN
7:40	(LAC) M. Williams 8yd pass from J. Herbert (D. Bailey kick)	7	0
2:12	(LDN) J. Boley 1yd run (Y. Koo kick)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		LAC	LDN
10:38	(LAC) D. Bailey 40yd FG	10	7
8:35	(LAC) A. Ekeler 72yd run (D. Bailey kick)	17	7
6:53	(LDN) Team safety	17	9
0:03	(LDN) Y. Koo 38yd FG	17	12
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		LAC	LDN
5:42	(LDN) Y. Koo 31yd FG	17	15
2:04	(LAC) H. Henry 1yd pass from J. Herbert (D. Bailey kick)	24	15
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		LAC	LDN
6:10	(LAC) D. Bailey 36yd FG	27	15

Los Angeles Chargers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Herbert 23-25 229 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Austin Ekeler 18 112 6.2 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Hunter Henry 6 65 10.8 1 Mike Williams 3 37 12.3 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Dan Bailey 2-3 3-3 9 41

London Bulldogs PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kelvin Sanders 19-39 231 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Aaron Jones 18 61 3.8 0 Junior Boley 7 14 2.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Steven Sims 8 87 10.8 0 Aaron Jones 6 50 8.3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Reuben Foster 9 3.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Younghoe Koo 2-2 1-1 7 39

Week 3 Results

Week 3

Thursday's Games

Eagles 20 - 28 Panthers

Sunday's Games

Steelers 24 - 27 Bengals

Buccaneers 27 - 26 Bills

Colts 24 - 17 Patriots

Saints 29 - 16 Falcons

Seahawks 31 - 28 Jaguars

Jets 35 - 23 Dolphins

Browns 28 - 0 Bears

Texans 42 - 28 Titans

Broncos 3 - 10 Cowboys

Raiders 37 - 34 Giants

49ers 31 - 10 Rams

Lions 14 - 35 Cardinals

Ravens 26 - 36 Chiefs

Monday's Games

Packers 31 - 14 Vikings

[Tritoch42]

Re: Hounds Sterling - The UK's First Franchise (M21)

One more as a short update -- unfortunately, I accidentally deleted the screenshots from the Chiefs game. But as expected... It wasn't great. Mahomes is a god.

London Bulldogs at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 4	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
London Bulldogs (1-2-0)	7	21	0	10	38
Kansas City Chiefs (3-0-0)	14	17	14	17	62

Team Stats Comparison
	LDN	KAN
Total Offense	408	514
Rushing Yards	249	58
Passing Yards	159	456
First Downs	23	14
Punt Return Yards	3	14
Kick Return Yards	69	8
Total Yards	480	540
Turnovers	2	1
3rd Down Conversion	7-16	5-7
4th Down Conversion	4-6	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-0	5-1
Penalties	1-10	2-20
Posession Time	31:31	16:29

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		LDN	KAN
5:58	(LDN) J. Boley 10yd run (Y. Koo kick)	7	0
5:14	(KAN) C. Edwards-Helaire, 1yd run (H. Butker kick)	7	7
1:45	(KAN) T. Kelce 39yd pass from P. Mahomes (H. Butker kick)	7	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		LDN	KAN
10:27	(LDN) L. Thomas 39yd pass from K. Sanders (Y. Koo kick)	14	14
10:11	(LDN) L. Collins 28yd fumble return (Y. Koo kick)	21	14
8:22	(KAN) T. Hill 17yd pass from P. Mahomes (H. Butker kick)	21	21
4:52	(KAN) C. Edwards-Helaire, 1yd run (H. Butker kick)	21	28
1:57	(LDN) A. Jones 19yd run (Y. Koo Kick)	28	28
0:05	(KAN) H. Butker 43yd FG	28	31
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		LDN	KAN
10:09	(KAN) S. Watkins 6yd pass from P. Mahomes (H. Butker kick)	28	38
4:12	(KAN) T. Hill 17yd pass from P. Mahomes (H. Butker kick)	28	45
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		LDN	KAN
11:08	(LDN) Y. Koo 41yd FG	31	45
10:30	(KAN) T. Hill 73yd pass from P. Mahomes (H. Butker kick)	31	52
7:53	(KAN) F. Clark 41yd fumble return (H. Butker kick)	31	59
4:40	(KAN) H. Butker 34yd FG	31	62
0:15	(LDN) J. Boley 6yd run (H. Koo kick)	38	62

London Bulldogs PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kelvin Sanders 14-29 173 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Aaron Jones 24 120 5.0 1 Junior Boley 21 108 5.1 2 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Logan Thomas 7 122 17.4 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Younghoe Koo 1-1 5-5 8 42

Kansas City Chiefs PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Patrick Mahomes 24-30 462 5 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Clyde Edwards-Helaire 12 59 4.9 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Tyreek Hill 7 198 28.2 3 Travis Kelce 7 167 23.8 1 Sammy Watkins 4 29 7.2 1 Mecole Hardman 4 59 14.7 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Harrison Butker 2-2 8-8 14 44