Season opener, at home vs Cincinatti Bengals! Time to see if I can get my first win as an NFL Head Coach!
I win the coin toss and select to recieve. After going 3 and out, it's 4th and 2 inside my own 40. So what do I do? Sub in McFadden as my blocking FB on the punt team and direct snap it to him of course!! He takes it for a 21 yard gain, but Smith throws a pick the very next play. Grrr. The Bengals take the turnover and make 3 points out of it. The next drive led to much more success, as McFadden recoreded his first NFL touchdown on a Shotgun draw play! I thought he was going to be tackled for a loss at least 3 times but somehow juked some guys out and trucked over another into the end zone! Left me like :O. The next score comes in the second quarter, when Troy Smith takes a QB draw into the endzone from inside the 5, then we close out the first half with a Serna FG. 17-3 halftime score. Nothing happens in the 3rd quarter, and finally with about half of the 4th quarter to go, Smith hits Derrick Mason on a curl option route about 3 yards from the endzone, and he pushes it in! 24-3. Carson Palmer takes the Bengals the distance the next drive, making it 24-10. One play into the 2 minute warning, McFadden fumbles the ball and the Bengals recover
. They take it to the house with less than 10 seconds left, 24-17. They kick it deep, and my returner Yamon Figurs holds on to the ball long enough to run out the clock. Game over!
Player of the Game: Ray Lewis 8 tackles 2 sacks 1 interception
Other stats
Troy Smith:above 50% completion 180yds 1td 1int, rush td
McGahee: 17 carries 61 yds 1fumble lost, 4 catches 17yds
McFadden: 8 carries, 56yds, 1td, 2 drops, 1fumble lost
Derrick Mason: 4 catches 55yds 1td
Dre Moore: 2 sacks
Terrell Suggs: sack
Defense: 230 pass yds allowed, 2td 1int
3.6 ypc allowed
17 points allowed
5 sacks
Offensive line: 3 sacks given up
Special teams: 1/1 FG 3/3 XP
3 punts
Final: Baltimore 24 - Cincinatti 17
Notes: My defensive line really missed the anchoring presence of Haloti Ngata and Trevor Pryce, although Dre Moore did account for 2 sacks in Pryce's place. I started a rookie defensive end in place of Ngata, and he also had a sack but was injured in the first half and did not return leaving another rookie to take his place. Also, my backup center was injured. If he can't make the next game, I'm thinking of starting Jason Spitz at center (his college position) and starting either Jason Brown or C. Chester at LG. Lastly, Todd Heap was able to start the game but didn't even make it through the first quarter, leaving the game with a chest injury.