Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

[BailsoHard]

Game: Madden 12
Platform: Xbox 360
Sliders: Previously KBLover's All-Pro, may switch to Jarrod21's or Default All-Madden soon
Quarter Length: 11 Minutes

The Falcons have moved to the UFL and a replacement team has been created in Atlanta, after a terrible preseason owner Jonah Vaughn cut every player and formed a team comprising of only Free Agents. This series follows a group of NFL rejects in their quest for a Super Bowl.

This is my first dynasty, so bear with me, feel free to comment or leave feedback I love reading what you guys have to say!

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Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Team Records By Year
2011: Currently 5-3

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Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Falcons Dart for UFL, Bidding War Begins for a 32nd Expansion Team

Falcons owner Arthur Blank made it official today. Despite the urgings of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Blank moved his team to the up and coming UFL, leaving a vacancy in the NFC South.

It was a long and arduous process but Blank felt that leaving the NFL was "the only option in order for this team to move in the right direction." Blank had previously expressed interest in moving his team to Oklahoma City, but Goodell would not allow it.

Goodell has begun his search for an owner as he plans on establishing a replacement team in Atlanta to compete before the preseason. The top bidder at the moment is Jonah Vaughn, a young and charismatic billionaire who made his money in hedge funds.

"I am intrigued at the prospect of owning an NFL team, and would love to give the city of Atlanta a winner." said Vaughn. He repeated his desires to win when he said that as owner he would do whatever he could to succeed in the NFL "no matter how unorthodox my methods may be."

The new expansion team will certainly be an interesting storyline for the 2011 season, The biggest question to be answered is whether a new team can compete in the thriving NFL.

-ESPN

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Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Vaughn Wins New NFL Team, Atlanta Bandits Are Formed

Today Jonah Vaughn is all smiles.

It was hard to ignore his grin as he waltzed out of his three story mansion to retrieve the mail, he paused for a moment to ham it up for the cameras before stopping for comments.

A reporter asked him "What will be your first act as owner of this new franchise?"

Vaughn stated that he would "tear down the roof of the Georgia Dome to create an outdoor stadium."

The new owner also revealed the teams name, the Atlanta Bandits. In addition to the names he also unveiled prototypes for his team's new uniforms, a mixture of purple and white. Vaughn stated that he went with purple because the color represented royalty.

Still it will be an uphill struggle for the Bandits, a cupcake team of reject rookies has reported to Atlanta for their first practice, and we could already see Vaughn was displeased with his team's work ethic. With the preseason right around the corner the Bandits will gain valuable playing experience before the regular season.

-ESPN

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Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Vaughn Goes on Tirade After 0-4 Preseason, Cuts Entire Team

The smiles of Jonah Vaughn have faded.

His emotions appeared to get the best of him, as he was reduced to tears following his team's abysmal performance in the preseason.

"I understand that we aren't expected to win a Super Bowl this year" stated Vaughn, "but I just can't do anything with this team anymore."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell watched in horror as Vaughn released every player in his organization, "he's making a huge mistake, this will cost him in terms of reputation and money" stated Goodell.

Players around the league are chiming in on Vaughn's tirade, Ravens LB Ray Lewis was one of the few supporters of Vaughn, saying that "the organization as a whole needs a clean slate, the original rookies assigned weren't going to get the job done in todays league."

In his final comment of the night, Vaughn outlined his plan to create a team comprised of current NFL free agents, when asked what his team will be based around, he chuckled and said one word.

"Speed."

-ESPN

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Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Smith, O'Hara, Tatupu Headline New Wave of Bandits

Jonah Vaughn went through with it, signing 53 new players. The group includes Troy Smith, Lofa Tatupu, Braylon Edwards, Shaun O'Hara and Kawika Mitchell amongst others.

The new team will be on the field week one versus the Bears, and in their short time together must create a positive team chemistry.

Here is a glimpse at the 2011 Atlanta Bandits depth chart.

-ESPN

Atlanta Bandits Depth Chart - 2011
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	Braylon Edwards	Mike Sims-Walker	Bernard Berrian	Robert You
TE	Jeff Cumberland	David Martin	Brad Cottam
LT	Reggie Wells	Shaun Andrews	Alex Barron
LG	Chester Pitts	Mark Setterstrom
C	Shaun O'Hara	Adam Koets
RG	Kyle Devan	Adrian Jones
RT	Mario Henderson	Ray Willis
WR	Derrick Williams	Mardy Gilyard
QB	Troy Smith	Trent Edwards	Nate Davis
FB	Naufahu Tahi
HB	Noel Devine	Laurence Maroney	Kory Sheets
Base 4-3 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	Eric Moore	Hall Davis
LDT	Igor Olshansky	Titus Adams
RDT	Ronald Fields	Louis Leonard
RDE	Vernon Gholston	Jay Richardson	Stylez White
WLB	Clint Ingram	Dyral Briggs
MLB	Lofa Tatupu	Darry Beckwith
SLB	Kawika Mitchell	Zack Follett	Jyles Tucker
CB	Fabian Washington	Bruce Johnson	Jeremy Ware	Joe Porter
SS	Michael Johnson	Chinedum Ndukwe	Mike Newton
FS	Kareem Moore	Cary Harris

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Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Atlanta Bandits 2011 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 11	at Chicago Bears
Sep 18	vs Philadelphia Eagles
Sep 25	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Oct 2	at Seattle Seahawks
Oct 9	vs Green Bay Packers
Oct 16	vs Carolina Panthers
Oct 23	at Detroit Lions
Nov 6	at Indianapolis Colts
Nov 13	vs New Orleans Saints
Nov 20	vs Tennessee Titans
Nov 27	vs Minnesota Vikings
Dec 4	at Houston Texans
Dec 11	at Carolina Panthers
Dec 15	vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Dec 26	at New Orleans Saints
Jan 1	vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Bandits Ready For Season Opener in Chicago

A fresh Bandits team walked off the plane into Chicago, they were met with a flurry of boos.

"This is just the type of behavior you get from Chicago fans, they are very passionate about their team," said former Bear Bernard Berrian. "

The self proclaimed "Fastest Team in the NFL" wasn't together two weeks ago, so adjusting to each other has been a challenge for everyone.

"The most difficult part of this process has been getting to know these guys in so little time." said starting quarterback Troy Smith.

Team chemistry isn't the only obstacle, the Bandits will be facing one of the stoutest defenses in the league in the Chicago Bears, and they will be playing in the hostile environment of Soldier Field.

"The linebacking core is the scariest part of their defense" said halfback Noel Devine, "Urlacher and Briggs have dominated this league for years."

Owner, GM, and Head Coach Jonah Vaughn shared some positive words with his team before concluding practice on Saturday. "We've come a long way in just one short week, even if we don't win I see improvement and heart in this team."

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Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Smith Suffers Season Ending Injury During Tough Opener

The first points in franchise history were not scored by the likes of Sims-Walker, Edwards, or Berrian. It was the halfback Kory Sheets who took a 24yd screen pass from Troy Smith and turned it into a touchdown.

Unfortunately that was the highlight of Smith's day, as he tore his pectoral and will be out for the season.

It did not start so bad, the Bandits went up 7-0 in the 2nd quarter in what seemed to be a competitive game, then the Bears struck back with 21 in a row to end the half, including a hail mary to Roy Williams as time expired.

"That pass to end the second quarter really killed our energy," said Kawika Mitchell, who finished the game with 3 Tackles for Loss, Mitchell will also miss a week of playing time due to injury.

Starting halfback Noel Devine also was injured and missed most of the second half, he will not miss anymore playing time.

It wouldn't be until the last minute of the 4th quarter that the Bandits would strike again, this time on a Rhys Lloyd field goal from 48 yards out.

"It was a tough first game and you can really feel for guys like Troy," said Jonah Vaughn, "replacing him will be difficult."

Currently backup Trent Edwards is slated to start next week, but knowing Vaughn that could change very quickly.

-ESPN

Atlanta Bandits at Chicago Bears
Sep 11, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Atlanta Bandits (0-1)	-	7	-	3	-	10
Chicago Bears (1-0)	-	21	-	10	-	31

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		ATL	CHI
10:23	(ATL) K. Sheets 24yd pass from T.Smith (R.Lloyd kick)	7	0
3:14	(CHI) M. Forte 15yd run (R.Gould kick)	7	7
1:01	(CHI) E. Bennet 31yd pass from J. Cutler (R. Gould kick)	7	14
0:00	(CHI) R. Williams 45yd pass from J. Cutler (R. Gould kick)	7	21
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		ATL	CHI
8:27	(CHI) R. Gould 46yd FG	7	24
8:15	(CHI) Z. Bowman returned INT 36yds (R. Gould kick)	7	31
0:50	(ATL) R. Lloyd 48yd FG	10	31

Atlanta Bandits

Chicago Bears

Game Leaders

Passing
CHI: Jay Cutler 18-24 320yds 2TD,INT
ATL: Troy Smith 15-36 170yds TD,INT

Rushing
CHI: Matt Forte 24 att 136yds TD
ATL: Laurence Maroney 7 att 45yds

Recieving
CHI: Kellen Davis 4 rec 109yds
ATL: Bernard Berrian 4 rec 62yds

Tackling
CHI: Nick Roach 7 tkls
ATL: Michael Johnson/Kareem Moore 9 tkls

Sacks
CHI: Chris Melton 2.0 sacks
ATL: Eric Moore 2.0 sacks

Atlanta Bandits Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
ROLB	Kawika Mitchell	Broken Jaw - 1 week
DT	Ronald Fields	Broken Forearm - 2 weeks
QB	Troy Smith	Torn Pectoral Muscle - Season (IR)

[dubvcrazy]

Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Looks good man! Following!

Not a bad first loss. Good luck!

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Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Bandits Sign Former Buckeye Terrelle Pryor, QB Competition Heats Up

With the loss of Troy Smith, Jonah Vaughn has turned to another OSU alumn to relieve their situation at quarterback. Rookie Terrelle Pryor reported for practice today and looked solid in his reps.

"He certainly is the fastest QB we have" said Vaughn, "he fits the identity of the team but his accuracy frightens me a bit."

Next up was Trent Edwards, the only QB on the team to start an NFL game. Edwards demonstrated his accuracy but ultimately had issues reading the zone.

"While not as versatile as Terrelle, he certainly has a better arm at this point" commented Vaughn.

Perhaps a dark horse will take charge in this QB race, Nate Davis demonstrated his freakish ability to close practice, and although his accuracy wasn't great his power is what impressed coach the most.

"With play like that he can also be considered a contender to start against Philidelphia," said Vaughn. "He is very athletic."

When asked who the leader of the quarterback race was, Vaughn stated that "no one has really stood out to me yet."

[oilersfanatic]

Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

I tried to do this with a team in Anchorage, but didn't went well lol.
Good luck, hopefully yours will go different.

[BailsoHard]

Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Edwards, Pryor Will Both See Snaps Against Philadelphia

Owner, Head Coach, and GM Jonah Vaughn has reached his decision, Trent Edwards has earned the start against Philadelphia.

"He was clicking on all cylinders with his recievers today, and I have confidence in his abilities" said Vaughn, "however Pryor has earned his place in the game as well."

"Although I didn't earn the spot, coach will put me in for some designed run plays" said Pryor. "I'm happy to have a spot on this team."

Pryor wasn't the only one excited, Trent Edwards will be starting his first game in nearly a calendar year, he was benched September 20th in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick by the Bills.

"It's great to have another chance" said Edwards "I will surely make the most of it."

The team made final preparations for their home opener as well, they are looking to improve on their 31-10 loss at Chicago.

"It was a painful game but we have learned a lot from it" said linebacker Lofa Tatupu "I'm excited to play in the newly constructed Bandits field in front of the home crowd."

-ESPN

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Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Edwards Benched at the Half, Pryor Leads Bandits to First Franchise Victory

It was not the game everyone expected.

Despite the fantastic rushing performance from Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and tailback Lesean McCoy, the "Dream Team" only managed 3 points against a stout Bandits defense. Vick threw 3 interceptions in Atlanta's upset win.

"We made some adjustments after Vick ran all over us the first half" said Bandits linebacker Lofa Tatupu. "Coach realized we would have to spy a defensive tackle in order to slow him down."

The Bandits offense also failed to click, Trent Edwards made the start and proceeded to throw 3 interceptions in one half before being benched for Terrelle Pryor, who unexpectedly led his team to victory despite completing only 3 passes.

"It was one of the ugliest wins I've ever seen" said Pryor "Props to the defense for keeping us in that game."

Perhaps it was the loss of Braylon Edwards in the second quarter that weakened the Bandit passing attack, the wide receiver left the game and it was revealed after he had a herniated disk and would miss 9 weeks.

Noel Devine contributed on the ground, boasting 15 carries for 85 yards. Pryor also did his part, gaining 40 yards on his 4 carries.

Eagles kicker Alex Henery missed 2 pivotal field goals in the game, he was not available for postgame comment.

No one is more excited that Jonah Vaughn, who broke out the champagne and celebrated the victory like they had won the Super Bowl, "This is a great moment for our guys and we just want to celebrate before preparing for next week" said a teary-eyed Vaughn.

-ESPN

Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Bandits
Sep 18, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Philadelphia Eagles (0-2)	3	-	-	-	3
Atlanta Bandits (1-1)	-	-	-	7	7

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		PHI	ATL
3:04	(PHI) A. Henery 18 yd FG	3	0
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		PHI	ATL
7:39	(ATL) M. Sims Walker 24 yd pass from T. Pryor (R. Lloyd kick)	3	7

Philadelphia Eagles

Atlanta Bandits

Game Leaders

Passing
PHI: Michael Vick 12-28 155yds 3INT
ATL: Trent Edwards 8-19 75yds 3INT

Rushing
PHI: Michael Vick 14att 107yds
ATL: Noel Devine 15att 85yds

Recieving
PHI: Jason Avant 5 rec 55yds
ATL: Mike Sims-Walker 2 rec 34yds TD

Tackling
PHI: Jamar Chaney 7 tkls
ATL: Lofa Tatupu 9 tkls

Sacks
PHI: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie 3.0 sacks
ATL: Eric Moore 2.0 sacks

Other Notables
PHI: Lesean McCoy 14att 90yds
ATL: Terrelle Pryor 3-9 43yds TD INT 4att 40yds

Atlanta Bandits Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
WR	Braylon Edwards	Herniated Disk - 9 weeks
QB	Troy Smith	Torn Pectoral Muscle - Season (IR)

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Re: Changing the NFL Landscape: An Atlanta Bandits Dynasty

Bandits Make Changes at WR After Losing Edwards

Jonah Vaughn likes to think of himself as a tinkerer.

"Every week I'm making adjustments so that I send the best possible team out on the field." said Vaughn, who is dealing with the loss of #1 wide reciever Braylon Edwards.

The Bandits have signed former Washington State Cougar Jason Hill as a temporary replacement.

"I'm ecstatic to be on this new team" said Hill, "I'm looking forward to getting back on the field after all this time."

Vaughn also made some changes in the depth chart, switching rookie wide receiver Mardy Gilyard and former Stanford Cardinal Robert You, Gilyard will play in the #4 spot.

"I'm hoping a young guy like Mardy can start up this receiving core, he has a lot of potential." said Vaughn.

-ESPN