NFL Expansion 2002: McMahon's Las Vegas Outlaws

[Culture Rot]

Backstory: In 2002, The NFL made room for a new expansion team. It saw the addition of the Houston Texans. In this franchise, Houston doesn't get the bid, making room for another franchise: The Las Vegas Outlaws.


NFL Reluctantly Welcomes The McMahon Family



Only months off the heels of the closure of the XFL, Vince McMahon still was not ready to give up the football dream. He was still bitter, believing the league just needed a few more years to grow. After considering various options, he decided to go big, and gather a group together to make a bid at an NFL Franchise. For the name, as a nod to his beloved XFL, they would use the Las Vegas Outlaws. In news that wasn't without controversy, Las Vegas got the bid, and like that, Vince McMahon had found his way back in the football buisness. Vince vowed to not tinker on the General Manager side of things, leaving that to his son Shane McMahon, and advisor Charlie Casserly. The move has drawn much laughter within the NFL, who accuse Vince of nepotism. Charlie Casserly is the architect of Super Bowl teams, and Shane McMahon has zero football background. It is no matter however, as he made clear it is his team, and it will be run his way. McMahon sees himself as an Al Davis for the New Millenium, and wants to build his team in that image. Problem is Al Davis is still in the league, and his Raiders team (along with just about every other NFL team) is much stronger than any team the Las Vegas Outlaws are expected to put on the field. The McMahon's Outlaws will start the season with a giant target on their back.
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CURRENT DEPTH CHART




Head Coach: Dom Capers
Offense: “Smashmouth”
Defensive Scheme: 3-4 Defense


QB - David Carr

QB 2 - Jesse Palmer

QB 3 - Rohan Davey


RB - Rod Smart

RB 2 - Jonathan Wells

RB 3 - Luke Staley

RB 4 - Ben Gay


FB - Joel Machovica

FB 2 - Brock Olivio

FB 3 - Frank Leatherwood


WR 1 - Jabar Gaffney

WR 2- Corey Bradford

WR 3 - Yo Murphy

WR 4 - Snoop Minnis

WR 5 – Eric Crouch

WR 6 – Mike Furrey

TE - Boo Williams


TE 2 - Billy Miller


G -


G - Demingo Graham


T - Tony Boscelli


T -


DE - Kyle Vanden Bosch

DE 2 - Corey Sears


DT - Seth Payne

DT -


MLB - Jamie Sharper

MLB - Bryan Cox

MLB – Brant Boyer

OLB - Bill Romanowski

OLB 2 - Jeff Posey

OLB 3 - Kailee Wong

CB - Deion Sanders
CB - Marcus Coleman
CB - Aaron Glenn
CB - Kevin Kaesviharn
CB-

FS - Jason Sehorn

FS 2 - Matt Stevens


SS -


SS 2 - Than Merrill


K - Kris Brown


P- Chad Stanley


Kick Returner-

Punt Returner -

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The Season Begins In One Month!

Next: The Expansion Draft

[IBMA]

Definitely following and interested! Good luck!

[Culture Rot]

PLENTY FOR OUTLAWS TO CHOOSE FROM IN EXPANSION DRAFT

The NFL's list of players available to be selected by the Las Vegas Outlaws in expansion draft. The Outlaws must select at least 30 players excluding any restricted free agents or spend 38 percent ($27.24 million) of the $71.7 million salary cap for 2002.

UNPROTECTED PLAYERS FOR EXPANSION DRAFT
Team Player (salary cap hit for 2002)

WR Rob Moore ($4,500,000)
DE Jabari Issa ($397,666)
CB Coby Rhinehart ($563,000)
LB Johnny Rutledge ($656,000)
FB Joel Machovica ($700,000)


RB Jamal Anderson ($7,500,000)
S Ronnie Bradford ($3,212,500)
QB Chris Chandler ($8,500,000)
TE Derek Rackley ($375,000)
RB Rodney Thomas ($660,000)


WR Jermaine Lewis ($4,289,333)
LB Jamie Sharper ($2,875,000)
LB Brad Jackson ($563,000)
DE Rob Burnett ($5,025,000)
OL Kipp Vickers ($725,000)


WR Avion Black ($460,000)
OT John Fina ($4,423,380)
S Raion Hill ($389,000)
CB Ken Irvin ($3,320,000)
QB Rob Johnson ($10,575,000)


RB Tim Biakabutuka ($2,725,154)
CB Doug Evans ($7,452,500)
DE Sean Gilbert ($8,710,000)
CB Jimmy Hitchcock ($4,321,000)
LB Dean Wells ($1,640,000)


RB Autry Denson ($563,000)
C Kevin Dogins ($531,769)
S Than Merril ($300,000)
DT Robert Newkirk ($450,000)
QB Danny Wuerffel ($555,760)


OT John Jackson ($975,000)
LB Riall Johnson ($300,000)
DE Jevon Langford ($525,000)
TE Tony McGee ($1,800,000)
OT Jamain Stephens ($750,000)


LB Brant Boyer ($1,075,000)
S Lamar Chapman ($400,260)
CB Corey Fuller ($4,909,000)
G Jeremy McKinney ($405,760)
OT Roman Oben ($4,866,668)


C Ben Fricke ($563,000)
TE Johnny Huggins ($300,000)
TE Mike Solwold ($300,000)
C Mark Stepnoski ($4,489,333)
S George Teague ($1,150,000)


DT Jerry Johnson ($474,000)
WR Phil McGeoghan ($300,000)
DE Kavika Pittman ($2,500,000)
LB Bill Romanowski ($3,494,098)
FB Detron Smith ($790,000)


TE Brad Banta ($670,000)
QB Charlie Batch ($3,638,951)
RB Reuben Droughns ($300,000)
S Kurt Schulz ($2,100,000)
RB James Stewart ($5,300,000)


DT Santana Dotson ($3,300,000)
LB Bernardo Harris ($2,656,250)
DE John Thierry ($3,520,000)
C Rob Davis ($540,000)
LB K.D. Williams ($563,000)


CB Jeff Burris ($6,583,000)
S Chad Cota ($4,066,000)
TE Ken Dilger ($3,390,000)
DT Ellis Johnson ($6,001,666)
DT Mike Wells ($1,250,000)


OT Tony Boselli ($6,883,332)
OG Zach Wiegert
WR Keenan McCardell ($4,565,000)
DT Seth Payne ($2,775,000)
DT Gary Walker ($5,250,000)


WR Derrick Alexander ($5,660,000)
CB Taje Allen ($525,000)
DT Nate Hobgood-Chittic ($525,000)
WR Larry Parker ($563,000)
S Bracey Walker ($812,500)


DT Tim Bowens ($8,750,000)
LB Scott Galyon ($1,016,666)
TE Hunter Goodwin ($1,450,000)
LG Heath Irwin ($1,915,000)
RB J.J. Johnson ($777,750)


OT Brad Badger ($975,000)
LB Ed McDaniel ($6,602,000)
CB Robert Tate ($1,842,668)
FS Orlando Thomas ($4,411,509)
WR Troy Walters ($406,000)


LB Willie McGinest
LB Ted Johnson
CB Terrance Shaw
WR Charles Johnson ($1,105,462)
S Matt Stevens ($565,000)


C/G Tom Ackerman ($1,940,000)
QB Jeff Blake ($5,916,666)
S Richard Newsome ($303,000)
LB Darrin Smith ($1,612,500)
G Wally Williams ($5,507,666)


LB Jessie Armstead ($5,565,369)
S Sam Garnes ($2,613,357)
DE Kenny Holmes ($2,900,000)
G Glenn Parker ($1,663,357)
QB Jesse Palmer ($850,000)

DT Shane Burton ($1,166,666)
CB Marcus Coleman ($5,480,750)
CB Aaron Glenn ($8,013,177)
S Chris Hayes ($705,000)
RT Ryan Young ($563,000)


LB Elijah Alexander ($1,150,000)
RB Terry Kirby ($675,000)
WR Marcus Knight ($300,000)
S Marquez Pope ($800,000)
DT Josh Taves ($389,000)


TE Jeff Thomason ($656,000)
CB Darrel Crutchfield ($306,000)
CB William Hampton ($306,000)
LB Ryan Schau
WR Gari Scott ($475,000)


WR Troy Edwards
FB John Witman ($575,000)
OL Roger Duffy ($792,000)
WR Will Blackwell ($525,000)
OL Mike Schneck


QB Dave Dickenson ($315,000)
TE Freddie Jones ($4,018,750)
CB Lloyd Harrison ($358,000)
RB Fred McCrary ($775,000)
S Jason Perry ($563,000)

TE Greg Clark ($2,647,750)
OG Ray Brown ($3,822,000)
C Ben Lynch ($563,000)
DT Reggie McGrew ($1,099,342)
CB Anthony Parker ($431,000)


WR Fabien Bownes ($550,000)
C Jean-Philippe Darche ($389,000)
WR/KR Charlie Rogers ($563,000)
DE Michael Sinclair ($5,963,674)
CB Paul Miranda ($563,000)


OT Ryan Tucker ($3,859,333)
LB Mark Fields ($2,505,760)
LB Brian Allen ($452,000)
CB Jacoby Shepherd ($591,166)
FB Justin Watson ($563,000)


LB Jeff Gooch ($2,150,000)
DE Marcus Jones ($3,750,000)
TE Sean McDermott ($300,000)



CB DeRon Jenkins ($3,083,000)
OL Bruce Matthews ($5,491,666)
WR Chris Sanders ($3,150,000)
DE Juqua Thomas ($301,500)


DT Ethan Albright ($705,000)
KR Michael Bates ($800,000)
G Matthew Campbell ($875,000)
DT Jerry DeLoach ($300,000)
WR Kevin Lockett ($1,250,000)

[Culture Rot]

Quote: Originally Posted by IBMA

Definitely following and interested! Good luck!

Thanks. With the house rules I've set up, we are going to need it.

[Culture Rot]

[Culture Rot]

FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE

The day before the expansion draft, the Outlaws held a press conference with their entire brain trust in tow. Vince McMahon (owner), Shane McMahon (GM), Charlie Casserly (Assistant GM), and Dom Capers (Head Coach). However insiders say Shane’s GM tag is in name only, and Casserly is the one doing the grunt work. If anything, he is Casserly’s assistant.

After the fall of the XFL, Vince McMahon is clearly not ready to let up his football dream just yet. The McMahon family ponied up $500 million dollars, and made many back room deals, to get the rites over Houston to be the NFL’s latest expansion club. As an expansion fee, the $500 million sum is staggering, because McMahon’s Outlaws team has no past, no players, no name, no logo, no fan clubs. The Outlaws will ditch their XFL color scheme, and will adopt the color scheme of Black and Red, the same colors of the XFL.

“As with our now defunct league (The XFL), the Outlaws plan to play a uniquely physical and exciting brand of football, that will excite our fans even as we may struggle early on to become a winning NFL steam.” McMahon said at the press conference, lowering expectations. “But make no mistake, over the next several years, we plan to be a winning football team. A championship football team.”

In terms of on the field schemes, little is known yet other than this tidbit offered by coach Dom Capers. “We plan to play a 3-4 Defense” he said matter of factly. “But we still have a lot of personnel to acquire to make that happen.”


(Episode 1 Premieres Wednesday At Noon, with the Expansion Draft, as well as an unveil of the team logo and uniforms.)

[Culture Rot]

THE EXPANSION DRAFT

2002 Las Vegas Outlaws Expansion Draft


1 Tony Boselli OT Jacksonville Jaguars $6,883,332
2 Bill Romanowski MLB Denver Broncos $5,563,000
3 Aaron Glenn CB New York Jets $8,013,177
4 Mark Stepanowski T Dallas Cowboys $2,250,000
5 Jamie Sharper LB Baltimore Ravens $2,875,000
6 Corey Bradford WR Green Bay Packers $4,289,333
7 Marcus Coleman CB New York Jets $5,480,750
8 Seth Payne DT Jacksonville Jaguars $2,775,000
9 Bryan Cox MLB New York Jets $1,875,000
10 Matt Stevens S New England Patriots $565,000
11 Jason Sehorn CB New York Giants $3,405,760
12 Ryan Schau OT Philadelphia Eagles $563,000
13 Than Merrill SS Chicago Bears $563,000
14 Joel Mackovica FB Arizona Cardinals $700,000
15 Jabari Issa DE Arizona Cardinals $397,666
16 Avion Black WR Buffalo Bills $460,000
17 Snoop Minnis WR Kansas City Chiefs 452,000
18 Boo Williams TE New Orleans Saints $700,000
19 Jesse Palmer QB New York Giants $1,405,760
20 Travis Jervey FB San Francisco 49ers $660,000

Coming Up Next: The NFL Rookie Draft!

[Culture Rot]

"HE HATE ME"

Ah, those three little words. Fans long to hear them. Rod Smart longs to say them. So every time the newest Las Vegas Outlaw special-teams player is asked for an autograph, he proudly scrawls them next to his name:
“He Hate Me.”

That’s what Smart wore on the back of his jersey when he was playing for the XFL’s Las Vegas Outlaws, and it’s still how he’s best known. He hopes to make Rod Smart a name NFL fans will know as well, after the Free Agent signed a two year contract with the Las Vegas Outlaws this week. The signing will make Smart one of the first former XFL players to find a home in the NFL. He is joining Jose Cortez, Tommy Maddox, among others.

He is expected to be used as a Running back, but primarily on special teams. The Outlaws didn't select any running backs in the expansion draft, and only selected one fullback, Joel Makovicka.

Smart will be playing for the same city and team he played for in the XFL, ironically. In 2001 Smart landed a tryout with XFL version of the Las Vegas Outlaws and wound up as the league’s second-leading rusher -- 555 yards in 146 carries -- and the Outlaws’ most prolific receiver.

He became better known, though, as “He Hate Me,” a spur-of-the-moment nickname that turned out to be a brilliant way to promote himself. “It’s self-explanatory,” Smart said. “Go out there, beat your man and make him hate you. At the same time, you’ve got to have fun doing it.”

The NFL has commented it will not allow Smart to wear “He Hate Me” on the back of his jersey, however.