A Long Season

The season is almost over and we have won 4 games, and with injuries we are unlikely to win any more. Historically, that is a good year. However, I am hoping that I can soon take such things for granted. I look forward to at long last signing my own players, and using the draft picks I have earned with all this losing. We need especially to get better in the secondary, where we are not even competitive, and on the offensive line, so we can run with some hope and block anything more than a token pass rush.

Longsuffering Stars

One thing that has to happen going forward, if we want to be something other than terrible, is for the few stars we have to fade into the background. Quarterback Jefferson Gunn needs to be replaced by a younger player. Receiver D. K. Metcalf needs to be surrounded by other good players. The biggest problem for lineman “Bluto” Blutarsky (His name is a reference to a movie that's twice as old as he is!) is that there's only one of him.

Some people in my conference have been lavishly rewarded during camp. I have not. Still, here it is:

1.10 CB John Olsen Vol: 32 +1/-3 Now 30/59

I needed to get faster and younger at CB. I still need that.


2.8 FS Lonnie Howell Vol: 38 +7/+0 Now 35/59

Helplessly flailing at passing receivers was not a good feeling. This guy is not a world-beater, but he's better than what I had.


3.12 LDE Marvin Fernandez Vol: 68 +4/-5 Now 35/58

A big bust who will play because he has to. Maybe I can get some sloppy seconds from Lars.


4.11 LDE Frank Lowenthal Vol: 90 +5/-8 Now 39/51

An even bigger bust. I can only hope he doesn't play. He'll be first in line at the waiver wire to get cut. Hopefully I can do better than him.


5.10 RG Mario Gibbs Vol: 30 +6/+4 Now 49/79

Grind-it-out it is then. My style is so weird and ugly because I'm so bad at getting little guys.


6.9 WR Troy Atwater Vol: 82 +4/+3 Now 49/61

It shows how bad my depth is that this guy will be useful.


7.12 DT Alan Martin Vol: 60 +3/-3 Now 35/58

He would have needed to boom to stay on. He didn't boom, and so he won't stay.


My weights are very different than the default weights posted here, so my camp was not quite as disastrous as the default says it was, but still it was bad. The future in my division looks pretty bleak, but all I can do is play on.

Injuries Did Me In

After a promising start, I slid back into mediocrity. At one point in the season, I was missing my 2 top linebackers and 3 top centers. I can only hope I can get some of my rivals' luck in training camp.

Still Stuck with Gunn

I had hoped to change my QB this year, but his replacement had a hole in his head. It didn't happen. The only reason the clock might not be ticking is if it has gone off already.

Still Searching for a DE

I drafted two DE's highly, and they both busted. I got a warm body from Lars, and he was just that. So now, I get to try again. Lucky me!

Goodbye, Justin Shorter

One of the few bright spots on my team (when he wasn't injured, of course!) was WR Justin Shorter. Now I'm letting him leave to get an opportunity I can't give him. I sure missed him when he wasn't around.

A Historic Collapse

After a promising start, I collapsed terribly. I still stumbled into the playoffs, but only just. I have been trying to get some depth so my team does not fall in a pile when it gets injuries, but I'm really struggling with that.

Big Hole at QB

I was 2-7 when I gave up more than 10 points. Obviously I need to do better than that. QB James Leopold didn't put up terrible numbers, but he really wilted under pressure. Anybody would have stunk the way the offense was run under my predecessor, but it's obvious now that he's not the guy. I have finally wrestled my defense into shape, and now my offense is a basket case.

An Important Offseason

I have many needs going forward. I need to do better at QB. RB Butch Coolidge doesn't stink out loud, but I need to do better than that as well. After D.K. Metcalf, WR is a problem too. Epic training camp bust Frank Lowenthal is still on my team, so I need depth, depth, depth.

Bye Bye, Ziggy Xang

It may have been surprising that last season's leading receiver has ended up on the street. This makes a little more sense, however, in light of reality. I had to rejigger the offense a lot in order send him on routes that he could run, and throw him ***** that he could catch. Everybody else suffered terribly when I did that. In addition, he was a speed guy who wasn't so fast anymore. Though I'll miss him in certain ways (especially on kickoff returns!), this was an easy decision. Going back to a conventional offense might help me a lot, and early returns look pretty good.

Aging Badly

A lot of players I inherited are getting old all at once. Though they were not great, losing them all at once makes my numerous holes bigger. 2 out of 3 RB's got a lot closer to retirement. In addition, my WLB is on the clock now, and my MLB is not far behind. All those players were injury prone, so I'm already pretty used to getting along without them, but it will be a chore to replace them all at once.

Limited Help in the Draft

After first-round WR Scott Reed, who looks pretty good, everybody else looks sketchy. Second-round DE Thomas English already busted minorly, and now is making no progress. Third-round FS James West looks like a full-scale bust. Fourth-round MLB Benjamin Johnson is limited in coverage, but still looks useful. My existing players will have to start doing better, because help is not coming.

A Step Back

Thanks to a first-place schedule and a rash of injuries, I had my worst season ever. I must have struck a nerve with JDB because he really put the screws to me. I can only hope that my sorry record will help me in recruiting.

Many departures

I am going to need to replace my aging veterans. Though C Christian Oliver is the only one who is graduating, MLB Vincent Vega, WLB Lewis Clark, RB Butch Coolidge, and RB Mark Luna are all fading quietly into the sunset.

RBOTF may be solved but I still Have a WR problem

He had very limited duty there because he was pressed into service at WR for most of the season, but Scott Reed looked like the real deal at RB. Good thing, because at WR, he was a giant bust. If I am going to move him over there officially, I will need more receivers badly. Perhaps transfers and recruiting can help me do that.