FootballIdiot

Season 41 recap

Clayton Truman had a historical season, becoming the 2nd QB after legend Josh Bruce to reach 6000 yards. He also broke Bruce's TD record when he registered his 83rd. Truman was named MVP and OPOY while helping two receivers (Sheldon Stone and Hunter Wallick) to reach 2000 yards.

Ricky Wayne was named DPOY with his versatile play, though Lamarr Pritchett was close in the voting. Rookie Ike Manson fit very well in the system, getting 8 sacks and returning his 3 interceptions for TDs.

Playoffs recap

The Blizzard blew out the Jaguars and the Wasps to set the stage for a Super Bowl game against the 14-2 Cowboys. Dallas was finally returning to the big game after a few years of rebuilding.





The Cowboys came out strong in the 1st quarter, and finished strong, but they didn't play 60 minutes and it cost them.



Landon O'Brien ties the score early.


Hunter Wallick beats his coverage to give the lead back to Anchorage.


David Marshall misses Travis Lopez and Anthony Green, and Ricky Wayne gets the interception.


Sheldon Stone scores another TD.


Byron Lucas also scores.



Congratulations, Blizzard!

Those old Dallas uniforms... I know installing the latest mod updates would probably screw with your custom uniforms, but I still think you should.

I mean, you could always ask someone on the forum to make custom .dat uniforms for your team and the other created teams. Might not find someone, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Would allow you to update to all the latest mod updates.

Roster breakdown

Here is a breakdown of the roster as we go into the offseason.

QB

-Clayton Truman: He just had a legendary season and still has some good years in the tank.
-Josh Mayes: Could have been tried as a starter if he was younger, but he will remain a reliable backup.

HB

-Bubba Brady: He is extremely explosive, but his season didn't convince us he should be carrying the entire load.
-Trevor Newman: He was progressing nicely until he lost the starting job in camp. Will have a chance to regain it.

FB/TE

-Hunter Wallick: Was one of the main cogs in the offense, and should remain in the game plan. He is not slowing down yet.
-C.J. Reynolds: He is fast for a TE/FB (SPD 89), but his small stature is not helping.
-Jayson McCoy: He is also small but versatile, and his great blocking might have given him his place as a starting FB and occasional TE/WR.
-Corey Jackson: At 36, he has lost a lot of speed. Will the team keep him for special teams?
-Frank Middleton: Great blocker, should be kept for special teams.
-Andy Morris: Okay blocker and okay receiver with okay speed. Will this be enough?
-Palmer Gooden: Not a great blocker but he has the speed (SPD 85) to be involved in the passing game.
-Hank Newman: Not great speed (SPD 76) but has very reliable hands. Will not give a lot of yardage after the catch, but very dangerous for gains under 20 yards.

WR

-Sheldon Stone: One of the best players to ever play the game, but he has started to lose speed (SPD 97). He could still be heavily involved in the passing game, but could also be an asset in a trade.
-Anthony Bassett: Had a good rookie season but was barely used last year. Doesn't have great speed (SPD 92) but has reliable hands.
-Todd Rogers: Has good speed (SPD 97) but has been barely used.
-Byron Lucas: Though officially a fourth-stringer, he has been involved in some games. He is now the faster wideout on the team (SPD 98).

OL

-J.J. Maddox: Smallish for a LT (6'4, 289 pounds) but was named best OL last year and he is still developing.
-Chris Winters: Still very raw.
-Angelo Millen: Has been very reliable and just turned 30. Still has a few years at high level.
-Mitch Sanderson: Smallish (6'2, 298 pounds) and not a good run blocker (RBK 77). In danger of being cut.
-Erik Dorsey: Had a good year at center and is still developing.
-Roger Stevens: Didn't play much last year but is reliable in whatever role he gets.
-Jonathan Smith: Very powerful (STR 99), was in the running for best lineman. However, he's already 28 and has little room for development.
-J.K. Lewis: STR 99, 6'6, 319 pounds. His stats were not that great but that often happens for a right tackle. Still unsure if this is the best spot for his skills.

DL

-Gene Belvin: Had a good season but is already 30.
-Phil Curry: Has less speed but is 26 and still has room for improvement.
-Jewell Nelson: Speedy but not too powerful. Had a difficult rookie season but maybe he was not employed adequately or enough.
-William Morse: Just turned 33. Still can play but the team might want to go with youth.
-Donald Richardson: Was the starter most of last year, but was often flattened by opposing left tackles.
-Tervaris Stewart: Doesn't compile that many stats, but is a reliable presence in the middle of the line. Or at defensive end when asked.
-Akeem Thomas: Showed great things in previous seasons, but didn't play much last year.
-Ray McAllister: Showed good things in limited action.

OLB

-Vince Carpenter: Lost his starting job to Ike Manson but still a great depth player.
-Albert Green: Can play any LB position but might be victim of the team's tremendous depth.
-Lamar Pritchett: Is in his prime and had a great season last year. Can rush the passer and drop in coverage.
-Ricky Wayne: The reigning DPOY, he would like to increase his numbers. He dominates most games, but some teams figure him out and keep him out of the statistics.
-Ike Manson: He is in the same mold as Pritchett and Wayne. Coach Billups will probably juggle the 3, but we're unsure of the proportions.

MLB

-Thomas Hixon: Successfully replaced Eddie Andrews, who was traded away.
-Bubba Sheth: Did amazing things on special teams but barely saw the field on defense.
-Stafon Brown: Barely saw the field at all and is aging (29).
-Avery Rolle: Barely saw the field at all, but should get a chance.

CB

-Eric Baker: Continues to do a great job, should be a starter again.
-Marc Tanner: Continues to do a great job, should be a starter again.
-Sidney Kymer: Has not had many opportunies to show what he can do.
-Lee Hall: Good depth player who did well on special teams. Should finally stick with the team.

FS

-Ben Brown: At 29, he doesn't have many years left at full speed, but until then, he is there to stay.
-Darrell Sherry: Did a great job as an extra safety.
-Brady Diamond: He is a good depth player, but the team might try to get younger.

SS

-Eugene Kocian: Converted from extra FS to starting SS seamlessly. Should stay there for years to come.
-Chad Jordan: He has good attributes (SPD 93, AWR 76, TAK 73) but failed to impress last season. There is still time.
-Sammy Spikes: Though his attributes are similar or lower (SPD 92, AWR 57, TAK 74), he won the job at extra SS and did a great job.

K/P

-Carl Plummer: He is not as accurate (KAC 84), but he is younger.
-Derek Wallick: Powerful (KPW 99) and accurate (KAC 93), he just turned 34. Which is fairly young for a kicker.

Free agency and other personnel moves

The Blizzard was very active in free agency.

First, they let go of veteran FB Corey Jackson and DE William Morse. Jackson was immediately signed by the Jaguars, while Morse was picked up by the Buccaneers.

Then they traded DT Tervaris Stewart to the Wildcats for the 18th overall pick. The move is not completely unexpected, but Stewart still has a few good years ahead and we hope the team is not underestimating the impact he had.

Finally, they signed contracts with the following players:

FB Kareem Grimm, who has played with the Wildcats and Ravens.
TE Chris Jamison, who was with the Blizzard before but has not taken the field in 3 years.
OLB Caz Quick, who has been in and out of the team for several years.
MLB Andy Jones, who was with the Jaguars last year but did not play.
FS Todd Stevens, who was cut by the Blizzard last year.

Draft recap

Here is this year's draft haul:

18. OLB Orlando Thomas (85/23), Florida
32. DE/DT Mark Phillips (83/22), Tennessee State
64. MLB Rashard Tripp (80/22), Tennessee
79. TE Michael Terry (79/23), N. Colorado
96. FB Anthony Wells (79/21), Houston
108. DE Josh Boren (76/21), Kansas State
129. FS Quincy Hubbard (80/22), Ole Miss
130. MLB Chris Donaldson (76/21), USC
159. WR Jerome Warren (74/22), California
160. TE Irv Thomas (77/22), Tennessee

First depth chart

Going into the preseason, the depth chart looks like this.

QB: 6 Clayton Truman (96/28), 5 Junior Mayes (83/30)
HB: 31 Trevor Newman (87/26), 39 Bubba Brady (87/23)
FB: 13 Jayson McCoy (99/27), 33 Anthony Wells (79/21), 27 Frank Middleton (89/30), 29 Kareem Grimm (80/28), 48 Andy Morris (85/24)
WR: 81 Sheldon Stone (97/31), 10 Anthony Bassett (84/26), 85 Todd Rogers (81/25), 16 Byron Lucas (73/28), 15 Jerome Warren (74/22)
TE: 89 Hunter Wallick (83/30), 88 Hank Newman (89/26), 42 C.J. Reynolds (86/30), 47 Palmer Gooden (78/23), 87 Michael Terry (79/23), 80 Irv Thomas (77/22), 86 Chris Jamison (75/29)
LT: 75 J.J. Maddox (92/25), 79 Chris Winters (82/22)
LG: 67 Angelo Millen (95/30), 66 Mitch Sanderson (80/24)
C: 77 Erik Dorsey (91/25), 64 Roger Stevens (85/26)
RG: 69 Jonathan Smith (85/28)
RT: 65 J.K. Lewis (91/27)

LE: 90 Gene Belvin (89/30), 61 Phil Curry (83/26), 96 Jewell Nelson (79/23)
DT: 91 Akeem Thomas (82/29), 93 Mark Phillips (85/22), 97 Ray McAllister (78/23)
RE: 73 Donald Richardson (78/28), 92 Josh Boren (76/21)
LOLB: 52 Ike Manson (85/22), 41 Orlando Thomas (85/23), 54 Albert Green (85/29), 51 Vince Carpenter (82/29)
MLB: 49 Thomas Hixon (83/25), 56 Rashard Tripp (80/22), 43 Bubba Sheth (79/29), 58 Avery Rolle (76/22), 99 Chris Donaldson (76/21), 95 Stafon Brown (75/29), 57 Andy Jones (74/23)
ROLB: 53 Lamarr Pritchett (88/28), 55 Caz Quick (72/26)
LB/CB: 98 Ricky Wayne (90/24)
CB: 26 Eric Baker (87/28), 34 Marc Tanner (87/29), 24 Sidney Kymer (81/26), 32 Lee Hall (75/25)
FS: 35 Ben Brown (91/29), 37 Darrell Sherry (90/29), 45 Quincy Hubbard (80/22), 40 Brady Diamond (78/29), 28 Todd Stevens (75/25)
SS: 38 Eugene Kocian (87/27), 46 Chad Jordan (85/25), 25 Sammy Spikes (77/25)

K: 12 Carl Plummer (88/29), 1 Bubba Howry (80/24)
P: 2 Derek Wallick (99/34)

Personnel moves

Before the first preseason game, the Blizzard traded extra safety Darrell Sherry, a 2nd- and a 3rd-round pick to the Titans for their 1st-round pick. After being drafted as a cornerback, Sherry became a reliable part of the defense in 6-DB sets. He will now have a chance to be a starter.

DE Gene Belvin was also traded to the Wildcats for a 2nd-round pick.

The team released K Carl Plummer, who was not picked up yet in free agency. Depending how rookie Bubba Howry does, veteran Derek Wallick could handle both kicks and punts.

Preseason recap

Games 1 and 4 were played, while 2 and 3 were simmed.

Even before the first game, the team had a good idea on who would make the roster, though a few spots remained open. However, there were still a lot of questions about the depth chart.





Notes:

-Though not as fast as usual starters, Anthony Bassett showed he is reliable and a bona fide WR2. Speedster Jerome Warren showed off he can beat his man, but will have to learn to hang on to the ball. Byron Lucas will also be in the mix.

-Trevor Newman appears to have won back his starting job. The team has been trying to fit Bubba Brady in a lot of different situations, including special teams.

-Jewell Nelson has been effective, though it will be difficult to beat out Phil Curry. On the other side of the line, DE Josh Boren was solid. DT Mark Phillips was not tested a lot, but he will have more chances to prove himself. If things go wrong, Akeem Thomas is still on the team. But it looks like the three starting linemen will be completely different than a year ago.

-Sammy Spikes had a great preseason, but the team might want to give some significant time to Chad Jordan.

-The exact mix of linebackers is not definitive, though Orlando Thomas appears to be the odd man out. However, you may remember how Ricky Wayne was the odd man out two seasons ago and how he developed into a budding star.

-Quincy Hubbard did not make many sensational plays, but he was not caught out of position either. With Darrell Sherry gone, he will have more than enough opportunities to develop.


Sophomore Avery Rolle gets the sack.


Rookie Orlando Thomas intercepts a deflected pass.


Sophomore Jewell Nelson also beats his man for the sack.


Bubba Brady returns a punt for a score.


Rookie Quincy Hubbard deflects a pass.


Good blocking by FB Andy Morris and linemen Chris Winters and Jonathan Smith.


Rookie Jerome Warren has a lot of speed.


Bubba Howry kicks a field goal. He had two successful tries from over 45 yards.

Roster cuts

The Blizzard trimmed its roster by releasing the following players.

TE Palmer Gooden
TE Michael Terry
TE Chris Jamison
OLB Albert Green
OLB Vince Carpenter
MLB Bubba Sheth
MLB Stafon Brown
MLB Andy Jones
FS Brady Diamond
FS Todd Stevens