From the Turf Up: A Rams Dynasty [Archive]

bucher34

11-10-2008, 08:12 PM

The Rams GM stepped down in the offseason and so they hired me, Bryce Buch, basically an unknown in the NFL business (known from my success in the Arena League). What do we have to lose, eh? The big thing in my tenure so far was the draft and our pick of DE Chris Long. A great pick, he will be the catalyst to a somewhat weak defense. He is our future on the defensive end. There are many questions on the offensive end -- Holt's age, Bulger's statistical decline and health, SJax's health, and the offensive line with inexperienced guys like guards richie incognito and mark setterstrom. We'll see what we can do.

Drew Bennett, WR2, is out for the first month and a half. We have great depth at WR and there is an interesting talent on the FA market. A WR named Craphonso Thorpe out of Florida State. Only 25 years old, the guy is wanting 3.15 mil along with a 1.7 mil signing bonus. Is he worth it? I think I'll go with what we already have.

My positions I need to keep a close eye on during the season are my QB, guards, center, and defensive tackles. I'm hoping that SJax will hold up for the full season as well as Holt.

bucher34

11-10-2008, 08:22 PM

We currently have 11 mil in cash and are 7.1 mil under the cap, atleast we have some breathing room there to possibly work out some deals down the road.

Our first game is at Philly, an extremely difficult place to play, especially for my Rams team on paper.

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St. Louis (0-0) @ Philadelphia (0-0)

We got it handed to us on opening day, losing 24-10. They ran for 152 and passed for 222. SJax rushed for only 7 yards on 7 carries and Bulger threw for only 138 yards while getting sacked 3 times. Not a good start to the season.

Positives:
3 sacks
Nobody hurt

Negatives:
SJax 7 rush for 7 yards, 1 rec for 6 yards
Bulger 13/27 for 138 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 60.3 rating
O-Line allowing 3 sacks

Rams game MVP:
LB Pisa (10.5 tkl/ 1 sack)

Hopefully we can have a better go around against the defending champs NY Giants, our home opener.

bucher34

11-10-2008, 08:34 PM

St. Louis (0-1) vs NY Giants (1-0)

Shut out in the second half by the Giants after playing a good first half, ugh, not what I wanted to see. We lost 31-14 after trailing by a touchdown at the half. Again, we couldn't stop the pass (Eli Manning 20/29 for 230 yards, 3 TD, NO INT). Still no interceptions on the young season for our defense.

I saw some improvement from Bulger as he threw for 297 yards and 2 scores, but 2 INT to go along. Jackson only rushed for 35 yards on 9 carries, but caught 6 passes for 53 yards and a score -- atleast he did something this game. Rookie Donnie Avery, filling in for Bennett, caught a TD pass, and Holt came just short of reaching 100 receiving yards.

Positives:
Bulger 297 passing yards
SJax decent all-around game
Holt 95 receiving yards
NO penalties

Negatives:
5 sacks allowed
Bulger 2 INT
No defensive INT

Rams game MVP:
Steven Jackson (9rsh/35yds, 6rec/53yds/TD)

We fall to 0-2. Still many things we need to work on. It is getting to the point that a coaching change may need to come.

bucher34

11-10-2008, 08:49 PM

Our next game we visit the undefeated 2-0 Seattle Seahawks - an important divisional game. Hasselback is tearing apart defenses for a 74.0% completion percentage, yikes. Hopefully we can stop him.

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St. Louis (0-2) @ Seattle (2-0)

Ouch, 31-6 in favor of Seattle. They destroyed us. Bulger reverted back to his bad ways, Jackson had a horrible day (4rsh/7yds 1rec/4yds), 6 sacks allowed, and no defensive interceptions AGAIN! Hasselback went 20/30 for 211 yards and 3 scores. Travis Minor (our backup) had 9 rushes for 61 yards, not bad. Lenehan is officially on the hot seat.

Positives:
NONE

Negatives:
Bulger, SJax, Defensive Backs, O-Line, you name it.

Rams game MVP:
LB Pisa (9.5 tkl) -- really nobody should get it.

We are home vs the Bills (1-2) for our next game then we have our bye week after that. Maybe we can get a win before our bye, otherwise changes will be made.

bucher34

11-10-2008, 08:55 PM

St. Louis (0-3) vs Buffalo (1-2)

We won! 28-10! Jackson finally came through as well as our defense. Bulger had a decent game throwing for 226 yards and a touchdown, but 2 INT. We also had more sacks than allowed (3 sacks vs 2 allowed). This is a great win and we can finally build off of this going into a much needed bye week. Lenehan saved his job for another week.

Positives:
SJax 18 rush/67 yards, 1 TD
5 rec/39 yards
Defensive Unit
Dante Hall PR TD
CB Fakhir Brown INT return for TD

Negatives:
Bulger two INT
Holt - still no TD

Rams game MVP:
WR/KR/PR Dante Hall (4rec/51yds, PR TD)

Nice win heading into the bye week. Our record stands at (1-3).

bucher34

11-10-2008, 09:20 PM

The standings at our bye week:

bucher34

11-10-2008, 09:42 PM

We had this bye week to heal up some bumps and bruises and to clear our heads after a poorish 1-3 start. We did, however, get a nice win right before our week off and as we look on to the rest of our season we hope to see more improvement. Our next game is at the 1-4 Washington Redskins, not a very friendly place to play even thought they are struggling.

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St. Louis (1-3) @ Washington (1-4)

A huge win! 31-20! Bulger and Jackson really stepped it up big time. They carried us to victory. Bulger went an astounding 29/39 for 4 touchdowns! Jackson had 17 rushes for 63 yards and 4 receptions for 58 yards with a touchdown. Our receivers had big games as well with Holt getting his first touchdown of the season.

Here's the stat line:
WR Torry Holt 5rec/89yds TD
WR Donnie Avery 10rec/90yds TD
TE Randy McMichael 8rec/96yds TD

We didn't have an interception, but we held them to 4/12 on third downs.

Positives:
Bulger
SJax
Holt
McMichael
Basically the whole offensive unit.

Rams game MVP:
QB Marc Bulger (29/39 356 yards/4TD)

We next have a home game against Tony Romo and the highly touted Dallas Cowboys (4-2).

LongGone

11-10-2008, 09:54 PM

Does anyone know how I can add screen shots?

To post screenshots, just click the little paper clip icon at the top when you post a new message and a window will popup that will let you choose what image you want to attach.

bucher34

11-10-2008, 10:25 PM

Thanks.

bucher34

11-10-2008, 10:29 PM

Dallas is without Jason Witten, a huge plus for us as he is most likely the best tight end in the game. They are also without hard-hitting linebacker Bradie James - a good sign for SJax and the rest of the running game.

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St. Louis (2-3) vs Dallas (4-2)

What an upset! We destroyed Dallas 34-17. Bulger had another huge day going 24/32 for 354 yards and 2 scores. Jackson and Holt had monster games as well. The team had a marvelous, nearly flawless game.

Stat Line:
Steven Jackson 29rush/88yds/2TD, 5rec/44yds/TD
Torry Holt 10rec/170yds/TD
CB Tye Hill 4.0Tkl/1 INT

We have finally shown that we can play with the big dogs and now we have put ourselves back in the playoff race. Lenehan has really stepped up his playcalling and motivational tools as he has really turned this team around.

Positives:
Bulger, SJax, Receiving Corps
K Josh Brown 2/2FG 4/4EP (has only missed two FG on the year)

Negatives:
O-Line allowed 4 sacks
Romo had a 74% completion percentage

Rams game MVP:
This could go to many, but SJax was the catalyst to the offense this game
Steven Jackson (29rsh/88yds/2TD, 5rec/44yds/TD)

We have a very tough test on the road against New England (5-1) who are coming off a loss against Denver. Can this win carry over?

bucher34

11-11-2008, 12:27 AM

St. Louis (3-3) @ New England (5-1)

What a shootout! This was a fun game to witness. New England won 41-35 in a heated non-conference battle. Bulger had another huge day, which is becoming quite common. He threw for 338 yards and 4 touchdowns! Holt and Avery combined for 225 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns - both going to Holt. Our defense was disappointing as Brady picked us apart left and right. He threw for over 400 yards with 4 touchdowns on 37/50 passing - another high percentage passing game for the opponent. A huge day for the Pats receiving core as their top four surpassed 60 yards, two of them over 100 (Moss and Welker).

Cornerback Fakhir Brown had another interception for us and our other CB Tye Hill led the team with 8.0 tackles. However, they let Brady and his wideouts dominate them.

Jackson had somewhat of a quiet day, but still had a knack for the endzone scoring two more touchdowns - one on the ground and one through the air. He rushed 14 times for 66 yards and caught 3 passes for 10 yards.

A great offensive game, but our defense has to step up in games like these - like the Dallas game.

Positives:
Bulger, receivers, and Jackson

Negatives:
Pass defense
Offensive line allowed 5 more sacks
3rd Down defense (Pats went 7/11 in 3rd down conversions)

Rams game MVP:
Bulger kept us in it the whole game, our defense couldn't come through
QB Marc Bulger (23/36 338yds/4TD)

bucher34

11-11-2008, 12:45 AM

Week 9
--------------------
Our final game of the first half of the season comes at home against a good divisional opponent, the Arizona Cardinals. This is a crucial game because whoever wins will stay in the playoff hunt for the division. We are going to have to step it up against their receivers - Boldin and Fitzgerald - possibly the best tandem in the NFL.

St. Louis (3-4) vs Arizona (3-4)

A huge win for us! 23-14 in a great all-around performance. Our offense was on, our defense was on, our special teams was on, everybody was on. Bulger threw for his fourth straight 300+ yard game going 20/32 for 305 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Holt had another big day catching 4 for 126 yards and a score and Bennett stepped it up catching 5 for 53 yards and a score. Jackson still hasn't topped the 100 yard mark this season, but keeps putting up good all-around yardage totals rushing 23 times for 83 yards and catching 3 for 12 yards without any scores.

We held Warner in check, keeping him under 50% passing (finally!) and picking him off twice both by Fakhir Brown, probably our defensive MVP up to this point. Two of our defensive leaders, Witherspoon and Little both had two sacks and Josh Brown, our kicker, had a day kicking the football going 3/3 FG and 2/2 PAT.

Rams game MVP:
Defensive unit kept Warner and the Cardinals completely quiet for three quarters, giving Bulger and company enough to win.
Little had 2 sacks
Witherspoon had 2 sacks
Ryan had a sack
Brown had 2 INT

bucher34

11-11-2008, 01:00 AM

Standings at the halfway point:

We are 4-4, only two games behind Seattle. Completely unexpected coming into the season!

bucher34

11-11-2008, 01:09 AM

Here are the offensive leaders at the halfway point:

bucher34

11-11-2008, 01:23 AM

Defensive leaders:

bucher34

11-11-2008, 01:28 AM

Week 10

Our next game we travel to New York to face Brett Favre and the 4-4 Jets. They are without WR Cotchery, and linebackers Calvin Pace and Vernon Gholston. They are a little banged up so let's see if we can take advantage.

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St. Louis (4-4) @ NY Jets (4-4)

This was another shootout. Unfortunately the Jets won 40-34 in a hard fought battle. We didn't take advantage as the Hall of Famer Favre found a way to win, without Cotchery. We had more passing yards and more rushing yards, but our defense let us down, allowing for a 74% completion percentage.

Steven Jackson had a huge huge day gaining 181 yards and two scores on only 14 carries. He also added 3 receptions for 23 yards. Bulger's streak of 300 yard games ended as he threw for 228 yards, two scores and a pick on a mediocre 20/36 passing. Holt and Avery both had scores and CB Fakhir Brown had ANOTHER pick - he is on fire.

With Seattle winning, this is a big loss and puts us back in a tie with Arizona in last in the division. San Francisco also lost putting them at 5-4. We play them next week.

Positives:
Jackson
Holt
CB Brown
DT Adam Carriker (4.5 tkl/1 sack) replacing Ryan who is out for 3 weeks

Negatives:
Again pass defense, but also rush defense.
Bulger took a step back from what he has been doing against a depleted defense.

Rams game MVP:
Steven Jackson (14rsh/181yds/2TD, 3rec/23yds)

Injuries:
Rookie DE Chris Long out for 6 weeks with a fractured foot - replaced by DE James Hall
Starting DT Clifton Ryan out for 3 weeks with a sprained ankle - replace by DT Adam Carriker

Notes:
We moved backup T Brandon Gorin to starting LG replacing struggling Richie Incognito
We moved backup T Adam Goldberg to starting RG replacing inefficient Mark Setterstrom
We moved backup C Brett Romberg to starting C replacing Chris Massey

bucher34

11-11-2008, 03:15 AM

Week 11

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St. Louis (4-5) @ San Francisco (5-4)

We got our 2nd road win of the season and it couldn't come at a better time. We struggled early on, but fought hard to win an important game 34-23.

Bulger threw for 287 yards and 2 scores on 24/43 passing, but was sacked 4 times. Jackson had another good all-around performance running 20 times for 70 yards and 2 TD, while catching 5 passes for 71 yards. Bulger spread the ball around to six different pass catchers, getting guys like Dante Hall and Marques Hagans involved. Holt and Avery both had scores, Holt going for 97 yards on 8 catches.

Seattle keeps on winning, beating division rival Arizona dropping them back to last. This win puts us in second in our division and in the sixth spot in the NFC for the time being. I hope we can continue to put wins on the board. Our next two games are at home against the 7-3 Bears and a non-conference 2-8 Dolphins. Two winnable games to hopefully put us at 7-5 before we hit the road again.

Positives:
Bulger fought back after struggling early
SJax continues to dominate from scrimmage
Holt and Avery continue to catch touchdowns
K Josh Brown another perfect game (2/2 FG 4/4 PAT)
Defense gets two INT

Negatives:
4 sacks allowed after changing up the O-Line
Allowed 68% completion percentage to backup QB
Allowed 8/12 3rd down conversions

Rams game MVP:
LB Pisa (7.5 tkl/1 INT)

bucher34

11-11-2008, 03:24 AM

Week 12

There is a S on the FA wire rated a 76, better than my other starting safety - a 70 rating. This guys is only 26, so he has room to grow and is basically asking for a price we can afford. He is 6' 1" and 190 lbs so he has great size and runs a respectable 4.47. I think I'm going to go for him as I need to find some way to spark my defensive backs.

bucher34

11-11-2008, 03:44 AM

Week 12

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St. Louis (5-5) vs Chicago (7-3)

A big game at home for us. We need this win to stay in the playoff hunt, and after my signing of Crenshaw to boost our secondary, I feel that we can make it. Nobody was expecting us to make it this far, so why stop now?

The Saints had a big loss, putting the pressure on us to pull ahead in the standings.

We had it! But lost it on an amazing 4th quarter drive by Kyle Orton putting them ahead by a FG with just under 3 minutes to go. That was a huge loss because now 4 other teams pulled to 5-6 along with the Saints and we the Rams. Tampa Bay now holds the sixth spot. Bulger struggled going 18/35 for 214 yards, a touchdown, and 2 INT. Jackson only had 7 rushes, but gained 80 yards with a TD as well as catching a TD pass on 4 receptions for 25 yards. Holt surpassed 1,000 yards on the season for the 9th straight season, an amazing feat.

We didn't force a turnover and Orton completed 70% of his passes for 273 yards and a TD, ouch. An all-around below average day. We need to get a win vs Miami next week or else that could ultimately be the season.

bucher34

11-11-2008, 03:46 AM

Week 13

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St. Louis (5-6) vs Miami (2-9)

We got the win we wanted and it was a good one. 31-20 and it was never really close, we cruised through the second half. Holt exploded for 3 touchdowns, the ONLY three touchdown passes had. Bulger went 25/37 for 272 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. Jackson rushed for his 10th touchdown (6th in the last 4 games) on 18 carries for 94 yards. He also caught 3 passes for 30 yards still producing in both categories. Brown intercepted two more passes bringing his season total to 7 on his way to a possible and improbable pro bowl. New Orleans, San Francisco, and Philly all lost leaving the Rams, Bucs, and Cardinals (they won) to battle it out for that sixth and final playoff spot. Vikings lost for a second week in a row dropping them to 7-5. Keep an eye on them too.

Positives:
All-around good team performance

Negatives:
Not really any, still a high completion percentage for the opposition (69%), but that seems to be a trend so I'm used to it. Something to look forward to improving during the offseason.

Rams game MVP:
WR Torry Holt (6rec/74yds/3TD!)

bucher34

11-11-2008, 04:22 AM

Week 14

DT Clifton Ryan is back from injury, but DT Adam Carriker has played well in his absence that Coach Lenehan has decided to keep Carriker as the starter, for the time being. We get Chris Long back in a few weeks and we are really looking forward to it.

Lenehan had a sit down with the players after Saturday's practice just giving them some words of wisdom and encouragement, and praising them for their accomplishments this season no matter the outcome, but he did stress the importance of finishing strong and having the confidence that they deserve to be in the playoffs. They have total control over how they finish, and if they want it bad enough they better play like it. I'm looking forward to this last stretch run, with three of the games being important divisional games.

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St. Louis (6-6) @ Arizona (6-6)

Victory! 21-13 in an ugly yet exciting game. Our linebackers were all over the place, making tackles getting sacks. What a game. This puts us solely in the 6th spot and now that the Vikings had a costly third straight loss to the hapless Detroit Lions, we have a chance to move up to the 5th slot. A great win.

Bulger threw 3 INT, but secured the win with a short short TD pass in the 4th to the rookie standout Donnie Avery, Bulgers second of the day. Jackson rushed for 88 yards on 21 carries and had yet another score for the fifth game in a row. Linebackers Draft, Witherspoon, and Pisa all recorded sacks giving the Cardinals headaches all day.

Positives:
Linebackers
Jackson still producing strong
Bulger fighting back after bad game
Sacks

Negatives:
Lost time of posession
Bulger 3 INT - can't have that at this point of the season

Rams game MVP:
Linebacker trio of Draft, Witherspoon, and Pisa

bucher34

11-11-2008, 02:56 PM

Week 15

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St. Louis (7-6) vs Seattle (9-4)

This is a very important game for us as we hold the 6th playoff spot and could possibly move up to the 5th playoff spot, depending on how the Vikings play. Also, a win here would put us a game behind Seattle with two games to go. Very important game.

Arizona lost again, basically dropping them from the hunt, but Tampa Bay and New Orleans both won - putting them at 7-7 each. If we lose we fall out of the final playoff spot for the time being.

Tough, tough loss. We had the lead at the half, but couldn't hang on losing 30-27 in a nail-biter. Bulger had an outstanding day throwing for 255 yards and 3 scores on 25/37 passing, but had no help from SJax as he only rushed for 27 yards on 10 carries. Our defense intercepted three passes and held Seattle's starting rb Julius Jones to only 44 total yards. Deion Branch destroyed our secondary, however, catching 8 balls for 155 yards and two scores - Hasselbacks only two touchdown passes. Ugh. A huge loss. To top it off we lost WR Bennett for a week and LB Witherspoon for the rest of the regular season. Not good.

Positives:
Bulger hanging tough having a great day
FB Kreider almost as many total yards as Jackson (is that a good or a bad thing?)
Run defense and turnovers

Negatives:
SJAX
Opponents completion percentage (69%)

Rams game MVP:
Marc Bulger (25/37, 255 yards, 3 TD, NO INT!)

Injuries:
LB Wil Witherspoon out 4 weeks with a sprained ankle
-----Replaced by backup rookie LB David Vobora
WR3 Drew Bennett out 1 week with a pulled groin
-----Replaced by WR4 Dante Hall

bucher34

11-11-2008, 03:15 PM

Week 16

This week is a must win for us as we have our home finale against sliding San Francisco (5-9) losers of 6 in a row. If we don't win we can kiss the postseason goodbye, but our guys have responded well this week and seem geared up to tear the 49ers apart after last weeks loss. Like I said before, they control their destiny - it is just a matter of how much they want it and who will step up to get them there.

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St. Louis (7-7) vs San Francisco (5-9)

A win is a win, wasn't pretty, but still a win. 19-13 in a hard game to watch. 5 turnovers between the two teams - three of them going to San Francisco. Our defense came ready to play, but our offense struggled to find the endzone today. Our kicker Josh Brown came through huge scoring 13 points for us on 4/5 FG and 1/1 PAT. Jackson was held scoreless for the second week in a row rushing 18 times for 71 yards and catching 2 for 19 yards. Bulger was 18/33 for 183 yards, a score, and a pick - not a very good day for him. But hey, can't have a good game every game, glad that our defense picked him up for this one.

Both Tampa Bay and New Orleans won so it all comes down to this last game of the season as the three of us are 8-7 with Tampa Bay holding that final spot. That loss to the Seahawks was costly for us :eek:

Positives:
Pass defense (held opponent to 49% completion! and had 3 INT)
Run defense (held Gore to 43 yards total)
Josh Brown

Negatives:
Bulger struggles
No scores for Jackson second week in a row
3/12 on 3rd down

Rams game MVP:
K Josh Brown 4/5 FG 1/1 PAT (13 points)

Injuries:
DT Adam Carriker out for a week with a pulled quad
------Replaced by DT Clifton Ryan
WR3 Drew Bennett returns from pulled groin
DE Chris Long returns!

bucher34

11-11-2008, 03:19 PM

Standings with one game left:

bucher34

11-11-2008, 03:40 PM

Week 17

It all comes down to this - we have to win no matter what. We have worked so hard for this all season that we deserve to be in the postseason. Game time.

--------------------
St. Louis (8-7) @ Atlanta (4-11)

We are in! We are in! What a win! I was on the edge of my seat the whole game. Taking and holding the lead to finish out the last half of the 4th quarter 23-17. Wow, I didn't believe this could happen so early in my tenure. I really need a drink, relief!

Tampa Bay beat Oakland, but it was a non-conference matchup so we ended up with a better conference record and New Orleans lost to Carolina sealing the deal for us.

Bulger had a huge day, besides his two INT, throwing for 318 yards on 29/40 passing and two scores - he surpassed 4000 yards passing on the season and 30 touchdowns. Backup TE Klopfenstein caught the what ended up to be game winning touchdown in the fourth quarter and ended up with a pretty solid day, catching 4 for 38 yards and a score. What a season!

To the playoffs we go! We will be at Carolina (11-5) in the first round.

Positives:
Playoffs!
Getting people healthy and playing again

Negatives:
Completion percentage for opponent STILL (75%)

Rams game MVP:
Tight Ends (caught both TD passes)
----TE Joe Klopfenstein (4rec/38yds/TD)
----TE Randy McMichael (4rec/30yds/TD)

Injuries:
DT Adam Carriker returns from injury and is inserted back into starting lineup replacing DT Clifton Ryan

bucher34

11-11-2008, 05:34 PM

The Rams ownership decided that making the playoffs was more than enough this year and so they decided to keep me around for another 6 years. Looks like I can relax now and build off of what I've done this year.

bucher34

11-11-2008, 05:41 PM

Playoffs Round 1

-----------------
St. Louis (9-7) @ Carolina (11-5)

This should be a tough matchup, hopefully we can pull the upset.

Wow, we pulled the upset! We continue to shine. 14-13, we seemed to dominate in every facet of the game. Bulger had a great day throwing for 287 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Jackson had 93 total yards and 2 tds. Our defensive ends, Little and Long, were pressuring Delhomme all day and their starting running back DeAngelo Williams only had 18 yards from scrimmage, what a great defensive effort.

Coach Lenehan is getting closer and closer to an big contract extension with what he has done coaching this team.

bucher34

11-11-2008, 05:55 PM

Playoffs Round 2

On the road to Dallas, Texas where we face the 12-4 Dallas Cowboys, coming off of a long break. Two 1,000 yard receivers in T.O. and Roy Williams. Pro Bowl QB in Tony Romo and not to mention tough as nails halfback in Marion Barber. They have all the tools to win the Super Bowl. On paper, we seem to be outmatched, but what we have shown this season you can't believe what is on paper.

-----------------------
St. Louis (10-7) @ Dallas (12-4)

We got destroyed, didn't stand a chance all day. 34-7, very disappointed in our effort. Dallas came out from the start and gave it to us. Bulger sucked, Jackson sucked, our whole team sucked. I was expecting better. I'm glad we made it this far, but we have alot to work on in the offseason if we want to contend.

bucher34

11-11-2008, 05:57 PM

Dallas (14-4) beat Seattle (13-5) 20-10 to advance to the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots (16-2) coming off a blowout win against the now 14-4 Denver Broncos, 44-17. Should be a great Super Bowl game to watch.

bucher34

11-11-2008, 06:01 PM

Dallas (15-4) shut the potent Pats (16-3) offense down handling them their second Super Bowl loss in a row, 19-6. The Pats couldn't find the endzone all day as Dallas took advantage with Romo behind the helm. What a great season, even though we had a terrible playoff ending.

Arctic Blast

11-11-2008, 10:40 PM

That's a pretty damn good first season, man! Good job.

So, what are your areas of focus for the offseason?

bucher34

11-12-2008, 01:56 PM

Definately improve the offensive line, and get rid of some of my older, expensive players who are on the decline (i.e. Corey Chavous, LaRoi Glover, Drew Bennett) to free up some money for free agents, draft picks, etc. Also, if possible with the limited resources I have right now, try to improve my secondary -- cut down on the opponents completion %, ugh.

I made some moves already, I will discuss those when I have time later today to hear thoughts. The draft is coming up and I will post more. Stay tuned!

Arctic Blast

11-12-2008, 07:42 PM

bucher34

11-13-2008, 02:54 AM

I ended up releasing most of my guys who don't play often that were costing me over atleast a million a year. I also released DT LaRoi Glover (too old for me) after congratulating him on a great year, but the direction we are wanting to go doesn't have a good fit. Same goes for WR Drew Bennett and WR Dante Hall, they will be better off with another team. I'm wanting to get younger and more athletic while still keeping that experience (i.e. keeping Bulger, Jackson, Witherspoon).

I signed Ted Ginn Jr. when the Free Agent market opened up as it was a close decision between Ginn and Calvin Johnson, a great prospect. Ginn had less cost and fits the mold of my team better, as he will be my second starting WR and my starting KR/PR so he will be busy right away for us. I also went younger on the defensive end grabbing 26 year old DE Gaines Adams to complement 23 year old DE Chris Long on the other side as well as 25 year old LB Jyles Tucker to lineup in between my two defensive captains - outside linebackers Pisa Tinoisamoa (28) and Will Witherspoon (29). My two starting DT for next season are 25 year old DT Adam Carriker, after he put together a solid season filling in for oft injured Clifton Ryan who, at 25 years old as well, is my other starting DT. So as you can see, my front 7 are young and very talented.

I'm looking at safety and guards as my two main points of emphasis, while gathering solid depth at QB, DT, and the O-Line.

I was able to get a first round pick from the Bears for people I can't remember now and a second round pick from the Jets for people I can't remember now either. I know I traded away Chavous, Bennett, Dante Hall, DE James Hall (81), and prospects along with others. I got my roster down to under 60 players so I did some good cleaning out most of the "oldness". I am really looking forward to this draft as I have extra picks in fairly good spots.

bucher34

11-13-2008, 03:42 AM

Here is my roster before the draft:

bucher34

11-13-2008, 03:45 AM

Here are my finances before the draft:

bucher34

11-13-2008, 03:58 AM

Draft order (1st Rd) and the top prospects on the list:

bucher34

11-13-2008, 03:58 AM

There are some safeties at the top that I probably won't get, but I'm thinking Kurtis, Rimmer, or Mays could fall into my first pick. I've got a heavy eye on QB Matt Stafford out of Georgia and CB Malcolm Jenkins out of Ohio State, two prestigious college football programs in tough conferences ultimately meaning that the could be well ready for the NFL right away. I don't know how far Stafford will fall considering he's the #2 QB on the list and only 22 years old, same goes for Jenkins he's the #3 CB on the list. I'm liking Stafford, first, because Bulger is aging and I still have doubts about him even though he had a brilliant season - we will see how he does this offseason, and second, because he could fall as far as the late first/early to mid second where I have a couple of picks. I guess we will see how it plays out. Any suggestions on what I should do? I don't have much security behind Bulger right now, but I also want/need to improve my secondary's future as well. Hrm. Input please.

Arctic Blast

11-13-2008, 05:18 AM

First off, I love what you did for the Front 7 of your defense...tons of potential to kick some serious butt there, and with only 2 guys older than 26. Nice.

As for the draft...wow, that is a tough, tough call. Personally, if Stafford is there, I'm taking him, because he looks like he could be a stud. I would even consider trying to move up. Then, take the best DB you can get your hands on with whatever your next pick ends up being.

bucher34

11-13-2008, 02:44 PM

Draft over.
1st Rd:
Stafford, Jenkins, and Crabtree, among others, were taken before I could get to them. I was sure Stafford and/or Jenkins would fall into my lap. However, only a few safeties were taken before me (including Myron Rolle and Taylor Mays) so I took Sean Muschett and Jamahrae Tinsley respectively with my first round picks.

2nd Rd:
I then wanted some O-Line help (unfortunately there weren't too many quality guards in this draft - the only good one taken before me) so I drafted OT Ciron Black out of LSU, a big 6'5" 320 pounder (the posting above has him listed differently). I may decide to move him to guard or move one of my vets to guard.
I then took, with my other second round pick, another safetie who surprisingly was still on the board - Dalton Rimmer. He may end up starting for me over Tinsley, depending on how they work out in the offseason.

3rd Rd:
I took a big TE out of Iowa, Eric Francis. At 6'6" and 251 lb he gives me a great, athletic tight end to most likely take over for Randy McMichael (Contract is up this year) this season if not at the start. We are going to have some great position battles this offseason.

4th Rd:
I took a young, big, athletic wide receiver in Daniel Derrick and at 6'1" I'm sure he will give me something. I'm hoping he can improve his maturity and route running ability so we can utilize his raw ability. He's got some work to do, especially with my depth at WR.

5th Rd:
I snagged a quality DE Treven Walters out of Oklahoma St, basically for depth, but he may grab a couple starts here and there. He's a bit undersized at 6'0", but I can tell you that you will see him on the field this season.

6th Rd:
The past couple rounds have been for depth and I continued that trend with my selection of DT Chad Bartelman out of Miami(Florida), so he loads of big game experience. He's also a bit undersized, at 6'2" 277 lb, but he appears to be very athletic and agile for a DT. Lookin forward to seeing him out there.

7th Rd:
Our Mr. Irrelevant may not be irrelevant for very long. I drafted FB Bill Birmingham out of tough SEC school Auburn. At 5'9", he is a little short, but solid build 230 lb frame. I'm scared of him. With our current FB Kreider at 32 years old it may not be too long before we see Birmingham out there with Jackson and Bulger, possibly even at the start of the season. Kreider's contract is over 1 million, so we could possibly cut down even more by releasing Kreider or trying to work a trade. We'll see what happens.

I made a trade after the draft going for depth at QB. I was able to acquire Brian Brohm for Green Bay for my first rounder Jamahrae Tinsley and cash. I had drafted three good safeties so I was willing to do this trade and now I have my possibly future at QB with Brian Brohm, I'm very excited. I feel like we did alot this offseason to get younger while still improving the team. I'm greatly looking forward to the upcoming season. Stay tuned!

Many of the "real players" heights and weights were off, so I looked many of them up and changed their sizes accordingly. For example, Crabtree and Maclin are both listed under 6' and both are 6' tall or more in real life (Crabtree being 6'3"). This was after I posted the draft pool posted above though, so the sizes are deceiving according to that.

bucher34

11-13-2008, 02:54 PM

I just switched T Alex Barron over to G and replaced his spot with rookie 2nd Rd pick T Ciron Black.

bucher34

11-13-2008, 02:58 PM

Here is my opening day roster, at the moment:

bucher34

11-13-2008, 03:08 PM

Any thoughts?

McMichael's contract is up at the end of this year (1.49 million), should I wait it out? or should I throw my talented rookie in there and use McMichael as security or try to trade McMichael and get rid of his contract?

What should I do about Bulger? His contract is up this year and I'm anxious to go young and get Brohm's career started as he has shown alot of promise. Bulger was definitely comeback player of the year and he is still only 31, but can I trust him?

My fullback situation is up in the air as well, Birmingham is a slightly better blocker than Kreider (who's million dollar contract is up this year), but obviously has less experience. Steven Jackson needs as much blocking as he can get with an average O-Line at the moment. Any thoughts?

I'm going to have a very active season, looking forward to it!

bucher34

11-13-2008, 07:26 PM

I'm seriously considering trading Bulger, first, because he has alot of value right now and I could possibly get a good amount for him, second, because I have Brohm whom I feel can jump in right away and have succes, and third, I'm not fully trusting of him staying healthy and consistent. I'm expecting big things this year from Coach Lenehan, our staff, and our players.

Arctic Blast

11-13-2008, 09:27 PM

I was actually going to ask why the kid isn't starting at TE. I would definitely look to move McMichael. If nobody's interested, keep him around, but as your #2 guy...get the kid in there. He almost HAS to be a better blocker (if the ratings are realistic, McMichael cannot block at all).

At fullback...I'd probably keep Kreider around. He isn't making a ridiculous amount of money, and you're in good cap shape as it is, so it doesn't hurt to keep him on the roster for a year. If the team is running well with him in there, let him keep playing. If they're struggling, give the kid a try and keep Kreider on the bench (although, again, like McMichael...if you can get something for him, go for it).

At QB...man, that is a really tough call. Personally, I'd follow this philosophy...check out your division rivals. After that, decide if your team is good enough to win the division NOW. If it could be, I'd stick with Bulger. If not, there's no point keeping the veteran QB for one more year, so try and trade him. And, hey, if you DO keep him but the team starts, say, 1-3, you can always shop him then (nice move getting Brohm, by the way).

bucher34

11-14-2008, 01:20 AM

Yeah, I think I'll play it out with Bulger this season and see how it goes. Brohm is only 23 so he still has plenty of time to develop and may even see some snaps this season. I was able to trade Randy McMichael for J.J. Arrington, totally boosting my RB depth. He moves up to 2nd on my depth chart so should see a significant amount of playing time. Kind of surprised when Arrington was offered on the trading block. I also traded Kreider for a younger fullback who is basically just as talented -- just younger. He will back up my rookie FB Birmingham. I also got TE Leonard Pope in the deal with Arrington so I have good depth at TE as well will Klopfenstein backing rookie Francis and Pope slides into the TE3 slot. I'm very excited to get this season started and satisfied with my offseason work. Wish us luck!

bucher34

11-14-2008, 01:46 AM

Opening Week

We open up our season traveling to San Francisco, who decided to put Alex Smith back at the helm after basically missing a season and a half. He returned late in the season last year playing in only 3 games and only throwing 5 passes. He still has alot to prove after being a former #1 overall pick. I think this matchup favors us, but we will put our young group of guys to the test to see what they are really about.

--------------------
St. Louis (0-0) @ San Francisco (0-0)

Wow! What a game! 37-34 we won in overtime. Back and forth the whole game, with the good guys pulling out. What a fun game to watch. Bulger and Jackson both had huge days while my defense struggled to keep San Francisco out of the endzone, but the young crew is still finding their niche. Bulger threw for 2 scores on 21/32 passing for 255 yards and no turnovers - impressive start to the season. SJax rushed for 115 yards on only 12 carries scoring once and catching 5 passes for 31 yards with a score - a great opening all-around day for Jackson who, if you remember, started out very slow last season while finishing strong. Ginn had a nice Rams debut catching 5 balls for 77 yards and 2 scores, nice to see my moves having an impact. Both my defensive ends, Long and Adams, recordes sacks and LB Pisa had an impressive 12 tackles with a big interception. Overall, a very impressive day for the team even though we allowed 34 points. I know we will improve in that area.

Positives:
Bulger and SJax opening strong
Ginn having impressive debut receving as well as having a 45.7 KR average
The new additions starting strong for me

Negatives:
Passing yards and rushing yards defense. We had many tackles and sacks, but the racked up the yards.
Holt only 3 catches for 44 yards (he lead the league last year in both categories)
4/10 on 3rd downs
5 sacks allowed

Injuries:
Starting RT Orlando Pace out for 2 weeks with a fractured finger
Backup T Julius Wilson out for 3 weeks with a broken jaw
DE Chris Long out for a week with a hip pointer

Rams game MVP:
Steven Jackson (12rsh/115yds/TD, 5rec/31yds/TD)
Marc Bulger (21/32 255yds 2TD NO INT!)
------They get a share for starting so strong

bucher34

11-14-2008, 03:00 AM

Week 2

We stay at home this week facing the Jaguars, a team that beat lasts years 13-3 Colts in the opening round of the playoffs. The won their first game this year beating the strong Pittsburgh Steelers 37-21. It should be a tough game and should really put our young crew to the test.

--------------------
St. Louis (1-0) vs Jacksonville (1-0)

42-35 Rams win! We had a big lead (28-3) at halftime and had to struggle to hand on, but we put a ton of points on the board again. Bulger had a day, throwing for 5 touchdowns! on 23/35 passing for 343 yards. He really wants to keep is starting job and looks like he will for the time being as he has basically played to perfection thus far. Jackson had another huge game as well, rushing 17 times for 77 yards and a TD and catching 6 for 82 yards and 3TD! totaling 4 touchdowns on the afternoon. Rookie TE Eric Francis caught 5 passes for 83 yards and his first touchdown of his career. Holt came back solid catching 4 for 72 yards and a score. Solid game by the offense - the second half defense not so much. We can't keep winning with this type of defensive play, getting to be frustrating. Both games should have been blowouts with the way our offense played.

Positives:
Bulger again - amazing day
SJax again
Rookie TE Francis bouncing back after quiet opening game
Offensive unit
Offensive line - 1 sack allowed

Negatives:
Opponents yardage total again
Penalties (6 penalties)
Defense getting lazy late in the game

Rams game MVP:
QB Marc Bulger huge day

Injuries:
Rookie S Sean Muschett out for 3 weeks with sprained neck - not good. Neck injuries always scary
Rookie T Ciron Black out for 1 week with a pulled groin

bucher34

11-14-2008, 03:35 AM

Week 3

We have another tough matchup hosting the undefeated Washington Redskins. Jason Campbell is having a great start to the year for them with 6 touchdown passes to only 1 interception. They have a very solid defense that has been playing much better than ours. We are going to have to bring our A game if we want to continue this win streak into our bye week next week.

------------------------
St. Louis (2-0) vs Washington (2-0)

Big win for us, 31-19. We finally put together a solid all-around game. Our defense came to play as well as our offense. We are putting up points this year! Bulger had another "turnoverless" game throwing for 2 touchdowns on 15/26 passing for 254 yards. Jackson rushed for 74 yards and another TD on 15 carries as well as a receiving TD, catching 3 passes for 64 yards. SJax has scored a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in every game so far this season, very encouraging. Pro Bowl? MVP? Rookie TE Francis had another touchdown grab catching 3 for 52 yards. He has exceeded expectations so far. My two veteran linebackers, Pisa and Witherspoon, were everywhere today collecting 9 or more tackles each while each recording a sack. Backup CB Jonathan Wade had two interceptions in a surprising effort. What a great start heading into our bye week (which I kind of wish we had later on as it may affect our momentum, but we'll see what happens).

Positives:
Bulger again
SJax again
Defensive unit (except for passing yards allowed)
O-Line (only 1 sack allowed again on a depleted offensive, I'll be getting everyone back for our next game in two weeks!)

Negatives:
Passing yards allowed (for the third straight game)
Opponents completion percentage (77%) - I tried atleast
My wide receivers actually didn't do much in this game

Rams game MVP:
Veteran linebackers Pisa and Will Witherspoon

Injuries:
Got my starting o-line fully recovered

bucher34

11-14-2008, 03:36 AM

Week 4

We enter our bye week at an impressive 3-0. Time to heal up our bumps and bruises and get ready for a long rest of the season.

bucher34

11-14-2008, 03:52 AM

Standings and Leaders through Week 4:

My guys have only played three games along with Arizona, Minnesota, New Orleans, Philly, San Diego, Denver, and Oakland.

Detroit, with their rookie #1 overall pick and Rudi are very impressive so far. Rudi is back on the map for now as an elite running back dominating in the yardage department.

Arctic Blast

11-14-2008, 04:38 AM

bucher34

11-14-2008, 12:52 PM

Week 5

We travel to surprising Detroit this week and hope to sneak away with a road victory, something we didn't do much of last season. These guys are playing well and it is not goin to be easy, but I'm hoping we can continue our streak after nice week off.

----------------------
St. Louis (3-0) @ Detroit (3-1)

And sneak away with a win we did! Bulger threw a touchdown pass to Holt with 3 minutes left in the game giving us a 24-21 lead. Then CB Hill intercepted the game ending ball with 2 minutes to go - Jackson then running the game out. Our defense came ready to play forcing 6 sacks (Chris Long with 4 of them) while keeping the leagues leading rusher by a large margin to only 50 total yards from scrimmage. We only allowed 203 total yards of offense from them, very impressive. Bulger struggled, still throwing for 3 touchdowns, but was intercepted 4 times. I guess that makes up for his turnoverless hot start to the season. Jackson had a quiet day only rushing for 48 yards on 19 carries and catching 3 for only 22 yards, with no scores in either category. Holt had a huge day catching 8 for 115 yards and two scores and rookie TE Francis only had a one catch, but it went for another score for him.

Positives:
Defense
Defensive ends (accounted for 5 of the 6 sacks)
Torry Holt stepping up
Francis another score
Time of possession was in our favor, something that doesn't happen that often and that hasn't happened this season until now. Great job there.

Negatives:
Bulger back down to earth (4 INT!)
SJax struggles

Injuries:
My whole team is back and healthy

bucher34

11-14-2008, 04:13 PM

Week 6

We play at home this week against undefeated division leader and rival Seattle (5-0). Coach Holmgren has them rolling on all cylinders. Hasselback has 13 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions leading the lead in yards and touchdowns, while Julius Jones is 3rd in the NFL in rushing. WR Nate Burleson is building off of last years great year with 7 touchdowns already. Their defense is loaded led by their linebacking corps. This should be another tough matchup, could our schedule get any harder, jeesh.

----------------
St. Louis (4-0) vs Seattle (5-0)

35-23 our streak continues! It was a very tough game, closer than it looked. Hasselback couldn't miss a pass in the first half, but we kept him from throwing it into the endzone. The second half he was ripping off some big plays to Burleson, but 3 of those ended up intercepted by our guys. Bulger was hot early on, struggled midway throwing two picks, then came back and threw three more touchdowns. Bulger threw for 346 yards and 5 touchdowns! Jackson struggled out of the gates with back to back runs for losses and didn't really do much from there on the ground. He did, however, catch a touchdown pass to make his day a little better. Rookie TE Francis was active early on catching 3 passes with one being a touchdown. Holt had another solid day catching a TD pass and Ginn had a huge 77 yard touchdown reception late in the game to basically seal the deal. WR3 Donnie Avery also came through with a touchdown reception. Our defense was stellar, keeping Jones to only 36 total yards and never allowing a big play from him. He appeared to be extra frustrated and should have been, we were smothering him.

Positives:
Receiving corps
Bulger finishing strong
Run and pass defense
Won T.O.P. again
Rams take over division lead!

Negatives:
SJax for the second week in a row
Burleson dominating our secondary (13rec/172yds/1 TD) - yikes!

Injuries:
Starting CB Ricky Manning out for a week with a dislocated collarbone
--------CB Justin Miller will replace him in the lineup

Next up: We are on the road for the next two weeks traveling to the struggling (1-4) Giants and the (2-3) Eagles, two very tough places to play. I'm not looking forward to it, hopefully we can come away with atleast a win.

bucher34

11-14-2008, 06:40 PM

Week 7

-----------------
St. Louis (5-0) @ NY Giants (1-4)

Deceiving matchup on paper. They killed us 35-21. dominating basically the whole game. I am very disappointed in our play, especially Bulger's. 4 interceptions thrown to only 2 touchdown passes as he has thrown 10 interceptions in his last three games. Not acceptable. SJax continues to struggle rushing only 9 times and catching only 1 pass with no scores. Burress and Toomer both had over 100 yards receiving as Eli threw for an 84% completion rate. I don't have much else to say, poor effort by our guys.

Positives:
None

Negatives:
Bulger, SJax, Pass defense, goal-line defense

Injuries:
LB Jyles Tucker out for a week
CB Ricky Manning returns

Now we have to go to Philly which isn't any easier than New York.

bucher34

11-14-2008, 06:57 PM

Week 8:

Hopefully our result isn't similar to our game last week at New York.

----------------
St. Louis (5-1) @ Philadelphia (2-4)

It was worse, way worse. We got blown out 38-13 for our second straight blowout loss. Bulger was absolutely horrid as well as SJax. What a reversal of fortune for my Rams team. Bulger went 9/24 with no touchdowns and two more interceptions and was sacked 6 times. Steven only had 31 total yards from scrimmage and no scores as he struggled for the 4th straight game. This is not what I had expected after our hot start.

Positives:
No penalties
Brian Brohm (6/8 74yds, TD).......hrm.

Negatives:
Everything else

Injuries:
Starting RG Alex Barron out for three weeks with a sprained ankle
---------Replaced by backup G Adam Goldberg
Starting RT Orlando Pace out for three weeks with a torn elbow ligament
---------Replaced by backup T John Greco
Backup LB David Vobora out for six weeks with a sprained knee

There goes our whole right side, jeesh.

Now we have to face Dallas. Atleast we have it at home, but like that matters at this point - we just got blown out by that divisions two "weakest" teams. This doesn't look good - a change might have to be in order and I think you know who I am talking about -- no not you Lenehan.

bucher34

11-14-2008, 07:08 PM

I just traded Marc Bulger to the Vikings for quarterbacks John David Booty and Matthew Leggat (both reliable backups) and their 2010 2nd Rd draft pick (this upcoming draft). This moves allows QB Brian Brohm to slide into the starting role that I've been anxiously waiting for. Hopefully this will change things for us. If not I'm probably screwed.

Arctic Blast

11-14-2008, 08:15 PM

bucher34

11-16-2008, 05:38 AM

Week 9

Our halfway point, can we stop our losing streak heading into the second half of the season? We host Dallas, a very strong team, with our new look behind center QB Brian Brohm. Hopefully he can get the job done.

--------------------------
St. Louis (5-2) vs Dallas (6-1)

43-28 in favor of Dallas. Brohm didn't play bad, but didn't play well either. He was taken out of the game with an unspecified injury, but later returned. Brohm ended up 9/15 with 117 yards, a TD, and an INT. Jackson finally came around and had a big day rushing for 68 yards with a TD (his first rushing touchdown since week 3) and catching 5 for 81 yards (149 total yards). Backup QB Leggat came in and went 7/12 for 134 yards and a score, but that was simply because Brohm was out for a little while. 3rd stringer Booty even threw a pass going 1/1 for a 9 yard touchdown pass. Looks like my new players really want to be here, which is nice. Holt caught a TD pass and WR3 Donnie Avery, our team rookie of the year last year, caught two touchdown passes. Very disappointed in our defense, they have given up way too many big plays leading to way to many points allowed. Lenehan is back on the hot seat if things don't turn around soon.

Positives:
Quarterback play by all three
SJax regaining some confidence

Negatives:
Defense

Rams game MVP:
QBs Briam Brohm, Matthew Leggat, John David Booty

We travel to sliding Tennessee (2-6), losers of 4 in a row, for our week 10 matchup.

bucher34

11-16-2008, 05:52 AM

I simmed through week 13, forgetting to write about so the records shown are through week 13, not the respective weeks.

Week 10

-----------------
St. Louis (5-3) @ Tennessee (2-6)

Our losing streak and poor defensive play continues losing 35-31. Brian Brohm did all he could to try and win this game throwing for 4 touchdowns without turning the ball over. Steven Jackson had another good game totaling 136 yards from scrimmage, but without a score. Vince Young, yes Vince Young, passed for an 81% completion rate on our defense. Very disappointing. When will this end?

Positives:
QB Brian Brohm and the rest of the offense

Negatives:
Defense, defense, defense

Rams game MVP:
QB Brian Brohm

We fall to 5-4 into a mix of teams fighting for the playoffs. Now we really have to work to make it back to the playoffs, hopefully coach Lenehan can pull something together, I'm out of ideas at the moment - now that the deadline has passed.

bucher34

11-16-2008, 05:15 PM

Week 11

We have a tough, very important divisional game at the Arizona Cardinals facing Kurt Warner and their potent offense, and with the way our defense has played it is going to be tough to stop this losing streak.

-----------------
St. Louis (5-4) @ Arizona (5-4)

Great win for us! 16-6 in a defensive battle. Our defense finally, FINALLY came to play. The defense held touchdown and yardage machine Kurt Warner to without a touchdown and forcing him into throwing two interceptions. It wasn't a great day by our offense by any means, but the way the offense has played for most of the season, they deserve a letdown. Brohm didn't throw for a touchdown going 18/36 for 252 yards and an INT. Jackson only had 60 total yards from scrimmage, but did rush for a toucdown. Our defense had six sacks and we dominated the T.O.P., almost topping Arizona by 10 minutes of possession. Solid day and hopefully we can get that winning edge again.

Positives:
Defense!

Negatives:
Can't complain

Rams game MVP:
Kudos to Gaines Adams and the defense

Our next matchup we stay at home to face the up-and-down Colts this year (4-6), down of late. We can't relax on these guys, they are a perennial playoff team and are fighting for a spot again this year so we need to be ready from the start.

bucher34

11-16-2008, 05:33 PM

Week 12

-------------
St. Louis (6-4) vs Indianapolis (4-6)

What a game! We dominated three quarters as Indianapolis made a fourth quarter push scoring 21, but still falling short 34-31. We have responded to our recent struggles very well these last two weeks. QB Brohm had an amazing day going 28/38 with 389 yards, a touchdown, and no turnovers. He has exceeded expectations thus far. Jackson had two more rushing touchdowns and Ginn caught 5 balls for 106 yards with a score. Our defense played extremely well, but let up in the 4th quarter where Indy got most of their yards. Hopefully this doesn't translate into our next game against the (6-5) Carolina Panthers. Rookie safety Sean Muschett had a great game with 6 tackles, an interception, and a sack.

Positives:
Defense (even though a letdown in the 4th quarter)
QB Brian Brohm
Receiving corps
No turnovers
Won T.O.P. by over 11 minutes
Completion %
7/13 on third down

Negatives:
4th quarter defense, after having huge lead
Nothing else really

Rams game MVP:
WR Ted Ginn Jr.

bucher34

11-16-2008, 05:47 PM

Week 13

---------------
St. Louis (7-4) vs Carolina (6-5)

Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith lit us up. Delhomme went 26/30 for 372 yards and three scores in Carolina's 34-27 win. We hung around, but couldn't take control of the game falling short. We played well, our offense atleast, but they played better. Steve Smith caught 9 passes for 161 yards and 2 scores. QB Brian Brohm had another great game, trying to get the win for us throwing for 332 yards on 26/42 passes and 2 touchdowns. Rookie TE Eric Francis had his 6th touchdown reception of the season, and Ginn had a big day gaining 121 yards on 7 catches with a score (Holt was inactive due to injury, but will be back next week). The only thing going for our defense was that our two DE - Chris Long and Gaines Adams - accounted for 3.5 out of our 4 sacks (Adams with 3).

Positives:
QB Brian Brohm
Defensive ends
Receiving corps (stepping up for the absent Holt)
3rd down conversion (6/10)
No turnovers

Negatives:
DEFENSE
Carolina dominated T.O.P.
Opponents completion percentage

Rams game MVP:
QB Brian Brohm

bucher34

11-16-2008, 06:00 PM

Here are my team leaders thus far:

WR3 Donnie Avery is my leading receiver! Shows how balanced my receiving corps is.

bucher34

11-16-2008, 08:08 PM

Week 14

This could ultimately be the most important game of the season for us as we travel to Seattle to face the division leaders and rival Seahawks (10-2). If we win, we gain major ground on Seattle as we have already beaten them earlier in the year. A win would put us two games behind them in the division. We need this.

------------------------
St. Louis (7-5) @ Seattle (10-2)

Brohm is simply amazing! Another game without a turnover and another win for him, 23-14. Our defense really stepped up when needed holding Seattle's high-powered offense to only 226 total yards intercepting two passes from Hasselback. Brohm was 21/33 for 248 yards and two touchdowns with, again, no interceptions. Brohm has 11 touchdowns on the year to only 2 interceptions. SJax gained 101 total yards of offense with no scores, rushing 22 times for 72 yards and catching 3 for 29 yards. Backup TE Joe Klopfenstein caught 3 passes for 39 yards and a score, filling in for the injured Francis and coming through big. DE Gaines Adams recorded another sack giving him 10.5 on the year - leading the team; a great signee.

Positives:
QB Brian Brohm
TE Joe Klopfenstein
Defense coming through
Dominating T.O.P.

Negatives:
Nothing to complain about

Rams game MVP:
QB Brian Brohm - he has re-energized this team significantly.
TE Joe Klopfenstein - clutch touchdown catch

bucher34

11-16-2008, 08:48 PM

Week 15

We have another tough, important divisional game against Arizona (7-6). We play at home so, on paper, this matchup favors us as we beat them at their place a few weeks ago 16-6 in a defensive battle.

---------------------
St. Louis (8-5) vs Arizona (7-6)

16 Sacks! We had 16 sacks! Am I seeing things?! Wowwwww! 22-10 our defense smothered Warner and Arizona's offense led by Chris Long with 4.5 sacks. Brohm struggled a bit (20/39 209 yds/TD/2 INT), but remember he is still a rookie and that is his first mediocre game in awhile. Jackson was inactive for the game (game-time decision) with a strained hammy, but he should be ready to go next week. I can't say enough about our defense and I hope they play like this the rest of the season to get us into the playoffs for the second straight season.

Positives:
Defense

Negatives:
Can't really complain, our offense struggled, but you'll have that.
Arizona won T.O.P. by a slight margin

Rams game MVP:
The defensive unit (16 sacks!)

bucher34

11-16-2008, 09:08 PM

Week 16

Two weeks left. We hold the fourth spot in the playoffs currently (same record as Washington at 9-5. We host the dreadful 2-12 49ers and finish up at the 7-8 Houston Texans. Two very winnable games on paper, but we cannot, I stress CANNOT, let up as we head into the last couple weeks of the season. These games are vital and are a necessity to get into the playoffs.

----------------------
St. Louis (9-5) vs San Francisco (2-12)

We clinched a playoff spot! Another dominating game by Chris Long and our defense sacking our way to a 30-6 win. Our defense recorded 5 more sacks with 3 of them coming from DE Chris Long. He is a machine! 7.5 sacks in the last two games and 16.5 on the season, holy cow. Brohm had a good game throwing for two touchdowns and no turnovers. He threw the ball 20 times completing 14 passes for 170 yards - a very efficient game. Holt caught a TD pass for his eighth of the season as well as Avery and Ginn each catching scores.

Positives:
QB Brian Brohm
Receiving corps
DE Chris Long and the defense
38 minutes to 21 minutes T.O.P.

Negatives:
Nothing worth noting

Rams game MVP:
DE Chris Long

I'm expecting us to win our last game so we can get an "easier" matchup in the playoffs. We'll take on any team, but it'd be nice to not have to face Dallas, Seattle, or Green Bay (all with 12+ wins).

bucher34

11-16-2008, 09:31 PM

Week 17

----------------
St. Louis (10-5) @ Houston (7-8)

27-21 St. Louis. Nice finish to the season. Not much to say about this game, just a good all-around game. TE Eric Francis caps off a great rookie season catching two touchdown passes on 95 yards receiving giving him 8 touchdowns and 650 yards on the season. Our defense recorded 6 more sacks - LB Jyles Tucker leading the way with 3 and Chris Long recording one more just for good measure. Can you say Chris Long Pro Bowl? I can.

Positives:
TE Eric Francis
LB Jyles Tucker and the rest of the sackers

Negatives:
Our defense let up in the second half, which is something that can't happen in the playoffs

Rams game MVP:
Rookie TE Eric Francis

We face the 10-6 Buccaneers whom they have rookie QB Matt Stafford at the helm.

Arctic Blast

11-16-2008, 09:41 PM

Just had to say it...

SIXTEEN sacks?! :eek: Did they have a Girl Scout troop playing offensive line?

And Brohm's turned out VERY nicely. Good stuff.

bucher34

11-16-2008, 09:41 PM

Final standings and leaders:

Note: Two rookies lead the AFC in receiving and New England missed out on the playoffs.

bucher34

11-16-2008, 09:42 PM

Just had to say it...

SIXTEEN sacks?! :eek: Did they have a Girl Scout troop playing offensive line?

And Brohm's turned out VERY nicely. Good stuff.

That's what I was thinking. I didn't think that was possible. Brohm has turned out very well, I don't know if we'd be here with Bulger still behind center.

P.S. Playoff updates coming!

bucher34

11-16-2008, 09:47 PM

Defensive leaders:

Note: Rookie CB Malcolm Jenkins leads the league with 13 interceptions.

bucher34

11-17-2008, 01:25 AM

2009 Playoffs - Round 1 Wild Card

We face the South division winner 10-6 Tampa Bay Bucs led by rookie QB Matt Stafford and the NFC's leading rusher Carnell "Cadillac" Williams.

--------------
St. Louis (11-5) @ Tampa Bay (10-6)

Nice first round win! Brohm was outstanding throwing for 3 touchdowns with no turnovers. WR3 Donnie Avery had 2 touchdown catches and DT Clifton Ryan had 2.5 sacks to lead the defensive force. A good all-around game by our team as we played like a dominant playoff team in this one.

Note: Coach Lenehan's contract is up after the season. A hefty sum of money with an extension could be heading his way if he keeps it up.

Positives:
QB Brian Brohm
WR Donnie Avery
Defensive unit

Negatives:
Nothing to complain about

Rams game MVP:
QB Brian Brohm and his continued success

We head to 13-3 Seattle to play them for the third time this season. Can we make it a sweep?!

bucher34

11-17-2008, 01:39 AM

2009 Playoffs - Round 2 Divisional

We are in the NFC championship game! Let's keep the ball rollin' towards the Super Bowl! I told Coach I want to meet with him after the playoffs for some important news.

Note: Brett Favre has the Jets in the AFC championship game. His battery just keeps goin' and goin'. I called him up and congratulated him on his success so far this year and told I hoped we met in the Super Bowl. We played and lived together in college so we still keep in contact often. The NFL needs more players like him.

-----------------------
St. Louis (12-5) @ Seattle (13-3)

And the ball keeps on rollin'! 41-24, a blowout and third straight victory over division winner Seattle! QB Brohm was outstanding again! Holy cow, throwing two more touchdowns without an interception - our future looks real bright with him behind center. Steven Jackson exploded with two touchdowns and 119 yards from scrimmage after a somewhat quiet regular season (as he didn't reach 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in four seasons). Torry Holt came through with a big day grabbin a score on 7 catches for 86 yards. Chris Long had a sack, as did DE Gaines Adams and DT Adam Carriker, as well as an interception. The Seahawks did have a great game through the air except for Hasselbacks two costly interceptions, but we kept their running game in check the whole game. Great all-around game by our team, which makes two so far in these playoffs. Things are looking great, however, we face the defending champs - 15-3 Dallas Cowboys.

bucher34

11-17-2008, 01:50 AM

Playoff bracket:

bucher34

11-17-2008, 01:59 AM

2009 Playoffs - Round 3 NFC Title Game!

Winner goes to the Super Bowl, the loser, well, packs their bags and heads home. We have an extremely tough matchup as Dallas is looking to exact revenge after their loss to us earlier in the season (43-28). The were struggling somewhat at that point, but seemed to have erased that point in the season from their minds, except for when we beat them. We play them in our third straight road playoff matchup - but it sure has been sweet so far.

Note: Brett Favre and the Jets have advanced to the Super Bowl! They beat Carson Palmer and the Bengals 30-24!

----------------------
St. Louis (13-5) @ Dallas (15-3)

Ouch! We got roughed up and shut down 35-7 as Dallas showed their dominance and hatred for us. We didn't turn the ball for the 3rd straight playoff game and Brohm was only sacked once, but we struggled to find the endzone. Donnie Jones, our punter, was very active today - he may need to hit the icebath after the game. I'm disappointed in this loss as I expected a better showing, but we took some huge leaps this year in our team improvement and I am proud of that. I can't be too upset with this loss even though I would have liked to face Brett in the Super Bowl. Good luck to him - hopefully he can end his career on the highest of highs. Time for the offseason!

bucher34

11-17-2008, 02:03 AM

What a Super Bowl game! Brett couldn't pull it out, but gave it a fight. Maybe he'll return for one more go - he has found great success in his two years in New York.

bucher34

11-17-2008, 02:05 AM

Final Bracket:

bucher34

11-17-2008, 02:24 AM

Pre-Draft finances, Draft Order, Draft Pool:

bucher34

11-17-2008, 02:32 AM

Analysis:

I have lots of finances to work with to make this team a Super Bowl team. There are some great players at the top of the draft who would put me over the top - I'm wondering if I'd be able to trade up. I really like the CBs near the top of the draft - the likes of Travis Neal and Sam Palmer - as well as G Dallon Zhornist, but I have a feeling he may go earlier than my spot. Maybe a Steven Jackson trade?? Sounds crazy, but I've done crazy things thus far and they've worked to an extent.

Signees/Resignees:

Resigned:
G Alex Barron (26) to a 5yr 3.01 mil extension with a 1 mil signing bonus
QB Bruce Gradkowski (27) to a 3 year 790k extension
RB Musa Smith (28) to a 2 year 960k extension
TE Joe Klopfenstein (26) to a 4 year 815k extension
TE Leonard Pope (26) to a 4 year 815k extension
WR Brandon Williams (26) to a 3 year 1.44 mil extension
CB Tye Hill (28) to a 4 year 3.795 mil extension with a 1.4 mil signing bonus
DE Victor Adeyanju (27) to a 3 year 1.295 mil extension
DT Claude Wroten (26) to a 3 year 800k extension

Signed:
WR Marques Colston (27) to a 6 year 5.255 mil contract with a 2.5 mil signing bonus
LB Keith Ellison (26) to a 4 year 3.23 mil contract with a 1.4 mil signing bonus

bucher34

11-17-2008, 02:45 AM

Trade Update!

I was able to get the #1 overall pick from the 49ers! I traded WR Derek Stanley, 2010 3rd Rd, 2011 1st Rd, and 4 million in cash in return for the #1 pick!

I also was able to get the #8 overall pick from the Eagles! I trade WR Donnie Avery, G Brandon Gorin (my starting G), and our 2012 1st Rd pick. Giving up the future drafts for this one, we are loaded!

-------My signing of WR Marques Colston initiated this deal of trading Donnie Avery.

Analysis:
I have THREE first round picks (#1 (from SF), #8 (from PHI), and #26) as well as two second round picks (#51 (from MIN) and #58).

I am very excited for this draft!

Arctic Blast

11-17-2008, 09:01 PM

I kinda wondered if that might have been your thinking behind the signing of Colston. Good moves! Man, if you can beef up that secondary, you could have a scary team next year.

bucher34

11-18-2008, 06:24 PM

2010 Draft Results:

Rd 1 #1 CB Travis Neal (6yr 1.285 mil, 9 mil signing bonus)

This guy provides amazing talent at the cornerback position for me and at 6'2" with a 4.44 is a physical specimen and superb athletic talent. He will start for me right away as I'm expecting great results.

Rd 1 #8 CB Brian Bell (6yr 895k, 6.7 mil signing bonus)

I decided to go with another cornerback with my 2nd pick in the 1st round, first, to add a very talented and athletic cornerback to start alongside Neal, but also to add depth by moving former starter and recent resignee CB Tye Hill to the CB3 spot - in which he will still see the field often. My defensive backs are very young, and very talented. I'm expecting big things from them this year.

Rd 1 #26 G Dallon Zhornist (6yr 680k, 2.3 mil signing bonus)

The guard I was looking for! At 6'3" and 316 lb. he fills my weakness at the other guard slot. He is an instant start and fills the gap that my o-line was needing. Brohm can look forward to, hopefully, a great year from his offensive line.

Rd 2 #51 FB Noah Klotz (6yr 505k, 500k signing bonus)

This guy is a man among boys. I know he is a fullback, but he is one of the most talented players in the draft and an amazing blocker. At 6'5" 257 lb he is a force to reckon with and all Steven Jackson can do is smile with this guy in the lineup. He is an instant starter replacing former rookie starter Bill Birmingham who, although undersized, did a remarkable job. He will backup Klotz and will see the field a good amount.

2nd Rd #58 WR McAtasney (6yr 700k, 500k signing bonus)

I'm surprised this guy fell this far in the draft. I wasn't expecting to pick up a wide receiver this early, but he fell right into my hand and I couldn't pass. He is only 5'11", but extremely fast (4.38) and runs spectacular routes. Something he needs to work on though is more consistent pass catching. He has time.

3rd Rd: No pick
4th Rd #122 WR Brett Cobain (4yr 337k)

I'm not expecting alot from this guy this year, unless he gets extended time due to injuries, but he is basically a talented depth guy for my receiving corps. He's more of a possession receiver than anything, but needs to improve his pass catching ability to see the field often.

Rd 5 #154 S Dave Carl (4yr 337k)

Another depth pick for my safeties. He has great size for a safety at 6'1" nearly 200lb and is well balanced in every facet. My scouts have told me he may never be an everydown safety, but can truly be of benefit filling in.

Rd 6 #186 RB Todd Pachner

Fast and has great pass catching ability for a running back adding solid depth to a deep backfield. He will fill the RB4 slot and will basically help out on special teams.
------RB Musa Smith and Antonio Pittman released after drafting Pachner to cut costs and open up opportunities for them elsewhere.

Rd 7 #218 Kelly Hall

Out of Tulsa, averaging roughly a sack a game in college, he adds great depth to our front line. Great size at 270 lbs, Hall may not be an everydown player, but will serve as a much needed fill-in.

Analysis:
I feel like this draft put us over the top. I am expecting very big things i.e. Super Bowl. We have the team for it, we just have to execute. Looking forward to a great season!

bucher34

11-18-2008, 06:25 PM

After the draft, after working with Lenehan getting our picks, I discussed an extension with him. I offered him a 3 year extension worth over 2.5 million with a 1.6 million signing bonus. He gladly accepted the offer and looks forward to being our coach for the next few years and possibly beyond.

bucher34

11-18-2008, 06:28 PM

2009 Season Awards: (Wish they would show MVP, etc.)

American CONFERENCE (2009): AWARD WINNERS
QB: Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)
RB: Willie Parker (PIT)
FB: Bryan Bonfiglio (IND)
TE: Antonio Gates (SD)
WR: Michael Crabtree (NE)
WR: Paul Williams (TEN)
T: Ryan Diem (BAL)
G: Jason Brown (BAL)
C: Matt Katula (BAL)
G: Jason Brown (BAL)
T: Ryan Diem (BAL)
DE: Kyle Vanden Bosch (TEN)
DT: Corey Williams (CLE)
DT: Vonnie Holliday (MIA)
DE: Charles Grant (TEN)
LB: James Harrison (PIT)
LB: Shaun Phillips (SD)
LB: DeMeco Ryans (HOU)
CB: Johnathan Joseph (CIN)
CB: Leon Hall (CIN)
S: Gibril Wilson (OAK)
S: Chris Crocker (MIA)
K: Nate Kaeding (SD)
P: Sam Koch (BAL)
National CONFERENCE (2009): AWARD WINNERS
QB: Matt Hasselbeck (SEA)
RB: Carnell Williams (TB)
FB: Mike Sellers (WAS)
TE: Randy McMichael (ARI)
WR: Steve Smith (CAR)
WR: Nate Burleson (SEA)
T: Levi Brown (ARI)
G: Reggie Wells (ARI)
C: Al Johnson (ARI)
G: Reggie Wells (ARI)
T: Levi Brown (ARI)
DE: Chris Long (STL)
DT: Tommie Harris (CHI)
DT: Rocky Bernard (SEA)
DE: Gaines Adams (STL)
LB: Pisa Tinoisamoa (STL)
LB: DeMarcus Ware (DAL)
LB: Will Witherspoon (STL)
CB: Marcus Trufant (SEA)
CB: Richard Marshall (CAR)
S: Roman Harper (NO)
S: Nick Collins (GB)
K: Robbie Gould (CHI)
P: Chris Kluwe (MIN)

Note:
4 of my defensive players all received awards (DE Chris Long and Gaines Adams, LB Will Witherspoon and Pisa Tinoisamoa)

bucher34

11-18-2008, 06:59 PM

2010 Opening Roster:

bucher34

11-30-2008, 10:14 PM

Sorry I've been away for so long. I left for over a week and didn't have access to my computer (which has mogul on it). Don't know if there is a way to get mogul on another computer without having to buy it again so as a result I wasn't able to continue. But I'm back now and look forward to a great 2010 season!

bucher34

11-30-2008, 10:16 PM

2010 Schedule

bucher34

11-30-2008, 10:21 PM

I switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4 after the signing of LB Keith Ellison. This will move Carriker to the bench backing DT Clifton Ryan. I feel that this will give us more versatility on the defensive side of the ball.

bucher34

12-01-2008, 11:38 AM

Week 1

We travel to Cincinnati to face a strong Cincinnati team who finished (12-5) last season. Carson Palmer is looking for a Super Bowl this year and has the ability and team to do it.

------------------
St. Louis (0-0) @ Cincinnati (0-0)

Hard fought game and we managed the win! 24-20 - what a way to open the season. Brohm was up and down, but didn't turn the ball over while throwing for 3 scores while only completing half his passes. Jackson was injured early and ended up rushing 8 times for 29 yards. J.J. filled in nicely gaining 104 total yards and a score and newcomers Colston and McAtasney both had scores. My defensive ends were very active picking up where they left off from last year's pro bowl seasons. Nice win.

Positives:
No turnovers
Depth guys stepping up
Sacking the QB
Held their top two receivers in check and forced an INT

Negatives:
T.O.P.
SJax (although was out most of the game)
1st downs forced/allowed
Completion % allowed

Rams game MVP:
J.J. Arrington (104 total yards/1 TD)

A strong start to the season. We now head back home to host the (0-1) Carolina Panthers coming off of a blowout 40-17 loss to Detroit. They aren't going to be easy.

bucher34

12-01-2008, 11:51 AM

2010 Week 2

-------------
St. Louis (1-0) vs Carolina (0-1)

A solid 24-20 win. Brohm struggled throwing 2 INT on 26/40 for 288 yards, but found Colston for the score again in his only touchdown of the game - a huge play. SJax came back strong breaking the goal-line for a score on 17 carries and 69 yards. He also caught 6 for 33 yards (102 total yards). Our defense really stepped it up and held Delhomme scoreless and held their whole offense to only 263 total yards. Great day for the defense as Chris Long continued his sacking ways.

Positives:
Defense
SJax
Colston and the rest of the receivers staying consistent
Won T.O.P.
22 1st downs forced vs 12 allowed
Forced 2 turnovers and 4 more sacks
58% completion percentage allowed

Negatives:
Having to come back for the second week in a row (which could also be a positive in some aspects)

Rams game MVP:
Defense

bucher34

12-07-2008, 02:44 AM

2010 Week 3

We stay at home this week to face the hot (2-0) Arizona Cardinals. With Matt Leinart behind center, they have the quarterback they have been waiting for. Important divisional game as both teams are potential division winners.

--------------
St. Louis (2-0) vs Arizona (2-0)

Back and forth game as we come out with the victory 38-24! We are firing on all cylinders! QB Brohm had an outstanding game throwing for 398 yards and 4 scores! on 30/49 passing. Jackson had a solid day rushing for 52 yards and a score as well as catching 5 for 32 yards. TE Francis continues his knack for the endzone by catching a TD pass in what was a good day for the young star. Newcomer Colston caught 9 balls for a whopping 140 yards - looks like its going to be a great year for him. Holt caught 5 balls with two of them going for scores and Ginn also had a touchdown in what was a very productive day for my receiving corps.

Positives:
Brian Brohm
Receivers/TE
Dominating T.O.P.
No turnovers

Negatives:
Opponents 3rd down conversions (7/11)
Yards-per-rush allowed (4.2)
Otherwise nothing major to complain about

Rams game MVP:
QB Brian Brohm

bucher34

12-07-2008, 02:53 AM

2010 Week 4

We hit the road to face the deceiving (0-2) Vikings of Minnesota. Its going to be a brutal battle as it is never easy playing up in Minneapolis.

-------------
St. Louis (3-0) @ Minnesota (0-2)

Somehow we managed to win this sloppy offensive game 17-13. Great defensive play by both sides, but especially my guys. They stepped it up today as our offense greatly struggled. We got beat bad in T.O.P. and total yards, but managed to keep them out of the endzone for most of the game. Brohm struggled going 15/28 for 197 yards with a score and an interception. Jackson didn't do much either not reaching the endzone at all. He carried the ball 17 times for 53 yards and caught 3 for only 23 yards. Holt managed a touchdown reception in an otherwise poor offensive showing. LB Will Witherspoon had 13.5 tackles - 2.5 going for sacks in what was an outstanding day for our defense. A wins a win, though, no matter how bad it looks.

Positives:
Defensive play

Negatives:
Everything else

Rams game MVP:
I would say the defense, but LB Witherspoon was the catalyst so he shall receive the award

Injuries:
G Alex Barron out for 4 weeks (Ankle)
FB Bill Birmingham out for 2 weeks (Ankle)

Our next game we head to San Francisco to face off against the winless 49ers (0-4). We should win this, but I'm hoping our guys don't look past them.

bucher34

12-07-2008, 03:02 AM

Week 5

---------------
St. Louis (4-0) @ San Francisco (0-4)

Wow! Another great day from our defense as we shut out the 49ers 27-0. They couldn't manage anything against us. Brohm had a solid day going 20/28 and 354 yards with 2 TD. SJax had a marvelous day rushing 25 times for only 73 yards, but catching 4 for 131 yards! and a score. Rookie FB Noah Klotz had a score and Holt managed another score on his only catch of the day. Our offense did a great job of staying on the field and our defense did an amazing job keeping the opposing offense off the field in what resulted in an outstanding all around effort. Colston was knocked out in the first quarter, but should be ready to go next week.

Positives:
Everything

Negatives:
Nothing to complain about really

Rams game MVP:
Steven Jackson (25rsh/73yds 4rec/131yds/TD)

Injuries:
G Dallon Zhornist out for 2 weeks (Ankle)
WR Marques Colston sat out last three quarters with a concussion - should be ready for next week's game

bucher34

12-07-2008, 03:13 AM

2010 Week 6

We head back home to host the struggling (1-3) Baltimore Ravens as we continue the "soft" part of our schedule heading into our bye week in two weeks.

---------------
St. Louis (5-0) vs Baltimore (1-4)

What a game! An overtime thriller as we pulled out a win 20-17 on a game winning field goal by Josh Brown. A good day for Jackson, but a bad day for the rest of the offense. Brohm was held in check throwing 2 interceptions to only 1 score on 19/37 passing and 239 yards. Nobody in my receiving corps was able to find the endzone as Jackson had the only offensive score for us. He rushed for 110 yards on 19 carries (5.4avg) for his first 100 yard game of the season. He also caught 3 balls for only 8 yards, but one of them going for an important touchdown. S Dalton Rimmer returned an interception for a touchdown as our defense was excellent for the third game in a row.

Positives:
Defense for the most part
RB Steven Jackson

Negatives:
5 sacks allowed
Lost 1st downs
Lost T.O.P.
2 turnovers

Rams game MVP:
S Dalton Rimmer (5.5 Tk/1 Sk/1 INT/TD)

bucher34

12-07-2008, 03:24 AM

2010 Week 7

We hope to continue our winning ways facing the (2-4) Packers heading into our bye week.

----------------
St. Louis (6-0) vs Green Bay (2-4)

Dominating win for us 42-12. We were firing on all cylinders as our offense and defense were both clicking. Brohm threw for 4 scores on 24/32 passing for 394 yards. Jackson rushed for 112 yards and 2 scores on only 16 carries while catching 3 passes for 70 yards. Francis, Colston, Holt, and Ginn all caught touchdown passes in what was a very productive day for our receivers.

Positives:
Brohm, SJax and the rest of the offensive unit
Defense allowing only 12 points
6.1 yards per rush

Negatives:
Lost T.O.P., which could be troublesome down the road if this trend continues
Lost 1st downs

Rams game MVP:
This one goes to the offense

Injuries:
K Josh Brown out for 1 week (Hamstring)
FB Bill Birmingham returns (Ankle)

We head into our bye week with an undefeated record (7-0) and will look to build on that as our schedule is pretty damn tough from here on out. The only two "weak" games are against the 49ers and the Lions, otherwise every team left on our schedule are in the hunt for playoff spots. Should be a tough second half of the season and we are definitely looking forward to it.

bucher34

12-07-2008, 03:26 AM

2010 Week 8

Our bye week

bucher34

12-07-2008, 03:36 AM

Week 9

We head to the desert to face division rival Arizona and at 4-3 they are a team to be reckoned with. We beat them in week 3 so let's see if we can take another one from them.

---------------
St. Louis (7-0) @ Arizona (4-3)

Wasn't even close. 34-13. Brohm was outstanding as we scored quickly whenever he had the ball (we lost T.O.P. and first downs). He threw for 361 yards and 4 scores on 20/37 passing. Jackson had a quiet day on the ground gaining only 28 yards, but it wasn't needed as we had this game by halftime. TE Francis caught two scores while Colston and Holt caught the other two. My linebackers were all over the place recording sacks and tackles left and right confusing Arizona.

Positives:
Brohm
Receivers
Linebackers
Defense forced 3 turnovers

Negatives:
Lost T.O.P. again - but hey we keep on winning
Lost 1st downs
1.8 yards per rush - a major step back from how we were doing

Rams game MVP:
TE Eric Francis (4rec/88yds/2 TD)

Injuries:
G Alex Barron returns (Ankle)
K Josh Brown returns (Hamstring)

We are now 8-0 at the halfway point. Can we keep this up? We face the 0-8 San Francisco 49ers for our next game.

bucher34

12-07-2008, 03:41 AM

Here are the leaders at the halfway point:

bucher34

12-07-2008, 08:29 PM

Week 10

----------------
St. Louis (8-0) vs San Francisco (0-8)

Another dominating performance from our squad winning 24-10. We averaged 8.3 ypc on the ground in what was an outstanding for our O-Line and RB Jackson. SJax rushed for 153 yards and a score on only 21 carries. Brohm was good throwing for 2 scores and no picks on 220 yards passing. Our defense recorded 6 sacks and 2 picks, with leader LB Witherspoon recording 3.5 sacks and LB Pisa with the two picks. Colston and Holt continued their scoring ways both catching touchdown passes and Ginn added 52 yards on 4 catches. Great game coming off the bye week.

Positives:
O-Line/TE/FB Blocking
Steven Jackson
Brian Brohm
Receivers
Total Yards
Won T.O.P.
7/14 on 3rd downs

Negatives:
53% completion percentage
Lost 1st downs
Ultimately should have scored more points

Rams game MVP:
RB Steven Jackson
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa

bucher34

12-07-2008, 08:40 PM

Week 11

We travel to the northwest to face division rival (8-1) Seattle in a very important divisional game to hold the division lead. Hasselback and Seattle are playing very well as they look to take over the lead in the division. We can't let that happen.

---------------
St. Louis (9-0) vs Seattle (8-1)

Wow, a blowout. Didn't expect that to happen, but I'm happy it did! 38-13 in favor of our side in another superb effort from SJax. He scored 3 times on 20 carries for 97 yards as well as catching 4 for 39 yards. Brohm was efficient again throwing for 322 yards and 2 scores to only 1 interception, in what appears to be a strong case for MVP if he keeps it up. Rookie FB Klotz had a very productive day gaining 52 yards of total offense scoring a touchdown as well as laying down some hard blocks for his counterpart Jackson. Colston caught 8 for 169 yards and another score while Holt caught 5 for 69 yards in another great outing from the two. Our defense held Hasselback to only 12/23 passing for 122 yards and a pick as he couldn't do much to help his offense today.

Positives:
SJax
Klotz
Brohm another good day
Holt/Colston
Defensive play
Won 1st downs
Dominated T.O.P. for the second straight week
Held Hasselback to 52% completion

Negatives:
Let Seattle have 5.4 ypc to our 5.0 ypc
Nothing else to complain about

Rams game MVP:
RB Steven Jackson
FB Noah Klotz

bucher34

12-07-2008, 08:47 PM

Week 12

We head back home to host the (7-3) Bears as we continue with what is going to be a very difficult rest of the way.

------------------
St. Louis (10-0) vs Chicago (7-3)

A great all-around day winning 20-7 to improve to 11-0! Our defense was outstanding and our offense was very efficient keeping the Bears off the field. I don't see any negatives to this game as it was well played and was just a dominating effort, again.

Positives:
Everything
Chicago was 0/12 in 3rd down conversions!

Negatives:
Nothing

Rams game MVP:
WR Torry Holt and Ted Ginn (Combined 11rec/177yds/2TD)

Note: The records are off because I forgot to save the "actual" week 12

bucher34

12-07-2008, 08:58 PM

Week 13

Monday Night Football! We can showcase our talent playing at home against the mediocre 4-7 Detroit Lions. Can we make it 12 in a row?

--------------------
St. Louis (11-0) vs Detroit (4-7)

Yes we can! 30-20 in what was an unexpected struggle for us. Detroit gave us a run for the money, but we found a way to win and that is what champions do. Brohm struggled throwing for three scores, but three picks as well. Jackson caught 5 passes for 40 yards and a score as well as rushing 20 times for 78 yards. I don't want to say a poor effort by our defense, but it wasn't by any means good. This wasn't exactly how I wanted to showcase my team, but hey a win is a win.

Positives:
Finding a way to win
Winning T.O.P.
No Penalties
Steven Jackson
Holt/Colston/Francis

Negatives:
Ginn was quiet
Brohm threw three picks! AND was under 60% completion rate again
Sophmore QB Berardi threw for a 70% completion rate
Less than stellar showing in the national spotlight - we had weaknesses exposed tonight

Rams game MVP:
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (6.5tkl/0.5sks/INT)

We stay at home for our next game and host the sliding (8-4) Seattle Seahawks, the team that we destroyed a few weeks starting their skid. Hopefully they don't recover against us.

bucher34

12-07-2008, 09:07 PM

Week 14

4 weeks left, we are 12-0 inching towards perfection. We play the (8-4) Seahawks, (9-3) Browns, (7-5) Steelers, and the (9-3) NY Giants. It isn't going to be easy by any means. It'd be nice to stay perfect, but I'm more concerned about winning the super bowl.

------------------
St. Louis (12-0) vs Seattle (8-4)

Woah! Another dominating performance against these guys. 20-3. We kept Hasselback out of the endzone and forced him into throwing 2 pics as well as sacking him 6 times in a marvelous defensive showing. Our offense wasn't there today, but we still put together a dominating effort. Brohm was 15/31 for 210 yards with 2 scores and a pick and Jackson rushed 24 times for only 65 yards as well as catching 3 passes for 41 yards. LB Ellison, Tucker and Pisa combined for 5 of the six sacks as blitz after blitz found Hasselback on his back. CB Travis Neal and S Sean Muschett both had picks and DE Gaines Adams recorded the other sack along with 4.5 tackles. 13-0!

Positives:
DEFENSE

Negatives:
Offense wasn't there today

Rams game MVP:
Defensive unit

bucher34

12-07-2008, 09:14 PM

Week 15

Three tought opponents left as we start it off this week facing (9-4) Cleveland. Brady Quinn is putting up MVP caliber numbers as this, on paper, is sure to be a shootout.

----------------
St. Louis (13-0) @ Cleveland (9-4)

And a shootout it wasn't. A nasty day and a nasty loss 16-13. Sloppy sloppy weather (football weather) led to a poorous effort from both teams in a very ugly win for the Browns. Brohm threw 4 picks to only 1 touchdown, Jackson did absolutely nothing as TE Eric Francis was the only somewhat positive to a very poor offensive showing. He only caught 2 for 16 yards, but one of them went for a score. Our defense did all they could to keep us in the game holding Cleveland to only 150 total yards of offense, but our offense couldn't back them up in what resulted in our first loss of the season. Well it was good while it lasted, but now it is time to get back to business and finish strong to get that coveted 1st round bye.

Positives:
Defensive effort
Won T.O.P.

Negatives:
Offensive effort

Rams game MVP:
Nobody

CatKnight

12-08-2008, 07:05 AM

Fantastic show! Losing to the Browns is an anomaly. I'd expect this team in the Super Bowl :)

bucher34

12-08-2008, 08:22 PM

Week 16

Our guys had a great week of practice responding well to that ugly loss to Cleveland stopping our perfect season, which is a great sign. I stopped by practice and chatted with Lenehan for a bit to see how he feels about the upcoming game against a tough Steelers team. He said he feels good; feels like the guys have put that loss behind them and are solely focusing on the Steelers.

--------------------
St. Louis (13-1) vs Pittsburgh (8-6)

Turns out Lenehan had a great feeling. 35-6! Pittsburgh is a perennial contender and we tore them apart. Brohm didn't have to throw the ball that much as he still put together a great game on only 14 passes - completing 11 for 337 yards and 3 scores. Jackson rushed for 91 yards and a score on 25 carries while gaining 43 yards through the air - a huge improvement from last week. LB Pisa Tinoisamoa put together a great game gathering 5 tackles, a sack and an interception. We kept reliable Big Ben out of the endzone for the first time all season and kept speedy Willie Parker in check as he only gained 83 yards of total offense. A great job responding this week.

Positives:
Everything

Negatives:
Nothing to complain about

Rams game MVP:
QB Brian Brohm

Note: I forgot to save the box score so it won't be posted for this week.

bucher34

12-08-2008, 08:41 PM

Week 17

Last game of the season as we already have that coveted first round bye secure. We head northeast to face a gritty Giants squad that is having a tremendous year at 11-4, which is good for second best in the conference.

-----------------
St. Louis (14-1) @ NY Giants (11-4)

We almost came back, but couldn't take the game from them as they beat us 28-24 in what was a great game to watch. Brohm had a great game capping of an MVP caliber season going 25/39 for 287 yards and 3 scores. He finishes with a line of (350/593, 4713 yards!, 38 TD!, 17 INT, 93.6 rat). Jackson found the endzone through the air catching 7 passes for 52 yards with that score as well as rushing 15 times for 52 yards as he finished up a very solid year (Pro Bowl?). On another note, Eli Manning lit us up for 4 scores as we couldn't stop him or their receivers. They also got to Brohm six times forcing us to lose valuable yardage when the yardage was needed most. Not a good way to finish the season.

We get a nice first round bye and will face either Matt Stafford and the 9-7 Bucs (who knocked us out last year) or the 11-5 Seahawks who we swept this year. Wish us luck!

Positives:
QB Brian Brohm
RB SJax
Won T.O.P.

Negatives:
Allowed 22 1st downs
Sacked 6 times
4 TD passes from Eli

Rams game MVP:
QB Brian Brohm (he staged a comeback that almost won it for us in the 4th quarter)

bucher34

12-08-2008, 08:44 PM

2010 Final Standings

Note: Ageless Kurt Warner got Kansas City into the playoffs!

bucher34

12-08-2008, 08:54 PM

2010 Playoffs:

1st Rd Matchups/Results:

(9-7) New England @ (10-6) Buffalo -- New England 19, Buffalo 14
---------New England will face (12-4) San Diego in the Divisional Rd

(9-7) Indianapolis vs (10-6) Kansas City -- Indianapolis 27, Kansas City 20
---------Indianapolis will face (10-6) Cleveland in the Divisional Rd

(9-7) Green Bay vs (11-5) Arizona -- Green Bay 30, Arizona 24
---------Green Bay will face (12-4) NY Giants in the Divisional Rd

(9-7) Tampa Bay vs (11-5) Seattle -- Seattle 20, Tampa Bay 13
---------Seattle will face (14-2) St. Louis in the Divisional Rd

bucher34

12-08-2008, 09:08 PM

2010 Playoffs:

Divisional Rd:

We get to play Seattle this week, which, honestly I prefer over playing Tampa Bay. We've had trouble with the Bucs in the past, especially last postseason, and we've been having great success against Seattle. Hopefully we can keep it up as we've had quite awhile to get healthy and rested up.

Results:
(12-4) San Diego vs (10-7) New England -- San Diego 36, New England 7
(10-6) Cleveland vs (10-7) Indianapolis -- Indianapolis 24, Cleveland 17
-----Indianapolis will face San Diego in the AFC Championship game

(12-4) NY Giants vs (10-7) Green Bay -- NY Giants 41, Green Bay 0!
(14-2) St. Louis vs (12-5) Seattle -- St. Louis 23, Seattle 20
-----St. Louis will face NY Giants in the NFC Championship game

We won! We made it to the NFC Championship! Holy cow! I never thought this could happen this quickly in my tenure! An overtime thriller with QB Brohm lighting up the stage throwing for over 500 yards, but getting sacked 6 times. Hasselback threw 4 picks as our guys really stepped it up to pull this one out. The Giants beat us the last game of the season so we need to get focused and get revenge. On our way to the Super Bowl? I sure hope so!

Notes: Brohm threw for over 500 yards
Injuries: S S. Muschett out for 1 wk
CB B. Bell out for 1 wk

bucher34

12-08-2008, 09:19 PM

2010 Playoffs Championship Rd:

Results:

(13-4) San Diego vs (11-7) Indianapolis -- San Diego 31, Indianapolis 13
(15-2) St. Louis vs (13-4) NY Giants -- St. Louis 27, NY Giants 21
-------(16-2) St. Louis will face (14-4) San Diego in the NFL Super Bowl

To the Super Bowl! Another thrilling win exacting revenge against a powerhouse NY Giants football team. QB Brohm came through again throwing for over 400 yards and 2 scores as our defense forced Eli into throwing 3 interceptions. 7 interceptions forced in the last two games for our defense! We don't know much about San Diego as we didn't face them at all this season, but we do know that the combination of reliable Rivers and L.T. makes this team our toughest yet. They know how to win and have the playoff experience coveted by many a team in this league. Looking forward to it!

Notes: Muschett and Bell return from injury

Also, forgot to save the recap.

bucher34

12-08-2008, 09:28 PM

2010 Playoffs Super Bowl:

Matchup/Results:

(16-2) St. Louis vs (14-4) San Diego -- San Diego 28, St. Louis 21
--------San Diego crowned NFL Champions

NOOOO! We had it in our grasp with under a minute putting them to a 3rd and 5, then Rivers launched an unexpected bomb to Vincent Jackson in the endzone as time basically expired. We had it! We were up 21-20, but got caught creeping up and got beat. Brohm and Jackson gave it all they had leaving everything on the field. Brohm had a third straight 300 yard game and Jackson scored 2 touchdowns. This loss hurts. These past few seasons have built up to this and we couldn't come through. Our guys are devastated, I'm devastated, our fans and the whole city devastated. I can't hang my head for too long, however, as I have to look to the offseason and see what we need to change to win us a ring. Great season, bad finish. Congrats San Diego, hopefully we will get you next season!

bucher34

12-08-2008, 09:36 PM

Awards:

American Football CONFERENCE (2010): AWARD WINNERS
QB: Tom Brady (NE)
RB: Ronnie Brown (MIA)
FB: Treshaun Baskerville (MIA)
TE: Kellen Winslow (CLE)
WR: Michael Crabtree (NE)
WR: Santonio Holmes (PIT)
T: Ryan Diem (BAL)
G: Jason Brown (BAL)
C: Mike Lindblom (BAL)
G: Jason Brown (BAL)
T: Ryan Diem (BAL)
DE: Terrell Suggs (BAL)
DT: Randy Starks (MIA)
DT: Tommy Kelly (OAK)
DE: Kyle Vanden Bosch (TEN)
LB: Shawne Merriman (SD)
LB: Shaun Phillips (SD)
LB: Thomas Howard (CLE)
CB: Terrence McGee (BUF)
CB: Ellis Hobbs (NE)
S: Kerry Rhodes (NYJ)
S: Brodney Pool (CLE)
K: Nate Kaeding (SD)
P: Shane Lechler (OAK)

National Football CONFERENCE (2010): AWARD WINNERS
QB: Brian Brohm (STL)
RB: Earnest Graham (TB)
FB: Jon Bradley (DET)
TE: Chris Cooley (WAS)
WR: Malcolm Kelly (WAS)
WR: Greg Jennings (GB)
T: Mike Gandy (ARI)
G: Deuce Lutui (ARI)
C: Al Johnson (ARI)
G: Deuce Lutui (ARI)
T: Mike Gandy (ARI)
DE: Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (GB)
DT: Kevin Williams (MIN)
DT: Rod Coleman (NO)
DE: Jared Allen (MIN)
LB: Antonio Pierce (NYG)
LB: Karlos Dansby (ARI)
LB: Pisa Tinoisamoa (STL)
CB: Richard Marshall (CAR)
CB: Leigh Bodden (DET)
S: Kevin Hutton (ATL)
S: Deon Grant (SEA)
K: Mason Crosby (GB)
P: Chris Kluwe (MIN)

2010 Leaders:

bucher34

12-08-2008, 09:46 PM

Season analysis:

We had many guys underachieve, especially DE Chris Long coming off of a Pro Bowl season. He managed only 30 tackles and 6 sacks compared to his 17 last season. Witherspoon's tackles decreased by 25 leaving us wonder how we did so well with so many Pro Bowl guys underachieving.

My main goals and areas of importance:
Shed some money at the LB and T position as we didn't do as well financially as I had hoped.
Gather young depth on the O-Line
Resign LB Witherspoon and WR Holt
Make some trades (need to shed OT Pace's and LB Pisa's and Keith Ellison's contracts) -- Ellison vastly underperformed for us and had a bad attitude in his first year with us. He has value, but I don't want that type of player on my team. The draft is stockpiled with linebackers so I can replace him and Pisa with young talent that will come cheaper. I have alot of cash, but not much cap room to work with, meaning cheap contracts and big bonuses to those who deserve them.

Trades:
Huge deal for us! I was able to shed LB Keith Ellison's and OT Pace's contracts in a trade with the 49ers. I traded LB Keith Ellison, LB Jyles Tucker (expensive contract also underperformed), OT Orlando Pace, WR Ted Ginn (a big loss, but a big contract and WR McAtasney has progressed very well and will fill Ginn's role), along with our 1st Rd pick to the 49ers for the #1 overall pick (they didn't have the cash to sign him) and LB Patrick Willis (demanded a trade from them). The 49ers are losing fan support fast meaning losing money fast and they want to win now. They hardly have cash, but have the cap room to fit these players in. The fans won't wait much longer for this seemingly unending "rebuilding phase" that has been in the works ever since Stevie left or somewhere around that time. Ginn gives them that #1 all-around big play receiver that they have been lacking and Orlando gives them much needed improvement on the O-Line bringing a Pro Bowl veteran presence to a young, inexperienced squad. Ellison and Tucker were talent-wise big losses for us, but again, we needed to rid the contracts and got LB Willis in return (a 26 year old star who signed for cheap with our squad). We also get the #1 overall pick. I'm definitely leaning towards LB Garrett Greusach, a large, superb talent.

We also have the Bears 1st Rd pick after trading LB Pisa and G Adam Goldblaum. I am looking at LB Stew Mueller or LB Jim Hendrix as I feel they will be there by the time my pick comes (#15).

Contracts:
Signed free agent C Rex Hadnot (89 overall) thru 2015 at 5.185 million with a 3.9 million signing bonus
Signed free agent T Jason Peters (85 overall) thru 2015 at 4.59 million with a 2.8 million signing bonus

Resigned WR Torry Holt thru 2012 at 3.695 million with a 450k signing bonus
Resigned LB Will Witherspoon thru 2013 at 9.787 million with a 2.399 signing bonus
Resigned G Alex Barron thru 2015 at 3.01 million
Resigned C Brett Romberg thru 2012 at 2.035 million with a 300k signing bonus
Resigned RB J.J. Arrington thru 2015 at 1.955 million with a 400k signing bonus
Resigned LB David Vobora thru 2015 at 1.235 million
Resigned CB Jonathan Wade thru 2013 at 955k

All-in-all, I think we have improved our squad with the moves this offseason so far - shedding finances, while getting younger and more athletic, but just as talented.

Draft Order/Draft Pool:

bucher34

12-08-2008, 10:29 PM

Draft Results:

1st Rd:

#1 LB Garret Greusach (88) 6'4" 247lb signed to 6yr 337k contract w/ 13.4 mil bonus
--This guy is going to be a star and possibly right away. I can't wait.

#15 LB Stew Mueller (82) 6'2" 238lb signed to 6yr 955k contract w/ 3.9 mil bonus
--This guys is going to step in and produce instantly. I was right on when I predicted he would fall into our lap so I had to pull the trigger. My first two picks are two very gifted linebackers and I'm expecting big things from them.

2nd Rd Picks:

#63 T Paul Moten (75) 6'4" 284 lb signed to a 4yr 540k contract w/ 500k bonus
--He provides talented depth at the tackle position and could possibly jump in and start down the road. Looking forward to seeing this brute play.

3rd Rd Picks:

#65 K Peter Powell (88) 5'9" 186lb signed to a 4yr 435k contract w/ 400k bonus
--I couldn't pass this guy up. With K Josh Brown signing with another team, turning his back on us (like he did the Seahawks) I needed to find a good one quick. There were old guys on the market, but I didn't want to spend much money on one and found a golden toe in this draft. Boom or bust with this pick, let's hope he booms.

#95 T Brion Boase (73) 6'5" 308lb signed to a 4yr 435k contract w/ 300k bonus
--I'm surprised this giant fell this far. I'm glad we got him because we were still bare at the tackle position. He provides very talented depth and size to the tackle squad and will definitely see alot of action. Love this pick.

4th Rd:

#127 LB Dan Dingman (62) 6'6" 280lb signed to a 4yr 337k contract
--Love the name, love the size, and especially love the versatility. He can jump in at DT, DE, and LB with his size. He also has plenty of room to grow as we hope he can become a big contributor for us down the road. We will work with this raw talent.

5th Rd Picks:

#159 WR Kent McGarvey (67) 5'9" 161lb signed to a 3yr 337k contract
--Strictly a depth pick after losing Ginn. He brings solid speed and hands to a young receiving squad. May not see much action on the offense, but will truly be needed on special teams.

6th Rd Picks:

#191 TE Kerry Lambert (70) 6'5" 240lb signed to a 3yr 337k contract
--Really surprised this guy fell this far. After losing Pope in a trade to Chicago we needed a solid backup. I wasn't really expecting to find one this late in the draft, but we scored big. He should fill in nicely.

7th Rd Picks:

Our Mr. Irrelevant goes to #223 C Bob Brant (62) 6'6" 301lb signed to a 3yr 337k contract
--Another depth pick. I picked him mainly for his size and athleticism. May not see much time, but I'm confident he will be ready to go if the injury bug hits our line.

Analysis:
I love this draft. We have plenty of finances left over and picked up great talent while filling holes on our roster.

bucher34

12-08-2008, 10:37 PM

2011 Schedule:

Analysis:

Perfect setup for a bye week in week 7, however, our schedule look pretty balanced and difficult. We open up back to back road against Tennesse and NY Giants respectively - not going to be easy by any means. These first few weeks will seemingly determine how our team will be this season.

Arctic Blast

12-09-2008, 02:06 AM

:eek: Your team scares the living Hell out of me. Good grief! You look STACKED.

bucher34

12-09-2008, 04:03 AM

Its come to happen that lately the teams with top picks have cap room, but no cash so I try to trade for those top picks getting rid of expensive players on my team opening some cap. I kinda get lucky I guess, but performance-wise they are doing better than I could have even imagined ESPECIALLY Brian Brohm holy cow.

bucher34

12-15-2008, 06:40 PM

2011 Week 1

Another season underway and full of expectations. After a devastating Super Bowl loss we are ready to fight back and win that coveted prize. We have the team to do it we just need to execute every game, all season long. Wish us luck!

------------------
St. Louis (0-0) @ Tennessee (0-0)

What a battle. Ugly start to the season by our offense, but a great showing by our defense as we won 12-3. Very impressed with the defense and the opening play by our rookie linebackers. Brohm was 20/30 for 231 yds with no scores and a pick. A decent game, but not finding the endzone is a little troublesome. Steven Jackson gained 127 yards from scrimmage rushing for 85 yards and gaining 42 yards through the air on 5 catches. Our defense swarmed both areas of the Titans offense as RB Chris Johnson gained only 63 total yards from scrimmage and we forced the Titans into throwing two picks sacking them 5 times. Our rookie kicker Peter Powell had a busy debut as he scored our only points going 4/5. He came through big as we needed him. A good start to the season as our defense came through strong.

Positives:
DEFENSE (every part of it)
Winning T.O.P. by almost 10 minutes
SJax starting off strong

Negatives:
Not much in the passing game
4 penalties (for only 21 yards, but still)

Rams game MVP:
K Peter Powell (4/5; made 21, 43, 44, 37, missed 52)

bucher34

12-15-2008, 06:54 PM

2011 Week 2

We continue our opening road trip heading up northeast to face the New York Giants. They opened their season with a win and look to rebound from a disappointing ending last season.

-----------------
St. Louis (1-0) @ NY Giants (1-0)

Amazing! Brohm came through after a very quiet day with a touchdown pass to win the game! 27-24 in a gritty battle ending in our favor. Brohm only threw for 82 yards, but threw for 2 scores and no turnovers. He wasn't sacked either, in a very odd day for him. We didn't really need his yardage as Jackson gained 168 total yards rushing for 143 yards and a score on 20 carries as well as catching 3 for 25 yards and a score. We needed every bit of him and I am glad he stepped up continuing his very strong start to the season. WR Marques Colston caught the game winning touchdown pass, but still ended up, like all the receivers, with very quiet receiving days. He caught 3 passes for only 14 yards and that lone score. Rookie LB Garret Greusach had 2 picks (his second straight game with a pick) along with 5.5 tackles in a very productive outing for him. DE Chris Long came through big with two sacks and my defensive backs were active recording two interceptions.

Positives:
Brohm no turnovers
SJax
5.8 ypr
No sacks allowed
Forced 4 INT

Negatives:
Brohm only 82 yards passing
Destroyed in T.O.P. (lost by well over 11 minutes)
Destroyed in 1st downs (9 for us to 21 for them)
Allowed 445 yards of total offense

Rams game MVP:
RB Steven Jackson
LB Garret Greusach

We head back home to host the struggling 49ers for our next game. Let's keep bringing in the victories.

bucher34

12-15-2008, 07:05 PM

2011 Week 3

----------------
St. Louis (2-0) vs San Francisco (0-2)

Talk about no mercy! 52-24. We handed it to them, especially in the 4th quarter scoring 28. Brohm finally came around, bigtime, throwing for 510 yards and 5 scores with no picks on 35/48 passing (73%). Steven Jackson scored 3 more times as gained over 100 yards from scrimmage for the third straight game. He rushed for 49 yards and a score on 19 carries while catching 4 balls for 61 yards and two scores in another very productive day. Colston caught 12 passes gaining 172 yards and two scores. Our defense was okay as we forced two turnovers, but didn't really standout in any area. Overall, a dominating performance especially this early in the season.

Positives:
52 points! and 564 total yards
Brian Brohm
73% completion rate
Steven Jackson
Receivers
Dominated T.O.P.
8/14 3rd down conversions
27 1st downs

Negatives:
2.9 ypr
4 penalties for 43 yards
WR Bryant Johnson and Ted Ginn combined for 181 yards and 3 scores

Rams game MVP:
QB Brian Brohm

Injuries:
Backup DE Victor Adeyanju out for 4 weeks (Ankle)
Backup LB Quinton Culberson out for 6 weeks (Knee)

bucher34

12-15-2008, 07:20 PM

2011 Week 4:

We travel to Arizona to face a strong division rival in the Cardinals. They are coming off of a playoff year and a 11-5 season. They are currently 1-1, but have looked really strong. We have another divisional game next week against the Seahawks, another playoff team from a season ago. We have a tough stretch coming up heading into the bye week, let's see what we can do.

-----------------------
St. Louis (3-0) @ Arizona (1-2)

Ouch! We were never in it, losing 31-16. We had a horrible time trying to find the endzone as we scored late for our only touchdown on a short J.J. Arrington run (he gained only 4 total yards). Brohm was a bad 18/41 for a good 310 yards, but no scores and a pick thrown. Jackson was good again gaining 147 total yards of offense (123 yards through the air), but obviously wasn't good enough as he didn't find the endzone all day and struggled running the ball. Our defense allowed 6.6 ypr and didn't force a turnover or record a sack. They were basically non-existent as was our offense. Rookie K Peter Powell had another good day going 3/3 FG and making his only PAT. A tough day and I'm hoping we can bounce back against a Seattle team that in recent years we have made a living beating them.

Positives:
Steven Jackson as a receiver
K Peter Powell
Winning in 1st downs

Negatives:
Brohm 46% completion rate and no scores
No turnovers forced
No sacks
Lost T.O.P.
4 more penalties
No rushing game

Rams game MVP:
Nobody

Injuries:
WR4 Brett Cobain out for 3 weeks (Ankle)

bucher34

12-15-2008, 07:44 PM

2011 Week 5:

------------------
St. Louis (3-1) vs Seattle (2-1)

23-6 in our favor, enough said. Dominating effort. Great all-around effort can't say enough and I won't. The recap speaks for itself.

Positives:
Everything, but our running game (only 1.5 ypr)

Negatives:
Running game

Rams game MVP:
This one goes to the defense. Way to come through.

bucher34

12-15-2008, 07:57 PM

2011 Week 6:

We stay in St. Louis to host the 3-2 Carolina Panthers, a team with an outstanding rookie QB and a speedy runningback in DeAngelo Williams. I'm hoping we can come away with a victory as we head into our bye week.

---------------
St. Louis (4-1) vs Carolina (3-2)

And a victory we shall receive! 27-24 in another close one for us. We came through again in the 4th as FB Klotz caught the game winning touchdown in a very tense and hard-hitting game. QB Brohm threw for 252 yards on 56% passing with a score and an interception. SJax ran for 69 yards and his 3rd rushing score for the season on 16 carries while catching 3 passes for 24 yards giving him 332 receiving yards for the season already. TE Eric Francis had a busy day catching 8 for 77 yards and Colston was right up there catching 6 for 61 in what was otherwise a quiet day for our receivers. K Peter Powell had another outstanding day going a perfect 4/4 FG, having only missed one on the season so far (in week 1).

Positives:
Steven Jackson had a solid all-around day
FB Noah Klotz came through big
QB Brohm fought back to have a great second half
Won T.O.P.
23 1st downs
Allowed only 2.2 ypr

Negatives:
No sacks
Opponents went 7/13 on 3rd downs
WR Steve Smith caught 10 passes for 104 yards

Rams game MVP:
FB Noah Klotz with the game winning catch (4rsh/8yds, 2rec/6yds)

bucher34

12-15-2008, 08:03 PM

2011 Week 7:

Our bye week. Let's heal up some bumps and bruises and get prepared for a tough 4 game stretch coming up.

Our next 4 games:
Vs Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)
@ Seattle Seahawks (3-3)
@ Houston Texans (5-1)
Vs Indianapolis Colts (5-1)

Injuries:
DE Adeyanju returns (Ankle)
WR4 Cobain returns (Ankle)

YEAH DAAAAWG

12-15-2008, 08:09 PM

Some big numbers in that win over San Fran'! Your rush offense seems to be a little down though, any idea what the problem is?

bucher34

12-15-2008, 08:17 PM

Steven Jackson is inconsistent, that's the only explanation I can give you.

One day he'll have a huge rushing day and a quiet receiving day, then the next he'll have a horrible rushing day and good receiving day. He also seems to play better away from home, which is not a good sign.

He's very irritating and I may have to let him go in the offseason as he becomes a free agent and will probably be looking for alot of money. I've looked around and RB Darren McFadden becomes a free agent as well, hrm..........

bucher34

12-15-2008, 08:30 PM

2011 Week 8:

We start off our tough stretch of games hosting the Jaguars (3-3). They have a solid all-around team with a standout young talent, Maurice Jones Drew, in the backfield. I hope we can contain him.

------------------
St. Louis (5-1) vs Jacksonville (3-3)

27-16 Rams in what was a solid day in nearly every category. We won in almost every aspect of the game as we turned in one of our best performances of the season. Brohm threw for 271 yards, two scores, and a pick on 26/38 passing (70%). Jackson ran 21 times for 91 yards (4.3ypr) and a score as well as catching 3 balls for 31 yards in a solid day for the young veteran. Holt and McAtasney both caught touchdown passes as Colston led the team in receiving with 81 yards on 8 receptions. DE Gaines Adams came through with a sack in a very quiet year for him so far. I've heard interest from teams in acquiring Adams and I'm not opposed to offers. Great win for us.

Positives:
Offense played solid
Held Garrard to 54% completion rate
Won T.O.P.
6/10 on 3rd downs
25 1st downs
70% completion rate
No sacks allowed

Negatives:
No turnovers forced
Only 3 second half points

Rams game MVP:
RB Steven Jackson

bucher34

12-15-2008, 10:32 PM

2011 Week 9:

At the halfway point, we head out to the rainy northwest to face division rival Seattle. Seattle has struggled as of late and at 3-4, they are a very beatable team. I'm expecting a win.

--------------------
St. Louis (6-1) @ Seattle (3-4)

We struggled, but pulled out a 20-10 victory late in the game scoring our only two touchdowns late in the 4th quarter. Brohm threw a TD pass with just under 6 minutes and Jackson sealed the game with a rushing score under two minutes to go. Brohm struggled, Jackson struggled, our whole offense struggled. I'm glad our defense was there to pick up the slack otherwise we would have lost. I'm happy with the win, but no the offensive performance. Our defensive players were all over the place forcing two turnovers and getting to the quarterback twice.

Positives:
Defensive play
TE Eric Francis
My two leaders stepping up late to win the game after struggling

Negatives:
Offensive play, specifically Brohm and Jackson

Rams game MVP:
Linebackers (26 tackles, 1 FF, 1 sack)

Injuries:
LB Quinton Culberson returns after 6 weeks (Knee)

bucher34

12-15-2008, 11:16 PM

2011 Week 9 Leaders:

Note: I forgot to save the NFC offensive leaders.

bucher34

12-15-2008, 11:32 PM

2011 Week 10:

We head down south to Houston to suit up against the red hot 7-1 Texans and their second year quarterback Chris Brino, the #2 overall pick in last year's draft. He's playing well this year as he has the Texans looking like the team to beat in the league.

-----------------
St. Louis (7-1) @ Houston (7-1)

There was some not so southern comfort after our win. Houston fans were vicious as we pulled off the win 24-20. Brohm had a good game throwing for two scores and no picks, but still completed below 60%. Jackson had a great all-around day gaining 153 total yards and a rushing score (77 rushing and 76 receiving). We racked 4 sacks, with backup LB Vobora recording one of them. A great win for us as we showed we can play with and beat the best.

Positives:
QB Brian Brohm playing well with no turnovers
RB Steven Jackson having a strong performance
No turnovers
Held Steve Slaton to 73 total yards (2.9 ypr as well)

Negatives:
Allowed young QB to complete over 60% of passes
WR Andre Johnson had 117 yards receiving with a score
17 1st downs to 21 for them
Lost T.O.P.
Lost in total yards

Rams game MVP:
RB Steven Jackson (18rsh/77yds/TD, 6rec/76yds)

bucher34

12-15-2008, 11:43 PM

2011 Week 11:

We head back home after a difficult two game road trip to host Peyton Manning and the 7-2 Colts. This is one of our toughest matchups of the year.

------------------
St. Louis (8-1) vs Indianapolis (7-2)

We put together a dominating performance as we handed the Colts their 3rd loss of the season, 24-7. Peyton couldn't do anything as he was 18/40 with only 1 score, their only score of the game. Brohm had a great game not turning the ball over and throwing 2 scores on 19/32 passing for 274 yards. Jackson turned in another great all-around performance rushing 23 times for 72 yards and a touchdown while catching 4 passes for 59 yards. He has scored a rushing touchdown in 5 straight games. WR Brett Cobain caught a touchdown pass for the second straight as TE Eric Francis brought in the other. Our defense held the potent Colts offense to only 241 yards of total offense in a spectacular effort.

Postives:
Shut-down defense all day
Efficient offensive play
Basically the way the whole team played today

Negatives:
Nothing to really complain about

Rams game MVP:
QB Brian Brohm (19/32, 59%, 274yds, 2TD)

bucher34

12-16-2008, 12:00 AM

2011 Week 12:

Unlike last season, we aren't undefeated at this point so the pressure of staying undefeated don't apply to us this year as we can solely focus on winning instead of "not losing". I feel that this will be of benefit to us as we are striving to get that first round bye. We continue our quest heading out to San Francisco to face the lowly 49ers in what should be a win for us, pending horrible play or great play by the niners, which is unlikely to happen. We'll see though.

-----------------
St. Louis (9-1) @ San Francisco (3-7)

Unfortunately, I don't have the box score saved for this one, but we turned in our second straight dominating performance winning 27-6. Our defense gave their rookie QB trouble as he turned the ball over 4 times. Brohm threw for 253 yards and two scores and Jackson rushed for 115 yards on only 17 carries with his sixth straight score. He also caught 4 passes for 23 yards. DE Chris Long was a man among boys recording 3 sacks along with 8 tackles. CB Bell intercepted two passes while rookie LB Greusach recorded 10 tackles, an interception, and a sack. Our defense has been dominating lately and I sure hope we can keep it up for the stretch run.

Positives:
Everything

Negatives:
Brohm under 60% passing againg, but otherwise good
Nothing else to complain about

Rams game MVP:
DE Chris Long
LB Garret Greusach
CB Brian Bell

We head back home to host the struggling Detroit Lions. They have a good young quarterback in Berardi, but they have struggled lately. We haven't lost at home yet this season and I don't expect us to lose here.

bucher34

12-16-2008, 12:13 AM

2011 Week 13:

---------------------
St. Louis (10-1) vs Detroit (5-6)

Our third straight dominating performance! 31-10 in our favor as we held QB Berardi to 9/21 passing and forced him into throwing 3 interceptions AND their backup came in and also threw an interception on 5/15 passing. Brohm struggled but still managed two scores. He went 16/30 passing for 239 yards, 2 scores, and 2 interceptions. Jackson was held out of the endzone for the first time in six games, but still had a very productive day gaining 84 yards on 24 carries and 61 yards on 3 catches for 145 total yards from scrimmage. Holt caught two touchdown passes after a somewhat quiet year so far and FB Noah Klotz found the endzone on 4 carries for 22 yards. CB Brian Bell had two more interceptions and on the other side CB Travis Neal had an interception. DE Chris Long continued his strong play with another sack as our defense was outstanding again. We are looking like a definite championship team.

Positives:
DEFENSE
WR Torry Holt
RB Steven Jackson
FB Noah Klotz
Won T.O.P.
Held opponents to completing 44% of passes

Negatives:
4 turnovers
Allowed 5.1 ypr
Only 3.2 ypr

Rams game MVP:
WR Torry Holt and the defense

bucher34

12-16-2008, 02:10 AM

2011 Week 14:

We pack our bags and set off to Atlanta this week to face the (6-6) Falcons. They have been up and down all season, but are a strong team.

-------------------
St. Louis (11-1) @ Atlanta (6-6)

We kept them in check..........until a 4th quarter collapse! They put up 22 in the fourth killing us 29-12. We didn't find the endzone all day as our offense was downright terrible. Our defense was good, until the 4th that is. Brohm was an ugly 15/49 for 207 yards, no scores, and two picks in a terrible outing. Jackson wasn't much better rushing for only 49 yards on 11 carries and catching only 2 for 40 yards. We managed to win time of posession, but that was really the only positive to this ugly game.

Positives:
Won T.O.P.
CB Brian Bell (2 INT)

Negatives:
Everything else (especially 32% completion!)

Rams game MVP:
There shouldn't be one, but I'll give to CB Bell as he's been raking in the interceptions lately.

bucher34

12-16-2008, 02:22 AM

2011 Week 15:

As we head back home this week I hope we can respond from a nasty loss against Atlanta last game. I stuck around practice this week just to see how they have responded and I can't tell. At some points they looked like they were ready, but at other points they looked horrid. I guess we'll see this weekend - we host the 6-7 New Orleans Saints, an underachieving good team.

----------------------
St. Louis (11-2) vs New Orleans (6-7)

I guess their practices were deceiving as we destroyed the Saints 63-17! Brohm was outstanding completing 31 out of 50 passes for 537 yards! and 7 touchdowns! with no interceptions. I'm speechless about his performance. Is this a record?! 7 touchdown passes in one game, along with over 500 yards! I've never seen such a game in the NFL, holy cow. Jackson got hurt in the second quarter missing the rest of the game. He ended up with 16 rushes for 30 yards and a score as well as catching 1 pass for 28 yards. Colston had a huge day as well as Holt, both benefiting from Brohm's career day. Colston caught 10 balls for 178 yards and 2 scores as Holt caught 7 for 106 yards and a score. WR4 Brett Cobain grabbed two scores while McAtasney caught the other, his only catch of the day. LB Garret Greusach recorded 2 sacks along with 7.5 tackles as he built on his already outstanding rookie season. We kept the Saints potent offense in check as they totaled only 275 yards. A breakthrough day for our offense, which has struggled somewhat as of late.

Positives:
Everything

Negatives:
2.4 ypr (didn't really run much after Jackson got hurt)

Rams game MVP:
Definitely QB Brian Brohm

bucher34

12-16-2008, 02:34 AM

2011 Week 16:

We travel to Tampa Bay to face the 7-7 Bucaneers as we continue our run through the South division and as they are fighting for a playoff spot. Matt Stafford has given us trouble in recent memory, but I have a good feeling after last weeks effort.

----------------------
St. Louis (12-2) @ Tampa Bay (7-7)

We started off hot and coasted the rest of the way as we handed it to them 34-13. Brohm had an outstanding game, not as good as last week, but still one of his best of the season. He was 21/31 for 285 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no picks (10 touchdowns and no picks in his last two games). Jackson had a big day gaining 130 yards with a score on the ground and 19 yards through the air. TE Francis had a big day catching 5 passes for 120 yards and a score and FB Klotz found the endzone on 24 total yards of offense as he continues to be a big part of this team. A great continuation of last week's game and hopefully it continues into our last game of the season against Arizona, a team that beat us early in the season.

Positives:
Really everything again.

Negatives:
Nothing, our last two games have been outstanding.

Rams game MVP:
TE Eric Francis

bucher34

12-16-2008, 02:44 AM

2011 Week 17:

Our last game of the season as we head into our first round bye for the second straight season. Arizona is trying to get back into the playoffs with a win here, but I don't see that happening as we are stronger than ever right now. Dallas has the other bye locked up as they ended up with 3 losses. They have a really good shot at the Super Bowl, but have to get through us first.

-----------------
St. Louis (13-2) vs Arizona (8-7)

It was a close one, but we managed to end our regular season with a win, 23-17. We had a huge 2nd quarter racking up 20 points putting us ahead for good. Brohm was 23/30 (77%) for 290 yards, 2 scores, and no picks (for the third straight week). Jackson gained 67 rushing yards on 23 carries and 63 receiving yards with a touchdown (his 1st since week 3) on 5 receptions in a productive finish from him. WR Holt caught a touchdown pass in a good day for him. LB Will Witherspoon had a huge day, getting to Leinart 4 times recording 3.5 sacks to go along with 8 total tackles. A great finish to a great regular season. I'm definitely looking forward to the playoffs. Let's take home the trophy!

Postives:
Our passing game
Won T.O.P.
4 sacks
2.6 ypr
2 turnovers forced

Negatives:
68% opponent completion
7/13 on 3rd downs
348 total yards

Rams game MVP:
LB Will Witherspoon

bucher34

12-16-2008, 02:49 AM

2011 Final Standings and Leaders:

bucher34

12-16-2008, 02:56 AM

2011 Playoffs 1st Rd:

AFC Matchups:
Cleveland (9-7) @ NY Jets (9-7) - Cleveland 49, NY Jets 25
----Cleveland (10-7) will travel to Pittsburgh (12-4) in the divisional round
New England (9-7) @ San Diego (8-8) - San Diego 31, New England 24
----San Diego (9-8) will face Houston (11-5) in the divisional round

NFC Matchups:
Minnesota (9-7) @ Chicago (10-6) - Chicago 16, Minnesota 13
----Chicago (11-6) will face Dallas (13-3) in the divisional round
Philadelphia (9-7) @ Carolina (9-7) - Carolina 31, Philadelphia 28
----Carolina (10-7) will face St. Louis (14-2) in the divisional round

bucher34

12-16-2008, 03:00 AM

2011 Playoffs Divisional Rd:

AFC Matchups:
Cleveland (10-7) @ Pittsburgh (12-4) - Cleveland 41, Pittsburgh 14
San Diego (9-8) @ Houston (11-5) - Houston 34, San Diego 13
----Cleveland (11-7) will face Houston (12-5) in the AFC Championship game

NFC Matchups:
Chicago (11-6) @ Dallas (13-3) - Dallas 26, Chicago 6
Carolina (10-7) @ St. Louis (14-2) - St. Louis 38, Carolina 17
----Dallas (14-3) will face St. Louis (15-2) in the NFC Championship game

bucher34

12-16-2008, 03:06 AM

Carolina (10-7) @ St. Louis (14-2)

We came ready to play in this one winning 38-17. Carolina didn't stand a chance as their QB Russell was on his back seemingly most of the game and RB DeAngelo Williams couldn't find a hole to run through. Brohm was outstanding throwing for 4 scores with Colston catching 2 of them in a very productive outing. We recorded 7 sacks with nearly half them coming from my linebackers along with DE Gaines Adams recording 2.5 sacks. It was a great day for our offense as well as our defense. I'm very proud of these guys and it looks promising for the rest of the playoffs. We get to stay in St. Louis to host Dallas and their punishing defense. It won't be fun, but I feel that we are the better team.

Positives:
Everything

Negatives:
Everything went right so no complaints

Rams game MVP:
QB Brian Brohm

bucher34

12-16-2008, 03:08 AM

2011 Playoffs Championship Rd:

AFC Championship:
Cleveland (11-7) @ Houston (12-5) - Houston 37, Cleveland 14

NFC Championship:
Dallas (14-3) @ St. Louis (15-2) - Dallas 16, St. Louis 7

----Houston (13-5) will face Dallas (15-3) in the Super Bowl

bucher34

12-16-2008, 03:19 AM

Dallas (14-3) @ St. Louis (15-2)

What a disaster! I cannot believe what I just saw. Another disappointing end. I'm pulling hairs out of my head! I can't explain it..is this the "Romo effect" or something. Man, we just can't seem to take it all the way. A very disappointing loss. Our defense played very well, but our offense - especially Jackson and Brohm - was horrid. Jackson only gained 62 yards of total offense and expressed discontent afterwards. He criticized the staff and the organization for not utilizing him right in the playoffs. I don't have patience for hotheads and I'm losing trust in SJax. Something will be done in the offseason you have my word on that. Brohm was a completely different quarterback in this game making horrible decisions, off-the-mark easy throws, holding onto the ball too long, among other things. I guess Dallas and their vicious defense just got to him. I can't explain this loss, I really can't. I guess we didn't come ready to play or something, but credit Dallas for shutting us down completely. I have a feeling they will win the Super Bowl against an inexperienced Houston team. Lone Star Showdown!

Positives:
Credit our defense for keeping us in it

Negatives:
Everything

Rams game MVP:
The Dallas Cowboys for shutting us down

bucher34

12-16-2008, 03:22 AM

2011 Playoffs Super Bowl:

Super Bowl Matchup:

Houston (13-5) vs Dallas (15-3) - Dallas 37, Houston 16

----Dallas Cowboys (16-3) crowned 2011 NFL Champions

bucher34

12-16-2008, 03:27 AM

2011 Awards:

American CONFERENCE (2011): AWARD WINNERS
QB: Brady Quinn (CLE)
RB: Laurence Maroney (NE)
FB: Treshaun Baskerville (MIA)
TE: Heath Miller (PIT)
WR: Santonio Holmes (PIT)
WR: Michael Crabtree (NE)
T: Ryan Diem (BAL)
G: Jason Brown (BAL)
C: Mike Lindblom (BAL)
G: Jason Brown (BAL)
T: Ryan Diem (BAL)
DE: Robert Mathis (IND)
DT: Jonathan Babineaux (KC)
DT: Corey Williams (CLE)
DE: Dwight Freeney (IND)
LB: D.J. Williams (DEN)
LB: James Laurinaitis (HOU)
LB: Shawne Merriman (SD)
CB: Johnathan Joseph (CIN)
CB: Drayton Florence (JAC)
S: William Moore (BAL)
S: Troy Polamalu (PIT)
K: Jeff Reed (PIT)
P: Shane Lechler (OAK)

National CONFERENCE (2011): AWARD WINNERS
QB: BRIAN BROHM (STL)
RB: STEVEN JACKSON (STL)
FB: Jon Bradley (DET)
TE: ERIC FRANCIS (STL)
WR: Larry Fitzgerald (ARI)
WR: Steve Smith (CAR)
T: Vernon Carey (ARI)
G: Deuce Lutui (ARI)
C: Chris Chapman (ARI)
G: Deuce Lutui (ARI)
T: Vernon Carey (ARI)
DE: Daryl Chettle (DET)
DT: Tank Johnson (DAL)
DT: Jay Ratliff (DAL)
DE: Jesse Hanna (DAL)
LB: Karlos Dansby (ARI)
LB: A.J. Hawk (GB)
LB: GARRET GREUSACH (STL)
CB: Asante Samuel (PHI)
CB: Richard Marshall (CAR)
S: Josh Bullocks (NO)
S: Chris Harris (CAR)
K: Aaron Sandler (ATL)
P: DONNIE JONES (STL)

Arctic Blast

12-16-2008, 03:39 AM

bucher34

12-16-2008, 03:55 AM

2011 Season Analysis:

Seems like a repeat of last season. Great season, but ending in disappointment. My job might be on the line soon if we can't get a ring, after this success that we've been having. Changes have to be made and there will be changes. We don't get a 1st round draft pick this year after trades from previous years so we need to work with free agency. We have alot of guys who's contracts are up and we need to work on resigning them making us tight with cap room so I'm going to have to make some moves that will not hurt us, but will free up some financial room. Jackson has gotten under my skin and I don't feel like he will be a good fit anymore with this team with the way his attitude has gotten. He put up big numbers this year, but I can't deal with his attitude especially since we have come up short two years in a row. Defensive end Gaines Adams had a horrible year and hasn't lived up to his contract so I may trade him to cut costs and get younger.

Notable free agents:
RB Darren McFadden - looks more and more attractive as Steven Jackson will most likely leave (I don't think I will resign him)

Resignees:
TE Eric Francis resigns for 6 years/4.07 mil and a 4 mil bonus
G Mark Setterstrom resigns for 3 years/1.74 mil and a 100k bonus
WR Daniel Derrick resigns for 3 years/970k
CB Justin King resigns for 4 years/800k
DT Chad Bartelman resigns for 3 years/800k
QB Matthew Leggat resigns for 3 years/695k
FB Bill Birmingham resigns for 3 years/685k
DE Treven Walters resigns for 3 years/685k
DT Charles Bradley resigns for 2 years/664k
LB Rex Moore resigns for 2 years/664k

Trades:
DE Gaines Adams (29 years old/83 rating) to New Orleans for WR Anthony Bergin (22 years old/70 rating)

WR Brandon Williams (28 years old/76 rating), T Jason Peters (30 years old/83 rating) to Tampa Bay for DE Cameron Sears (22 years old/76 rating)

-----I love these trades. We opened up a bunch of cap room and replaced Adams with DE Cameron Sears, a young, talented guy who will jump in and start right away for us. T Ryan Clady is on the free agent market and I've already discussed contracts with him and his agent so he will fill Peters spot in the starting lineup. WR Bergin will replace Williams at a much cheaper cost. He is basically just as talented, just younger and cheaper. Now I have some breathing room as I also didn't resign guys like LB McGarigle (was asking for close to a million) and CB Lowery (was asking for close to 2 million). These guys are backups and haven't earned those types of contracts. I also didn't choose to resign Steven Jackson as he wanted to leave anyway. He didn't feel that we were committed to him and I didn't feel he was committed to us so I let him go - opening up a spot for McFadden :D

Signees:
RB Darren McFadden (26 years old/86 rating) to a 5 year, 6.185 mil deal with a 5 mil signing bonus
-----I got him! Money well spent!

T Ryan Clady (26 years old/83 rating) to a 5 year, 3.43 mil deal with a 1.9 mil signing bonus
-----A monster on the line, replacing Peters at a much cheaper price

P John Sakins (23 years old/73 rating) to a 3 year, 337k deal
-----Replaces pro-bowler Donnie Jones who was asking for way too much (close to 2 million)

bucher34

12-16-2008, 04:01 AM

2011 Draft Order and Pool:

bucher34

12-16-2008, 04:17 AM

2011 Draft:

1st Rd:
We didn't have any 1st rounders this year as Philadelphia received ours from a previous season's trade.

The #1 overall pick was QB Rodney Paris (89) drafted by the Bengals.

2nd Rd:
G Glover Territt 6'6" 316lb (74) signed to a 4yr/470k contract with 600k signing bonus

This guy is good. He's big, athletic, and has the ability to start for us. He is our first backup for the time being, but should be a big contributor for us. Love the pick.

3rd Rd:
WR Eric Diamond 6'1" 174lb (72) signed to a 4yr/337k contract with a 200k signing bonus

Good height and speed coming out of Maryland, this guy is a depth pick but has amazing potential if he can find some playing time. We have good depth at wide receiver so he has competition, but I'm hoping he can crack the top 5.

4th Rd:
LB Austin Brown 5'11" 222lb (72) signed to a 4yr/370k contract

Strictly a depth pick, but this guy does have really good potential. A bit undersized, but he can hit hard. I hope he can fulfill his potential because he is fun to watch.

5th Rd:
S Anton Bridges 6'2" 198lb (61) signed to a 3yr/337k contract

Depth, depth, depth at the safety position. We lost a bunch of them after the season so I'm filling those holes. I love his size and he will likely see the field, but I don't know if he will ever be a full time starter, never know though.

6th Rd:
G Dwayne Fisher 6'8" 335lb (62) signed to a 4yr/337k contract

This guy is huge and has great potential. He is very raw at the moment, but we have a great coaching staff that will work with this brute. I'm kind of surprised he fell this far, but happy that we were able to get him.

7th Rd:
Our Mr. Irrelevant goes to S Tom Sundberg 6'2" 200lb (61) signed to a 3yr/337k contract

It was either him or Bridges in the 5th rd and he ended up falling to the 7th so I couldn't pass him up. Great size, like Bridges, for a safety and this is strictly a depth pick as well. He and Bridges will most likely split time as backups as I don't see either one playing too often.

Analysis:
Great draft for our limited number of picks. I love our free agent signees, which more than makes up for our lack of a first round pick. We added good, young depth to our squad as I'm hoping this is the year. Let's go Rams!

bucher34

12-16-2008, 04:25 AM

2012 Roster and Schedule:

bucher34

12-16-2008, 04:30 AM

Ouch! Tough look at the end there! I have to say, though...sometimes these end up being the most interesting dynasties for me to watch, seeing what someone does with a team that's REALLY close to winning it all. So, any preliminary plans for the offseason?

Sorry, I didn't see your post. Well as you can see, I rid myself of Jackson and cut costs focusing on resigning players and free agents due to my lack of draft picks. I was able to acquire Darren McFadden and Clady as well as Sears through a trade. Hopefully this season we can do it.

bucher34

12-16-2008, 03:42 PM

2012 Week 1:

We open our season heading out west to the bay area to face Oakland, a team that struggled last year, but has a promising young quarterback and our former runningback Steven Jackson. Let's start the season off on a good note.

--------------------
St. Louis (0-0) @ Oakland (0-0)

Looks like Jackson and his Raiders got the best of us, 34-27. Our defense played alright, we just couldn't keep them out of the endzone as WR Chaz Schillens handed it to us. Brohm had a decent day going 26/51 for 358 yards, 2 TD, and a pick. McFadden struggled, but did find the endzone rushing 13 times for 42 yards and catching 2 for 28 yards. Chris Long recorded two sacks and my two top linebackers both recorded sacks in the losing effort. Not a good way to start the season.

Positives:
Brohm starting fairly strong
TE Francis picking up where he left off last season
4 sacks
23 1st downs
Held opponents to 2.6 ypr
Held opponents to 58% completion

Negatives:
McFadden didn't play very well
52% completion
Lost T.O.P.
4 penalties
No turnovers forced

Rams game MVP:
DE Chris Long

Injuries:
G Alex Barron out for 3 weeks (Finger)
----Rookie G Glover Territt will replace him in the lineup

We head back for a two week stretch where we host Denver then Chicago. Should be two tough games, let's hope we can get them both.

bucher34

12-16-2008, 04:36 PM

2012 Week 2:

Denver crushed Indy in week 1 33-10 and are looking like a very good team this year with Cutler and Marshall still leading the way. We are going to have our hands full.

-------------------
St. Louis (0-1) vs Denver (1-0)

A blowout win 31-13! Brohm was outstanding not turning the ball over and throwing for 432 yards and two scores on 29/48 passing. DMC had another low yardage rushing day, but found the endzone twice on the ground and once through the air. He rushed 18 times for 43 yards and caught two passes for 54 yards; he ended up leaving after the third due to a sore ankle. My receivers had big days as Brohm spread the ball to 7 different pass catchers. Colston caught 8 for 115, McAtasney 6 for 87, Holt 5 for 88, DMC 2 for 54 and a score, Francis 5 for 65 and a score, and Hagans & Berger also got involved with receptions. LB Witherspoon was everywhere as he recorded over 10 tackles, a sack, and a pick. Rimmer also picked off a Cutler throw and CB Bell & DE Long recovered fumbles in key situations as Denver was in the red zone at those times. A great all-around effort by our guys responding to that opening loss last week.

Positives:
Everything, couldn't be happier with the play of our guys

Negatives:
McFadden still getting used to our team and field. He should come around.

Rams game MVP:
QB Brian Brohm and LB Will Witherspoon

bucher34

12-16-2008, 04:54 PM

2012 Week 3:

Chicago comes into town after losing last week. They are a tough team to play as they bring a good defense and efficient offense. This should be a good one.

------------------
St. Louis (1-1) vs Chicago (1-1)

A very disappointing loss as we let them come from behind to win, AT HOME! 28-24 in a game that was ours. Brohm was alright going 27/40 for 314 yards, a score, and a pick. Darren ran 19 times for 91 yards and two more scores while catching 2 passes for 26 yards. He has scored in all three games thus far totaling 5 rushing scores and 1 receiving score. TE Francis had another productive day catching 8 for 89 yards and Holt caught the only score through the air in what was an otherwise mediocre day for our receiving core. Our defense played well, but couldn't seem to keep them out of the red zone and endzone. We held them to 42% passing and 1.9 ypr, but didn't record a sack and didn't record a stop in the red zone. I'm hoping we can turn things around as they aren't working out as I had planned so far.

Positives:
DMC two more scores
4.5 ypr
69% completion
Won T.O.P.
21 1st downs to only 13 for Chicago
Opponents 42% completion
Opponents 1.9 ypr
3/11 on 3rd downs

Negatives:
Lost the lead in the 4th quarter
3/10 on 3rd downs
K Robbie Gould (for chicago) 5/5 FG

We head up northwest to face Seattle, a team that we have had success against in recent years.

Arctic Blast

12-16-2008, 10:03 PM

Sorry, I didn't see your post. Well as you can see, I rid myself of Jackson and cut costs focusing on resigning players and free agents due to my lack of draft picks. I was able to acquire Darren McFadden and Clady as well as Sears through a trade. Hopefully this season we can do it.

Looks like a pretty good offseason plan. You now officially have a stud runner, another good young receiver (I sense Torry Holt's replacement on the depth chart in about a year), and a terrific young tackle. Nice moves!

Cardinals2005

12-18-2008, 02:19 PM

Here's a stupid question as you probably already answered it, but are you simming or playing each game?

bucher34

12-18-2008, 08:57 PM

Here's a stupid question as you probably already answered it, but are you simming or playing each game?

I usually sim. Its kind of easy to crush the computer so I like to sim to make it more realistic. If I'm feelin' like playin' a game I'll do it, but usually just simming.

I wish we had the option to watch the games...........

Cardinals2005

12-19-2008, 12:34 AM

I usually sim. Its kind of easy to crush the computer so I like to sim to make it more realistic. If I'm feelin' like playin' a game I'll do it, but usually just simming.

I wish we had the option to watch the games...........

Agreed. The reason I ask is cause I saw some of the crazy numbers Brohm was putting up and I couldn't believe you were simming. Wow. That's pretty crazy!

bucher34

12-19-2008, 03:16 PM

Agreed. The reason I ask is cause I saw some of the crazy numbers Brohm was putting up and I couldn't believe you were simming. Wow. That's pretty crazy!

Tell me about it. Some of those games are unbelievable.

bucher34

12-19-2008, 10:43 PM

I'm leaving early tomorrow morning for home so I won't be able to continue this dynasty for a few weeks. I apologize to those who have been following my dynasty, but I promise to get back to it after the new year. I appreciate the readership and support and look forward to continuing this fun dynasty.

P.S. I actually finished my 2012 season. Lots of surprises!

Arctic Blast

12-20-2008, 04:01 AM

bucher34

01-02-2009, 02:45 PM

2012 Week 4:

Coming off of a loss to Chicago last week, we now head northwest to face a struggling 1-2 Seattle team that hasn't had much success against us the past few years.

-----------------
St. Louis (1-2) @ Seattle (1-2)

A blowout, 42-6. We had our way with them the whole game. They couldn't muster up anything as we intercepted them 4 times and sacked them 6 times. Our offense also came to play, Brohm going 13-18 for 196 yards and 3 scores. He really didn't have to throw much as the game was basically ours at halftime. McFadden had a huge day gaining 187 yards of total offense and two scores (99 rush and 88 receiving yards). TE Francis' only catch was a three yard score, but hey - a score is a score no matter the yardage. Our defense was amazing today. My starters did their job and my second/third stringers came in and caused havoc as well. Great job.

Positives:
Everything but 1st downs, 3rd down conversions and time of posession (although we scored quickly when we had the ball).

Negatives:
Lost T.O.P. (our offense scored quickly so 1st downs and T.O.P. aren't all that negative)
1-7 3rd down conversions (a little worrisome especially since we didn't hold the ball for very long).

Rams game MVP:
RB Darren McFadden (19rsh/99yds/TD, 3rec/88yds/TD)
LB Will Witherspoon (8.5tkl/2.5sacks)

Our next we stay in the northwest, just a little bit more south, to face the 3-1 49ers - a very surprising team so far this year.