Brownie Points

[CatKnight]

It began, of all things, with a staph infection. (http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2008/10/browns_confirm_winslows_staph.html)

The 2007 Cleveland Browns finished 10-6, losing out on both the division and wildcard by tie breakers. Disappointed but hopeful, the Browns entered this year hoping to compete if not finally dominate their rivals.

They had reason to be optimistic: Coach Romeo Crennel had to choose between two talented men for quarterback. Derek Anderson had a few years experience and seemed solid enough. His backup, Brady Quinn, looked like he could have a successful career ahead of him.

His offense, consisting of (among others) RB Jamal Lewis, TE Kellen Winslow, and WR Braylon Edwards, boasted some of the best talent in the NFL. Their front line consisted of a good mix of veterans and newcomers. Much the same could be said of the defense, and kicker Phil Dawson gave the team almost a decade of solid service.

So what happened?

Through the entire 2008 season the Browns dealt with frequent injuries. More correctly, players frequently grew sick and the smallest cuts became infected. As the team drifted to 2-5, TE Kellen Winslow stepped forward.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x155/CatsOfWar/Browns/Winslow.gif
Hungry Jet?

In an interview with the Plain Dealer, Winslow blasted the Browns for creating an environment that invited injury and infection. He then attacked GM Phil Savage for not visiting him and other players being treated at the Cleveland Clinic.

Savage retaliated. He said Winslow acted unprofessionally by going to the media and questioned his dedication to the Browns. "His comments can only hurt his teammates," he argued. "We would never create an unsafe environment for our players or staff. We run under strict guidelines and oversight from the National Football League."

True, but there had been a number of alarming injuries. Rather than take his one game suspension lying down, Winslow fired once more.

"How long, Cleveland?" he thundered, this time in a press conference to TV and radio. "How long are we going to put up with management that doesn't care about the team and doesn't care about the fans! It's been fifty years since we've had a championship!" (Actually 44 years) "We were supposed to contend this year, and we might have if management put the time and resources into building a great team that they did into covering their asses!"

"I'm saddened to hear Kellen putting down his teammates," Savage replied. The suspension turned into four games.

Sad he might have been, but the Browns players understood Winslow's frustration. By the time the Browns slipped to 3-9, FB Lawrence Vickers had missed six games due to various bugs and finally was benched in favor of rookie James Devaughn. Though he didn't speak against Savage or Crennel, the 25 year old made one memorable comment: "I'm tired of waiting for next year."

Next year. The message resonated with fans. Plain Dealer sportswriter Terry Pluto had long since called this a lost season. Radio and TV now focused on the NBA Cavaliers and AHL Monsters. Diehard fans, frustrated at seeing their season end in more disappointment, sided with the players. Some turned on Crennel, (http://www.cowher09.com/) hoping to attract former Steeler coach Bill Cowher. More set their sights on GM Phil Savage and a massive letter writing campaign to president Randy Lerner began.

Savage had been in the hot seat before. In 2005 then president John Collins tried to fire him after various disappointments. He began a low key media campaign of his own, refusing to talk about disgruntled players and instead offering media tours of the team's training facilities in nearby Berea as well as the clubhouse.

"Sure, I wish we'd done better as well!" he said. "Unfortunately these things happen. Look at any team in the NFL, and you'll find that at one time or another key players were hurt. We had a run of bad luck. We're working closely with our partners at league headquarters and the Clinic to make sure our facilities are as clean as possible, and to prevent as many illnesses and injuries as possible."

The campaign worked somewhat. The Browns went on a three game winning streak and calls for Savage's head died down. That's when the players took matters into their own hands.

One couldn't call it a strike, but you might as well. On Tuesday, December 23rd, seven players refused practice citing flu like symptoms. By the day after Christmas that number had doubled, and included the majority of the team's starters including Anderson, Quinn, Lewis, Winslow and Edwards. By Saturday nineteen players were sick.

Savage spoke out against what he called an illegal strike and asked for a league injunction forcing the players to suit up. That might have worked, except Anthony Miniaci, the team doctor, appeared on WEWS-TV. Miniaci reported the players really were ill, and forcing them to play might endanger their health and careers.

How the players convinced Miniaci to go along would never be known. Of the players that suited up the next day, ten made their first career starts. The Browns even led for six seconds when Dawson kicked a 31 yard field goal on the opening drive.

Pittsburgh ran the kickoff back for a touchdown. By halftime they led 31-3. They won 51-6.

Some time in the third quarter Savage called Lerner and resigned. As the Browns missed yet another post season, the team drifted, leaderless.

That's where I come in.


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Why do the Browns have an orange helmet?

[CatKnight]

2008 in Review: Part One

Final Standings
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Playoffs
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Leaders
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[CatKnight]

2008 in Review: Part Two

Game by Game
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Offense
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x155/CatsOfWar/Browns/2008offense.gif

Defense
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x155/CatsOfWar/Browns/2008defense.gif

Special
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**************

Comments

Hello and welcome. This is my first dynasty since retiring my Royals run after a long absence.

I bought FM when it first came out, then almost immediately asked for a refund. Though I thought the game had a lot of promise, its lack of a transaction screen along with other little details turned me away. The handful of dynasties here, especially LongGone's run with the Atlanta Falcons, convinced me that it was entirely possible to run a game despite that. I just need to focus on 'my team' more than I would in a BM sim.

As many of you know, one of my main worries with BM is the lack of competitive balance after a certain amount of time. Well...FM doesn't have that issue. Player development is more irregular, and with drafts constantly adding new talent to the league the weaker teams quickly catch up to their rivals. Further, whereas in BM we see a relatively quick power escalation - meaning sooner or later a player with an 80 rating simply isn't starter material compared to the rest of the league, FM is much more stable. A 75 rated player can start. An 85 is one of your team leaders. A 90 or above is a potential Hall of Famer.

So, after a few practice seasons, I thought we'd give this a shot.

House Rules
As for house rules, I will act similarly to my BM dynasties. I don't seem to need to hold back as much to avoid screwing the AI, but I don't want to be too unrealistic either, so:

1. Version: FM09 7.07

2. Team: 2009 Cleveland Browns (I simmed thru 2008 with the computer controlling all teams, and occasionally injuring players to represent the story outlined in the first post.)

3. Coaching: All games will be simmed. I will usually autosort all lineups (representing the coach's decisions) unless something in-story is happening. I will handle all roster moves.

4. Free Agents: I can hire 1-4 FAs per year depending on my place in division the previous year.
3a. Since I helped engineer Cleveland's lousy performance in 08, I get 2 FAs, not 3.

5. Trades: I get two trades per year: One in week 1 (representing the preseason) and one between weeks 2-7.
5a. In 2009 I get one extra trade to help customize the team.
5b. All trades must be via trading block. I can offer no more than 3 players. I cannot alter the AI's offer. I cannot repeatedly select'Get Offers' to get a better deal unless I change my end.

6. Scouting/Medical: I must accept the rank that'll put me at or just above 16th. That means they should even out at 'B' level.

7. Scope: As in my previous dynasties, I'll be following the GM rather than the team. I can be fired and end up switching teams or retiring.

8. Commissioner: As league commissioner I reserve the right to do whatever is necessary to either ensure the game's integrity and/or tell a good story.

[SrMeowMeow]

I will read it. Under protest. Football pretty much sucks.

[PotatoOfCouch13]

Congratulations Cat! You may have singlehandedly revived the Football Mogul portion of these forums!

Good luck, I'll be reading!

[Arctic Blast]

Sounds good, Cat. Definitely looking forward to it!

Oh, one quick point...I don't know what the trade rules are for the game, but in the actual league the deadline is Oct 17 (so around Week 6).

[bucher34]

Lookin forward to it. Always nice to have activity in the FM forum besides the few of us. I'm finally able to get mine up and running again now that we can upload.

[CatKnight]

SrMeowMeow: It grows on you when you've been without baseball long enough. :)

Potato: That's really kind, but no. The three dynasties going here (the first three in FM history to my knowledge) really gave new life to FM. I wouldn't be writing this is they hadn't led the way.

Arctic Blast: Oct 17 would be about week 7 I think. Thanks! I knew there was a deadline, but it's not in the game. I'll update my house rules!

bucher34: Thanks!

[CatKnight]

February 2009

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x155/CatsOfWar/Browns/Lerner.jpg
Randy Lerner

"Mister Bradley?" Randy Lerner, president and owner of the Cleveland Browns, nodded politely from his New York office. "Thank you for coming."

"Call me Don." I eased back in my chair. The video conference room at Browns Stadium was rather small, enough to house five people comfortably along a linoleum table that ended near a wall dominated by a large screen. "I hope you received my resume. If not," I gestured at the desktop scanner/fax.

"Don't bother, Don." Lerner shook his head and folded his hands on the empty desk in front of him. "I read it. Kent State, class of 1992. You've spent most of your career managing trust accounts for National City before PNC bought them out in November. Frankly there are men more qualified than you applying for this position. I have only two questions. First, why did you apply?"

When in any situation where the pressure is on, barring an emergency, the best course of action is to take a deep breath. Not only does it help calm you, it buys you a few seconds to get your thoughts in order.

"Mister Lerner, I do think I'm qualified. You're right: I spent my entire career after college working in the trust department. I'm used to working with huge accounts with large dollar amounts. That requires analysis, the ability to keep a level head when making critical decisions, and diplomacy when dealing with sometimes difficult clients. I also had to be a bit of a salesman, encouraging my customers to..."

"I didn't ask why you thought you could do the job," Lerner interrupted, a frown creasing his brow. "I am aware of what a trust officer does, Don!"

I hesitated again. Lerner filled the gap. "I asked you why you applied."

An honest answer entailed the failure of a century old bank in a poor economy. PNC, based in Pittsburgh, had a trust department thank you and no need for new employees. That wasn't all though.

"Sir, the Browns are an icon in Cleveland. National City among other banks in the area enjoyed a close working relationship with the team and its officials. I personally spoke with Phil Savage's assistant in setting up a trust to pay for college scholarships. The team's done a lot for the city. I want to be a part of that and, as I said, I think I can do it."

Lerner tilted his head slightly, staring at me through his left eye as if trying to read my mind. "So you're an idealist."

Another deep breath. I knew Randy wasn't one. Sure, he could be quite a generous donor to the arts, but his family didn't earn $1.5 billion through frivolous investments. His father founded MBNA, at one time one of the leading credit card companies on the planet.

Still, Lerner obviously loved the Browns enough to back them despite an indifferent history. He also served as chairman and effective owner of a British soccer team. He might not be an idealist, but he was enthusiastic.

"No, sir. I don't think so. However, I respect what the Browns have done for Cleveland and I would certainly hope to continue that trend if the budget allows."

"Hm." Lerner's expression didn't betray what he might be thinking. After a few seconds, he said, "Question two: You are aware of what happened to the team in the last week of the season? The rash of 'illnesses' that left us starting our second and third string players? Good. My question is: How do you plan to deal with that so it doesn't happen again?"

"I would start by trying to uncover the truth, sir. I'd speak with Doctor Miniaci, Coach Crennel and Winslow to confirm whether or not the players illegally struck."

"I'm convinced they did," Lerner said. His tone dropped a full octave, and I could see his clasped hands clench. "Continue."

Given complete freedom I'd try to negotiate a compromise. It didn't take much to see that wasn't the answer Randy wanted. Yet another deep breath.

"I would raze the Berea training site and spend the spring and summer putting a new one up, again if the budget allows. While we might not accept their explanation that the site is unsafe, if we take that excuse away from them then they won't give us any more trouble. The fans will see that we're acting in good faith and turn on any troublemakers. If there are more outbursts, since suspensions didn't work last year I'd recommend trading or cutting whoever starts it."

Lerner's face turned red and he opened his mouth, then closed it again. His eyes flickered as he thought through my proposal, working out this or that contigency. "Expensive."

"Yes, sir." I couldn't deny it. "However, if our goal is to prevent further trouble, I think this is the quickest and easiest way. They won't be able to say we're not dealing with the problem."

He nodded. "Thank you for your time, Mister Bradley. My office will be in touch." I managed to stammer a thank you, and he broke the connection.

My interview might have lasted ten minutes, which is a red flag if I ever saw one. Certainly the office secretary thought so, for she offered a sympathetic smile as I hurried out. It wasn't the end of the world by any means, but still disappointing.

Three days later I learned from the radio that the Browns planned to completely rebuild Berea before next August. That evening I received a call at home. Once more, Lerner went straight to the point.

"Don, I would like you to start tomorrow. You have one week to sign outstanding contracts and prepare for the draft. Your assistant, Mister Carter, has an appointment with you at nine in the morning. I will leave a message on your office phone with specific instructions. They are non-negotiable. I will also FedEx your contract to the stadium, and it should be there by ten. Do you have any questions?"

I shook my head. "No, sir. Tha..."

"Welcome to the Browns." He hung up.

[bucher34]

Congrats!

[lilbman07]

Congrats! I'll be reading

[EVEN11323]

I'll be reading, hopefully your first football venture will be as good as your baseball games have been.

[CatKnight]

bucher: Thanks again!

lilbman: Thanks and welcome :)

EVEN: Thanks for the compliment. I hope not to disappoint. :)
*******

February 2009 (II)


As fate would have it, Mr. Carter was waiting for me at the security desk. A lean man in his late twenties with dark hair, Carter gave me a cold smile.

"Mr. Bradley? I'm happy to meet you. Your clearance hasn't made it through the security computer yet, so I thought I'd bring you to your office."

"Thank you, Mr. Carter." I offered my hand.

"Call me Jimmy."

My brows climbed and I smiled. "Really?"

His jaw set. "I get that a lot."

"Oh? I imagine you do. Sorry." Carter gave a curt nod and we walked into the elevator. He inserted a card that made the panel beep, then we slowly moved upward.

"Your computer access should be set by ten," he said. We walked down a narrow hall with pictures of the teams that dominated the AAFC and NFL in the 40s, 50s and 60s. "There is a press conference scheduled for one. Your secretary has your full iteniary for the next several days planned out. Your first priority will be to decide who to sign and who not to. I left last month's financial summary on your desk. Well, here we are." We stopped at a door with frosted glass that still read 'Phil Savage, General Manager.' "Call me if you need anything."

"Call you if..." Was everyone on this team so abrupt? He disappeared into another office, the door closing with a solid bang.

"Thank you," I muttered. "I feel welcome." The hallway suddenly seemed very cold and lonely, and I wanted to go home to be with my wife. Sighing, I opened the door.

My secretary, a man Carter's age named Dayton, looked up with solemn eyes. We exchanged introductions. "If you want to take a few minutes to get settled, sir, I'll bring your schedule."

"Thanks." I glanced at the small coffeemaker between four chairs reserved for guests. "Is that available?"

He followed my gaze. "Of course, though you do have one in your office in case you have your own preference."

"Oh, anything will do." Mistake. Dayton might or might not be a great secretary, but his coffee needed work. I frowned at the sludge.

My office proved to be rather spartan. No filing cabinet - perhaps my secretary kept track of records. No banners, no pictures. Just a barren bookshelf that only contained a few books detailing NFL regulations, a desk with Carter's report, a computer that insisted on a password, a well worn leather chair, two more for guests, and a phone. One button on the phone, marked 'Voice Mail', was lit and I hit the button. Randy Lerner's voice filled the room.

Don, Jim: I'm sending this message to both of you to save time.

Jim, I'm counting on you to ensure this is as smooth a transition as possible. Give Don any help he needs while he learns the ropes. You know the off season schedule better than he does. Roger Goodell has been on the warpath about missed deadlines again. Make sure we don't miss any.

Don, Jim's been with the organization a long time. Though the final decisions are yours, take any suggestions he makes very, very seriously. You will find that usually I don't like to interfere in team operations. Unless I call or mail you, you may assume you have free reign within the confines of your contract, which should arrive this morning.

I said usually. As I mentioned on the phone last night there are a few things I need to insist on. December's refusal to play the last game was extraordinary, and I feel more direct measures are necessary. Therefore...

He only made three demands, though they were pretty big ones. I threw on my jacket and stalked out just as Dayton rose to give me my schedule. "Sir?"

"Be right back. I need to talk to Jim."

I knocked on Carter's door, then walked in. No secretary. He frowned at something on his monitor as I entered, frowned at me and turned off the display. "It's early for our meeting, sir," he said coldly.

"Am I interrupting?"

"Oh, not at all," Carter replied in a tone suggesting I was. "Did you have a question?"

I nodded. "Did you listen to Randy's message?"

"Yes."

"What do you think?"

Carter shook his head. "What is there to think? We do what he says."

"I think it'll hurt the team," I answered. "Maybe if we both call him, we can..."

He sneered. "Mr. Bradley, you're going to find that Randy doesn't get into our affairs often, but when he does he expects us to just do it. Once he makes a decision you can't talk him out of it."

"It's a mistake."

Carter's eyes flashed. "Of course it is. You know what? Forget it. Go ahead and call him. Just don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Are you upset with me about something, Jim?"

His eyes widened. "What gave you that idea? Because I've been assistant GM for three years? Because I applied for the job, but rather than give it to me or someone more qualified, Randy chose a banker? Because now I have to train the man filling that job because he is new? Why would I be upset?"

I glanced down. "I didn't know that."

"Of course not." His anger seemed to die down. "Now, since your computer's not up yet I'd ask Dayton for information on the contracts we need to resign that haven't been decided for us. I'll be in at nine and we can go over them."

[OregonDuck1989]

Fantastic start.

[CatKnight]

OregonDuck: Many thanks!
*******

February 2009 (III)


Things grew easier after that. For one thing Dayton didn't have strong feelings one way or the other about my presence and seemed to have a good attitude about his job. So long as I treated him like valuable support, and not as a drudge slave, he was perfectly happy to work behind the scenes. Smart too: If my relationship with Carter completely collapsed, Dayton had reasonable odds of getting me up to speed.

Once my computer access was set up my e-mail overflowed will well wishers from around the league. Many of these were obviously cc'd to all the new general managers, and a few were form letters to boot. Still, it was a nice touch.

The self appointed greeter for the American Football Conference seemed to be Scott Pioli. Pioli's official title is vice president of player development for the Patriots, so he fills much of the 'general manager' role. He hoped to meet me over the summer, and if in the meantime I had any questions about how football really works I should give him a call.

I did so under the guise of congratulating him on a second straight conference title. He thanked me, and we talked for several minutes about this or that nicety. Finally I asked if he had any advice.

"Don, we all watched what happened in Pittsburgh (during week 17) with...well, dismay. If Phil was still here, you can bet we'd be asking him for an explanation when we meet. You and I both know the players struck, and that they must have been desperately unhappy to risk the wrath of the NFL and NFLPA."

I wanted to tell him Lerner's plan, which I think will only make things worse. I had to remind myself that Scott's technically the enemy.

"Your role over the next few seasons will be to rebuild the team's spirit," Pioli continued. "It's obvious they're willing to stick up for each other, and that's good. What they need to realize, and perhaps Phil did too, is that a team can't win if management and players are working at cross purposes. You're all on the same side."

Great. Now if only I can convince Randy of that.

For his part, Carter's ire died down after the first press conference where I promised (foolishly) to bring a title to Cleveland. Perhaps he realizes that we're in our busy season and he can always skirmish with me later. Perhaps he realizes I can fire him.

Perhaps he realizes that if I don't bring home that title the fans will turn on me like rabid dogs.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x155/CatsOfWar/Browns/2008contracts.gif

Signing players proved to be a hectic, stressful affair. For one thing the Browns didn't do well financially last year. We'd lost about $1.5 million last year, and had $10.5 million in reserve. Carter warned me we might want as much as $10 million of that for draft day signing bonuses. I hoped he was wrong, but considering I plan to be active in free agency...

First was QB Brady Quinn, who wanted only $559K to keep being our backup. Brady's worth it. Derek won't last forever. Unfortunately, Randy Lerner wants to make an example of him. He feels that a young man trying to prove himself has no place being part of a 'strike,' and axeing one of our quarterbacks will send a strong message to the team. Yeah, but Randy might not like their reply. I released him with a heavy heart.

RB Jason Wright did see some playing time last year, but that was mainly because of our ridiculous number of injuries. At 27 he's getting too old to be any better, and he wants $780K for the honor of warming our bench. I released him as well.

After two consecutive firings, WR Travis Wilson would have had to ask for much more than $559K to make me blink. He's not ready to start yet, but Jim says that in a few years he might be able to step in. Alright, I'm willing to take that chance. We signed a 2 yr contract.

T Ryan Tucker is getting old to be in football, but at 34 he still has a few years left in him. His asking price, $1.34 M, is also better than I hoped. With starter Joe Thomas suffering frequent injuries, I want a solid backup to be able to step in. We signed a 1 yr contract.

G Isaac Sowells also wants $559K. On the one hand he's just not that good. On the other, we only have two backup guards. If we have another injury (resentment) filled season, he might end up back on the front line. He actually started 3 games last year, played in all 16, and didn't do badly. Alright, we'll give him a shot and sign a 2 year contract.

C Hank Fraley is damn good. He started 12 games last year, though he ultimately lost that role. Unfortunately he's too good to be a backup, and I think he knows that for he bargained hard. I pushed him down from four years to one, and he gave me a little bit of a discount: $2.61 M. The idea is we'll sign him, hopefully pick up a good backup center in the draft, trade Fraley away and let his new team deal with his salary demands. We signed a 1 yr contract.

C Seth McKinney is our third or fourth string man. No matter what happens with Fraley, we don't need him. He's certainly not worth $780K. We released him.

Turning to the defense, first up was LB Andra Davis. Like Fraley, Davis has a good sense of his worth. Like Fraley, he's more or less accurate. Davis is just turning 30 and has several good years left in him. His $2.8 M price tag is bad, but I expected a little worse. We signed him for 4 years.

Davis' signing bonus put us below the $10M Jimmy wants for draft day. I'll just have to be careful.

LB Antwan Peek also wanted to renew. He bid a little high though: $1.94 M, so I'm going to hope we either don't need him or we'll find a draftee. We released him.

LB Shantee Orr, on the other hand, came in at $1.12 M. That I can work with, so we signed him for three years.

CB Eric Wright made my job easy. He wanted $2.9 M, plus a $1 M signing bonus. Randy wouldn't let me sign him anyway, but Eric wanted to play hardball and I had no problem telling him no. Released.

CB Brandon McDonald also came in high, but $2.2 M with an $800K bonus is at least an improvement. I need someone reliable at the corners, so the answer is yes. I signed him for four years.

Poor S Nick Sorensen never stood a chance. After several tough negotiations, with our cash reserves dipping below $9 M, I almost laughed at his request for $960 K of his own. That would be over $190K for each tackle last year. Nope. Released.

K Phil Dawson was in the catbird seat, and he knew it. To his credit, he didn't push nearly as hard as he could have. We need him. I signed off on his $1.8M request with great relief, though it was only for one year.

[CatKnight]

March 2009 - Free Agency


Days after our refusal to negotiate, when Brady Quinn should have signed up for free agency, he announced his retirement instead.

"All I ever wanted was to play for the Browns," the 24 year old announced. He was dressed in a simple long sleeved sweater and jeans, his voice occasionally breaking. "As you know I was born and raised in Columbus. I've followed the team as long as I knew what a football was. It was a fun two years, but now I'm going to get on with my life."

I watched the press conference, thunderstruck. Quinn was too young to retire. He would have one day been Cleveland's starter. He could easily be the backup, if not starter, on at least half the teams in the NFL. Why did he want out?

"I'm sure Mr. Bradley is doing what he thinks is best for the team," Brady said. "It just doesn't feel like it right now."

****. No wonder Carter's stopped arguing, and Lerner's running quiet. I get to be the hatchetman. I didn't sign up for this.

(What the hell? A 74/81, 24 year old quarterback retired!? Either that or he just vanished into the ether. Impossible to say without a transaction screen.)

On March 1, the League published their free agency list. It's not entirely binding. In other words, technically I am an NFL free agent, as is Jim, Randy, Dayton, and (probably) you. A free agent is simply defined as someone without a contract to play. However, League offices publish a list of players who have either played or been invited to tryout camps and received a positive rating. Of that list, the most expensive players were:

1. DE Alex Brown (89) [30]
2008 Bears: 15 G, 15 GS, 44 Tackles, 12 Assists, 8 Sacks. Wants $8.76 M

2. RB Selvin Young (85/88) [25]
2008 Broncos: 16 G, 16 GS, 237 Rushes, 1285 Yards, 9 Rushing TD, 3 Passing. Wants $5.78 M

3. S Ed Reed (86) [30]
2008 Ravens: 11 G, 11 GS, 24 Tackles, 7 Assists, 5 Interceptions. Wants $5.71 M

4. DE Charles Grant (84) [30]
2008 Saints: 16 G, 16 GS, 64 Tackles, 4 Assists, 7.5 Sacks. Wants $5.48 M

5. T Ryan Diem (87) [30]
2008 Colts: 16 G, 16 GS, 4.2 Yds/Rush, 0.5 Sacks Allowed. Wants $5.36 M
********

Looking at our lineup, I felt our biggest need was a blockbuster defensive end to shore up our line. I wouldn't say no to a solid guard or fullback, but pickings are pretty slim this year.

Brown's $8.76 M is a bit much, but I talked to Grant. Charles proved eager to join us, and even gave us a small discount in exchange for a hefty signing bonus. Wincing, I agreed. I just hope we don't have too many signing bonuses during the draft.

Next I could either go for a potential all star tackle, or a potentially brilliant running back at the beginning of his career. RB Jamal Lewis rushed for over 1,000 yards last year...but this is too good of an opportunity to miss.

The Bills were fools to let go of RB Marshawn Lewis (87/88) [23] after only two years. In 16 games, all started, he ran for 862 yards averaging 3.4 per carry with 10 running TD and 4 passing. I'll let the new coach work out who starts. Again, the price is right salary wise, though the signing bonus was even worse than Grant's.

We have just over $5 million heading into the draft. This could hurt.

[Coach Owens]

Go SEAHAWKS!

[boomboom]

Great Dynasty as always, now I am redownloading FM :)

[CatKnight]

Coach Owens: I have no objection. Let's hope the Seahawks do well and I get to crush them in the Super Bowl :)

boomboom: Welcome! FM is still...very basic. It feels a lot like BM 2005. Still, it's kinda fun ;)
*******

April 2009


The end of winter is always a reason for celebration, especially in a northern city like Cleveland. Exactly when winter ends, however, is usually an open question. Who, for example, can forget the Indians trying to start the 2007 season in a blizzard. Their entire opening series ended up being cancelled, while the next 'home' series was moved to Milwaukee.

The problem is the 'lake effect.' Storms coming in from the northwest (Michigan or Ontario) tend to pick up a lot of moisture from Lake Erie. If the weather is cold enough, then all this moisture will dump on Cleveland in the form of snow. Buffalo gets it even worse.

For once winter seemed to behave though: Bitter days in the 30s and 40s, damp and raw, but little snow. Randy called to have me hire contractors to rebuild our Berea training camp by August, giving a small boost to the blue collar workforce in this city. Cleveland's faltered for years as the steel and auto industries have all but failed. It's nice to be able to put some men to work.

Still, something is wrong with the budget for the rebuild. I just can't put my finger on what.

After a few days of blasting me for getting rid of Brady Quinn, the Plain Dealer resumed its coverage of first the NBA Cavaliers, and now the Indians. I'm fine with a little anonymity. Lerner made three demands when I took over the club. Only two had to do with re-signings. The third will certainly get us some bad press.
*******


One big question I need to answer, and probably should have answered already, is who will coach the team next year. It really comes down to three choices.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x155/CatsOfWar/Browns/crennel.jpg

Romeo Crennel has coached the Browns since 2005. Before that he served as defensive coordinator for the Browns and Patriots, defensive line coach for the Jets, Patriots and Giants, and special teams coach for the Giants. His coaching career began in 1970 with Western Kentucky, and he turned 'pro' in 1981.

Romeo has a lifetime coaching record with Clevelad of 26-38. After two very poor seasons, he led the team to a 10-6 performance in 2007 barely missing the playoffs. Last year, of course, ended in a debacle.

Technically Crennel has a contract through 2009, so the question regarding him is whether we choose to buy it out or not. Detractors say Romeo's decision making is questionable, and his lack of offensive experience is obvious. On the other hand, others say Crennel would be just fine if the players would start taking the game seriously.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x155/CatsOfWar/Browns/marty.jpg

Then there's Marty Schottenheimer. Marty was head coach of the Browns from 1984-88. After that he coached for the Chiefs, Redskins and Chargers before being fired after 2006. His lifetime coaching record is 200-126-1. He's led teams to the playoffs 13 times, including three trips to the AFC Championship (2 with Cleveland).

Before that he served as defensive coordinator or linebacker coach for the Browns, Lions, Giants, and Portland Storm of the WFL.

Marty is the fan favorite. He served us well in the past, and at age 65 he still has time to do so again. On the other hand, he can be a little headstrong and lost his job in San Diego by being too independent and defiant for their president's taste.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x155/CatsOfWar/Browns/cowher.jpg

Lastly there's Bill Cowher. Cowher is the youngest of the trio, but arguably the most successful with a lifetime record of 149-90-1. He's made the playoffs 10 times, the AFC Championship 6 of those, the Super Bowl twice, and won Super Bowl XL in 2005. His entire coaching career (1992-2006) was with the Steelers, one of Cleveland's archrivals.

This is both good and bad for his case. Cowher is well known here in town...but well known as a powerful enemy. Most people forget his coaching career began here in Cleveland (under Schottenheimer) where he was special teams and secondary coach from 1985-88. He was also Kansas City's defensive coordinator from 1989-91.

Cowher has a reputation much like the team he coached for so long: Tough and no nonsense. On the other hand, some argue that his leadership skills are lacking and he was lucky enough to be surrounded by quality players.

Still, one doesn't make that many playoff appearances unless they're doing something right.
*******

Having a head coach help me with the draft would have been nice. Since I don't have one, Jim's indifferent help had to do.

I would have liked to grab FB Paul McMahon (81/92) [22] from Oklahoma State, but he wanted a $4 M signing bonus. Uh... no. The two best guards I could find were as bad, if not worse.

With our budget so badly strapped, we were shut out of a number of potential draftees. We ended up with:

1. TE Jon Harris (78/86) [22] Colorado
Harris gets a $2.34 M dollar salary, and a $2.2 M signing bonus. Painful, but not deadly.

2. G Herman Johnson (75/83) [21] LSU
He will start almost immediately. His $600K salary is pretty good, while his $1.2 M signing bonus leaves us $1.7 M for the other picks.

3. P Ervin Taylor (74/75) [22] Stanford
Taylor is there solely as a backup. We currently have none. He'll earn $410K with a $200K bonus for the privilege.

Why no one's picked 4. K Zack Reyd (89/91) [22] Texas Christian is a mystery. He might take the starting job away from Dawson. He'll earn $395K with a $100K bonus.

After falling so far, 5. QB Matt Stafford (68/80) [21] Georgia comes cheap. He's our new Brady Quinn and earns the league minimum $337K.

6. DT Baron Tate (63/78) [21] Eastern Michigan is there because I hope to talk the new coach into a 4-3 defense (vs. 3-4), which would mean we have no third string DTs. We do now. Again, league minimum.

Last, we pick 7. CB Mitch Lowell (60/74) [21] Tennessee again to help fill out the third string for the league minimum.

[flapper]

CatKnight>
The Bills were fools to let go of RB Marshawn Lewis (87/88) [23] after only two years. In 16 games, all started, he ran for 862 yards averaging 3.4 per carry with 10 running TD and 4 passing. I'll let the new coach work out who starts. Again, the price is right salary wise, though the signing bonus was even worse than Grant's.

He's Marshawn Lynch, not Lewis

[Coach Owens]

The end of winter is always a reason for celebration, especially in a northern city like Cleveland. Exactly when winter ends, however, is usually an open question. Who, for example, can forget the Indians trying to start the 2007 season in a blizzard. Their entire opening series ended up being cancelled, while the next 'home' series was moved to Milwaukee.


Haha. That was hilarious. Probably the only way possible that there could be a doubleheader at Safeco. :)

[RedsoxRockies]

Yay! I hope it is as good as the others!

[CatKnight]

flapper: Yep. Guess I was still thinking about my RB

Coach: That's right. I forgot about the doubleheader in Seattle. :D

RSR: Glad to have you...

....but.

Having Brady vanish really bothers me. I can't think of one reason he should retire. Uninjured. Early 20s. 70s overall with low 80s peak. Could have started or been second-string for 22 (I counted) of the 32 clubs.

Two other players I dumped also vanished. Low ratings (RB 62, C 62) but still relatively young, and there were players in their low 60s already in the FA pool. Seems strange they'd retire.

The truth is I don't know if that's what happened, since there's no transaction screen, and there was no popup. Did they retire or vanish into the ether? Who else retired or vanished that I don't know about?

I'm going to shut this down and go back to BM, hoping for better things in 2010. FM has an incredible amount of potential. There are some things, which I noted on post 2, it does BETTER than Baseball Mogul....but not knowing if I've encountered a serious bug or not is a real issue. I'm worried about loading up some day and finding important players gone for no apparent reason. Ugh. Even BM05 (which is the closest relation to FM09) had a text document listing retirees.

Thanks for following, those who did. Thanks to whoever gave me a 5 rating just barely into my 2nd page. :) I hope to get back to this (or more correctly start again) when FM takes a few steps towards being the game I know it can be.

For now though, I'll rejoin BM in a few days.

[bucher34]

It was good while it lasted. You're an awesome story-teller/writer, very detailed and in-depth. I'll look forward to your return.