Smooth Pancakes' Madden Franchise

[SmoothPancakes]

:Jax_Jaguars:

Reviving The Cats


The Career of Cameron F. Mitchell

Owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars




With the death of the NCAA series, I'm starting up this Madden franchise to run alongside my NCAA dynasty. After some discussion via private messages over the past couple days, I finally decided on the direction of this franchise. I'm going to take over as a new owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and try to restore them from the bottom dwellers of the league. I'm going to be playing things realistically (if you're familiar with my NCAA dynasty) so don't expect to see the Jaguars winning the Super Bowl in year one, or two, or probably three, four or five with as rough as this team currently is. This one could be painful with as little as I have to work with in Jacksonville. And limited to trades, free agents and the draft, I can't go out and find 25 new people every year to bring in and turn a loser around into a winner like I could in NCAA.

There is something I will be doing a little differently with this Madden franchise, as will be explained in the next post.




Franchise Information

• Xbox One, Madden 25 (Seasons 1 through present)
• 9-10 minute quarters
• Difficulty: All-Pro
• Game Speed: Slow
• Player Min Speed Threshold: 15
• Rosters: Current updated Madden rosters at time of start
• Sliders: Provided by Punter King
• Offline Franchise
• Playbook – Offense: West Coast --- Defense: Attack 4-3

• Current Team: :Jax_Jaguars: Owner




Current Sliders (based on Defindascent's All-Pro sliders)





Skill Level
All-Pro


Quarter Length
9-10 Minutes


Camera
Normal


Speed
Slow


Threshold
15


Instant Starter
Off


Salary Cap
On


Playcall Style
Gameflow


Accelerated Clock
On


Minimum Play Clock Time
20


Player Progression Frequency
Weekly


Coach Firing
On


Game Play Tuning
Yes


Kinect Enabled
One


Injury
On


Pre Existing Injury
On


Trade Deadline
On


Trade Type
Enable All


Relocation Settings
Normal





Penalties
Slider Setting


Offside
70


False Start
70


Holding
60


Facemask
57


Offensive Pass Interference
72


Defensive Pass Interference
71


KR/PR Interference
58


Clipping
58


Intentional Grounding
64


Roughing the Passer
54


Roughing the Kicker
61





Slider
Human
CPU


QB Accuracy
7
58


Pass Blocking
13
34


WR Catching
60
100


Run Blocking
5
25


Fumbles
40
40


Pass Defense Reaction Time
77
85


Interceptions
25
5


Pass Coverage
68
75


Tackling
40
65


FG Power
55
55


FG Accuracy
60
60


Punt Power
55
55


Punt Accuracy
100
100


Kickoff Power
45
45


Injuries
10
10


Fatigue
66
66





Auto-Sub
Sub Out
Sub In


QB
40
50


RB
80
85


WR
80
85


FB/TE
80
85


OL
50
55


DT
80
85


DE
80
85


LB
70
75


CB
70
75


S
70
75







To keep things easily accessible, especially as this thread grows into multiple pages, I have everything hyperlinked, exactly the same as I do in my NCAA dynasty

Starting in the Owner/Player History posts, under Yearly Recaps, I have the year 2013 hyperlinked to my post that contains my 2013 schedule. Every new year, I will hyperlink that year to the post that contains that year's football schedule.

In the Coach Statistics post, under Coach Milestones, I have the score of the Biggest Win and Biggest Loss hyperlinked to that game's post. Same thing with the Coach Career Win-Loss vs. Opponent table. I have the biggest win and/or biggest loss, for each opponent I have played so far, hyperlinked to that game's post in this thread.

And in each season's schedule, I am hyperlinking the scores of each game, to each game's post. So if you go to my season one schedule post, and click on the future score of my game against Kansas City, you will be taken to the post that contains that game's summary.

That way if (and hopefully when) this gets into tens of pages like my NCAA dynasty, everything will be extremely easy to find and read without having to sort through various posts by those reading or following just to see what happened in my next game. You'll be able to go from game to game, season to season, through the entire history of this franchise, just by following the various hyperlinks. This is my way of helping keep things very organized, very easy to follow, and very easy to read for everyone who might wander in here, whether you've been following this since my very first post, or you won't start following until I'm halfway through season 5.

[SmoothPancakes]

A Life in the NFL


The Playing Career of Preston Roberson



This is going to be where things get interesting. Not only will I be running a franchise as owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but in the same franchise as I'm running Jacksonville, I'll be running the career of former Utah State star HB Preston Roberson, as he enters the NFL as an undrafted free agent, tries to find a spot with a team and tries to make an NFL career.

I'm going to be playing things realistically (if you're familiar with my NCAA dynasty) so I'll be sitting wherever I am on the depth chart, trying to improve through practices and work my way up the depth chart (no instant starting in this franchise). If I get cut from the roster or have my contract run out and enter the free agent pool, I'll try to get signed on somewhere else and continue working my way up the depth chart and try to become a starting HB at some point. I probably won't have much of a "career" in the first year or two of the franchise, so my actual game posts won't start until I am actually playing. Until then, it'll just be summaries.

With that out of the way, through a completely random blind drawing of all 32 NFL teams in a hat, since I can't take an NCAA '14 draft class on 360 and use it in Madden 25 on Xbox One, instead of having Roberson drafted onto a team, I created him as a player and assigned him to a team. Through said random, blind drawing, the first name drawn out of the hat was the San Diego Chargers (I'm a Broncos fan and hate the Chargers with a passion, so you can be certain that it was indeed a random drawing), where Roberson will be fourth-string HB on the depth chart with an overall rating of 73.

These careers, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and player for the San Diego Chargers, will be going on at the same time and no doubt their stories will intertwine with one another at some point on the field, such as week 7 of the 2013 season. :)




Franchise Information

• Xbox One, Madden 25 (Seasons 1 through present)
• 10 minute quarters
• Difficulty: All-Pro
• Game Speed: Slow
• Player Min Speed Threshold: 15
• Rosters: Current updated Madden rosters at time of start
• Sliders: Provided by Punter King
• Offline Franchise
• Playbook – Offense: Balanced Offense --- Defense: Attacking 4-3
• Starting Team: :San_Diego_Chargers: 4th string HB
• Current Team: :San_Diego_Chargers: 4th string HB

[SmoothPancakes]

Franchise History


Yearly Recaps



Season
Year
Team
Record
Div. Rank
Conf. Rank
Playoffs
Super Bowl Champions


1
2013
Jacksonville Jaguars
0-0
T-1
T-1
---
---


1
2013
San Diego Chargers
0-0
T-1
T-1
---
---






Owner/Coach History

Cameron F. Mitchell



Season
Year
Team
Record
Div. Rank
Conf. Rank
Playoffs


1
2013
Jacksonville Jaguars
0-0
T-1
T-1
---






Player History

Preston Roberson



Season
Team
Position
Record
Stats


2013
San Diego Chargers
Fourth String HB
0-0
0 Yards Rushing, 0 Yards Rec., 0 TD, 0 Fumbles

[SmoothPancakes]

Owner Statistics


Owner Win-Loss Records



Category
Wins
Losses


Overall




Home




Away




Division




Conference




Rivalry




Playoffs




Overtime







Owner Milestones



Milestone
Amount


Winning Seasons
0


Super Bowl Championships
0


Conference Championships
0


Division Titles
0


Longest Winning Streak
0


Longest Losing Streak
0


Most Wins in a Season
0


Most Losses in a Season
0


Biggest Win
0-0 vs. TEAM


Biggest Loss
0-0 vs. TEAM





Owner Career Win-Loss vs. Opponent



Team Name
Wins
Losses
Biggest Win
Biggest Loss


Arizona






Atlanta






Baltimore






Buffalo






Carolina






Chicago






Cincinnati






Cleveland






Dallas






Denver






Detroit






Green Bay






Houston






Indianapolis






Kansas City






Miami






Minnesota






New England






New Orleans






New York Giants






New York Jets






Oakland






Philadelphia






Pittsburgh






San Diego






San Francisco






Seattle






St. Louis






Tampa Bay






Tennessee






Washington









Owner Career Win-Loss vs. Division



Conference
Wins
Losses


AFC East




AFC North




AFC South




AFC West




NFC East




NFC North




NFC South




NFC West










Awards and Accomplishments


Owner Division Championships




Season
Team
Title


---
---
---






Owner Conference Championships




Season
Team
Title


---
---
---






Owner Super Bowl Championships



Season
Team
Title


---
---
---





Awards



Year
Team
Award


2013
---
---






Pro Bowl Players





Year
Team
Player
Position


2013
Jacksonville Jaguars
---
---





2014
Jacksonville Jaguars
---
---






Game Records



Record
Player Name
Team
Season
Amount
Opponent


Completions







Passing Yards







Passing Touchdowns







Interceptions Thrown







Times Sacked







Carries







Rushing Yards







Rushing Touchdowns







Fumbles







Receptions







Receiving Yards







Receiving Touchdowns







Dropped Passes







Tackles







Tackles for Loss







Sacks







Interceptions







Field Goals Made







Longest Field Goal Distance










Season Records



Record
Player Name
Team
Season
Amount


Completions






Passing Yards






Passing Touchdowns






Interceptions Thrown






Times Sacked






Carries






Rushing Yards






Rushing Touchdowns






Fumbles






Receptions






Receiving Yards






Receiving Touchdowns






Passes Dropped






Tackles






Tackles for Loss






Sacks






Interceptions






Field Goals Made






Longest Field Goal Distance

[SmoothPancakes]

Player Statistics


Player Win-Loss Records



Category
Wins
Losses


Overall
0
0


Home
0
0


Away
0
0


Division
0
0


Conference
0
0


Playoffs
0
0


Overtime
0
0





Player Milestones



Milestone
Amount


Winning Seasons
0


Super Bowl Championships
0


Conference Championships
0


Division Titles
0


Longest Winning Streak
0


Longest Losing Streak
0


Most Wins in a Season
0


Most Losses in a Season
0


Biggest Win
0-0 vs. TEAM


Biggest Loss
0-0 vs. TEAM





Player Career Win-Loss vs. Opponent



Team Name
Wins
Losses
Biggest Win
Biggest Loss


Arizona






Atlanta






Baltimore






Buffalo






Carolina






Chicago






Cincinnati






Cleveland






Dallas






Denver






Detroit






Green Bay






Houston






Indianapolis






Jacksonville






Kansas City






Miami






Minnesota






New England






New Orleans






New York Giants






New York Jets






Oakland






Philadelphia






Pittsburgh






San Francisco






Seattle






St. Louis






Tampa Bay






Tennessee






Washington













Awards and Accomplishments



Awards



Year
Team
Award


2013
---
---


2014
---
---






Game Records



Record
Team
Season
Amount
Opponent


Carries






Rushing Yards






Rushing Touchdowns






Fumbles






Receptions






Receiving Yards






Receiving Touchdowns






Dropped Passes






Punt Return Yards






Punt Return Touchdowns






Kick Return Yards






Kick Return Touchdowns









Season Records



Record
Team
Season
Amount


Carries





Rushing Yards





Rushing Touchdowns





Fumbles





Receptions





Receiving Yards





Receiving Touchdowns





Dropped Passes





Punt Return Yards





Punt Return Touchdowns





Kick Return Yards





Kick Return Touchdowns

[SmoothPancakes]

Change Takes Jacksonville By Surprise

By Staff Reports on August 4, 2013, at 10:31 AM

JACKSONVILLE — Something that had long been considered nothing more than an irrational rumor from the dark depths of the internet, sitting on the mantle right next to other conspiracy theories such as the alien landings at Roswell, secret government experiments at Area 51, the second man on the grassy knoll and the faking of the moon landing, today the football world was shocked to discover that this conspiracy theory was not meant to remain in the realms of history only talked about in anonymous chat rooms. No, today a conspiracy theory would come down off that mantle. Today, a conspiracy theory would become fact.

In 2011, Shahid Kahn, a Pakistani-born American billionaire businessman became the first ethnic minority to ever own an NFL team, when he purchased a 100% share of the Jacksonville Jaguars for an estimated $760 million. Then just last month, a deal, estimated between £150–200 million, was finalized on July 12 for Kahn to purchase Premier League soccer club Fulham FC from its previous owner, Mohamed Al Fayed.

At the time of this purchase, some rumors, quickly dismissed by both team officials and even fans as nothing more than wild fantasies, began popping up from the depths of the internet that Kahn was interested in selling the Jaguars. Such a dismal showing on the field in recent years, along with rising ticket and concession prices, was leading to sparser crowds, declining gates and dwindling concessions sales. The decline of money coming in, paired with some exorbitant salaries, began to lead some to think this was the end of the Jacksonville Jaguars as we knew it. Football analysts for the NFL Network, ESPN and Fox Sports considered this a perfect storm for Jacksonville to break its lease with the city and leave for the sunnier shores of Los Angeles, a city continuously trying to lure a franchise back to the area since the loss of the LA Rams back in 1995.

But while everyone in the sports world considered Jacksonville the top contender to move west and revive professional football in Los Angeles, some people saw the Fulham FC purchase by Kahn as a sign that he would be offloading the "losing" Jaguars and cut his losses while he could. These rumors, appearing on chat rooms, on forums, on message boards, and on fan sites, were quickly dismissed by the masses as ridiculous conspiracy theories at best, poor attempts at trolling at worst. But no matter how many times these rumors and conspiracy theories were dismissed, no matter how many times their believers were ridiculed and run off of sites, the rumor of a sale instead of simple relocation continued to hang in the air.

A relocation of the franchise hit a fever pitch on July 23 when Cameron F. Mitchell, a billionaire businessman from Los Angeles who owned acres of prime development space in nearby counties that many considered the perfect spot for a football stadium, traveled to Jacksonville and was spotted meeting with Kahn. It was soon being considered by many to be a done deal, the Jacksonville Jaguars would be moving to Los Angeles. Conversation then was turning to the Rams. Would Los Angeles try to get the Rams name back? Would St. Louis give up the Rams name and if so, what name would they replace it with? Despite the fact that the only verification anyone had was nothing more than a meeting between Kahn and Mitchell that had been spotted by a mid-level employee, it didn't stop the media and analysts from taking the rumor and running rampant with it.

While the rumors continued to spin and analysts continued to talk them up like a done deal, each one trying to outdo the others for the claim of first breaking the latest news in the story, the situation quieted down around Jaguars headquarters, with no new rumors or news coming out since that initial rumored meeting between Kahn and Mitchell. Then two days ago, the media was sent into another feeding frenzy when Kahn was again spotted with Mitchell, this time with photographic proof, all but confirming in the minds of the public that the Jaguars wouldn't be around much longer. All the while, the rumors of a sale never quieted down. While still being shunned and ridiculed, those same voices continued to spin tales of conspiracy that Kahn was going to sell the team and get out of the NFL business.

As the media and football analysts continued to spin tall tales of rumor and opinion as fact, and the general public proclaimed these the end of days for the Jacksonville Jaguars and professional football in the city of Jacksonville, word was sent out to the local media that the team would be sending out a press release in the coming days about a change coming to the Jaguars. That brings us to today. After a month-plus of ridicule, of humiliation, of being shunned, it turned out that the conspiracy theorists would get this one right. This was one conspiracy that would not remain upon the mantle of historical conspiracy theories to be derided by future generations. Instead, today, it was announced that Shahid Kahn would indeed be selling the Jacksonville Jaguars to billionaire businessman Cameron F. Mitchell, so that he could put his full focus toward his new venture with Fulham FC and trying to build the team up toward a Premiere League Championship.

While the full terms of the sale have not been disclosed, it is rumored that the price that Mitchell will pay will be close to the estimated $760 million that Kahn originally paid for the Jaguars in 2011. One term that has been leaked out of the sale is a similar term that Kahn originally agreed to when he purchased the Jaguars in 2011, a verbal commitment to keep the team in Jacksonville, Florida, though Mitchell was only required to commit to remain in Jacksonville for the next 3 years. After three years, Mitchell would then be free to relocate the franchise if so desired.

What does the future hold for the Jacksonville Jaguars? While we'll have to wait to find that out, after weeks of rumors, conspiracy theories and unchecked speculation by the media and football analysts, the facts are starting to make themselves known. The Jaguars will have a new owner for the second time in two years, provided the other NFL owners approve the sale, which is expected to happen. The Jaguars will be remaining in Jacksonville for certain through at least 2015, which means Los Angeles will either have to continue to wait in hopes of ensnaring the Jaguars or they will have to try to lure another team to Los Angeles, such as the Minnesota Vikings, who are dealing with stadium woes, or try and get the St. Louis Rams to "come home" to LA.

As the city of Jacksonville awakes to big changes this morning, now the rumor mill begins turning again. Now begins the feeding frenzy anew by the media and analysts. Will Cameron F. Mitchell try to improve the Jaguars and return them to the playoffs? Will Mitchell let them tread water among the bottom dwellers of the league for the next three years in hopes of breaking the lease with the city at minimal cost to the checkbook and bolt to Los Angeles in the middle of the night? Will he be an owner to keep the wallet closed and spend only that needed to field a team, no matter how untalented, each season, or will he open up the checkbook and go after the players needed to field not only a competitive team, but a team with playoff aspirations? Those are the questions that will now be debated ad nauseam while the fans and public wait to see what the future has in store for the Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville.

[SmoothPancakes]

The Future of the Jacksonville Jaguars

By Staff Reports on August 10, 2013, at 1:08 PM

JACKSONVILLE — As the city of Jacksonville continues to make sense of the sudden change in ownership of the Jacksonville Jaguars, some more details of the recent sale of the team from former owner Shahid Kahn to Cameron F. Mitchell have come to light. As was reported in the initial breaking story, so far the only term from the deal to be leaked was that Mitchell had to verbally commit to keeping the Jaguars in Jacksonville for at least the next three years, unable to locate until after the 2015 season at the earliest. While a price has not officially been reported, it is estimated to be in the same ballpark as what Kahn paid for the team back in 2011, around $760 million for the 100% share.

Fans and the public continue to wonder what is in store for the future of the team. Will the team be relocated after the three year committal period? Does Mitchell, a Los Angeles businessman, plan to move the team to LA regardless or will he give the city of Jacksonville a chance? Will he be frugal with money and only pay out what he must for players, trade away high salary, but yet high talent, players to lessen payroll, or will he commit to spending the money to go out and get the players needed to be successful? While Mitchell has not responded to any requests for interviews, the team did release a second press release, purported to be from Mitchell himself, answering some of those questions.

"As the fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the residents and city of Jacksonville itself, go through yet another ownership change of the team in such a short period of time, I want to assure the fans that they will not be ignored in this change. We are going to do what is necessary to build Jacksonville back into a winning team.", said Mitchell. "This team has struggled for far too long, with records of .500 or worse every year for the last five seasons. A team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2007, also the last time they won a playoff game. A team that hasn't won a division title since 1999. This is a team, that in just its second season of existence in the league as an expansion team, not only made the playoffs, but made the conference championship game and was 14 points away from the Super Bowl."

Mitchell continued, "We are going to fix the issues and turn this team around. No coach is safe, no player is safe. If someone doesn't fit or isn't performing up to expectations, we'll find someone who will. This won't be fast, it won't be easy. The struggles will continue in the short term, as we try to fix the issues from past coaches, from past general managers, from past failures, but we are building for the long term. We are building to eventually turn this team into a contender. The losing mentality stops now. The failures end today. Tomorrow starts the resurrection."

While no mention of the long-term future of the Jaguars residing in the city of Jacksonville was mentioned in the press release, it was made clear that Mitchell will not sit by and be a passive owner, that he will not be shy to open up the checkbook and get involved with improving the team. Whether Jacksonville will be able to call the Jaguars their team beyond the next three seasons remains a mystery, but for at least the next three seasons, the fans and residents of the city of Jacksonville will at least be able to hold a renewed pride in their team.

Mitchell reiterated his intentions to build the team up out of the cellar and turn them into contenders in a recent media response. Larry Ridley, a sports reporter for ESPN asked Mitchell recently after a practice at training camp, what the next step was for the team. Said Ridley, "You've been a highly successful businessman, and now you own an NFL franchise. What's the next step for you and this team?" Mitchell responded to Ridley's question, saying, "Part of being good at business is surrounding yourself with smart people, so that will continue to be priority A. We'll build a continual winner from the top down."

It hasn't taken long for the Jaguars to show signs of hopeful future improvement, as numerous reports and rumors have popped up of the Jaguars making multiple inquires about acquiring players, including some discussion of potential trades with the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Jaguars have also reportedly approached South Carolina rookie and free agent tight end Justice Cunningham about potentially signing him to a one year deal during the preseason. As the Jaguars prepare for the long road ahead to climb from the cellar of the NFL, coming off a 2-14 season in 2012, the Jacksonville staff and fans won't have to wait much longer to see if there is hope of improvement this year, as the Jaguars get ready for their upcoming first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.

[jaymo76]

Great start as per usual Smooth. I'm looking forward to your regular updates. Thanks for including me in your preliminary discussions.

I'm not sure if I saw it listed but I will be interested to see your LEGACY SCORE at the end of each season. In my 3rd season i am up to 177 as an owner. SB wins really help out!

[SmoothPancakes]

Great start as per usual Smooth. I'm looking forward to your regular updates. Thanks for including me in your preliminary discussions.

I'm not sure if I saw it listed but I will be interested to see your LEGACY SCORE at the end of each season. In my 3rd season i am up to 177 as an owner. SB wins really help out!

Thanks Jaymo!

You were a big help in getting the final direction of this franchise steered. I had a lot of the preliminary stuff figured out, but putting together the final details, without those couple days of chatting back and forth in PMs, I doubt I would have started this yet. In fact, I didn't even have either of the "news stories" written at the time. I started typing those up during the middle of the night Friday morning after we traded those PMs back and forth. So you were a big help there.

Yeah, my Legacy score is gonna take a long time. :D I went with the billionaire mogul or whatever it's called option for my created owner, so I started with a Legacy score of a big fat 0. So I have a lot of work to do to get that built up.

[SmoothPancakes]

Jaguars, Mitchell Hit the Ground Running

By Staff Reports on August 12, 2013, at 11:32 AM

JACKSONVILLE — Proving that he was willing to do whatever it took to bring back life to the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise, new owner Cameron F. Mitchell and his coaching staff quickly made splashes around the league, taking a very proactive approach to bring new talent into Jacksonville in their attempt to set the team up for future success.

The Jaguars started the shuffling of their roster as they signed a number of free agents to one year contracts. The first free agent to join the Jaguars was 33 year old, 10 year league veteran Scott Shanle, joining the linebacker corps for Jacksonville. The Jaguars released the terms of the deal, signing Shanle to a one year contract worth $1.40 million. Shanle was drafted out of Nebraska in the 7th round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams, but he would fail to live out the season, as he was waived by the Rams on December 9, 2003. He wouldn't be left hanging for long however as the very next day on December 10th, the Dallas Cowboys claimed him off waivers, where he would become a starter at strongside linebacker during a two year stint with the Cowboys. Shanle would change teams again in 2006 when he was acquired in a trade by the New Orleans Saints for a conditional draft pick. He would become the starting weakside linebacker for the Saints during a 6 year span with the team, including starting at outside linebacker during the Saints' 2009 Super Bowl championship team. The Saints would decline to resign Shanle following the 2012 season, resulting in his becoming a free agent. Shanle will see immediate action this season, as he is projected to be the starting left outside linebacker for the Jaguars in the upcoming season.

After picking up a veteran to help improve the linebacker corps, the Jaguars next went after youth, signing rookie free agent tight end Justice Cunningham, fresh off a collegiate career with the South Carolina Gamecocks. The terms of the deal was a one year contract worth $1.24 million. Cunningham is not expected to be a major player in the upcoming season, sitting third on the newly released depth chart behind seven year veteran Marcedes Lewis and three year veteran Clay Harbor, but it is clear that the Jaguars are looking to the future instead of the present when signing new talent by bringing in young but skilled players.

The third free agent to join Jacksonville was two year veteran defensive tackle Marvin Austin, signed to a one year contract worth $720,000. Following a college career at North Carolina, Austin was drafted in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. Unfortunately for Austin, his rookie season would be a short lived one, as he tore his pectoral muscle on August 22, 2011 during a preseason game against the Chicago Bears. He would be placed on the injured reserve 8 days later. Coming back in 2012, he would see his first regular season action in the Giants’ second game of the 2012 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Playing in 8 games during the 2012 season, Austin would contribute with 8 combined tackles. But his stint with the Giants would come to an end during the early preseason of the 2013 season, when the Giants released him during a round of roster cuts. Austin is expected to see regular action on the field for the Jaguars, slotted second at defensive tackle on the most recent depth chart.

The Jaguars would continue to upgrade their defense, as their next free agent signing landed five year veteran free safety Kenny Phillips, signed to a one year contract worth $1.70 million. Phillips landed in the NFL out of Miami (FL), drafted in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft with the 31st pick by the New York Giants. Phillips saw immediate playing time with the Giants as a rookie, taking the field in all 16 games, while starting three of them, at free safety, racking up 67 total tackles and intercepting one pass. Phillips would see very limited action in 2009, only starting two games before being placed on the injured reserve due to health issues with his left knee. Before going on the injured reserve, Phillips had made a statement to start the season, making 13 total tackles and intercepting two passes in just two games. Coming back from the injury, Phillips was ready for week one and of the 2012 season and would go on to start all 16 games that year, piling up 77 total tackles and one interception. 2011 would prove to be an even better year, as Phillips recorded personal career highs with 82 total tackles, four interceptions, 11 pass deflections and one forced fumbles, as well as ending the year with a Super Bowl championship in the Giants’ 21-17 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 46. Coming off a Super Bowl high in 2011, the 2012 season would be a crash for Phillips, who would play in only 7 games for the Giants. Phillips will be another free agent signing to see immediate action for the Jaguars, projected to be the starting free safety, helping to boost one of the biggest weak spots on the Jaguars defense. Entering the season at 26 years old, Phillips will bring both youth and experience to Jacksonville’s defense this season.

The fifth and final free agent signing by the Jaguars again combined youth and experience, as four year veteran wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi was brought on board with a one year deal worth $680,000. A product of the University of Georgia, Massaquoi was drafted in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, taken by the Cleveland Browns with the 50th pick. Massaquoi would see the field right away in Cleveland, playing in all 16 games of his rookie season, ending with 624 yards receiving on 34 catches and three touchdowns. Massaquoi would see the field for 15 games in his sophomore campaign, finishing with 483 yards receiving on 36 catches with two touchdowns. Unfortunately for Massaquoi, he would never match the numbers of his freshman year, dropping to 14 games played in 2011, ending with only 384 yards receiving on 31 catches and two touchdowns. The steady decline from his rookie numbers would continue into his fourth year, where he wrapped up the 2012 season playing in just 9 games for the Browns as he battled hamstring and knee injuries, concluding the year with only 254 yards receiving on 17 catches and finishing with zero touchdowns. Massaquoi is not expected to see the field as a starter this season, currently slotted fifth on the depth chart, but his signing will help shore up the wide receiver corps, which is almost entirely aged 26 and younger and riddled with players still developing their professional skills.

After signing five free agents in the span of two days, the Jaguars still weren't done with additions, as the front office then turned their attention to the trading block. The Jaguars would go right back to defense as they spent an entire day wheeling and dealing, reportedly spending time in trade talks at one point or another with the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans.

In the end, Jacksonville would finalize deals on two trades, agreeing to deals with the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks. In the first deal to be spun, the Jaguars and Seahawks reached an agreement that would send second year cornerback Jeremy Lane to Jacksonville in return for second year cornerback Mike Harris, rookie cornerback Jeremy Harris and the Jaguars’ 2014 second round draft pick. Jacksonville then turned around and completed a trade with Minnesota, in which the Vikings would send rookie defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd to Jacksonville in return for six year veteran cornerback Alan Ball and Jacksonville’s 2014 third and fifth round draft picks.

Both trades would result in the Jaguars acquiring youthful and very talented players, as Jeremy Lane would immediately slide into the second slot at cornerback on the depth chart, just behind fellow 23 year old and rookie Dwayne Gratz. The addition of Sharrif Floyd meanwhile would greatly bolster an extremely untalented defensive tackle corps, Floyd expected to become the immediate starter at defensive tackle for the Jaguars, starting alongside two year veteran and new free agent signing Marvin Austin. The downside of the trades for the Jaguars however will be their cornerback corps, which went from a membership of seven and has since dropped down to just five. While the Jaguars have filled glaring holes at wide receiver, tight end, defensive tackle, outside linebacker and free safety and added a slew of youth, as well as experience in the form of five and 10 year veteran players, both boasting Super Bowl rings, they now face a potentially new glaring hole at cornerback.

The Jaguars also still have yet to find a solution to their quarterback issues, as five year veteran Chad Henne is currently slated to be the starter come week one of the regular season, backed up by two year veteran Blaine Gabbert. The other quarterbacks currently listed on Jacksonville’s roster, pending upcoming roster cuts, include Matt Scott, a rookie out of Arizona, and two year veteran of Iowa fame, Ricky Stanzi. The Jaguars are reported to have been involved in exploratory trade talks with the San Francisco 49ers about acquiring backup quarterback Colt McCoy, possibly to backup Henne or even to be tried out as a potential starter, but those talks have not gone past the initial stages of contact. The Jaguars have also reportedly sent out feelers to the Philadelphia Eagles about a potential trade to acquire backup quarterback Michael Vick, but there is not much expected to happen there. If the Jaguars get desperate at QB, they also could always turn back to free agency, where the top three free agent quarterbacks available are Tim Tebow, Vince Young and David Carr.

The Jacksonville front office and their fans will quickly find out if these trades and free agency editions will be enough to help them turn the ship around after a 2-14 campaign in 2012, as well as if the glaring holes remaining on the roster will potentially cost them during the upcoming season. The Jaguars will hit the field for the first time this preseason tomorrow night at 7:30 PM as they host their cross-state rival, the Miami Dolphins.

[SmoothPancakes]

2013 Preseason: Game 1

:Miami_Dolphins: :@: :Jax_Jaguars:



Starting Lineups

Miami Dolphins




Position
Name
OVR
Years Exp.
College


QB
Ryan Tannehill
83
1
Texas A&M


HB
Daniel Thomas
76
2
Kansas State


HB
Lamar Miller
75
1
Miami (FL)


FB
Kyle Miller
52
2
Mount Union


WR
Mike Wallace
91
4
Ole Miss


WR
Brian Hartline
81
4
Ohio State


WR
Brandon Gibson
80
4
Washington State


TE
Dustin Keller
86
5
Purdue


LT
Bryan McKinnie
74
11
Miami (FL)


LG
Nate Garner
69
4
Arkansas


C
Mike Pouncey
95
2
Florida


RG
Dallas Thomas
70
Rookie
Tennessee


RT
Tyson Clabo
80
9
Wake Forest









LE
Cameron Wake
84
4
Penn State


DT
Randy Starks
84
9
Maryland


DT
Paul Soliai
62
6
Utah


RE
Dion Jordan
83
Rookie
Oregon


LOLB
Koa Misi
78
3
Utah


MLB
Dannell Ellerbe
77
4
Georgia


ROLB
Philip Wheeler
79
5
Georgia Tech


CB
Brent Grimes
90
6
Shippensburg


CB
Dimitri Patterson
76
8
Tuskegee


FS
Chris Clemons
84
4
Clemson


SS
Reshad Jones
90
3
Georgia


K
Caleb Sturgis
78
Rookie
Florida


P
Brandon Fields
89
6
Michigan State


KR/PR
Marcus Thigpen
84
2
Indiana


KR/PR
Mike Wallace
72
4
Ole Miss




Jacksonville Jaguars



Position
Name
OVR
Years Exp.
College


QB
Chad Henne
74
5
Michigan


HB
Maurice Jones-Drew
90
7
UCLA


HB
Justin Forsett
79
5
California


FB
Will Ta'ufo'ou
51
2
California


WR
Cecil Shorts III
84
2
Mount Union


WR
Justin Blackmon
84
1
Oklahoma State


WR
Ace Sanders
78
Rookie
South Carolina


TE
Marcedes Lewis
87
7
UCLA


LT
Luke Joeckel
89
Rookie
Texas A&M


LG
Will Rackley
73
2
Lehigh


C
Brad Meester
83
13
Northern Iowa


RG
Uche Nwaneri
79
6
Purdue


RT
Cameron Bradfield
81
2
Grand Valley State









LE
Tyson Alualu
73
3
California


DT
Sharrif Floyd
80
Rookie
Florida


DT
Marvin Austin
75
2
North Carolina


RE
Jason Babin
81
8
Western Michigan


LOLB
Scott Shanle
82
10
Nebraska


MLB
Paul Posluszny
81
6
Penn State


ROLB
Russell Allen
78
4
San Diego State


CB
Dwayne Gratz
81
Rookie
Connecticut


CB
Jeremy Lane
80
1
Northwestern State


FS
Kenny Phillips
84
5
Miami (FL)


SS
Johnathan Cyprien
81
Rookie
Florida International


K
Josh Scobee
90
9
Louisiana Tech


P
Bryan Anger
82
1
California


KR
Maurice Jones-Drew
81
7
UCLA


KR/PR
Justin Forsett
78
5
California


PR
Ace Sanders
72
Rookie
South Carolina





JACKSONVILLE — The 2013 preseason officially got underway for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins, as Jacksonville fans looked forward to the first game since new owner Cameron F. Mitchell took over as owner of the team. The game would also give Jaguars fans the first look as some of the new players who have joined in recent days through free agency signings and trades.

After kicking the ball off to start the game on a muggy 90 degree evening, the Jacksonville defense was able to win an early battle against the Miami Dolphins, holding their offense to a three and out and forcing an early punt. The Jaguars offense took to the field at their 35 yard line, and after converting a pair of third downs during the drive, would find the end zone first and Maurice Jones-Drew took the handoff at the 5 yard line, followed the fullback around the outside of the right tackle and punched it into the end zone to give Jacksonville a 7-0 lead with 4:00 left in the first quarter.

Miami would start their next drive from their 26 yard line, and it got off to a promising start following a 6 yard run by Daniel Thomas, but an incomplete pass and a dropped pass would bring the drive to an uneventful end and bring about another Miami punt. The Jaguars lined up for their next drive at their 32 yard line following the punt return by Justin Forsett. After converting on third and 6, the drive would eventually end up stalling out at the Miami 43 yard line, as a dropped pass left fourth and three. Brian Anger’s punt would sail into the end zone for a touchback. Miami started their next drive at their 20 yard line, the Dolphins getting off two plays, a pair of rushes by Thomas for gains of 16 yards and 6 yards, leaving Miami with second and four at the 42 yard line when the clock hit all zeroes to bring the first quarter to an end.

The second quarter brought the second string players, as Matt Moore took over the reins at quarterback, bringing Ryan Tannehill’s day to a close. Other changes saw Lamar Miller take over at halfback, Rishard Matthews, Marlon Moore and Ryan Spadola take over at wide receiver, Charles Clay fill in at tight end. Miller made the most of his first rush, finding a hole for 7 yards and starting the second quarter for Miami with a first down pickup. While Jacksonville’s second string defense experienced growing pains, a couple plays later, an incomplete pass along the sideline and a dropped ball would bring Miami’s drive to an end on fourth and four, forcing the Dolphins to punt from our 45 yard line. The Jaguars offense was left stuck at their 14 yard line following the punt.

Jacksonville’s second string offense took the field to start our second quarter drive, with Blaine Gabbert sliding under center, Justin Forsett and Delone Carter jumping up a slot at halfback, Mike Brown, Mohamed Massaquoi and Jeremy Ebert taking over at wide receiver and Clay Harbor holding the fort at tight end. Forsett got the drive started with a two yard run. After a dropped pass, Brown was able to get a first down with a 24 yard catch along the right sideline to the 40 yard line. Forsett would take the handoff around the left end on first down, breaking free along the sideline for a 15 yard gain for a first down at the Miami 40. A pair of rushes by Carter would go for gains of six and three yards, before a fullback dive got the conversion on third and one. Continuing to pound the ball with Forsett and Carter, the Jaguars would get as close as the Miami three yard line, before Gabbert was able to find Brown in the end zone on third down, giving Jacksonville a 14-0 lead with 2:55 left in the second quarter.

Miami settled for a touchback on the kickoff, taking over at their 20 yard line. After a four yard scramble by Moore, the drive would come unhinged for the Dolphins, as the game’s first turnover occurred as strong safety Winston Guy intercepted the ball for Jacksonville, giving the Jaguars the ball at the Miami 39 yard line with 2:16 remaining until halftime. Forsett got things started with a 6 yard run, taking the game into the two minute warning. A slip screen pass to Forsett would gain 13 yards and pick up a first down at the 20 yard line. After an 8 yard pass to Ebert, a pair of incomplete passes would leave the drive stalled out at fourth and two from the 11 yard line. Josh Scobee would nail the 26 yard field goal to extend Jacksonville’s lead to 17-0 with 1:13 left until halftime.

Miami took over at their 31 yard line after the return. After a pair of incomplete passes and a 10 yard completion, the Dolphins would find the end zone as Marlon Moore caught a pass along the sideline and took it 59 yards to the house. The Jaguars would catch a massive break however, as the play went under official review, the review determining that Moore stepped out of bounds after catch the ball and turning to cut up field, leaving Miami with a first down at the Jaguars 46 yard line. Miami would get as close as the Jacksonville 27 yard line before kicking a 44 field goal as time expired, the kick from Caleb Sturgis sailing through the uprights to cut Jacksonville’s lead to 17-3 at halftime.

The kickoff return to open the third quarter left Jacksonville starting from the 23 yard line. Gabbert returned under center and picked up where he left off with an 18 yard strike to Brown for a quick first down. The drive would come to a crash a couple plays later after an incomplete pass left fourth and 5, forcing Jacksonville to punt. The ball landed at the two yard line and bounced just barely over the goal line for a touchback, starting Miami at their 20 yard line. Miami would waste no time at all, calling a play action fake on first down that left Moore sprinting open down the left sideline. Moore would haul in the pass from Moore and he was off to the races for an 80 yard touchdown, cutting Jacksonville’s lead to 17-10 with 8:25 left in the third quarter.

A touchback gave Jacksonville possession at their 20 yard line. A four yard run by Forsett would be the highlight of the drive as two incomplete passes brought out the punt team on fourth and 6. Miami started from their 26 yard line after the punt, but they would never leave it as two incomplete passes and a dropped ball left Miami punting after a three and out. A skilled punt return by Ace Sanders set Jacksonville up at their 49 yard line for their next drive. Jacksonville would drive down to the Miami 13 yard line, before an incomplete pass, and blown call for a blatant facemask, left Jacksonville kicking a 30 yard field goal on fourth and one. The kick by Scobee sailed through to extend Jacksonville’s lead to 20-10 with 3:36 left in the third quarter.

Miami started their next drive from the 24 yard line. Jacksonville would catch a massive break as the defense sold out for the run on third and inches, only to have Miami pull out a play action pass, the WIDE OPEN Matthews dropping what would have been a guaranteed touchdown pass, and instead forcing Miami to punt on fourth and inches. Jacksonville lined up at the 31 yard line following Miami’s punt. The defense would end up flopping as a pair of rushes left third and 9, before Gabbert ended up tripping on his own teammate, Forsett, in the backfield, going down for a loss of 6 yards to bring out the punt team on fourth and 15. A fair catch would give Miami the ball at their 23 yard line. Moore getting tripped up for no gain would be the final play of the third quarter, Jacksonville leading 20-10.

Starting the fourth quarter, Miami lined up on second and 10, Moore finding Spadola for an 11 yard gain and a first down. Miami would end up driving down the field, lining up on first and goal from the Jaguars 6 yard line, before a holding penalty on right guard Danny Watkins pushed the Dolphins back to the 16, negating what would have been a 6 yard touchdown pass. Facing third and goal from the 15, a 5 yard run by Marcus Thigpen would force Miami to kick a field goal on fourth and goal from the 10 yard line. The 27 yard field goal by Sturgis was good, cutting Jacksonville’s lead to 20-13 with 6:21 left in the game.

Jacksonville lined up from their 32 yard line after the kickoff return, Forsett taking the ball for a 15 yard gain to get the first down at the 47. A pair of rushes by Carter went for gains of two and three yards, leaving third and 5 with 5:00 remaining. Clay Harbor would extend the drive with a 12 yard reception and a first down at the Miami 36. Continuing to run the ball and the clock, Jacksonville got as close as the Miami 34 yard line before facing fourth and 8. Jacksonville was able to let the clock tick down to the two minute warning without having to snap the ball. Lining up after the break, Jacksonville took a gamble on a 51 yard field goal, but the kick by Scobee sailed wide right, as the Jaguars failed to put the game out of reach.

Miami took over at their 41 yard line, 1:55 left on the clock. It could not have been a rougher start for the Dolphins, as Moore was sacked for an 8 yard loss, followed by an incomplete pass that sailed out of bounds to leave third and 18 with 1:40 remaining. Moore connected with Miller on third down, but he was stopped out of bounds for just a 6 yard gain, leaving Miami punting on fourth and 12 with 1:35 remaining, Miami gambling with all three timeouts for their defense. Three straight runs by Forsett forced Miami to burn all three of their timeouts, leaving us punting on fourth and two with 1:14 left to go.

Miami was forced to call for the fair catch, leaving the Dolphins starting at their 18 yard line with 1:08 to go. After a 16 yard completion to Spadola on first down, Moore spiked the ball to stop the clock at Miami’s 34 yard line, leaving second down with 53 seconds remaining. Two incomplete passes would leave Miami’s hopes coming down to one final play, as the Dolphins lined up on fourth and 10 from their 34 yard line, just 33 seconds remaining on the clock. The Dolphins would somehow pull out a miracle, as Thomas went up high over the middle and was able to pull down a pass from Moore in the middle of coverage, good for a 24 yard completion and a first down at the Jacksonville 42 yard line. The offense ran up to the line and Moore spiked the ball once more, leaving second down and stopping the clock with 20 seconds to go. In what was quickly becoming an epic meltdown by the Jacksonville defense, Moore again came through in the clutch as he threw a bomb deep down the left sideline, the pass hauled in by Wallace for a 41 yard completion, giving Miami first and goal from the one yard line. The Dolphins sprinted to the line and Moore rocketed the ball into the ground, leaving second and goal from the one yard line, just four seconds remaining on the clock. Jacksonville would bring the blitz on second down, while Miami would throw the pass, a wide open Matthews pulling in the pass for a one yard touchdown, tying the game up at 20-20 with one second left.

Sanders would be unable to return the kickoff, tackled at the Jacksonville 22 yard line, and the game would head into overtime.

Jacksonville won the coin toss and elected to receive to start the extra period. Forsett returned the kickoff out to the 30 yard line, but a holding penalty would leave the Jaguars lining up from their own 18. Miami, however, would give the yards right back, as a defensive pass interference flag was thrown on cornerback Jamar Taylor, giving the Jaguars a first down from the 38 yard line. Despite the free first down, Jacksonville would end up going three and out and was forced to punt away. Miami would take over from their 28 yard line after the punt, but the Dolphins also would end up going three and out, neither offense able to do much early in the extra period.

Jacksonville got the ball back at their 34 yard line following the punt, and the Jaguars started to find a sign of life, driving the ball down to the Miami 45 yard line. The drive would not come without a cost however, as Clay Harbor had to be helped off the field after a 7 yard reception, suffering from a back injury. While the sideline waited to hear from the training staff, the offense kept plugging away. Unfortunately, a holding penalty negated a first down completion, leaving second and 20. The offense would manage to get back on track after the penalty and pick up a first down at the 20 yard line. A pair of rushes by Carter would leave third and 8 from the 18 yard line. The 35 yard field goal by Scobee sailed through the uprights, giving Jacksonville an extremely hard fought 23-20 overtime victory against Miami.

It was an ugly victory and only a victory in week one of the preseason, but a victory nonetheless and after all of the trades, signings and changes made by new owner Cameron F. Mitchell, fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars had to be taking some notice at the new attitude around town. If that attitude would survive the next test remains to be seen, as the Jaguars hit the road to take on the New York Jets in a Saturday night contest.

Reviewing team stats, Miami lead in total offense 401-361. Jacksonville won the rushing battle 131-51. Miami led through the air 350-230. Jacksonville had more first downs 19-10. The Jaguars had more punt return yards 65-14, while Miami led in kick return yards 102-75. Total yards went to Miami 517-501. Jacksonville ended +1 for turnovers. The Jaguars went 11-20 (55%) on third downs, Miami was a dismal 2-11 (18%), but they did go 1-1 (100%) on fourth downs. Both teams were a perfect 100% in the red zone, Jaguars 5-5, Miami 2-2. Jacksonville ended with two red zone touchdowns and three red zone field goals, Miami ended with one red zone touchdown and one red zone field goal.

Looking at Player Stats, Miami had the top QB, as Matt Moore ended 17-30 (56% comp.) for 294 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. Blaine Gabbert led Jacksonville with 15-28 (53%) for 165 yards and one touchdown. Chad Henne, in one quarter of action, was 6-10 (60%) for 65 yards. Rushing, Justin Forsett was the top rusher with 92 yards on 19 carries. Maurice Jones-Drew was next with 30 yards on 8 carries and one touchdown. Miami was led by Daniel Thomas, who ended with 28 yards on three rushes.

Receiving, Jacksonville’s Mike Brown led all receivers with 97 yards and one touchdown on 7 catches. Miami’s Marlon Moore was next with 93 yards and one touchdown on 2 catches. Miami’s Rishard Matthews finished with 74 yards and one touchdown on 5 receptions. Miami’s Mike Wallace had 40 yards on one catch, Jacksonville’s Justin Blackmon finished with 39 yards on three catches. Miami’s Ryan Spadola had 37 yards on three catches, Miami’s Daniel Thomas finished with 30 yards on two receptions, Jacksonville’s Clay Harbor had 29 yards on three receptions. Jacksonville’s Mohamed Massaquoi and Cecil Shorts II both ended with 21 yards on two catches. Miami’s Lamar Miller had 19 yards on four receptions.

Defense, Miami SS Jordan Kovacs had the most solo tackles with 11. Next was Miami RE Olivier Vernon with 7, Jacksonville CB Demetrius McCray with 6, and Miami ROLB Jelani Jenkins, DT Jared Odrick, CB Jamar Taylor and MLB Jason Trusnik all with 5 solo tackles. Miami RE Olivier Vernon and Jacksonville ROLB Geno Hayes tied with two tackles for loss. Jacksonville ROLB Geno Hayes, RE Andre Branch and DT Sharrif Floyd all tied with one sack each. Jacksonville SS Winston Guy had the lone interception of the game.

Kicking, Jacksonville kicker Josh Scobee ended 3-4 on field goals (75%) and 2-2 on XPs. Miami kicker Caleb Sturgis was 2-2 on field goals (100%).




FINAL SCORE

:Jax_Jaguars: DEFEATS :Miami_Dolphins:

23-20 - OVERTIME

[jaymo76]

Smooth, I started up the third regular season today and came across a great little tidbit. When I went to look at the league stats and specifically my created rb Peter Brown I saw that there is a NUMBER OF PLAYS tab for all of the players. Apparently in week one my player participated in 17 plays. He had 4 punt returns and 1 kickoff return but zero rushes or passes. This is a nice thing to be able to see and I suspect it will be great for you in watching Roberson's career unfold.

PS. Congrats on pre-season game #1

[jaymo76]

PS #2 Smooth. I notice you have set player progression to weekly. When I started I also had weekly but soon after was convinced to move it to once at the end of the season. The reason I do this is because players will never gain enough points week-by-week in order to have any major increases to their ovr. However, at the end of the season enough points are available for big gains. This is also true of cpu controlled teams/players. Set to weekly a number of people reported that generally the ovr of players never improved.

[SmoothPancakes]

Smooth, I started up the third regular season today and came across a great little tidbit. When I went to look at the league stats and specifically my created rb Peter Brown I saw that there is a NUMBER OF PLAYS tab for all of the players. Apparently in week one my player participated in 17 plays. He had 4 punt returns and 1 kickoff return but zero rushes or passes. This is a nice thing to be able to see and I suspect it will be great for you in watching Roberson's career unfold.

PS. Congrats on pre-season game #1

Interesting, I'll have to check that out and keep track on Roberson's numbers. And thanks, that was a hard one. Unfortunately, playing like that against Miami, I worry about what is in store against the Jets.


PS #2 Smooth. I notice you have set player progression to weekly. When I started I also had weekly but soon after was convinced to move it to once at the end of the season. The reason I do this is because players will never gain enough points week-by-week in order to have any major increases to their ovr. However, at the end of the season enough points are available for big gains. This is also true of cpu controlled teams/players. Set to weekly a number of people reported that generally the ovr of players never improved.

Thanks for the tip. I wasn't sure what was the best option for that, so I just set it to weekly, but in that case, I think I'll go ahead and flip it over to end of season.

[SmoothPancakes]

Instead of trying to type up a news article every single step of the way (which would take forever), I'll just make this a simple post.

I went through the first round of preseason cuts, only had to cut four players to get the roster to 65. The players I cut were:

QB Ricky Stanzi. He was fourth string on my depth chart, 25 years old with 2 years of experience and an overall of 67. I have 23 year old Blaine Gabbert with also 2 years of experience and sitting at 72 OVR as my backup, and Matt Scott, a rookie from ?, 22 years old and an overall of 68 for my third string. Stanzi was just plain expendable.

WR Stephen Williams. He was the 9th wide receiver on my depth chart, 27 years old out of Toledo with three years of experience and an overall of 69. This was also another expendable pick, as well as a win/win. Williams was my oldest receiver out of all 9 players, and he had the lowest overall and some of the weaker ratings. So I cut my top age for wide receivers from 27 to 26 (Massaqoui. It's actually 25 with Cecil Shorts III if I count only non-free agent signed players who were already on the roster), and raised the bottom of the overall bar for wide receivers from 69 to 73.

TE Carson Tinker. Another expendable player. He was 6th on the depth chart at tight end, a 23 year old rookie with an overall of 58. For being 23 and only having a 58 OVR, he was pretty much worthless, especially with my signing of free agent TE Justice Cunningham, who is my third string TE and is a 22 year old rookie sitting at 75 OVR. Tinker just plain never had a chance of staying on the roster.

LE Gerald Rivers. This was primarily a ratings cut. Rivers was 3rd on the depth chart at LE, a 23 year old rookie with an OVR of 52. I would sign a 70 OVR free agent who doesn't in any way fit my defensive system before I'd keep Rivers around with an OVR of only 52. Who know, maybe he'll have super progression speed and I'll regret that signing 5 years from now. But that's 5 years from now, I'm more worried about right now. He was essentially the weakest player on the entire team, and I had one more cut I had to make to reach 65 before the end of week 2. He got chopped.

With that, my roster stands at 65 players. I have my week 2 preseason game at the New York Jets. Jacksonville has the #11 offense and #28 defense. The Jets have the #22 offense and #9 defense.

[jaymo76]

Oh no, not Stanzi! I'm actually a fan of Ricky Stanzi primarily because in Madden 12 he was the starter for the Chiefs and we had some phenomenal games when KC and Oakland would battle it out. He's probably done but let me know if he goes anywhere else Smooth. Good luck in week two Smooth. PS How is your cap hit? If it's a total rebuild take the hit and dump Gabbert IMO.

[SmoothPancakes]

Oh no, not Stanzi! I'm actually a fan of Ricky Stanzi primarily because in Madden 12 he was the starter for the Chiefs and we had some phenomenal games when KC and Oakland would battle it out. He's probably done but let me know if he goes anywhere else Smooth. Good luck in week two Smooth. PS How is your cap hit? If it's a total rebuild take the hit and dump Gabbert IMO.

Yeah, I actually liked Stanzi in college, so it was a little tough to let him go, but I needed to cut four players and I'm waiting on making the real tough cuts when it comes to things like HB, WR and CB until I have to get down to 53. But I'll make sure to keep an eye on him, see if he lands anywhere.

As for cap, Jacksonville is a gold mine. I'm $41.5 million UNDER the cap and I think I only have around 900k in penalties. :D

Right now, I'm just planning on improving what I can with some reasonable free agent signings (not going to go out and get the biggest, best player on the market, but rather looking for those who either perfectly or closely fit my offensive and defense schemes and will fill a need. Same thing with trades, I'm primarily looking for those who fit my schemes and will fill a need position.

After I go through resigning (there are a crap ton of players on Jacksonville that have their contracts run out after the 2013 season) and the 2014 draft, then I'll start looking maybe one or two "wish list" signings that may not fit my schemes and will cost a lot of money to sign, but would be worth the cost. That way I'll know what kind of money I have to play with by that time comes around, instead of doing it now but then screwing myself when I don't have enough to resign key players or draft picks.

[GatorfanStovy]

Are you singing Tebow to the Jags? It really needs to be done in life and in Madden already.

[SmoothPancakes]

Are you singing Tebow to the Jags? It really needs to be done in life and in Madden already.

Nope, can't say Tebow is on my list of plans. And even if he was, it's too late. Oakland signed Tebow during week 1, so he's off the market.

[SmoothPancakes]

2013 Preseason: Game 2

:Jax_Jaguars: :@: :New_York_Jets:



Starting Lineups

Jacksonville Jaguars




Position
Name
OVR
Years Exp.
College


QB
Chad Henne
74
5
Michigan


HB
Maurice Jones-Drew
90
7
UCLA


HB
Justin Forsett
79
5
California


FB
Will Ta'ufo'ou
51
2
California


WR
Cecil Shorts III
84
2
Mount Union


WR
Justin Blackmon
84
1
Oklahoma State


WR
Ace Sanders
78
Rookie
South Carolina


TE
Marcedes Lewis
87
7
UCLA


LT
Luke Joeckel
89
Rookie
Texas A&M


LG
Will Rackley
73
2
Lehigh


C
Brad Meester
83
13
Northern Iowa


RG
Uche Nwaneri
79
6
Purdue


RT
Cameron Bradfield
81
2
Grand Valley State









LE
Tyson Alualu
73
3
California


DT
Sharrif Floyd
80
Rookie
Florida


DT
Marvin Austin
75
2
North Carolina


RE
Jason Babin
81
8
Western Michigan


LOLB
Scott Shanle
82
10
Nebraska


MLB
Paul Posluszny
81
6
Penn State


ROLB
Russell Allen
78
4
San Diego State


CB
Dwayne Gratz
81
Rookie
Connecticut


CB
Jeremy Lane
80
1
Northwestern State


FS
Kenny Phillips
84
5
Miami (FL)


SS
Johnathan Cyprien
81
Rookie
Florida International


K
Josh Scobee
90
9
Louisiana Tech


P
Bryan Anger
82
1
California


KR
Maurice Jones-Drew
81
7
UCLA


KR/PR
Justin Forsett
78
5
California


PR
Ace Sanders
72
Rookie
South Carolina





New York Jets




Position
Name
OVR
Years Exp.
College


QB
Geno Smith
77
Rookie
West Virginia


HB
Chris Ivory
76
3
Tiffin


HB
Mike Goodson
76
4
Texas A&M


FB
Erik Lorig
55
3
Stanford


WR
Santonio Holmes
89
7
Ohio State


WR
Josh Cribbs
78
8
Kent State


WR
Jeremy Kerley
80
2
TCU


TE
Kellen Winslow
81
9
Miami (FL)


LT
D'Brickashaw Ferguson
94
7
Virginia


LG
Vladimir Ducasse
71
3
Massachusetts


C
Nick Mangold
91
7
Ohio State


RG
Brandon Brooks
79
1
Miami University


RT
Austin Howard
70
3
Northern Iowa









LE
Muhammad Wilkerson
82
2
Temple


DT
Damon Harrison
68
1
William Penn


DT
Brandon McKinney
55
7
Michigan State


RE
Sheldon Richardson
75
Rookie
Missouri


LOLB
Antwan Barnes
72
6
Florida International


MLB
David Harris
84
6
Michigan


ROLB
Calvin Pace
79
10
Wake Forest


CB
Antonio Cromartie
91
7
Florida State


CB
Kyle Wilson
85
3
Boise State


FS
Ed Reed
87
11
Miami (FL)


SS
Dawan Landry
83
7
Georgia Tech


K
Nick Folk
82
6
Arizona


P
Ryan Quigley
76
1
Boston College


KR/PR
Josh Cribbs
99
8
Kent State


KR/PR
Darius Reynaud
88
5
West Virginia






JACKSONVILLE — After surviving in overtime last week against the Miami Dolphins, a slightly slimmer Jacksonville Jaguars hit the road for week two of their preseason schedule, traveling north to take on the New York Jets. The Jets won the coin toss and elected to receive.

The Jets came out of the gate running, and nearly broke for a huge gain on their second play, but a holding penalty on Nick Mangold would erase the gain and leave the Jets with second and 20. After a pass play left the Jets facing third and 8, they took a shot deep down the field, only to have the pass intercepted by rookie Dwayne Gratz, giving Jacksonville the ball at their 41 yard line. The Jaguars would drive as close as the Jets 36 yard line before running out of downs. Josh Scobee attempted a 53 yard field goal but came up far short and wide right, turning the ball over to the Jets at their 43 yard line.

The Jets offense would proceed to pass and rush their way down the field, getting to our 10 yard line before the defense get a stop to leave fourth and four. The 27 yard field goal by Nick Folk was good, giving the Jets a 3-0 lead with two minutes left in the first quarter.

Starting at the 22 yard line after the kickoff, Jacksonville came out passing on first down, Chad Henne throwing a bomb to Cecil Shorts III for a 31 yard strike. The Jaguars would use that first strike to drive their way to the Jets 32 yard line, where the first quarter would come to an end.

Starting the second quarter at the Jets 32 yard line, the Jaguars lined up facing second and 8 with their second team offense taking over the drive. Continuing with a mixed playcalling, the Jaguars would drive down to inside the 10 yard line, where Justin Forsett would take the ball on first and goal and pound it straight up the middle for a 7 yard touchdown, giving Jacksonville a 7-3 lead with 7:54 left in the second quarter.

Starting their drive at the 24 yard line after the kickoff, the Jets second team offense took to the field, but they would promptly go three and out and be forced to punt. The Jaguars offense would waste no time driving down the field, getting to the Jets 42 yard line, before a completed pass to Massaquoi resulted in a facemask penalty against Jets left outside linebacker Quinton Coples on the tackle, setting Jacksonville with impeccable field position, a first down at the 12 yard line. Unfortunately, the offense would only push the ball to the four yard line before coming up short to leave fourth and two. The 21 yard field goal by Scobee was good to make it 10-3 with 3:35 left before halftime.

Once again starting at their 24 yard line, the Jets faced some troubles after a sack left them with third and 9, but the green and white would need just one play to even the score, as Mark Sanchez struck deep to Clyde Gates, wide open behind Jacksonville’s blown coverage, resulting in a 75 yard touchdown pass to knot the score at 10-all with 2:19 remaining.

The Jaguars next offensive drive would potentially be the straw that broke the camel’s back, as Dee Milliner intercepted Blaine Gabbert, giving the Jets the ball back at the Jaguars 30 yard line with 1:49 to go. Right outside linebacker Geno Hayes would save the Jaguars from any damage however, as he intercepted Sanchez on second down to hand possession back to Jacksonville at their 16 yard line. Jacksonville would manage to drive down the field, getting as close as the Jets 12 yard line, before middle linebacker Nick Bellore intercepted a pass over the middle, giving the Jets the ball at their 14 yard line with 25 seconds to go. The Jets would just run out the clock and head into halftime deadlocked at 10.

The Jaguars lined up at their 13 yard line after a clipping penalty on the second half kickoff. That would set the tone for the drive as bad throws and dropped passes resulted in three and out. The punt left the Jets at Jacksonville’s 49 yard line, but their drive would last just one play as Sanchez took off scrambling, only to get hit at the first down line and fumble the ball, which was promptly picked up by cornerback Will Blackmon to give the Jaguars the ball at their 43 yard line. The Jaguars would get to the Jets 38 yard line before going three and out and punting.

Wasted drives would continue as the Jets could only manage five yards on their next drive, a fair catch on the punt giving Jacksonville the ball at their 35. Despite a pair of three yard rushes to start the drive, Jacksonville would also have to punt again after a bad pass by Gabbert. A well placed punt by Brian Anger left the Jets starting at their 6 yard line, but they would put together the early stages of a good drive, rushing their way all the way to the 36 yard line, before a run by Sanchez came up short and left them punting on fourth and four.

Taking over at the 16 yard line after the punt, the Jaguars came out passing to some moderate success, getting all the way to the Jets 37 yard line before three incomplete passes would again kill the drive. Scobee tried a 54 yard field goal, but the kick was no good, giving the Jets the ball at their 44 yard line. The streak of failed drives would continue as the Jets would only gain 6 yards on the ground, before an incomplete pass doomed yet another drive. The Jets would get the last laugh though as an immaculate punt left the Jaguars lining up at their own one yard line. Jacksonville would only make it out to the 9 yard line before having to punt away once more on fourth and two.

The Jets took over at their 47 yard line after the punt, the green and white beginning to win the field position battle. Despite a 13 yard pass to Gates that gave New York a first down at the Jacksonville 36 yard line, an incomplete pass and a pair of sacks on Sanchez would doom the drive and force the Jets to punt once more on fourth and 22 from the 48 yard line. This punt would sail in for a touchback and the Jaguars started from their 20 yard line.

Jacksonville wouldn’t even have a chance to gain any yards, as three straight incomplete passes resulted in the punt team coming out yet again. It would be more of the same for the Jets, as two incomplete passes and a sack of Sanchez doomed the Jets drive with a fourth and 16. A fair catch on the punt gave Jacksonville the ball at their 19 yard line. A four yard run by Delone Carter would be the final play of the third quarter, still deadlocked at 10-all after a fierce all-defense battle.

After getting a first down thanks to a penalty on the defense, the Jaguars would only end up squandering it, as three straight incomplete passes by Gabbert resulted in yet another appearance by Anger and the punt unit. Beginning from their 29 yard line, the Jets found some quick success on the ground thanks to a 17 yard rush by Mike Goodson. The Jets would work their way clear down to the Jacksonville 31 yard line before running out of downs, but the 48 yard field goal by Folk would miss and still no one could break the tie.

Starting at their 38 yard line, it would be an extremely short lived drive for Jacksonville, as Gabbert’s first down pass was intercepted by middle linebacker Demario Davis, who returned it 21 yards to give the Jets the ball at the Jaguars 18 yard line. A pair of rushes by Goodson and a pass from Sanchez to Goodson set the Jets up at the doorstep with first and goal from the two yard line. Bilal Powell would finish the job off with a two yard touchdown run to put the Jets on top 17-10 with 6:57 left in the game.

The Jaguars offense would come alive on the next drive, getting as close as the Jets 32 yard line, before Gabbert would end up sacked on third and 7 to leave fourth and 14 from the 40 yard line. Going for it on fourth down, the pass would end up broken up and the Jets would take over at their 40 yard line with 2:59 left in the game. Luckily for the Jaguars, the defense would make a stand on third and 5, forcing an incomplete pass to save their last timeout and get the ball back with 2:35 left on the clock.

Jacksonville lined up at their 21 yard line after the punt, sitting in a do or die situation. After an incomplete pass to start the drive, the Jaguars would choose to do as Gabbert proceeded to reel off five straight complete passes, the longest going to Massaquoi for 29 yards, leaving Jacksonville with second and one from the 6 yard line. Forsett would finish off the drive on the next play by taking the ball and running it around the left tackle and into the end zone for a 6 yard touchdown, tying the score back up at 17-17 with 1:08 left in the game.

The Jets took over on offense at their 29 yard line with 1:03 remaining after the kickoff. The drive would start very poorly for the Jets, as defensive coverage and an effective pass rush forced Sanchez to scramble backwards to avoid the rush, only to get tripped up and sacked for a 10 yard loss, leaving second and 20 and forcing the Jets to burn their first timeout. An incomplete pass and a five yard run would leave the Jets with fourth and 15 and lining up to punt, seemingly willing to take their chances in overtime. With 45 seconds still on the clock, Jacksonville used their last timeout to keep the Jets from burning up most of the clock.

A solid punt return gave Jacksonville the ball at their 47 yard line, 37 seconds to work with. The Jaguars would work their way clear down to the Jets 8 yard line, but weren’t able to spike the ball in time to stop the clock for a field goal try, sending the game in overtime.

The Jets again won the coin toss and elected to receive. After a touchback on the kickoff, the Jets found early offensive life, driving to their 47 yard line, before a dropped pass left them with fourth and one and punting. Jacksonville would line up at their 22 yard line after the punt. It would only take one play of blown coverage by the Jets defense to set Jacksonville up, as Jeremy Ebert was able to break free up the middle without any coverage, pulling in the pass from Gabbert and racing up the middle of the field for a 31 yard gain before being tripped up at the Jets 41 yard line. Another pass to Ebert on a very short crossing route would again be a dagger in the heart of the Jets, as he was able to split the coverage, pull in the pass, and head for and up the sidelines for a 36 yard gain, pushed out of bounds at the 5 yard line to set Jacksonville up with first and goal. Forsett took the ball on first down, rushing up the middle for a four yard gain, leaving second and goal at the one. Unfortunately that gain would be lost on the next play as Forsett was dragged down in the backfield for a three yard loss. Going into the air on third and goal, a ballsy pass by Gabbert into the back of the end zone would pay off, as Massaqoui pulled down the pass for a four yard touchdown, giving the Jaguars a 23-17 overtime victory over the Jets.


Reviewing team stats, Jacksonville dominated in total offense 563-297. The Jets led in rushing yards 140-98 with the Jaguars led in passing yards 465-157. Jacksonville won the first down battle 20-11. The Jaguars had more punt return yards, 45-26, while the Jets had more kick return yards, 96-35. Jacksonville dominated in total yards, 643-419. Both teams split on turnovers with three each. Third down conversions, the Jaguars were 6-17 (35%), the Jets were 4-16 (25%). Jacksonville was the only team to go for it on fourth down, ending 0-1 (0%). Looking at red zone percentage, the Jaguars were 4-5 (80%) with three touchdowns and one field goal. The Jets were 2-3 (66%) with one touchdown and one field goal.

Looking at Player Stats, Jaguars had the top QB as Blaine Gabbert ended 24-52 (46%) with 416 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Next was Mark Sanchez who went 9-22 (40%) with 143 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Chad Henne was the top starter, going 4-7 (57%) for 56 yards. Geno Smith ended 5-8 (62%) for 30 yards and one interception. Rushing, Mike Goodson of the Jets led the way with 104 yards on 24 carries, followed by the Jaguars Justin Forsett, 61 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns, and Delone Carter, 24 yards on 6 carries. Next was the Jets Chris Ivory, who ended with 18 yards on three rushes, and the Jaguars Maurice Jones-Drew who had 13 yards on three carries. The Jets rounded out the rushing list as Mark Sanchez finished with 9 yards on two rushes, Geno Smith had 7 yards on two rushes, and Bilal Powell had two yards and a touchdown on one carry.

Receiving, Jacksonville’s Mike Brown led all receivers with 139 yards on 9 receptions. Next was the Jaguars Jeremy Ebert with 135 yards on 6 catches, followed by the Jets Clyde Gates who finished with 88 yards and one touchdown on two catches. Jacksonville’s Mohamed Massaquoi was next with 81 yards and one touchdown on 5 catches, followed by Clay Harbor who had 59 yards on four receptions and Cecil Shorts III who finished with 31 yards on one catch. Next up for the Jets was Jeff Cumberland, who had 25 yards on four reception, followed by David Nelson who finished with 20 yards on two catches and Josh Cribbs who had 18 yards on two catches. The Jaguars Marcedes Lewis ended with 15 yards on one catch, followed by the Jets Mike Goodson who had one catch for 10 yards. Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew had one catch for 8 yards, the Jets Santonio Holmes had one catch for 6 yards, while Kellen Winslow ended with two catches for 6 yards. Lastly, Jacksonville’s Justin Blackmon ended with one catch for four yards.

Defense, Jaguars ROLB Geno Hayes and Jets FS Antonio Allen tied for most tackles with 8. Next was Jacksonville CB Demetrius McCray with 7, the Jets MLB Demario Davis and SS Josh Bush with 6 each and the Jets CB Ellis Lankster and Jaguars MLB Nathan Stupar with 5 each. Jacksonville LE Ryan Davis led in sacks with 2.0 sacks. Jacksonville RE Andre Branch, ROLB Geno Hayes, DT Marvin Austin and Jets LOLB Quinton Coples each finished tied with 1.0 sacks. Interceptions ended in a five way tie, as Jacksonville ROLB Geno Hayes and CB Dwayne Gratz, and Jets CB Dee Milliner, MLB Nick Bellore and MLB Demario Davis, all ended tied with one interception each. Jacksonville CB Jamell Fleming had one forced fumble and Jaguars CB Will Blackmon had one fumble recovery.

Kicking, Jacksonville kicker Josh Scobee ended 1-3 on field goals (33%) and 2-2 on XPs. New York Jets kicker Nick Folk was 1-2 on field goals (50%) and 2-2 on XPs.





FINAL SCORE

:Jax_Jaguars: DEFEATS :New_York_Jets:

23-17 - OVERTIME

[GatorfanStovy]

Really Okaland interesting spot for Tebow.

[jaymo76]

Hey Smooth, are you going to do the updates on other teams like you do/did in NCAA 14? If so, keep me up-to-date with "the greatness of the Raiders." It's always interesting to see how teams progress in other people's dynasties.

P.S. Any idea when you will be firing Madden and/or NCAA up again? Personally I am on an NCAA kick right now and hope to finish the season off by tomorrow night. I can see why you do the write-ups. Since I started doing them for coach jaymo and his :UNLV: coaching career it has made the dynasty feel so much more real. It is feeling like the good ol' ps2 days where I was fully connected to my team.

[SmoothPancakes]

Hey Smooth, are you going to do the updates on other teams like you do/did in NCAA 14? If so, keep me up-to-date with "the greatness of the Raiders." It's always interesting to see how teams progress in other people's dynasties.

P.S. Any idea when you will be firing Madden and/or NCAA up again? Personally I am on an NCAA kick right now and hope to finish the season off by tomorrow night. I can see why you do the write-ups. Since I started doing them for coach jaymo and his :UNLV: coaching career it has made the dynasty feel so much more real. It is feeling like the good ol' ps2 days where I was fully connected to my team.

If you want, that's a not a problem, I can work it in.

As for getting back to Madden and/or NCAA, hopefully in the next week or two. I won't be doing much, if any gaming the next four days just because of the NCAA tournament and watching nonstop from noon to midnight, but maybe Sunday night or Monday I'll be looking at getting back into them. I've been on a huge NBA 2K14 MyCareer kick lately, playing it almost nonstop since Saturday, which is also an issue because it's been cutting into my Titanfall playing time. :D

For NCAA, I've mainly been sort of burned out on it after plugging away at it from last season and to the point I'm at in my current season. Normally, getting burned out at on NCAA is a bad thing because the name game is releasing in just a couple months. This time however, with no new game coming out this summer, I suppose that's why I haven't really been in any great rush to get right back into the dynasty. There's no rush to complete the season or complete multiple seasons before the next game comes out. I'll just have to sort of get myself into the mood and frame of mind for diving back into NCAA and go at it. Usually once I dive right in and get that first game or two knocked out of the way, it does the trick of getting me back into the mode of pounding my way through the remaining season and wrapping it up.

And agreed. With as in-depth as I get with my write ups and as much as I learn the names of my players throughout the season due to typing their names so much, that I know the first and last name of every single player on my team by memory by the midway point of the season, I feel a much closer attachment to those players and, yeah, it makes the dynasty feel so much more real. I can sit here thinking back and actually going back and reading games from seasons at FIU and Tulsa and reliving those great moments with some of the great players of my coaching past. So while it can take as many as 3 or 4 hours to play an entire game at 9-10 minute quarters due to all of the constant breaks in play to type up the play by play action and then typing up all of the postgame stats and then getting out of the game and typing up the weekly recap, in the end, it's worth it for me because it gives me that comprehensive record that I can go back later on and look at and remember some of the great seasons, great games and great performances that I experienced in the past.

[strattjw]

How do you like 2K? How does it look on next gen? Never been a big basketball fan but what I hear of the career mode is great.