FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Today, we are going to do something a little different.  Today, we are going to talk about Madden.  I'm going to construct a football team in the game, using a fantasy draft, and tell you all everything that happens.  Then you can tell me what I should have done, how I should have increased prices, and how big an idiot I am in general for moving the Broncos out of Denver and into Mexico City.  Just kidding.  But it is really tempting.

For those of you who are unaware, Madden 07 is a video game, a football simulation that is arguably the most popular video game ever.  In franchise mode, you take over the ownership and coaching duties, and try to build a money-making and game-winning behemoth out of your team.  Fantasy draft means that you draft an all-new roster of players out of every player in the NFL.  It takes a while, but it is fun to put together a dream team.  While it was easy to get good players at every position in the past versions of the game, in 07 you really have to think about whom you are drafting; do you strengthen the offensive line, knowing Matt Leinart and Vince Young will be available in the later rounds?  Or do you take LT and call it a day?

So, here's your chance to say that you'd make better draft choices than I would, and that you'd make more money than I would.  Bring it on, I say.  Onto season 1!

What team should I be?   I'm always the 'Skins.  Not this time.  Cardinals?  Nah, I've got too much pride to associate myself with that team, even in video games.  How about them Browns?  Yeah, let's be the Browns.  Great fan base, after all.  We could go 0-16 and they'd still come to the games.

Fantasy draft time!  For the sake of length, I'm not going to cover this draft in depth.  Instead, I'll highlight especially important picks, tough decisions, and anything else I think is really interesting, and then give you all a summary of who the starters are.

Well, we have pick 12 of the first round.  With forty-eight more rounds to go, it's important to pace yourself when drafting.  I'm going to try and get as many rookies as possible; I'm also going to draft an offensive team.  I know defense wins championships, but offense scores points.  So, with the first pick, the Browns will take...Randy Moss.  No matter what you may think about the guy, in this game he is God. 

(48 picks later).

Well, the Browns are now complete!  Let's look at the depth chart.  Starting offense: Vince Young (QB), TJ Duckett (HB), Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald (WR), Vernon Davis (TE), Lorenzo Neal (FB), Walter Jones (LT), Floyd Womack (LG), Olin Kreutz (C), Roberto Garza (RG), and Kareem McKenzie (RT). 

Starting defense: Demarcus Ware (LE), Manny Lawson (RE), Grady Jackson and Keith Traylor (DT), Kamerion Wimbley (LOLB), Lemar Marshall (MLB), Rocky McIntosh (ROLB), Terrence Newman and Philip Buchanon (CB), Bob Sanders (FS), and Michael Boulware (SS).   

One interesting thing about the defense is I didn't draft any defensive ends.  I drafted four outside linebackers, instead: Ware, Lawson, Wimbley, and McIntosh.  Lawson and McIntosh are both 79 overall linebackers.   Ware is an 86 LB, and Wimbley is an 81 LB.  Put them in at defensive end, and their stats skyrocket.  Ware goes from an 86 overall linebacker to a 97 overall defensive end, Wimbley goes up to a 92 DE, and Lawson becomes a 91 DE.  There really should not be any need for drafting ends early on in this game, when you can do that.  McIntosh goes into the high eighties as an end if you want to keep Ware as a linebacker.  Either way, you should have a good defensive line after the draft without using high picks to get the really highly rated linemen.  Traylor and Jackson are 85's, but they both have 90 tackling and 88 awareness.  So they are always good picks, as they are skilled players who are always around in the later rounds.

Hold on.  Tony Bruno is interviewing Marty Schottenheimer on EA Sports Radio.  Apparently, Marty's favorite part of coaching is "the teaching aspect."  I always figured it was the "choking in the playoffs" aspect.

Onto the pre-season!

I see that Coach Crennel left me a message in my email!  He seems to like our chances.  He says our offense can score a ton of points.  He can't wait to see it in action!  Romeo would know a good offense when he sees one, too.

Apparently Coach Crennel has left the starting wide receiver position open to competition.  Randy Moss would be great as a number two receiver.  He and Fitzgerald should dominate some corners this season.  To top it off, we got Randle El in the slot.  I wonder how Randy would fare in the slot.  Of course, I don't want to upset his already fragile morale.  Maybe if I make him captain he'll be happy.  Success!  His morale went up 5 points!

Has anyone noticed how the "morale" system in Madden really means nothing?  They should make the team management so much more in depth.  Like, instead of "I like the choice they made for captain" +5 or "I don't like how they released such a good player" -5, how about "I like my fifty-million dollar shoe deal!" +5, or "I killed a h**ker and I can't find my fifty-million dollar shoes," morale -5?  I think that would be better.

Furthermore, why are all the stories in the sports section of the local Cleveland paper all one paragraph long?  Sometimes a really small paragraph?  And why do they routinely pick against the home team in the home paper?  A little better coverage would be nice, here.  Although some fictional lady named Katherine Browning, a special contributor for the "Cleveland Tribune," has written a nice piece on Walter Jones.  Apparently, Walter isn't buying into the hype surrounding the Browns offense.  Good for him.

Okay, I'm going to simulate the pre-season and the regular season.  Victory will be declared if the Browns make it to the playoffs.  I will write down anything that happens of note each week of the season.

Pre-season is now over.  The Browns went 3-1.  Vince Young is out the first game of the season with a broken finger.  Starting in his place will be...SHANE MATTHEWS?  AUGGHH!  I HATE SHANE MATTHEWS!  HE WENT TO FLORIDA AND HE STINKS!

Okay, it's okay.  I'm going to trade him for DJ Shockley.  The Panthers accepted Matthews and a fourth round pick for Shockley.  Sweet.  Looks like Shock will see some action.

First game of the season is against the Saints.  They have Drew Bledsoe, Andre Johnson, a good o-line, Dwight Freeney, Jonathan Vilma, and Samari Rolle.  Checking my depth chart, I see that Larry Fitz is the number-1 receiver.  Also, Tye Hill is starting over Philip Buchanon as the number-2 corner.  Buchanon, you're even a bust in video games.

The Cleveland Tribune sports section, during the first week of the Browns' season, features an article explaining the intentional grounding rule, and the penalty entailed by it.  No mention of the Browns' first game.

Hey!  I just checked in at the Owner's Box, and we have no money!  Time to jack up those prices.  Increases to everything, from food, to merchandise.  All up!  The only thing I didn't raise was the price of tickets to the Dawg Pound.  No need to tick them off if the Browns stink.  Also, I put $150K into TV and radio advertising.

We are ready to go!

Game 1:

Saints at Browns.  Checking the matchup, I see the Browns are an 88 overall, with an 89 offense and an 87 defense.  91 special teams, as well.  Not bad.

Saints 29, Browns 16.  Shockley was less than stellar in his pro debut.  18 for 31 with 154 yards and one pick, no touchdowns.  He also had 4 carries, 4 yards, one fumble.  Yeesh.  Come back soon, Vince.  Moss and Fitzgerald had four grabs apiece, for 38 and 31 yards, respectively.  Vernon Davis had 5 catches for 25 yards.  Lame.

Week 2:

Lemar Marshall is out 2 weeks with an MCL sprain.  Apparently, the players are in a "somber" mood after losing the home opener.  Vince Young is all healed, though.  Maybe this week, we'll have a better turnout.

Game 2:

Browns at Bengals.  Bengals have Drew Brees, Thomas Jones (alright! Jones is out for the season and Samkon Gado is their backup), nobody at wide receiver, and an absolutely awful o-line.  On D, they've got Jamal Williams, Marcus Washington, and Deltha O'Neal and Rashean Mathis.  Big whup.  We're going to kill these imposters from Cincy.  Go Browns!

Yes!  Browns take it down, 27 to 3.  Oh, sweet victory!  Uh-oh, that victory may be bittersweet.  DJ Shockley had to finish the game for Vince Young.  Both had pretty good games, though.  Young went 9-11 with 138 yards, 1 td, and Shock went 7-14, 46 yards, and 1 td.  Okay.  Shock also had 31 more on the ground.  Big day for Randy Moss, as well, with 4 catches, 118 yards, and a touchdown.  I like seeing that.

Week 3:

Young is fine.  Spirits are up in Cleveland.  Browns made national news for beating up the Bengals like that.  Two stories in the Cleveland Tribune are about the first touchdown pass thrown by Vince Young and DJ Shockley.  The stories are exactly the same, word for word, except for their names.  Brilliant reporting. 

Game 3:

Ravens at Browns.  Big rivalry game here.  Ravens are basically rated the same as the Browns, with an 88 overall, and relatively the same stats at offense and defense.  My fellow Bulldog David Greene is their starting quarterback.  Talk about fantasy: Shockley and Greene will probably never see snaps in the NFL.  It's too bad, considering David Greene is the all-time wins leader in college football as a quarterback.  Santana Moss at wide receiver could be a problem.  And they have Donte Stallworth?  This is going to be a good game.  Baltimore's defense is pretty nasty, as usual.  Casey Hampton, AJ Hawk, and London Fletcher anchor the squad.

Raven 20, Browns 14.  What happened?  Oh boy.  Vince Young went down after two quarters where the Browns failed to score any points.  He threw for 96 yards and 2 interceptions as the Ravens went up 17-0.  Shockley walked in in the 3rd quarter and passed for 151 yards and a touchdown, no picks.  He also scrambled for the only other score the Browns had.  Do we have a quarterback controversy here in Cleveland, perhaps?

Week 4:

Vince Young is once again okay.  I don't like this going-down-during-the game business.  This isn't what I paid for when he was drafted.  At 1-2, the Browns are starting off okay, but not great.  The Cleveland Tribune runs a story about this week's game at Oakland.  Apparently, people have been waiting for this matchup since the preseason.  Their prediction?  Raiders win, 48-17.  Gotta love that local paper.

Game 4:

Browns at Raiders.  We should win this game.  Byron Leftwich is the QB for Oakland, which means my secondary should have a great day.  They have Rudi Johnson, and Joe Horn.  That's about it on offense.  On D, they have Kris Jenkins and Chris McAlister.  The Browns are not impressed.

That's it!  Browns record the W, beating the hated Raiders 34-14.  What's up now, Cleveland Tribune?  Browns got DIRTY WITH IT this week.  494 total yards of offense, 22 first downs, and a 62.5 3rd down conversion rate.  Big day for Vince Young, who went 22-24, 310 yards, 3 touchdowns, but 2 picks.  I guess he made up for the picks by also running for 124 yards and 1 touchdown.  We can live with that here in Cleveland.  Another big game for Moss, with 6 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.  Vernon Davis and Larry Fitz also both had touchdowns.

Week 5:

The Browns record now stands at 2-2.  I see no reason to shake things up right now, as the trade deadline is approaching (no trading after week 6).  Olin Kreutz is out 8 weeks with a dislocated elbow.  That's going to hurt, big time.  Kreutz is a big center with great blocking stats and awareness; with Vince Young being as fragile as he's been through the first 4 games, I don't like losing a big protector like Kreutz for that long.

Vince Young has been named offensive Player of the Week.  Rad.

Randy Moss makes national news with his 100th career touchdown reception.  The article is exactly one sentence long.  Meanwhile, the Cleveland Tribune finally realizes that there is, in fact, a football team in Cleveland and runs the Moss story as its lead.  The Tribune also previews this week's matchup against the Panthers, once again saying that people have been waiting for this game since pre-season.  Those people must have seen something during the pre-season that I didn't

Tribune's prediction for this most anticipated game: Panthers win, 48-17.  Remind me to send an angry letter to the jerks at the Cleveland Tribune.

Game 5:

Browns at Panthers.  This should be a good game, as both teams are relatively equal on both sides of the ball and both are 2-2.  Panthers have Delhonky, Deshaun Foster, Donald Driver, Jevon Kearse, Donnie Edwards, and John Lynch.  Boring!  Funny how the video Panthers are as stupid as the real Panthers.  Deshaun Foster can't carry water, let alone a football team.

Wow.  Browns pull out a tough one, 17-13.  Neither team was able to score in the second half of the football game.  Young had an efficient day, 1 touchdown, no picks.  Larry Fitzgerald turned in a big performance, accounting for 110 of Young's 152 yards in the air.  One of those five catches went for a touchdown.  Browns improve to 3-2.

Week 6:

No game this week for the Browns.  Lemar Marshall is almost back from injury.  The Cleveland Tribune runs a story on how well Terence Newman is playing.  The entire piece reads, "The veteran leadership that Terence has shown is invaluable to the Browns.  He is playing great right now."  Top-notch reporting, boys!  Keep up the good work over there at the Tribune.

Checking in at the Owner's Box, I see that the Browns are still in the red.  Attendance is only at 79%.  C'mon, Browns fans!  Support your team.  According to my advisors, the parking prices are discouraging some fans from showing up.  Darn prima-donnas.  Okay, I'll lower the prices on parking.

Week 7:

At this point, the Browns are in second place in the AFC North, behind the Steelers.  Both teams have a win/loss record of 3-2.  The Browns have more points for than the Steelers, less points against, but are 0-2 at home (wtf up with that?) and 1-1 in the division.  That home record is not good.

Turning to the national newspaper, the headline reads, "Jinxed: This loss might doom Steelers."  Apparently, Pittsburgh star receiver Steve Smith will be sidelined for 10 weeks with a foot fracture.  Awesome.  Not only that, but I just heard on the Tony Bruno show (I love saying that) that he's been placed on IR.

The Cleveland Tribune has declared this week's game against the Broncos a possible playoff preview.  No prediction given for this game.  

Game 6:

Broncos at Browns.  Brad Johnson leads the Broncos into Cleveland.  Leading a solid offense, including Brian Westbrook, Kellen Winslow, and Plaxico Burress, this could be a great game.  They have a solid D, too, including Pat Williams, DJ Williams, Ken Lucas, Asante Samuel, and Roy Williams.  That's a hell of a secondary.  Hopefully we won't leave Randy out to dry against Roy Williams; we all know what happens when Randy gets hit hard.  He don't like it very much.

Both teams are at 3-2, so this is a pretty big game for both teams.  Brownies need a win at home.

Alright!  Browns come away with the win, 20-17.  Asante Samuel did return one to the house on us, but we did win.  Vince Young went 19-37, 201 yards, a touchdown, and 2 picks.  C'mon Vince, you need to make smarter throws than that!  Randy Moss got down this week, catching 7 balls for 100 yards.  Antwaan Randle El made his presence known, adding a 12-yard touchdown reception.  In his first game back from injury (and first game of the regular season), Lemar Marshall led the defense with an amazing 16 tackles. 

I've not really said anything about TJ Duckett up to this point, as he hasn't been so hot.  He hasn't broken 100 yards rushing yet, and has only scored 3 times.  Running game is hurting us in Cleveland right now.

Week 8:

Ugh.  I just heard that Larry Johnson has just broken 1000 yards on the season.  Duckett is at 297.  The good news is that our defense is ranked number 4 overall.  Nice.

Hey, the Cleveland Tribune picked us to roll over the Jets this week, 31-7.  Probably means we'll lose.  I got a lot of emails from the "Board of Directors," informing me that they expected us to win, as the Jets are a "sub-par" opponent.  I don't like this, not one bit.  We're being set up for a fall.

Game 7:

Jets at Browns.  Okay, just what the heck were the guys on the board of directors and at the Tribune talking about?  The Jets are 6-1, rated 89 overall, with a 90 offense, and an 87 defense.  Not only that, they have the aforementioned LJ, William Henderson, Randy McMichael, Torry Holt, and a good line.  Defense includes Kevin Williams, Joey Porter, Dunta Robinson, and Mike Minter.  Oh, I really think we're going to roll over these guys.  Does the Tribune know *anything*?  One good thing: Mike McMahon is their starting QB, as Brett Favre is injured.

Browns lose a close one, 22-17, to go to 4-3 on the year.  The Browns seem to have trouble scoring consistently, as they were shut out in the 2nd and 4th quarter, when the Jets scored 9 points to come from being down 17-13 to win it.  Vince Young is starting to throw way too many interceptions.  He scored 2 tds, but threw 3 picks.  Not good.  Duckett almost had 100 yards rushing; he got 91.  Vince Young added 38 more, but fumbled once.  We need to get this under control, Vince.

Week 9:

Hey, the Browns attendance is up!  Attendance is at 91%.  And we're in the black now, as we have $5.50 million in cash.  My advisors say that I should give Romeo Crennel a more competitive salary, but I think I would be better served by just flushing my money down the toilet instead. 

As it is after week 8, I take a look at the yearly awards and see that Vince Young is second right now to Reggie Bush for offensive rookie of the year, and Manny Lawson is 3rd in the defensive rookie of the year voting.  I like that.  Bob Sanders is 3rd right now for best DB.  Amazing how he hasn't been injured yet.  I'm really stunned by that.

Reading the national newspaper, I see that Larry Johnson racked up 218 yards on the ground against us last week.  Practice will be hell on earth for the defense.  The Cleveland Tribune writes, "Cleveland Browns at San Diego Chargers: Will either of these teams want to win this one?  Maybe not.  Outcome: Cleveland accidentally wins it, 3-0."  I'm starting to understand why some people go postal.

Game 8:

Browns at Chargers.  Browns are 4-3, Chargers are 3-4.  Now we should win this game, even if Madden classifies Eli Manning as "one of the bright young stars of the NFL."  They've got Manning, Dominic Rhodes (starting for an injured Warrick Dunn), and Leonard Pope at fullback for some reason, and no one else on offense.  They have a great d, though, with Patrick Kerney, KGB, Antonio Pierce, DeAngelo Hall, and Darren Sharper.  I think we can beat these guys, just because I think Eli will find a way to screw up and hand us the win.

Well, I was wrong.  Browns go down 34-20, although we did manage to score in every quarter.  Too bad the Chargers scored 21 in the fourth to crush us into the dirt.  Vince Young didn't throw any picks, but no tds, either.  He did run for 135 yards and a score; our other touchdown came off of a 97 yard kick return by Antwaan Randle El.  Browns go to 4-4.

Week 10:

Once again, the Cleveland Tribune has predicted the Browns will accidentally win a game by 3, this time against the Falcons.  I hope they're right.

Olin Kreutz returns in 3 weeks.  We need to stay in playoff contention until then.

Game 9:

Browns at Falcons.  Browns are on a losing streak, but are at least .500.  Falcons have Vick in this universe, as well as Cedric Benson (big deal), Hines Ward, and that's it on O.  On D, they have Leonard Little, Lofa Tatupu, and Rodney Harrison.  Browns should win this game by 10.

Darn, Browns lose by 5?  Lots of offense in this game.  Vince Young had a good game, with 215 yards and a touchdown, no picks.  The Browns scored in every quarter, and held the Falcons scoreless in the first and third, but once again allowed a team to come back and beat them in the fourth.  Boring!

I'm starting to lose faith in the Browns' ability to make the playoffs the way they are playing.  You can't let teams stick around and beat you in the fourth like this.  It's happened 3 times now.

Week 11:

Well, the Browns have dropped to 4-5, and have the Steelers to play this week.  This is a huge game, so let's see if the Cleveland Tribune has picked up on that.  The cover story is "Falcons slip by Brownies.  Recap: When two teams as bad as the Falcons and Falcons meet in the regular season, you never know what might happen."  And no, I didn't make a mistake in typing Falcons twice, that's what it says up on the TV.  Apparently they need better editors at the Tribune.

Game 10:

Steelers at Browns.  If the Browns don't get killed, I'll be amazed.  The Steelers have Carson Palmer, Joseph Addai, Jason Witten, and Muhsin Muhammad.  On defense, they have Mike Patterson, Adewale Ogunleye, Mike Vrabel, Derrick Brooks, and Sheldon Brown.  The Browns need to get back to .500, now.

AUGH!  The Steelers win, 20-17 in overtime.  Vince Young once again throws more interceptions (2), than touchdowns (1).  Browns fall to 4-6 on the year.  Now in last place in the AFC North, the Browns are on a 4 game losing skid.  Not cool.

Week 12:

Who cares what the Tribune has to say.  Let's win a game already.

Bengals at Browns.  This is a big game, as if we lose, we're out of the playoffs, basically, and if we win, then we're still alive and have a sweep on the Bengals, who are at 7-3 right now. 

Yes!  Browns win it, 28-16.  Sorry Cincy, we've got your number here in Cleveland.  Vince Young went 20-31 with 2 tds and 1 pick.  I don't mind him throwing the ball, but why is he throwing it so much?  We should be running Duckett up the gut a lot more than we are.  I think I'll have a little chat with Coach Crennel about that this coming week.  Duckett only ran the ball 18 times for 55 yards, but he did have a score.  Larry Fitzgerald got nasty with it, catching 7 balls for 124 yards.  Randy Moss also had 5 receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown.

Week 13:

As we are in must-win mode now, I'm going to forego reading the Tribune and just see what happens with the team.  Coach Crennel and I spoke, and while he agreed with me that "Romeo" is one of the wimpiest names for an NFL head coach to have, Duckett does need more carries.

Game 12:

Chiefs at Browns.  The Chiefs are 1-10.  I don't know who is on that team, and I don't care.  The Browns just need to beat them.

Very well done, Brownies!  Browns win, 23-3.  The good news: Cleveland scored in every quarter, including a 4th quarter touchdown.  The bad news: Vince Young once again had to leave the game and DJ Shockley had to finish it.  Both Young and Shockley had rushing scores; Young threw another pick.

Week 14:

Back at .500 baby!  I have to check to see if Vince Young is injured.  Let's see, here.  Oh, no.  Kareem McKenzie is out for the season with a torn shoulder.  Michael Boulware is out for 6 weeks with a foot stress fracture.  TJ Duckett is out for a week with the same injury.  That means Musa Smith, who is still listed as questionable, will have to carry the team.  At least Vince is okay. 

Checking the Cleveland Tribune, I see that they have a recap of last week's drubbing of the Chiefs.  They say, "Every week, there are games that nobody watches and very few people see in person.  This was one of those games."  What?  The attendance is at an all-time high for the year, and they're printing this trash!  Not only that, but there is no mention of this week's coming game, at all.  You know, I open my paper, say to myself "I wonder who we're playing this week?  Maybe the Tribune will tell me," but no, nothing.  What an awful paper.

Game 13:

Browns at Steelers.  This is the biggest game of the season so far.  I know we have to win out, so every game remaining will be the biggest game of the season, but we need to take this one off the Steelers so we can split for the year.  This is a Thursday night game, which is a good sign, as our head coach is named Romeo, and as we all know, Thursdays are for lovers.

Way to go Cleveland!  Pulling out a big win, 23-20, in Pittsburgh no less.  Vince Young had a good game, with 254 passing yards, a touchdown and a pick.  Michael Robinson played competently replacing TJ Duckett at RB, gaining 70 yards and a touchdown.  Vince Young also had 67 yards on the ground as well.  Randy Moss got really nasty, catching 5 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown.  That's the way you do it, Brownies!

Week 15:

Lead story of the USA Today Sports section is Randy Moss reaching 700 career receptions.  The Cleveland Tribune didn't find the story quite as interesting, instead preferring to run with a story on how hard NFL training staffs work during the season.  Those boys at the Tribune always know a juicy story when they hear one!

Game 14:

Browns at Ravens.  At this point, the Browns are now in 3rd place in the AFC North at 7-6, in front of the Steelers, who are also 7-6.  The first place team, the Ravens, and the second place team, the Bengals, are both 8-5.  We need a win against the Ravens to stay alive, especially in the division to get a wild card berth as we have the advantage of a sweep over the Bengals and need to take one off the Ravens, as they won the first one.  Ooh, what drama!

Holy cr*p, we won again!  Browns beat the Ravens, 35-28.  What a huge win.  With that, if the Bengals lose, we could possibly move into first place in the division, as we have now split with Pitt and Baltimore, and we own the Bengals souls for the year.  Vince Young had another competent game, with 198 on 20-33 passing and one touchdown and one interception.  Young also had 74 yards on the ground and 2 scores.  Michael Robinson continues to perform well enough, racking up only 42 yards this week but scoring a touchdown as well.  The receiver of choice this week was Larry Fitzgerald, catching 7 balls for 112 yards and a touchdown.

Week 16:

We are coming down to the wire here, and if you're still reading this, you're more of a trooper than I gave you credit for.  The standings in the AFC North after last week's huge win over the Ravens didn't change much for the Browns.  The Browns are still in 3rd place at 8-6.  The Steelers won, as did the d*mn Bengals, so the Ravens dropped to 2nd place at 8-6 and the Bengals moved to 1st at 9-5.  This division is looking really competitive right now.  I have to say I like it.

The Cleveland Tribune, apparently now marginally aware that the Browns are on a win streak have picked us to win a fourth quarter nail-biter, 30-27.  This almost certainly spells doom for the home team.

Vince Young was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.  Rah.  The team's attendance is at 65%, although fan support is supposedly at the maximum.  And we've made $20.35 million, which can help ease the pain should we not make the playoffs.  My advisors say we're not doing enough to promote attendance.  At this point, I don't care, but I'll lower the prices and advertise more, and maybe have a fan appreciation day.  Yeah, let's do that, it's the last home game of the season.  Fan Appreciation Day against the...Bucs?  Okay, sure.  What should we give away to the fans?  Rock albums?  Team videos?  How about towels?  We'll go with videos.

Game 15:

Buccaneers at Browns.  The Bucs are 5-9, which means we very well could mess this one up and miss the playoffs.  But I have faith in the Browns to pull it out and keep the win streak going.  Bucs have Trent Green, Curtis Martin, Deion Branch, and Joe Jurevicius on offense.  On defense, they have Shaun Ellis, Keith Brooking, Ronde Barber, and Al Harris.  Basically, this is the battle of the old, savvy vet team (them), versus the up and coming young team (us).  Can the Browns prevail over the experience of the Buccaneers?

Yes, they can!  Wow, the Cleveland Tribune sure is a bunch of idiots, alright.  Browns win, 48-17.  Finally, the Browns offense lives up to the hype and shows what it can do!  421 yards of total offense, and 21 first downs, and no turnovers.  Vince Young had a career day, with 226 yards on 21 of 32 passing, 5 touchdowns, and no interceptions.  On the ground, Young added 108 yards on 12 carries and a score, and TJ Duckett provided 84 yards on 21 carries.  Larry Fitz had 6 catches for 97 yards and 2 tds.  Vernon Davis had 6 catches for 52 yards and a score.  Randy Moss had 4 catches for 27 yards and a score.  And Antwaan Randle El added 32 yards on two receptions, one of them for a touchdown.  That's what we've been waiting to see all year long, boys.

Week 17:

Well, ladies and gentlemen, if you like Madden NFL football at all, than this is about as exciting as it gets.  Last game of the season, Browns are atop the AFC North at 9-6.  However, not only are the Steelers and Bengals 9-6 (we have the tie-breaker over both teams, so we just need to win) but 3 other teams in the AFC are at 9-6.  So our playoff lives depend on us winning this game, or if we lose, a bunch of other teams losing as well.

The Cleveland Tribune reported that they felt sorry for the fans that had to sit through watching the Browns beat the Bucs last week.  Yeah, I hate watching my home team win big, too.  Vince Young was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Week.  Nice.  The Tribune picks the Browns to beat the Texans in the final game of the season, 17-14.  They also note that the Browns have not played up to their potential thus far, despite the fact that the Browns have the fourth ranked offense overall.

Attendance is now at 100%, a 35% increase from the previous week.  Cash assets now are at $26.2 million.  Very nice. 

Game 16:

This is it.  We win; we're guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.  We lose, and we have to rely on a whole bunch of what-ifs to get in. 

Browns at Texans.  Matt Schaub, Kevin Faulk, Anquan Boldin, and Lee Evans on the offensive side of things.  On D, they have Shaun Rogers, Adalius Thomas, Lance Briggs, Jeremiah Trotter, and Pacman Jones.  I like our chances against this team.  They are built to stop the run, and we, like, don't run the ball at all. 

Browns lose!  Browns lose it 30-20 to go 9-7 on the year, but they played a good game.  Now they need other teams, like the Bengals in particular, to lose.  Vince Young went 7-10, 67 yards and a score before he had to come out of the game, for the third or fourth time during the season.  Shockley came in and played well, again, going 11 for 20, with 113 yards, 1 touchdown, and a pick.  The defense finally managed to force some turnovers, picking off Schaub twice.  Nothing to speak of in the running department for the Browns, but we did get lit up by Kevin Faulk.  Randy Moss had a good game, grabbing 5 balls for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

Wild Card Round:

VICTORY!  The Browns have secured a Wild Card spot, coming in second in the AFC North at 9-7.  The Ravens took it down, going 10-6.  In the first round of the playoffs, the Browns will have to beat the Ravens to advance.  Can they do it?  Playoff coverage to begin soon, but not today!

Vince Young is named Offensive Rookie of the Year, finishing with 2699 yards in the air, 20 touchdowns, 15 picks, and a 79.4 passer rating.  He also had 848 rushing yards (to lead the team), and 8 touchdowns (to lead the team).  Randy Moss caught 77 passes for 1076 yards and 8 touchdowns.  Larry Fitzgerald had 70 catches for 979 yards and 7 touchdowns.  Very good job, gentlemen.  Lemar Marshall earned his paycheck, leading the team with 106 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 51 interception yards, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries, and a defensive touchdown.  The Browns had no Pro Bowl players, probably due to the Cleveland Tribune voting against them unanimously.

Playoff coverage coming soon!