Random Thoughts from The Air Force Academy

[DRM]

I'm not much for dynasty write ups, love reading them, not creative enough to actually do one. So this is going to be my way of sharing whats going on with my team and other random ramblings of an X's and O's junkie.

First off I just wanna say that nothing strategy or recruiting related is off topic and I want this to become sorta a "catch all" for random strategy write ups for people like myself that may not have the time or the work ethic to do a detailed write up. And also if you wanna share whats going on in your dynasty go ahead.

Now that that's out of the way, some info on my team.

As the title indicates I'm using the Air Force Academy

PS2, Heisman, 8 Minute Quarters
Requirements for recruits are :
At least A- Field Awareness, and Good to Excellent Discipline
No Height limit but recruits cannot exceed 300 lbs

Any NCAA violation will result in 2 times the recommended suspension and serious infractions will result in a season long suspension and possible dismissal.

a slightly modified schedule,

• vs Nevada W 38-35
• at Wyoming W 28-21
• at Notre Dame L 30-42
• vs Utah W 28-24
• BYE
• vs Navy L 9-58
• at San Diego State W 45-20
• at UNLV L 17-37
• vs New Mexico W 31-27
• at Army W 35-28
• vs Colorado State W 42-28
• vs BYU W 27-21
• at TCU L 7-35
• BYE
• BYE
• Poinsettia Bowl vs Eastern Michigan L 7-34

Now the fun stuff

Offense : Multiple Option

I've tried every offense that you could think of and after reading through Chomppig's Flexbone write up I went back to the flexbone for awhile. When I started my AFA dynasty I decided to just use their playbook until I got the players needed to run my style of Flexbone and after 4 games I'm thinking I'll just stick with the multi-option as it is much more flexible personnel-wise.

In my 1st 4 games I'm averaging 263.2 rushing ypg (1) and 128.5 passing ypg (119) for a total of 391.7 ypg (50)

Not too bad considering I have a C+ offense and I'm just getting used to the playbook. I expect those numbers to go up as I get more familiar with the offense and get more speed on the field after a couple years of recruiting.

Defense : 3-4

I have always played a 4-3 Cover 2 style until this year I switched to a 3-4 and I'm loving it. I play my 3-4 a bit different than most as I don't blitz much, play mostly zone coverage and depend on quick defensive linemen to create a pass rush. As I get faster on defense I will start blitzing more but usually just various zone blitzes. I just try to limit big plays and create turnovers when the opponent makes mistakes. Really the same defense I used to run just a different alignment as the 3-4 allows me to get more speed on the field.

Due to the AFA weight restrictions I don't have the typical big strong linemen and my linebackers resemble defensive backs more than true linebackers. My entire philosophy relies on speed and quickness. I may not have the strength to overpower the offense but as soon as someone gets the ball he has 6-8 defenders on him before he can do anything with it.

Now I'm off to play Navy in a matchup of the top 2 rushing teams in the country, this could be fun.....

[DRM]

Wow!

Going into the Navy game I knew my offense was strong and my defense could fly around and create some turnovers. All I had to do was get my running game going and Navy would be in for a long day......58-9 NAVY.

My running game never got a chance to get going because they were running all over my defense, to the tune of 38 rushes 488 yards, toss in 76 passing yards and they outgained me 564-144 in the worst loss I've ever experienced.

I could do nothing to stop them and when I did get the ball I couldn't move it an inch. Which leads me to believe maybe some changes are in order for my schemes.

[DRM]

AFA 45 SDSU 20

What a rebound from the debacle against Navy. The offense still struggled some but was led by the QB's 20 carry 118 yard effort. We have got to get things going better than this, the only way we are scoring is when the defense gives us excellent field position. If we have to move the ball any considerable length we can't.

Speaking of the defense they held SDSU to 92 yards on 16 rushes after crumbling under the Navy triple option. A sack, 2 turnovers one of which was an 27 yard interception for a TD, and some timely big stops put the offense in some very good spots to score.

Overall probably a C+ effort as the game was much closer than the score indicated and there is much more work to be done if we want to be a serious bowl contender.

Up next....UNLV, lets hope the improvement continues.

[DRM]

Welcome to AFA football! Where if there's a way to lose a game, WE WILL FIND IT!!

AFA 17 UNLV 37

Those 28-7 1st quarter deficits tend to be hard to overcome, especially when everyone on your team is slow and stupid....I'm sorry, they aren't all slow.

Too many errors in this one, RB's putting the ball on the ground, QB putting the ball in the other teams hands, Defense not knowing where the ball is.

Gave up 196 yards on the ground to 1 MAN!

At least its pretty in Colorado this time a year

New Mexico's up next, will we find a way to win? will we finally hear that POP! when our heads come out of our ***? My prediction....NO.

[DRM]

Hey, a win is a win, right? and it's pretty impressive to do it with your head still wedged firmly up your ***.

AFA 31 New Mexico 27

In a matchup of 2 bad teams, we weren't the worst! But still it took 2 late interceptions by the LOLB (I really should name these guys) to come from behind and get the W.

The running game still just isn't clicking and the passing game is non-existent, but as long as we don't screw up as many times as the other team we have a chance to win.

Army is next, please god don't let us be the worst of the service academies

[DRM]

Offense wakes up, defense goes to sleep as we continue attempting to look like a football team.

AFA 35 Army 28

Well it took us 9 games to learn that if we hold onto the ball as we are running forward the offense works better. And apparently the defense was so shocked to see that the offense was moving the ball and scoring that it forgot that they were supposed to stop the other team.

In the end a punt return for a TD was the difference, as we prove we aren't completely inept.

But here at the AFA with every positive comes a negative, we lost our starting center for 2 weeks with a broken toe, and our senior starting QB for the season with a broken shoulder blade.

With Colorado St., BYU, and TCU coming up things aren't looking good, we will have to find a way to score some points because I'm sure they will.

Up next is CSU, I'm starting a freshman QB and attempting to run a spread passing offense....this could be ugly.

[DRM]

Why in the hell didn't you guys just tell me you wanted to run a spread offense????

AFA 42 CSU 28

In the Army game I lost my best option QB for the season and my starting center for a couple weeks, so knowing it would be hella hard to run the ball I looked at my roster and saw that I had a couple of QB's that would be decent at running the option but with their carry ratings they were probably going to put the ball on the ground a bit, and lord knows we do plenty of that already. Then something caught my eye, a skinny little 6'0 180lb freshman QB with a pretty good arm and decent mobility so out of desperation I decided, lets spread CSU out and see if we can't throw the ball a little.

Well, 22-30 248 yds and 3 TD's (1 passing, 2 running) and a QB rating of 153.8 ain't too bad for a 68 overall freshmen.

The spread offense has arrived at the academy, how long will it be here? as long as its successful. Of course it wouldn't work in the SEC, you know, since the players are too fast but this is the Mountain West, so maybe we can pull it off.

We got 2 games left, against 2 pretty good teams we are 7-3 (5-1 in conference play) if we can get at least one of them we should be able to sneak into a bowl game, if we can win em both we can win the conference title and head to a pretty good bowl.....but that's a pretty big IF.

Up next #22 BYU

[DRM]

Sometimes one team just wants it more than the other.....and for once we are that team!!!

AFA 27 BYU 21

The defense really stepped up, picking off 5 passes as they hurried and harassed the BYU offense and completely shut down their rushing attack. My offense on the other hand returned to their stumbling and fumbling ways and in our best Chicago Bears impersonation we scored more on defense and special teams than we did on offense but still managed to tard our way into a win.

Up next, TCU. We have a chance to go 9-3(7-1) and win the conference with a victory here, as I try to make my case for the Coach of the Year Award. I'm currently 5th. If they would just look at what I have to work with I would have won it in the preseason.

[DRM]

I really hope these kids know more about aviation than they do football, if not our country is in trouble.

AFA 7 TCU 35

Coming into the game riding a 4 game winning streak with the defense playing well and the offense at least moving the ball some, I really thought we had a chance to win this one and turn this into a decent season.

Well someone forgot to tell TCU that we were the better team.

TCU ran all over us for 347 yards and tossed in another 102 passing just to make it interesting. I don't care what anyone says, their HB is the best in the country. We had NO answer for him as he racked up 259 yards and 3 TD's on only 10 carries. He would have had more but he got hurt in the 4th quarter and didn't return, but his backup picked up another 68 yards on 13 carries to ensure the victory.

So instead of a Las Vegas Bowl trip against ASU we are headed to the Poinsettia Bowl vs Eastern Michigan.

We have no identity on offense, and our defense is very inconsistent so a bowl victory will depend on which team shows up.

Up next, Eastern Michigan in the Poinsettia Bowl

[Chomppig]

Good stuff. Keep it up.

[Chomppig]

Wow!

Going into the Navy game I knew my offense was strong and my defense could fly around and create some turnovers. All I had to do was get my running game going and Navy would be in for a long day......58-9 NAVY.

My running game never got a chance to get going because they were running all over my defense, to the tune of 38 rushes 488 yards, toss in 76 passing yards and they outgained me 564-144 in the worst loss I've ever experienced.
I could do nothing to stop them and when I did get the ball I couldn't move it an inch. Which leads me to believe maybe some changes are in order for my schemes.

lol I know what you mean. The CPU runs a mean Flexbone this year lol. I've had a hard time playing against Navy and even GT this year. They are hard to keep off the field.

[DRM]

"Well, what happened was, we got our *** kicked. In the second half, we just got our *** totally kicked. We couldn’t do diddley poo offensively, we couldn’t make a first down, we couldn’t run the ball, we didn’t try to run the ball, we couldn’t complete a pass - we sucked. The second half, we sucked. We couldn't stop the run. Every time they got the ball, they went down and got points. We got our *** totally kicked in the second half - that's what it boiled down to. It was a horse**** performance in the second half. Horse****. I’m totally embarrassed and totally ashamed. Coaching did a horrible job. The players did a horrible job. We got our *** kicked in that second half. It sucked. It stunk." Jim Mora Sr.

Thanks Jim, I couldn't have said it better myself

AFA 7 Eastern Michigan 34

Well not much to say here, the spread offense is junk. 6 interceptions, 6!!! 2 of them returned for TD's.

The option WILL be returning in 09 in some form or another. OU, Florida, or some other powerhouse may get away with lining up throwing the ball and using their athletes to overpower teams but we can't.

So I'm off to recruit...and I'm bad at it, so this should be interesting.

But wait.....I have a couple of offers! Holy Jebus, did they actually watch any of my games this season???

4 year extension with the AFA or do I take my ball and head to Ga Tech? What? They are already giving up on Paul Johnson??? They must be out of their mind.

[Chomppig]

"Well, what happened was, we got our *** kicked. In the second half, we just got our *** totally kicked. We couldn’t do diddley poo offensively, we couldn’t make a first down, we couldn’t run the ball, we didn’t try to run the ball, we couldn’t complete a pass - we sucked. The second half, we sucked. We couldn't stop the run. Every time they got the ball, they went down and got points. We got our *** totally kicked in the second half - that's what it boiled down to. It was a horse**** performance in the second half. Horse****. I’m totally embarrassed and totally ashamed. Coaching did a horrible job. The players did a horrible job. We got our *** kicked in that second half. It sucked. It stunk." Jim Mora Sr.

Thanks Jim, I couldn't have said it better myself

AFA 7 Eastern Michigan 34

Well not much to say here, the spread offense is junk. 6 interceptions, 6!!! 2 of them returned for TD's.

The option WILL be returning in 09 in some form or another. OU, Florida, or some other powerhouse may get away with lining up throwing the ball and using their athletes to overpower teams but we can't.

So I'm off to recruit...and I'm bad at it, so this should be interesting.

But wait.....I have a couple of offers! Holy Jebus, did they actually watch any of my games this season???

4 year extension with the AFA or do I take my ball and head to Ga Tech? What? They are already giving up on Paul Johnson??? They must be out of their mind.

I'd say go with GT lol. If you want to run the option they have the personel for it, as well as, some good athelets on defense. They also have a nice pipeline.

[DRM]

Hey if Ricky can get an extension after all the crap he's done, I guess I deserve one for a mediocre season. So despite the disappointing season, I will remain at the AFA

So I took the extension and will be at the AFA for 7 or 8 years unless of course they fire my ***.

So on to recruiting.

We lost our starting QB, FB, TE, LT, and C not really that big a deal as they were only starting because I didn't have anyone better. MAJOR losses on defense though, BOTH starting DE's, ROLB, ILB, CB, and FS that is 251 tackles, 16 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 14 interceptions and 3 touchdowns that we have lost. Those guys were major playmakers for us and will be sorely missed.

#116 Recruiting Class 1 - *** 8 - ** 3 - *

(IN SEASON RECRUITING)

OT
Jimmy Burnett
Colton, CA
*** #60
6-5 290

OG
John Southall
Miamisburg, OH
* #135
6-0 286

(OFF-SEASON RECRUITING)

QB
Zach Bryant
Louisville, CO
** #70
6-1 194

QB
Alan Crowder
Lamar, CO
** #69
6-1 194

HB
Brian Kiel
Lufkin, TX
** #100
6-2 221

HB
Shane Ogletree
El Paso, TX
** #99
6-1 190

FB
Ethan Adams
Crossett, AR
** #15
6-1 216

FB
Matt Hutchinson
Jasmine Estates, FL
JUCO(SO)
** #24
6-3 206

FB
Garrett Harris
Canon City, CO
* #59
6-0 205

TE
Napoleon Coleman
Leon Valley, TX
** #63
6-1 197

OT
Chris Hamilton
Steamboat Springs, CO
** #118
6-4 290

OC
Kerry Fulmore
Orchard Mesa, CO
* #88
6-1 291

Thats right, we lost 6 starters on defense and didn't replace any of them with a freshman.

[DRM]

Well here we go with another season. We had a good off-season as far as workouts are concerned and I'm cautiously optimistic we can build on last seasons small success and get this program headed in the right direction.

Schedule

BYE
vs North Texas
BYE
at Utah
at Colorado State
at Navy
vs UNLV
vs TCU
at BYU
vs San Diego State
vs Army
at New Mexico
vs Wyoming
at Notre Dame
BYE
BOWL GAME

We are gonna attempt a multiple option scheme on offense again. We are going with Freshman QB Alan Crowder, he's a burner, if he can hold onto the ball, if he can't we will turn it over to Senior P.J. Banks. If the option struggles we are going to just run a basic I formation offense, play conservative and hope our defense can be outstanding.

Our defense will be anchored by Senior NT Richie Patterson a MWC 2nd team All American who had 40 tackles and 3 sacks last season. The rest of the defense is speedy and smart so we should have a good unit.