by Gerald Udowiczenko

Well that wasn't the start to the season I wanted, for a moment I thought that perhaps Drew was playing QB for us again...... I do hope that isn't the case? But if it is, I won't wait as long to get ride of him this time. So watch this space for any For Sale notices.

Some surprising results in the first week of the 2006 season. Not least, the Skins being skinned and the Browns falling to the (resurgent ?) Chiefs. Somehow Jon's gameplan gave him the win over the Buccs (that gameplan hasn't lost him a game yet.... scary thought) and that the Rams only scored 12 points in the second half of their game against the Cards. They must have got tired after scoring 38 points in the first half.

Many thanks to Jon, Stuart, Graham, & Brucey for this weeks contributions. I don't think we'll make 4 pages (probably only 3), but then I wonder how much I can waffle ......:o)

NY (0-1, L2) @ BB (1-0, W2) Last time : wk 14, 2005 (14 - 20)
Gerald : Well this will be a baptism of fire for new boy Cox. As Air Buffalo goes at them. Bills by 17.
Graham : BB by 14.
SPLATT : Buffalo by 9.

MD (0-1, L2) @ NE (0-1, L1) Last time : wk 14, 2005 (17 - 30)
Gerald : No Comment.
Graham : NE by 1.
SPLATT : New England by 9.

PS (0-1, L4) @ CL (0-1, L1) Last time : wk 16, 2005 (13 - 46)
Gerald : Well who would have thought it... Both these teams start the season with a loss. If last time is anything to go by (and it should be), the Browns shouldn't be BGBs. Browns by 21.
Graham : CL by 3.
SPLATT : Cleveland by 7.

CI (1-0, W1) @ TT (1-0, W2) Last time : wk 16, 2005 (17 - 24)
Gerald : A great start for the Bengals last week, shows they mean business. But the Titans will be a hard nut to crack. Titans by 3.
Graham : TN by 6.
SPLATT : Tennessee by 11.

KC (1-0, W1) @ SD (1-0, W8) Last time : wk 16, 2005 (3 - 28)
Gerald : Well I bet Ian is on cloud 9 after last weeks surprise result (well it surprised all the tipsters). But he'll have to get off that cloud PDQ, or the Chargers will punish him. I don't think it will be as one sided as the last time these two teams meet. But I think the result will be much the same. Though if the Chiefs do surprise us all again, this could really mean that Ian is back with a vengeance. Chargers by 6.
Graham : SD by 10.
SPLATT : San Diego by 13.

SS (0-1, L7) @ OR (1-0, W5) Last time : wk 16, 2005 (9 - 31)
Gerald : Well it doesn't matter how the win comes. Its the result that matters and the Raiders rode their luck last week and held on to a win. This week shouldn't be as close, as the Hawks don't really seem to have found their feet yet. Raiders by 13.
Graham : OA by 14.
SPLATT : Oakland by 11.

WR (0-1, L3) @ DC (0-1, L1) Last time : wk 10, 2005 (34 - 48)
Gerald : Well that was a shock. The Skins got over 400 yards to their opponents 285, got many more 1st downs. But they couldn't make it count and fell badly asleep in the 4th quarter to ensure they had little hope. The Boyz also seemed to dominate their game and lost out in OT, so this will be an intriguing game. Not least because neither team will want to be playing catch for the rest of the season, as the Eagles have got off to a good start, in spite of their limited gameplan. Boy by 3.
Graham : DC by 13.
SPLATT : Dallas by 5.

AC (0-1, L46) @ PE (1-0, W2) Last time : wk 10, 2005 (0 - 54)
Gerald : Well Jon got away with a pre season gameplan last week. So this week it should be the real deal (unless he fancies his chances with only passing again?) and I think the Cards are going to suffer. Eagles by 38.
Graham : PE by 35.
SPLATT : Philadelphia by 16.

DL (1-0, W1) @ CB (1-0, W4) Last time : wk 16, 2005 (7 - 27)
Gerald : Well it seems like the Lions remembered it was week 1 and pulled off an impressive (though seemly lucky?) win. This week they have the chance to prove that that wasn't the case (lucky) as they go on the road to the Windy City, to play a Bears team that didn't look all that convincing last week. Tough one to call, but if the Lions can keep their 'O' going then they have a very good chance I feel. But saying that, the Champs are always tough opponents, as they showed last year. Lions by 1.
Graham : CH by 7.
SPLATT : Chicago by 4.

TB (0-1, L2) @ MV (1-0, W2) Last time : wk 16, 2005 (3 - 37)
Gerald : The Buccs will feel very hard done by last week, as they should have made a lot more of those GL opportunities. But that's in the past and they have the present to worry about and that present is the Vikes. Who while not spectacular last week won never the less. I can't see it being any different then their last meeting. Vikes by 21.
Graham : MV by 17.
SPLATT : Minnesota by 15.

SF (0-1, L2) @ NS (1-0, W8) Last time : wk 14, 2005 (10 - 38)
Gerald : The Saints keep their impressive winning streak going and I can't see the 49ers being able to stop it. Saints by 10.
Graham : NS by 13.
SPLATT : New Orleans by 15.

AF (0-1, L4) @ SR (1-0, W5) Last time : wk 14, 2005 (13 - 20)
Gerald : Well these two coaches just love playing each other and its got to be the longest rivalry in the league? After a year off it seems like the Rams have found their feet again. While the Falcons still seem to be trying to find theirs (though this could all be the kiss of death of either team?) Rams by 10.
Graham : No Comment.
SPLATT : St Louis by 7.

by Graham Canwell (Week 1)

	Offence	Buffalo	Ah, the Bills... Nothing seems to slow them down. Over 400 yards, only 1 turnover, the usual stuff. Elsewhere I liked the Bengals and the Chargers.
	Defence	San Diego	Made life pretty horrible for the Jets, with five sacks and four interceptions. It was an unusually good week for AFC defences, with Cincinnati, Kansas City (!) and Tennessee all putting on really strong shows.
	Coach	Sim (CI)	Could this be the start of a new era in Cincy? Mike already seems to have brought the Bengals a long way from last seasons miseries. Ian got a great performance out of the Chiefs too, so maybe they're on the way back now (I seem to have been saying that for a long while though).
	Offence	Detroit	The Lions' D may no longer be what it was but maybe their offence is going to step up. Shame they didn't play like this when their defence was so fearsome! It takes some doing to outscore that Cowboy offence. Dallas themselves were excellent, as were the Vikings.
	Defence	New Orleans	Gave up quite a lot of yards but not the ones that mattered and to shut out a team as competitive as the Redskins is no mean feat. Chicago were their usual admirable selves too.
	Coach	Henderson (DL)	A great win against one of the league's top teams, and the only real NFC upset in week 1. Now can he do it again against theWorld Champions next week?
	The Diddley	Oakland	Didn't get many offensive yards, or even return yards. Won the turnover battle 3-1 (if you don't count their failed 4th down attempt), but even then winning while being so heavily outgained requires a degree of good fortune.

Gerald to Jon : Yeah I'm wondering if my gameplan, from our pre-season game might not have worked better against the Bengals then the one I actually used?

Gerald to Brucey : Ahh footballing terms. Now that could be a new feature to the newsletter? Every week I could hi-light a couple of the more obscure terms..... I'll have to think on that.

Gerald to All : BGB = Big Girls Blouse (usually used for Scottish Coaches in the NFC - But just as valid when used against the Half Brained Steelers :-).

Gerald to Ben : Welcome to the Division of Death. Last season results were, Bill 12-4 (lost in the Superbowl), Pats 11-5 (lost in the Divisional Game)& the Fish & Jet were both 8-8.

Gerald to Mike : Well done, those interceptions were really the death of me. As always I play ugly football whenever I play the Bengals, no matter whom the coach is. You could say I hate them... or maybe you now? (

Gerald to Stuart : Here's to a good game. Even this early in the season, I think its fair to say that whoever losses is going to find it hard to qualify in the Division of Death. Especially with new blood in New York.

Gerald to Brucey : So you've taken my advice and taken some long train journeys have you? (

Jon to Dave : I sincerely apologise for that win. Well, my game plan didn't arrive on time and as a result I went into the game with keys on plays that were never called, training in the wrong plays and a defence that was totally GL. I did have a reaction value in place though, which gave some interesting figures: +24 on Long & Lost, +20 on Midfield, +17 on Hurry Up (!), but only +1 on Short yardage. None of the situations got a negative value. Very odd. Maybe I ought to try this tactic more often! ;-)

Brucey to Martin Treacy : Welcome to the easiest division in the league.

Brucey to Spencey : Are we predicting a superbowl win this season ?

Brucey to Gerald : I hope at least you make the playoffs this year.

Brucey to Apple : Good game, good game.

Brucey to The Steelers : Anyone loses to you, they don't deserve the title of coach. Indeed... for that week, they shall officially be known as a BGB. (enlighten us Gerald with your glossary of footballing terms!)

Brucey to The Predictors : Not sure how SPLATT will do this season. He's been a bit ill recently, and at one point during a fever couldn't add 2 and 2 together... poor thing. Heh... much like my own play-calling in general.

Brucey to Darren : I realise SPLATT is THE last word in predicting.. but surely you want to predict OTHER winners than what SPLATT does? Of course, it does guarantee that you get as good a % at the end of the season ;-)

Brucey to Dean : I know records were made to be broken, but...

Brucey to Jon : I was sad to see Randall go too. As for a lack of Post-season game statistics for him, rest assured that I am working towards this very thing for the website.

Brucey to Coach Canwell : Congratulations on winning both the Most Admired Coach and Disappointing Team categories. I did my best to stay out of the limelight. (and apparently succeeded too).

Brucey to Richard : Oggy Oggy Oggy... I presume you'd rather win the last game of the season this time round? It must be a little disheartening to get so far and then be knocked flat at the end... and by a relative rookie at that. Still, at least you MAKE the playoffs...

Brucey to Paul G : Now that you can read your reports again, I'll be expecting even greater things from the Chargers.

Graham to All : On the evidence of week 1 I'd like to say that you won't get very good odds on the Cards going 0-16 again!!!

Graham to Jon : Liked your eulogy to Randy. I'll miss him too. I still miss Chris Miller badly - he isn't doing such a good job as a QBs coach as he did as a QB . . .

Graham to Gerald : So the key to going from 'Most Hated Coach' to 'Most Admired' (even if the latter doesn't really exist) is to be the 'Most Disappointing Team'. Hmmmmmm. Isn't life strange?

Graham to All : Having just seen my draft review in print it strikes me that it looks as though I have some sort of unhealthy obsession with punters. Which might be true. I suspect it goes back to my first experience of Gameplan, when I took over the AA Seahawks and inherited a squad bizarrely containing no offensive linemen but an excellent punter. So pretty much my only offensive tactic involved trying to drop a punt near my opponent's goal line and forcing a turnover. Which worked surprisingly often...

	Dolphins
	Stuart Guard
Here at the Dolphins Camp we're still very busy on all aspects of the team, with a week missed in camp we are still playing catch up and sorting out the squad. It is coming together and that really is a credit to everyone here after a severe post-season squad hit. We did have a lot of points available to us, and we've been trying to spend them wisely since. We have a new Half back on the books, and this week have signed a TE to spell Weaver. The defence got hit hard and the result is a switch to a 3-4 formation, with two rookie LB's in the mix. On the pitch the teams of the so called 'Group of Death' died a death with the exception of the Bills as three losses were recorded. Our game turned in at the end of the first half, when the Dolphins fumbled a punt return with two minutes to go, which 5 plays later led to a TD, and then we immediately through an interception coughing up another 3 points. Then in the third we missed a straight forward field goal, and were always likely to come up short, despite winning the yardage and first down battle. Biggest plus was the balance on offence which we'll try to maintain, but we could of done with the win. As for this week, well it's a bit of a grudge game. The Pats love to beat up their opponents with big plays, and we know it's a game that could go either way. They were bought back down to earth last week after their choreographed pre-season passing display, where both defences obliging showed goal line defences all game, hence the reason why stats in these games are disregarded. It will be a tough matchup though as we know they are a team that can run and pass so it's always hard on defence. We'll see what we can do, as neither team will want to start 0-2. Back behind the scenes the young D line is gelling together well, and we're in talks with Veteran RB Kirby as to his future at the club. Fiedler has started well at Quarterback and with both starting backs, two TE's, and three wide receivers all with less than 5 years in the league we know that we have an offence that will hopefully deliver for some time to come. Have enough veterans remained to make the Dolphins a force this season, well time will tell, but it will be another tough season that much is for sure.

Web Sites

Don't forget to visit the following sites :
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/gameplan

www.endzone1.co.uk
brucey.net/nflab/

Well that's all for this week. Hopefully I'll get something from the 2 new coaches we've had recently join the league in the near future so we know a little more about them?

Remember if there's anything you want to say, or a feature you think we should have in BttDB, then let me know. Because without you this is mainly me waffling on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on.....
And I'm sure you don't want that