Firstly an apology guys, I send off my turn and newsletter in good time (what I thought was good time) and it still didn't get there. With this in mind I am bringing forward the deadline to a Saturday from Sunday before the AZ deadline. But also for the next TURN ONLY I need stuff in by a week a Wednesday before the AZ deadline cos I'm going to the States for a week and need to get stuff sent off before I go. Right onto the letters and first Dave Harris and not his namesake Pete!

SUPERBOWL REPORT

Coach Harris's teams are renowned for their slow starts. This game seemed to start well for them with the 49ers defense picking off a loose pass by Steve McNair. But they soon reverted to type with the Oilers surviving a 3rd and 1 on their own 2-yard line, forcing the 49ers to kick an easy FG.
The teams swapped possession, with the next 49ers drive ending in an interception. The Oilers offence sparked into life and drove the ball down the field. However, the red and gold defense held firm in the red-zone, leading to the Oilers matching the 49ers FG.
The next two possessions marked the low point of the game for the 49ers, with the offence going for it on a 4th and 3, failing dismally to get the required yardage. The Oilers got the ball on the halfway line and the 49ers defense then had one of those moments that Defensive coordinators wake up screaming about. Every Oiler play was matched against one of the worst possible defensive counters. Not surprisingly, the Oilers stormed down the pitch and racked up the first TD of the game.
This seemed to wake up the SF offence, causing them to dominate the rest of the half, scoring on every drive. The final stats show that the 49ers ran 64 plays during the game, 31 of these were in the second quarter. It was a masterful demonstration of the smash-mouth, possession football that they had been trying to play all season. The defense also played their part, with the highlight being the time when the Oilers were pinned on their own 1-yard line on a 3rd and 36.
After half time, the 49ers offence came out with a change down gameplan. The Oilers defense, having had a much-needed rest, came out playing well; with most 49er possession resulting in 3 and out drives. Could the high-flying Oiler offence overcome the dominance of the 49er defense? Apart from one superbly thrown pass for a 53 yard TD, the answer was no. Coach Sim was observed to become visibly upset as time and time again his Offence self-destructed by giving away unnecessary penalties as his team became more and more frustrated.
The game was summed for the Oilers by the final play from their gameplan; before they were forced to resort to Hail Mary passes. 4th and 8, HB run for gain of 7 yards. The Oilers are a great team, but on this occasion they were a yard short of the pace.

Other coaches' mumblings….
Troy Dilworth….

Hello Paul,
this is very much a hello and goodbye I'm afraid. I started with the Redskins in AZ as I was desperate to win a Superbowl. Now that I've achieved
my goal in BA, I'm cutting back on the number of Gameplan sides thatIrun, as I simply haven't got the time with the up and coming cricket season.
Currently, it's 4 sides but I'll be going back to just 2 (BA and BJ).
Therefore, my Redskins game against Tampa Bay this week will be my last game
in charge as I'm transferring my turn credits.
Good luck and goodbye!
Troy

Dave Harris…
I saw this on the BBC news website
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/newsid_1220000/1220633.stm)
It seems that our own James Gaddas is going to appear in the musical Chicago with Denise Van Outen...
Van Outen's acting credits include appearing in the sitcom Babes in the Woodand the film Love, Honour and Obey.
She will be joined in Chicago by James Gaddas - currently to be seen in Yasmina Reza's hit play Art - who to take over the role currently played by Sacha Distel.

Training camp report from Dave…
Now is the time of year when Coaches routinely make life-long enemies of each other by criticizing their draft picks. Never one to stand in the way of such a fine and noble tradition, here is my draft round up. Given that the Training Camp has yet to be processed, I'm also going to guess at what the coach may do*.
*Please note, following the advice given here may seriously damage your coaching credibility.

Oakland Raiders: RB4,DL2,LB2
Given that there was no DB4 or QB5 available, the Raiders took the best player available. You can't really argue with a 4* RB pick, which gives them a scary looking set of RBs. Although the 4* HB and RB will both be wasting their OQB skill which is only of use to a FB. The LB2 was a useful pick to provide cover next season for the aging Linden King and Aaron Wallace and the DL2 allows a change to a 4-3 defense, making the most of Linden King's experience at MLB. Personally, I would have gone for an OL2 or a DB2 rather than the LB2. The OL would add needed OQB, always useful, especially as blitzing seems to be in fashion, and would also provide useful blocking for those RBs. A DB would strengthen the rather weak looking secondary.
Training camp: Waive LB Tony Bryant, get a 2* DB or OL. Other option is to coach a DB in DPL to boost secondary.

Cincinnati Bengals:WR2*2,LB3,DL2
With all RB and TE slots full, the WR was the best player that could fit in the squad and the LB was a necessity. The DL seems a strange choice, as this gives the team 5 DL players when only a maximum of 4 can play. I would have gone for a DB or another LB.
Training camp: Put defense in 4-3 mode, James Francis as MLB. Waive DL John Copeland; get a FA KK or PN.

Minnesota Vikings:TE3,WR2,OL2
The TE was the last of the "specials", no real argument there although the team is incredibly weak in the DB area and still short of personnel in the OL area. The WR was also needed, giving the team 2 WRs. Personally I would have gone for a WR2*1 first pick and got the remaining 3*DB on my second.
Training camp: This is a very small squad, with no secondary to speak of. Waive LB Ed McDaniel, get a FA DB. They could also waive one of their TEs and pick up another DB or an OL.

Cleveland Browns: OL3,WR2,DL2
Can't really fault any of these picks, all were necessary. Personally, I would have gone for a DB rather than a DL though.
Training camp: Lots to do here. Two QBs are a luxury. Waive one, fix the other if necessary, and use any remaining LPs to bolster the very weak secondary or add some weight to the DL by coaching. Waive DL Derrick Alexander, coach DL Marcus Spriggs if not reduced and move him to NT. Other option is to waive LB Jamir Moore, switch to 4-3 and use LPs to strengthen DL.

New Orleans SaintsLB3,PN1*,2TE,2FA DB2
Excellent draft. No need for comment.
Training camp: A switch to 4-3 is on the cards. Waive LB Mark Fields; use LPs to get FA WR.

ChicagoBears:WR2*1,WR1*,1KK1*,FA LB1,LB1
There aren't many spaces left after this lot were recruited. Personally I would have skipped the WR1*1 and got an LB2.
Training Camp: I'm not sure if Coach Macguire actually wanted to recruit 2 LB1s or whether he was just making sure he got one of them. If the former, then expect a switch to 3-4. Waive DL Jim Flanigan and fix/coach one of the new LBs. If the latter, then he might as well waive one of them again and use the LPs to go toward fixing/coaching the other.

Seattle Seahawks OL3,WR1*,1DB2
A very weak offence here due to an over-populated defense. I would have gone for the WR2*1 in round one, the OL2 in round two. The DB was needed, so no problem there.
Training Camp: Well we have 10 players to fill the front 7 defensive places in this team. Three players aren't being used, so will have to go. I'm assuming this is a 3-4 defense so, bye-bye to DLs Matt LaBounty and Michael Sinclair, also LB Anthony Simmons. Use LPs to get FA OL and WR. Also coach existing WR, and I hate seeing a FB without ORI, so either coach Mack Strong or move Shaun Alexander to FB.

Atlanta FalconsRB3,QB3,QB2
Oopsie, looks like the Falcs lost their starting QB. Given that, the 4* QB would have been top of my list, even if he was to be waived to get the 5 or 6 year old 3*QB FA. No real gaps on the team though.
Training Camp: Waive both QBs, get an experienced FA QB and fix him. Waive the spare DL and strengthen the other DLs. Or move to 4-3, waive Keith Brooking and coach Mark Simoneau DRI if not reduced.

Washington Redskins WR2*,1PN1*2,KK1*2
The Skins look to have been very lucky on the retirement front, with no gaps to be filled; they were able to concentrate on beefing up their special teams. Could be painful next year if the 5 players that are 10 years or older all retire though.
Training camp: Nothing really needed, use any LPs to coach or fix the older players to reduce losses next time around.

Miami Dolphins DB3,DB3,TE2
The only difference I would have made, would be to go for the RB3 on the first round rather than get 2 DBs and waive one. However, I can say that because hindsight is perfect J
Training Camp: RB Jerris McPhail to move to HB. Expect either a fix for one of the older OL and/or some coaching for the younger OL players.

St Louis Rams:DL3,QB3,RB1*1
Run and hide, the 6* QB arrives in the league. The Rams now have an awesome looking squad. Some coaches don't like them, but the obvious gap in this team is at TE, on the other hand I can't argue with these picks. Another OL is needed, but that can be dealt with, as the QB will provide extra LPs.
Training Camp: With a QB like Trent Green, the QB3 should be out of the door before he unpacks. Expect the LPs to go on a FA OL.

New England Patriots:RB3,WR1,LB2
I'm guessing that Larry used a generic draft WR order in round 2. Cant explain the pick otherwise as a QB3 was still available which would have given him the LPs to create and hire a FA WR2. The other two picks were good.
Training camp: 5 DLs is an extravagance. Expect to waive one of the 3 year olds. Use the LPs to coach LB Chris Slade and move him to MLB. Use remaining LPs to hire a FA OL and/or to coach one of the WR1s.

Picks 13-24 next week…..

Round up of Bowl games….
The two championship game losers played out a tight affair in San Diego. Even though the Packers held advantage in offensive yards and first downs the Chargers sneaked past them with a 17-14 overtime win. Credit to Green Bay's secondary and defensive gameplan as they held the usual high yardage QB Ryan Leaf to just 164 yards and 1 INT on the day. Green Bay's offense was impressive with 390 yards total offense, but four turnovers aided San Diego's cause.
In Pittsburgh the Steelers lost out to the Cardinals 19-28. Tough season for Mark, he beat both San Francisco and Houston this season and still came away with no Superbowl appearance. Arizona's QB Graham put up his usual impressive numbers but blotted his book with 3 INTS. A game for the defensive line fans, with 11 sacks and 15 hurries shared by the QB's
A fourth quarter comeback gave the Buccs a Silver Bowl win over the Redskins. Mark is now 5-0 with the Buccs and look like the team to challenge Green Bay along with Chicago next year in the Central. A change of QB and a relentless pass rush helped Tampa push home to win 28-21.
My dark horse for the upcoming season easily defeated the Bills in Buffalo 24-8. New Orleans have recruited well in the off season and with coach Swindells at the helm the reigning Superbowl champs might well be looking over their shoulders come week 1. Not much running in this one, game was dominated by hard-nosed defense and QB's just doing enough to win the game.

PREDICTIONS FOR PRES SEASON GAMES
NG/NJ Bragging rights for NY starts before regular season. NJ
HO/GB two teams finely tuning before race to 2003 playoffs. HO
SF/SD another 2 teams wanting good start to season and Po's. SF
BB/AC Comfortable win for the Cards with Graham passing. AC
TB/PS Two tough teams clash in Pitt, defense to win this one. TB
SR/DB Rams' QB could well tear apart DB' defense. SR
NE/DC Disappointing seasons for both sides, HFA to win this one. DB
CL/CH Coach MacGuire to push Bears along this year. CH
AF/SS SS need improvement to push SDC this year. SS
WR/MD Graham may well need his rookie DB's this week. WR
MV/CI Bengals will become Central's 3rd team this year. CI
NS/OR Saints to win and improve weekly over season. NS

Many thanks to Troy, Dave and Chris for getting in touch. Good luck this week and remember if u want to send anything in the new deadline. CYA