THE RUSS BUS
Kyle Russ
91-83 (.523) Overall Record
Season Record Finish Postseason PF (rank) PA (rank)
2019 - 8-6 4th Lost in 1st round 5135 (6th) 5181 (6th)
2018 - 7-7 4th Won Championship 5419 (6th) 5546 (4th)
2017 - 10-4 2nd Lost in 1st round 5353 (1st) 4811 (5th)
2016 - 8-6 3rd Lost in 1st round 4926 (8th) 4915 (2nd)
2015 - 5-9 6th None 4907 (4th) 5344 (8th)
2014 - 9-5 2nd Won Championship
2013 - 8-6 t-3rd Lost in 1st round
2012 - 8-6 3rd Lost in 1st round
2011 - 7-7 4th Lost in 1st round
2010 - 5-10 t-7th None
2009 - 6-10 5th None
2008 - 10-7 t-3rd None
Keepers History:
2019 - QB Carson Wentz, QB Baker Mayfield
2018 - QB Carson Wentz
2017 - QB Russell Wilson
2016 - QB Russell Wilson
2015 - QB Peyton Manning, QB Russell Wilson
2014 - QB Peyton Manning, RB Marshawn Lynch
2013 - QB Peyton Manning, RB Marshawn Lynch
2012 - QB Peyton Manning, QB Tony Romo
2011 - QB Tony Romo, RB Cedric Benson
2010 - QB Tony Romo, RB Brandon Jacobs
2009 - QB Tony Romo, QB Jay Cutler
Trivia:
-9 Wins is tied for lowest mark for League Champion (Austin Hill).
-Current 8 season drought since winning double-digit games is longest of all-time.
-Only current owner to post back-to-back seasons with double-digit losses.
-Has won a league-record four third place games (4-0 in such games)
-Career 4-6 Postseason Record.
Trade History:
-November 25, 2008: Kyle Russ trades RB Darren McFadden, RB Warrick Dunn, WR Donald Driver to Allen Khayat for RB Brian Westbrook, RB LenDale White and WR Santonio Holmes.
-October 15, 2008: Kyle Russ trades RB Brian Westbrook and WR Marvin Harrison to Adam Spinella for RB Steve Slaton and WR Antwaan Randle-El.
Head-to-Head Records:
vs. Bennett: 14-9
vs. Snow: 13-8
vs. Austin: 13-15 (2-1 postseason)
vs. Spinella: 11-18 (3-1 postseason)
vs. Davis: 9-14 (2-2 postseason)
vs. Tolbert: 6-2
vs. Bloom: 5-4 (0-1 postseason)
vs. Ryan H: 6-2
vs. Poitras: 5-4 (0-1 postseason)
vs. Worth: 1-1
vs. Varney: 0-1
Abridged History:
Kyle Russ started his ownership in 2008 on a low note, leaving September at 1-3 and ending up 3-5 at one point. A late-season trade for Brian Westbrook turned around his fortune however, as Russ went on 5 of his final 6 games to surpass Team Bennett (capped off by a head-to-head victory) for a top-four spot in the league and an overall 10-7 record. That run included a season-high 570 point outing and two wins over cross-town rival Austin Hill. It may not have been an incredibly successful season, but the quarterback tandem of Jay Cutler and Tony Romo seemed poised for a run in the future.
2009 was a bit of a step back, winning only 6 games in the face of a plethora of injuries. Russ held three quarterbacks throughout the year that were all healthy: Tony Romo, Jay Cutler and Brett Favre. Still he was unable to get the rest of the roster to work: Brian Westbrook and Willie Parker battled injuries throughout the season. After a disappointing campaign from Cutler, Russ was faced with a difficult keeper decision: does he roll with Cutler again, keep the oft-injured Westbrook or retain another one of his disappointing running backs?
Last place is where Russ found himself in 2010. Once again, injuries played a big role in his season. Keeper selection Tony Romo played in only six games, Russ released his other keeper Brandon Jacobs, and a litany of average or slightly-above-average players made it difficult for Russ to discern what matchups to use on a weekly basis. Stepping up biggest was team's top scorer Cedric Benson, who propelled himself into the conversation of being a keeper selection for the next season.
In 2011, Russ broke a two-season playoff drought by snatching up the 4th seed with a 7-7 record. Kyle started the season strong, going 4-0 and quickly asserting himself as a serious contender. Despite a mild disappointment from keeper Cedric Benson, Russ used a balanced attack to get into the postseason and endure a rocky finish. The highlight of his 2011 was being the only one to defeat Team Davis in the regular season, knocking him down in Week 12, 424-395. The win came as a big surprise, as it was his only win during the final five weeks of the regular season. Perhaps the biggest move Russ could have made set him up for success in future seasons, and was made during the postseason. Russ added the injured Peyton Manning to his roster, allowing him to keep Manning for next season as a potential keeper.
That Peyton Manning pickup carried Russ (now renamed Team Shiva) in 2012. With Manning and Romo at the helm, Russ drafted wisely at the running back position. He added Marshawn Lynch, DeMarco Murray and C.J. Spiller, the best running back trio in the game that season. Russ struggled elsewhere, fielding poor receivers and getting little-to-no production from the second tight end slot. In what was a unique and even year in the league, Russ won eight games and got the third seed in the playoffs. He lost to brash newcomer Russell Bloom in a close contest, once again foiled by a zero-point performance from the second tight end slot.
Another 8 regular season wins, another third-place finish. 2013 saw once again a hot start, going 6-0 to being the year before losing 5 of the final 6 games. It was the same-old, same-old for Russ, who ended up drawing a first-round matchup with Craig Davis. These two have engaged in many classic battles through the years, but none like this. In controversial and unnerving fashion, Russ and Davis fought to a dead-on tie, 421 to 421. Per league rules, the home team wins (in postseason play, that's the team with the better regular season record). As a result, Russ's season came to a stunning conclusion and led to one of the more awkward exits in recent memory. To make matters worse, the opponent that would've been waiting for Russ in the title game put up a measly 282 points, a number that would have given Russ a league championship had he made the title game.
Hell bent on vengeance in 2014, Russ came out swinging by drafting Russell Wilson to pair with Peyton Manning. While Russ did whiff on early-round draft picks Ben Tate and Ryan Mathews, he was top-heavy enough to bulldoze his way through the regular season at 9-5, good for second in the league. Manning, Wilson, keeper Marshawn Lynch and wide-out Demaryius Thomas were consistently putting up high numbers, which offset the rest of the unpredictability his roster brought. Free agent acquisition Matt Asiata was also big; it allowed him a low-price replacement to the injured Mathews and the released Ben Tate. After avenging his 2013 exit to Davis with a convincing first-round postseason victory, Russ demolished Team Spinella in the championship to win the 2014 league title, his first in the seven years of the league.
No comments:
Post a Comment