Howard Coward

Howard Coward

Howard Coward
No. 17 – Prospect
Position:	Runningback
Personal information
Born:	(2031-13-05)January 5, 2031 (aged 29) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	225 lb (102 kg)
Username:	Jkortesi81
Career information
High school:	St. Angelo's For The Soul
College:	Ole Miss
Career history
Roster status:	Active

Howard Coward (born January 5, 2032) is an American football runningback who is currently preparing to enter the professional ranks.He played college football for Ole Miss and has declared his intent to enter the professional ranks next season.

Early years

Howard was born in 2031 right smack dab in the middle of New Orleans, Lousiana. He was part of the small "baby boom" that happened in the area after the famed hurricane "Katrina Too" wiped out a good portion of the city yet again. Howard loved his city and even as a young kid did his best to help restore it to it's former glory. He never left NOLA his entire life, staying there to play football at his local high school, despite his tremendous talents earning him scholarship offers from prestigious prep schools. When the NCAA colleges came coming, he had his heart set on going to LSU. The offers came in: Alabama, Florida, Clemson, Auburn. . . but nothing from LSU. Howard was crushed, and instead used it to fuel himself. He chose Ole Miss, as they made him feel the most at home on his visit. He made it his mission to defeat the school that broke his heart.

College career

As a college freshman, Howard didn't see the field much. A sprained ankle during training camp derailed his bid to unseat the incumbent starter, but his talent was evident. By the end of his first season, he became the team's primary kick returner. It was his sophomore season when Howard earned the starting job. Not only was he a quick and powerful runner between the tackles, he could also catch the ball out of the backfield. Coward proceeded to lead the nation in rushing yards in the first half of the season, and Ole Miss was ranked in the Top 10 with a 6-0 record. A big win over #3 Tennessee would get Ole Miss ranked as high as #5 before they lost to Texas A&M in a surprise upset, as Coward came out of the game early. It was determined that Coward partially tore his meniscus, and he would have to have surgery, missing his revenge date game with LSU by two weeks. Ole Miss would go on to lose 3 of their next 4 games, setting for an Outback Bowl win, where they would defeat Tulsa 37-28. The next season, Coward was on a mission. He regained his form after the injury, despite hearing multiple media outlets questioning his durability. Coward would go on to finish 2nd in the nation in rushing yards, none more special to him than his 214 yard, 3 TD game against LSU in a 42-38 victory. Ole Miss would just miss out on the CFB playoffs that season, as losses to Iowa and Oklahoma proved to be too much to overcome. Shortly after the Bowl victory over Florida State, Coward would declare himself DSFL eligible.

College career statistics

Use this page to get the stats table template.

Career statistics			Rushing					Offensive Line
Season	Team	Games	Att	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD	Pancakes	Sacks Allowed
NCAA	Ole Miss	14	28	4852	5.2	95	39	10	0

Professional career

DSFL career

Career statistics			Rushing					Receiving
Season	Team	Games	Att	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD	Rec	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD
2054 (S39)	Seawolves	14	123	588	4.8	66	2	44	470	10.7	38	6
2055 (S40)	Seawolves	14	150	804	5.3	46	7	20	197	9.8	42	1

2054: Howard Coward entered himself into the S39 DSFL Draft. Despite coming with a lot of pomp and circumstance, Coward fell HARD in the draft. Eventually, he was taken in the 4th round, 31st overall, by the Norfolk Seawolves. He took this as a complete slight, and vowed to out work and out earn every single player ahead of him. As a result, Howard was one of the league's fastest rising rookies, making the other teams admit they should've taken him sooner. Coward played RB and some WR too, and was quite the dual threat as he racked up 588 yards rushing (2 TDs) for a 4.8 per carry average, one of the tops in the league. He also added 470 yards receiving on 44 catches and he had 6 more TDs. That gives him a total yardage of 1,058 yards and 8 TDs. Coward also handled Kick and Punt Return duties during the season. Norfolk won their divison with a 9-5 record, and they also made the Ultimini, where they would lose to Kansas City 44-20. In that game, Coward returned a kickoff 99 yards for a TD in the first quarter to give Norfolk a 7-3 lead. He was also the team's leading rusher, gaining 57 yards on 8 carries, leading to many fans wondering why they didn't give him the ball even more. He enters the ISFL Draft as one of the top prospects available, and projects to be a 1st round draft pick.

2055: Coward was draft in the 1st Round, 11th Overall, by the Austin Copperheads. However, losing the Ultimini last season left a bad taste in his mouth. After some discussion with both teams, Coward made the decision to go back to the DSFL for one more year. He was promised the bulk of the work, and emerged as a contender for the RB of the year title, and perhaps and early MVP favorite. It was soon after the season started that Coward became bitter and angry towards the Seawolves. Norfolk would prove to be liars to Coward, having him split duties with rookie Sticky Hands. Even though Coward was clearly the better player (His 5.3 yards per rush would've been best in the league among #1 backs), Norfolk chose to give Hands more carries AND receptions even though Coward would outgain him on average. Had Coward been given the bulk of the carries as promised, the advanced metrics show he would've more than likely lead the league in rushing and came close to the 15 TDs that others had. As a result, Coward wasn't too thrilled with management, and tried to get the Copperheads to call him up midseason, to no avail. Coward still helped Norfolk to a league best 10-4 record, as they won their division yet again. The excitement was short lived, as Bondi Beach walked into Norfolk and beat the Seawolves in the first playoff game, 27-16. Coward only gained 26 yards on 7 carries, and proceeded to leave the locker room quickly after the defeat telling reporters "That's why I've been done with this team.".

ISFL career

Career statistics			Rushing					Receiving
Season	Team	Games	Att	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD	Rec	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD
2056 (S41)	Copperheads	16	194	799	4.1	48	14	20	141	7	36	0
2057 (S42)	Copperheads	16	213	911	4.3	53	9	28	185	6.6	16	0
2058 (S43)	Copperheads	16	180	888	4.9	57	9	25	200	8.0	42	3
2059 (S44)	Copperheads	16	247	1170	4.7	49	14	37	285	7.7	32	1
2060 (S45)	Copperheads	16	275	1273	4.6	58	13	59	464	7.9	40	5
2061 (S46)	Copperheads	16	288	1304	4.5	61	9	57	564	9.9	65	4

2056: The Austin Copperheads called Coward up to the big leagues, and while he wasn't happy about having to split time with incumbent start Jeff Newman, he had a much better attitude about the split. Coward did not disappoint, as he got better and better as the season wore on. By the time the season ended, the rookie rushed for 799 yards on 194 carries, and found the end zone a whopping 14 times! He also added 141 receiving yards, for a total of 940 yards of offense this season. However, while Coward was good, the team was not. Austin went 7-9 and finished outside of the playoffs, which was horrible for a team that went into the season with Ultimus expectations. Instead, a 4-3 record quickly became a 4-9 record after a 6 game losing streak that ruined the Copperheads' playoff chances. Naturally, Austin righted the ship in too little/too late fashion, winning their last 3 games to damage their chances at the 1st overall pick. The Copperheads look to retool and compete next season.

2057: Coward's second season in the ISFL was closer to what he was expecting when he was called up in 2056. The Copperheads played much more to their potential, jumping out to a 7-2 start and looking every bit as dominant as they should be. However, they ended the season 3-4, finishing with a 10-6 record which is usually good enough for a playoff berth. Not this season. Honolulu finished 10-6 as well (Arizona was 13-3 and New York was 11-5) and even though Austin had a better offense AND defense than the Hahalua, and they split the season series 1-1 where the victor won by 11 points (Austin won 38-27, Honolulu won 21-10), some weird tie breaker still put Honolulu in the playoffs. To add salt into the wound, Berlin (9-7) and Yellowknife (8-8) made the playoffs despite being inferior teams as well. This caused some conversations about how to fix such a scenario where lesser teams make the playoffs, but nothing really came of it. Missing the playoffs for a second season was disappointing for Coward, who saw his role increased a bit this season. He gained 911 yards on the ground to go along with 185 yards receiving, both improvements from his rookie season giving him 1096 total yards of offense. He still is blocked from reaching his full potential by Jeff Newman however, and his touchdowns dipped from 14 to 9. Coward looks to break 1000 yards rushing in 2058.

2058: Despite the modest goal of 1000 yards rushing for Coward, the Austin Copperheads decided it would be better for him to get the ball less this season. Coward only started 8 games, after starting 15 the year before. Coward upped his yards per rush to 4.9, which placed him right up there with the leaders this season. However, with Austin only giving him the ball 180 times (down from 213 the year before), he could only get to 888 yards this season on the ground. He did set a new personal record with 200 receiving yards, but on fewer touches than the season before. He also got his first three receiving touchdowns in his ISFL career, after being shut out in his first two seasons. That gave Coward 12 total TDs this season, which was up from the year before. It comes as no surprise that the lack of using Coward led to the Austin Copperheads proceeding to fail yet again, going 7-8-1 and yet again missing the playoffs. Granted, they put up 420 points, but allowed 402. Both numbers put them far behind the best teams in the league: The World Champion Baltimore Hawks, and Runner up New York Silverbacks. It's becoming increasingly clear to Coward that his lack of usage on a team that constantly fails to win are correlated, and with his contract up sooner than later, we're going to see quite the free agent frenzy before you know it.

2059: With the Copperheads' Ultimus window starting to close, they finally figured out the right thing to do was to lean on the running game and boy did it pay dividends. Howard Coward finished 4th in rushing yards with 1170, only 18 behind 2nd place. Getting 247 carries was a big jump for Coward, who also managed to get 14 touchdowns on the ground, tying his career high from his rookie season in the ISFL. Coward also set career highs in receiving with 37 catches and 285 yards. Jeff Newman also got into the act, gaining 1027 yards himself on 211 carries and rushing for 11 TDs! The Austin rushing attack was top notch last season, as the Copperheads went 10-6 and made the playoffs for the first time in Coward's career. The playoffs would pit Austin against the New York Silverbacks, and it would come with a ton of heartbreak. With Austin trailing 27-17 in the 4th quarter, Queen Elizabeth hit Oliver Tolliver for a 36 yard touchdown to cut the lead to 27-24 with 7:46 remaining. After a strong defensive stand, Austin had the ball with 4:55 left on the clock at their own 1 yard line. Austin proceeded to march down the field, using their timeouts and the 2 minute warning to get 1st and Goal from the NY 9 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Austin hit a 4 yard gain with 52 seconds left, and this is where things went wrong. For reasons unknown to football minds everywhere, Austin WASTED a 3rd down and spiked the ball to stop the clock with 45 seconds left! There was absolutely no need for that to happen, as there was more than enough time to run two plays. After the spike, Austin then decides to go for the win instead of the tying the game and going to overtime when they have all the momentum! The Riddler would knock down Queen's pass to Oliver Tolliver on 4th and Goal and New York would win the game. It was an peculiar set of decisions that infuriated Coward (19 carries for 67 yards rushing in the game) and had him considering exercising his player option to go elsewhere. Despite some incredible offers from some other clubs, Coward eventually worked things out with Austin, and 2060 looks to be a big year for the running back.

2060: The Austin Copperheads came into this season unsure of what the offense was going to look like. Jay Cue III, the hot shot new rookie was given the starter's role after The Queen retired. With a brand new rookie QB, Austin figured to lean heavily on its running game once again, as it worked so well last season. That wasn't quite the case however. Jeff Newman slid into the WR3 role (and occasional RB2 when needed), which meant that Howard Coward would be the bellcow RB1 for the first time in his career. And he was, getting a career high 275 carries compared to only 71 for Newman (Last year was split 247-211). Those weren't the only career highs Coward earned this season, as Coward earned 1273 yards on the ground, placing him 6th in the league, although he was 3rd in yards per carry at 4.6. Everyone who finished above him in total yards also had a lot more carries than he did. But, Austin got back into its' pass happy ways yet again, and Coward also set career highs in receptions (59), receiving yards (464), and receiving TDs (5). Combined with his 13 rushing TDs, Coward ALSO set a career high in total TDs with 18. As good as the individual accolades were for Coward, his focus has also been about winning. The sting of last season's playoff loss was fresh in the minds of the Copperheads, and they came out strong, beating Arizona and lowly New Orleans to start 2-0. The rest of the season was a model of inconsistency. Austin never strung together more than 2 wins (or 2 losses) in a row, losing quite a few games where they scored over 31 points. The offense was VERY good, and JC3, as a rookie, lead the league in passer rating, throwing 31 TDs to only 11 interceptions (very good for a rookie in this league) and completing 64.6% of his passes. The offense ranked 3rd in Points For with 448, behind only Honolulu (486) and Cape Town (469). The problem was the defense, who struggled to stop anyone, and they finished 3rd in Points Against with 437, ahead of only Yellowknife (483) and Cape Town (486). Because of the defense's lapses, Austin went from a probable 12-4 team, to being 8-7 heading into a Week 16 matchup with Orange County, on the road, in what was essentially a playoff game. And for three quarters, Austin looked like they typically do in the playoffs - disappointing. A 32 yard FG by OCO with 14:43 remaining in the game gave them a 24-13 lead. Austin's response was a punt after throwing twice on 2nd/3rd and inches. Then after a 3 and out, Cue threw an interception which lead to a missed 52 yard FG by OCO. Austin got the ball back with 6:15 remaining. Coward went to work on this drive. 13 plays on this drive, with Coward getting 6 carries for 38 yards (they needed 58 yards to score), capped off with a JC3 TD pass to Tolliver for a TD to make it 24-19 with 2:12 remaining. Austin went for two points, and Coward was tackled in the backfield, no good. OCO would recover the onside kick, and just had to run out the clock. On the first play, OCO fumbled and Austin recovered! The next play was a JC3 pass to Beeblebrox for a 49 yard TD. Coward got this 2 point conversion, and it was 27-24 Austin with 1:28 remaining! The defense took over after that, breaking up 3 straight passes before a Tank McGibbons sack on 4th and 15 (for a ten yard loss) gave Austin 1st and Goal from the OCO 7 with 55 seconds to play. OCO still had their timeouts and could get the ball back, but a Sean Aldrich rushing TD put Austin up 34-24 to seal the victory. OCO scored with no time left to cause the game to finish 34-31, but the Copperheads still finished off one of the greatest comebacks in ISFL history, being down 11 with 2:12 to play, and winning by 3, and making the playoffs as the #2 seed in the ASFC. In the first playoff matchup, at home against Arizona, the Outlaws took a 19-10 lead with 3:39 left in the first half. And that would be all they'd score as the Austin defense shut them down in the second half, and Howard Coward would score 3 straight TDs (with a Charlie Brown FG in there) to put Austin up 34-19, and they'd go on to win 41-19 to earn a spot in the ASFC title game in Honolulu. Honolulu was 2-0 against Austin this season, winning 31-23 in Austin and 41-17 in Honolulu. The teams would trade TDs throughout the game, but the new look Austin defense would hold Honolulu to only 14 points in the second half, while Austin would not be denied, and they won 42-35 with Coward rushing for 115 yards for the second straight playoff game for 1 TD, and he added 74 yards and a TD receiving as well, being named Player of the Game for the second straight week. Austin's reward was a trip to the Ultimus to face off against Sarasota, who beat Austin 37-31 in the regular season. The end result? One of the best Ultimus Bowls of all time. The teams traded scores throughout the game, with neither team having more than a 7 point lead. With the teams tied 24-24, Charlie Brown would miss a FG for Austin with 1:46 remaining in the game, giving Sarasota the ball at their own 42 with their timeouts. After an incompletion, Miller would complete passes of 38 and 16 yards to get Sarasota to the Austin 3 yard line, and Ace Anderson would punch it in to give Sarasota a 31-24 lead with 1:05 left in the Ultimus! Jay Cue and Jeff Newman would carve up the Sarasota defense, as Cue would complete 4 of 5 passes to get Austin to 1st and Goal at the Sarasota 9 yard line, with Newman having 3 of those catches for 55 yards. After a spike to make it 2nd and Goal, Cue would find Delores Bickerman for the game tying TD with 20 seconds left! The game would go into overtime, tied 31-31. Austin would get the ball first, and they'd move the ball down the field (aided by an unnecessary roughness penalty) before stalling out at the Sarasota 17 yard line after throwing twice having 2nd and 1. They kicked the FG, and Sarasota would get a turn. A 37 yard kick return gave Sarasota the ball at their own 39 yard line, and after a false start, Miller would try to throw a short pass to Lucius Salem that was intercepted by Walter Gunther! Game over, Austin wins the Ultimus 34-31!

2061: The Austin Copperheads came into the season ready to defend their championship. If there was one area they needed to improve from last season, it was the defense, and they sure did just that, allowing only 339 points (nearly 100 less than the year before). The offense was still good, but it wasn't great in terms of scoring, as they scored 390 points, down from last season's 448. Howard Coward was looking to build on his season from the year before, and he did exactly that in terms of yardage, gaining a career high 1304 yards rushing, and a career high 564 yards receiving. However, his total touchdown output was his lowest in years, finding the endzone a total of 13 times (down from 18 the year before). But either way, Austin started HOT out of the gate, starting 6-0 with a win over Arizona. The wheels fell off a little after that, with Austin alternating wins and losses before losing the last two games of the season. That 4-6 stretch put them at 10-6, which was good enough to back into the playoffs over San Jose. Despite going into Orange County against a favored Otters team in the playoffs, Austin walked away with a 38-31 victory in a hard fought game. Howard Coward was a big part of the game, rushing for 84 yards on 14 carries and 1 touchdown on the ground, and also adding 5 catches for 76 yards and 1 touchdown through the air. 160 total yards and 2 TDs was a great game for Coward. Against Arizona the next week, however, was not good for Austin. The Outlaws jumped out to a 31-0 lead with 2 minutes left in the first half, causing Austin to have to throw the ball more than ever. Coward would finish with only 7 rushes, but he gained 85 yards on those few carries, and also scored a 41 yard TD in the second half. He would add 76 yards on 3 catches as well, but it was all for nothing as Arizona walked to a 38-17 victory over the Copperheads. Arizona would then go on to win the Ultimus the next week. It was a good season for Austin, but it didn't quite reach the excitement of the year before, obviously.

Achievements and records

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