IHOF: Maassluis Merchantmen

[Alf]

Sud-Ouest , Sept 27th

It is with a raining day that the Vineyards will open the season vs Maassluis. These two trading partner teams are also playing in the same division and some familiar faces will have changed jerseys during the off-season. DE Wells is the most notable guy. The press in Bordeaux is predicting him to run all over rookie QB Flannery and put pressure on him constantly.

Despite being favored by 3 points in Vegas, we expect Maassluis to lose vs Bordeaux to respect tradition.

[MIJB#19]

Sud-Ouest , Sept 27th

It is with a raining day that the Vineyards will open the season vs Maassluis. These two trading partner teams are also playing in the same division and some familiar faces will have changed jerseys during the off-season. DE Wells is the most notable guy. The press in Bordeaux is predicting him to run all over rookie QB Flannery and put pressure on him constantly.

Despite being favored by 3 points in Vegas, we expect Maassluis to lose vs Bordeaux to respect tradition. ;)

The breaking news is that Bordeaux today announced the addition of two- time Offensive Player of the Year and two-time rushing leader Huey Gervais. Not good for us at all, yet, Gervais won't be playing a lead role for the Vineyards in week 1 as it is a last minute trade, or that's what we hope... :o

If needed, we'll put Cody Cluff and Charles Gomez on him, those are guys Gervais never faced before and, granted, Gervais can't do it against the better run defenses.

It's also interesting news for former-Merchantmen quarterback Leonard Lyon, who now has the rookie #3 overall pick Raymond Flowers running from behind him.

Talking of former Merchantmen players, here's a list of ex-Merchantmen who have a job elsewhere in the IHOF:
TE Jerry Aubrey - Rochester - backup tight end
FB Mark Burger - Fort Worth - starting fullback
LG Alvin Causey - Bordeaux - starting left guard
DE Deon Chapa - Rochester - starting right end
WR Amos Collins - Rochester - starting split end
DE Cecil Doney - Tucker - running downs end
DT Robert Duong - Fairbanks - starting defensive tackle
SS Percy Francis - Outer Banks - backup safety
DT Andrew King - Springfield - running downs defensive tackle
FB Vincent Lopez - Boulder - starting/backup fullback
QB Leonard Lyon - Springfield - starting quarterback
WR Raul Marshall - Fairbanks - backup flanker/#3 wide-out
SS Wiley McGhee - Georgia - starting #2 cornerback
DE Junior McKeehan - Columbus - backup left end/released?
CB Dennis Preciado - Conyers - nickelback/dime back
MLB Matt Sellers - Fairbanks - backup mid-tackle
QB Antoine Shepard - Paris - #3 quarterback/released?
FS Randal Smith - Paris - starting/backup safety
CB Angel Tong - Astoria - role as nickelback
WR Fredric Vargas - North Plainfield - starting split end
DE Harold Wells - Bordeaux - starting left end

As you can see, at least 10 players are likely to be starters this opening round of games, being optimistic it could add up to about 15. Substract the number of acquired starters we have (13) and te figure makes perfectly sense.

[MIJB#19]

Week 1 Recap

Merchantmen lose, Flannery shines, Wayne out for season
The Maassluis Merchantmen played the Bordeaux Vineyards in the first game of the 2006 season. The Vineyards were clear favorites to win and pulled it of with a 27-21 victory on the road. The score looked close, yet the Merchantmen defense was horrific and allowed 159 yards rushing and 216 yards passing. The offense couldn't make up for getting out yarded 3:2 while having a -2 turnover margin. Especially the third down numbers from Bordeaux were worrisome.

Louie Flannery tried to do his best to avoid a big loss. Flan' made his pro debut and put his name on the headlines, leading the league this week with 3 passing touchdowns. In total, Flannery completed just 15 (of 28) passes, yet the yardage total of 199 and the touchdown figure (3) made up for the big mistakes. Flannery threw 1 interception and he fumbles also once, yet recovered his own fumble and Randy Harris' a few plays later. With a passer rating of 97.1, Flannery ranks sixth in the IHOF after one weekend.

The defense took a big blow in the game. Cornerback Tai Wayne got injured early in the game and was diagnosised with a high ankle sprain. Wayne is expected to miss the entire season and will be put on injured reserve. After losing safety Richard Muller for the year and trading veterans Dennis Preciado and Wiley McGhee, all four starters in 2005 are unavailable for the Merchantmen. The new secondary will be formed by former Orlando Knights Gus Stoffers and Johnnie Stidham, 2004 starter Lincoln Gilmore and 2005 backup John Cole. It doesn't bode well for the already very weak pass defense.

European rivals in action
The Gothenburg Giants played like they always were without Jerry McGee and won easily with 28-14. Duane Davis struggled a bit, but made up in the end and tossed for 263 yards and 1 score versus 1 interception. Davis added a rushing touchdown to make up for the fact that his interception was returned for a score. The Musketeers scored only one offensive touchdown. Horace Hornbeck, acquired from Gothenburg in trade, made a 55-yard reception on a pass from Mario Hudson. 'Super Mario' passed for 200 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. It seems Hudson is not completely done maturing.

Other news around the IHOF
The team of the week I called out, the Boulder Blizzard, kicked off with a small win on the road at the San Luis Obispo Burn. Fumbles almost made them lose the game, but new quarterback Julius Irvine was the personification of the new Blizzard team with 218 yards passing, 30 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.

In other news, the defending champions Ann Arbor Anachronism started with a 23-13 victory. The AOC champions Conyers Condors lost 10-27 at home to the Orlando Knights. The other favorites to get far into the post-season had disappointing season starts. The Telluride Outlaws lost 24-27 at San Antonio Volunteers, the Chesapeake Chitterlings lost 17-18 in a fourth quarter comeback from Frederick Red Menace and the North Plainfield Plague were beaten 10-19 at the Boston Rhinos. The Fairbanks Norhtstars escaped in overtime with a 20-17 win at the Anaheim Matterhorns.

Some other notable results: the Rochester Lake Monsters kicked of with a 29-21 victory of the hated Syracuse Mohawks. Ex-Merchantmen fullback Mark Burger had a key role in Fort Worth Fury's 21-0 big win over the Vicksburg Vipers. With 266 yards passing, Leonard Lyon earned MVP honors in his Springfield Isotopes debut as he lead his men to a big 31-17 win over the division holders Outer Banks Ospreys. And last, but not least, the #1 pick Seth Dwight quarterbacked his Astoria Heroes to a 20-12 victory with 190 yards passing and a touchdown.

Standings
1-0 Gothenburg
1-0 Bordeaux
0-1 Maassluis
0-1 Paris

Schedule
Gothenburg visits Anaheim Matterhorns. The Matterhorns almost pulled of the upset against the 2004 champs from Fairbanks,
Bordeaux plays at home against Fairbanks. For both teams it will be a true test to see how ready they are for the league title.
Paris plays at home against the Boulder Blizzard. The Blizzard hope to already double their 2005 wins with a revamped team.
Maassluis goes back to California for a game against the San Luis Obispo Burn. This pre-season, the Burn won 14-12 while Louie Flannery showed an amazing fourth quarter comeback to almost tie the score, yet the two-point conversion failed with no time remaining.

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Let's sum up what happened:
* we lost the game
* we sucked on pass defense
* we lost our best pass defender
* we allowed Rashad Burse to 121 yards, while we held him to 50 twice in 2005
* Flannery looked good
* Kershner is still not developing, despite having a personal mentor
* our backup linemen think they are too good to ride the bench

First the bad news mentioned first. We lost and it wasn't good at all. If we didn't have that young quarterback passing for us, this game had been over before the fourth quarter. Our defense sucked and the new pass defense scheme was tested and didn't look good at all. Granted, Joe Johnson to Toby Williams is tough to stop, especially if the only guy able to contain Williams, Tai Wayne, goes out for the year.

The fact that Mike Kershner is still not developing worries me too. I acquired Josh Weisberg to be a worthy backup and personal mentor to make him a better linebacker, yet he still isn't developing enough. Maybe it's because of our tendency to pull him for a nickelback. C'mon Mike, you're our future!

Then the backup linemen. Eric Dietrich and Edgar Dunkin, clearly backups on the team, both think they deserve more than just being a backup player. Morons... The addition of mentor Lane Stedman seems to help and both starters at guard (Butch White and Timothy Lacy) seem to improve. Dietrich should see he's the number three there. And Edgar Dunkin? Well, backup up Harold Hurtado, a former All IHOF second teamer, that should be an honor. Especially if there's a big name like Wilson Grimaldo mentoring you. Right now, I have no idea how to cope with it...

Next game, San Luis Obispo. The Burn are cursed or something, they have 15 players battling injuries, of which one has been put on injured reserve. Their quarterback, Curtis Corbett, is a guy to watch with interesting weaknesses in several areas of passing distances. The Burn have been underachievers in the past and we can only hope they'll be again this Thursday.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention my player of the year nominees this week. Five names for the first three points, from fifth to best this week, I rank:
0 points for Gregory Monti - the flanker had 4 catches for 78 yards, including 1 touchdown
0 points for Butch White - the left guard had 3 key run blocks (75%) and didn't allow a sack
1 point for Ellsworth Thelen - the strong side linebacker made 7 tackles and defended 2 passes while allowing 1 catch
2 points for Charles Gomez - the defensive tackle made 9 tackles, 5 assists and hurried the quarterback into a bad throw 2 times; in all three areas he lead the team
3 points for Louie Flannery - the quarterback tossed 3 touchdowns in his first game and kept the team closer that we really were

And for those wondering, Louie Flannery got sacked twice, indeed once by Harold Wells and indeed it was the play forcing Flan' to fumble...

[Alf]

A few Bordeaux notes on the game

- our 3rd down conversion of 70+% is great news to us
- we hold the ball over 40:30 minutes to Maassluis 18:30 minutes. That is decisive too
- Burse did ran well, but this is primarily due to the fact that Bordeaux has an improved OL (4 new starters) rather than a truely sucky Maassluis DL
- Gervais only dressed up as RB#3 due to miscommunication between me and his agent
- Flannery got sacked twice, once by DE Wells, once by DT Hammer, but he did looked good. Good pick Matthijs !
- The injury to CB Wayne is a crucial loss. I think this will make the playoffs even more difficult to reach for Maassluis

[MIJB#19]

A couple of replies to Alf's notes:

- our 3rd down conversion of 70+% is great news to us
Yes, that was aweful. I wish there were special third down settings to change, yet they hardly exsist in the game. It probably has to do with the new pass defense allowing too much free room to run through. I guess I need two game plans from now on: the one I used for bad passing offenses and a special risks on passing downs game plan for teams like Bordeaux with a great passer and receiver.

- we hold the ball over 40:30 minutes to Maassluis 18:30 minutes. That is decisive tooI didn't even see the time management stats until you pointed this out. That's just plain horrible, the worst time of possession I've seen so far in the IHOF, I think.

- Burse did ran well, but this is primarily due to the fact that Bordeaux has an improved OL (4 new starters) rather than a truely sucky Maassluis DLNo excuse, the run defense was our charm and even if we held the Vineyards to 3.2 yards per carry, 159 yards is too much.

- Gervais only dressed up as RB#3 due to miscommunication between me and his agentWeek 10, Gervais will show how good he can be against us.

- Flannery got sacked twice, once by DE Wells, once by DT Hammer, but he did looked good. Good pick Matthijs !Thanks.
I knew that Flannery already knows all the formations we use, so I figured he'd fit right into our offense, at least better than Leonard Lyon. His 2-minute offense skill and 3rd down skill will be crucial over time, I think, altough we've been a good 3rd down offense in the past with McDavid, who isn't a 3rd down specialist.

- The injury to CB Wayne is a crucial loss. I think this will make the playoffs even more difficult to reach for MaassluisGuess who'll be starting: It's either both the two corners we got from Orlando or at least one of them joined by undrafted rookie Myron Stevens.

[flere-imsaho]

Tough first loss, but I'll be rooting for you to pull it together!!! :D

[MIJB#19]

Tough first loss, but I'll be rooting for you to pull it together!!! :DThanks. It will be a tough season, afterall. Our roster is ranked as the worst of the AOC conference and with the "most improved" tag, people might even expect something from us. The Bordeaux loss was bad, worse than the score reads and without Tai Wayne it won't get much easier.
I'm currently making the game plan for week 2 against San Luis Obispo, I can only hope that having Flannery is enough to be 1-1 next Thursday.

[MIJB#19]

Week 2 Preview

European Division previews
Maassluis at San Luis Obispo
After a disappointing 0-1 start at home, there's nothing wrong with the desire to set things straight in week two. The Burn are still trying to find ways to win games, or even better, avoid losing them. The Merchantmen have found winning ways in 2005 and Louie Flannery looks like an upgrade over Leonard Lyon. Both team currently rank in the worst 5 in rushing yards allowed and the worst 10 in yards per pass attempt and third down defense. The fans in California should get ready for a high scoring game, set the over/under at 50 points people!

Gothenburg at Anaheim
The Giants hardly missed Jerry McGee or Alfredo Bass and that is a good thing for them. The Matterhorns are of similair quality as Paris so this won't be a real test yet to see whether the Giants are potential division winners.

Bordeaux versus Fairbanks
The IHOF's game of the week has a big matchup here with the two conference runner-ups. Fairbanks went of with a narrow escape win in overtime after having a difficult off-season, while Bordeaux traded in fresh meat to go for a win-now scenario.

Paris versus Boulder
The Musketeers were 2-14, the Blizzard 1-15, both were their conference's worst. The big difference is the way the team are rebuilding: Paris drafted rookies, Boulder traded their draft pick value for players. For both this will be a big test to see whether they can beat relative weak opponents.

MIJB's power rankings
The first round of games are in, let's see how team progressed and such. Given are the rankings, last weeks rankings and the current record.

32 (32) - Paris (0-1) - The rebuilding is continuing, 2006 will be a long, but not longer than 16 games.
31 (31) - Georgia (0-1) - 234 total yards and a completion percentage of 45% scream for a losing season.
30 (30) - San Luis Obispo (0-1) - The way the Burn manage to give games away, it's almost art.
29 (24) - Miami (0-1) - Still relying on Woodrow Taylor, there will be more choking in 2006.
28 (29) - Anaheim (0-1) - They almost beat Fairbanks. Indeed, almost.
27 (21) - Maassluis (0-1) - The pass defense was already woeful and now they lost Tai Wayne too, ouch.
26 (20) - Minnesota (0-1) - New quarterback, same old story: too many touchdowns thrown the wrong way.
25 (17) - Vicksburg (0-1) - Guess we'll be seeing the earl 2005 Vipers and not the 5-1 season end Vipers.
24 (19) - Brooklyn (0-1) - When you're facing 3rd and 9 again and again, scoring will be tough all year.
23 (27) - Springfield (1-0) - Huey-who? The Isotopes are 1-0 without him.
22 (23) - Boulder (1-0) - Julius Irvine makes his mark, the Blizzard are a team to watch out for.
21 (28) - Orlando (1-0) - The Knights are not rebuilding, they're the same old with just a new passer.
20 (26) - Asheville (1-0) - Who's talking about Thad when Ben Erb runs for 145 yards a scores 4 times.
19 (25) - Boston (1-0) - Winning is good, but it was mainly due to David Conti's 3 interceptions.
18 (18) - Frederick (1-0) - A great fourth quarter comeback win, but it doesn't show they're better.
17 (15) - Conyers (0-1) - The Condors picked up where they left in 2005, with a big loss.
16 (22) - Gothenburg (1-0) - Duane Davis passes the first test, he can win games without Jerry McGee.
15 (14) - Syracuse (0-1) - A defense with Joe Teeters giving up 379 yards, that's not playoff material.
14 (16) - RayCo (1-0) - If only they could play the Miners offense 16 times, they'd reach the playoffs.
13 (11) - Outer Banks (0-1) - The score was a bit wacky, but stats were clear, the Ospreys were unlucky.
12 (10) - Columbus (0-1) - It's a miracle if a defense allowing 468 yards can keep the team in the game.
11 (07) - Chesapeake (0-1) - Knowing 48% and 2 picks is bad, Canter looks over his shoulder.
10 (12) - Astoria (1-0) - Air Force One has landed winning the first battle, but the war isn't over yet.
09 (08) - Telluride (0-1) - 50% completed, 2 interceptions, too early to call Norm Rizzo too old?
08 (13) - San Antonio (1-0) - That first win was great, but they need to fix the leaky offensive line.
07 (09) - Fort Worth (1-0) - The offense clicks, the defense makes plays, don't underestimate the Fury.
06 (03) - North Plainfield (0-1) - We'll see the old Plague back, Conti won't be that bad all year.
05 (06) - Tucker (1-0) - Nothing wrong with that week 1 performance, the Tigers are playoff material.
04 (05) - Rochester (1-0) - The Lake Monsters are starting strong again, can they keep it up this year?
03 (02) - Fairbanks (1-0) - Great teams sometimes win lucky games, that makes Joey Allen & co. great.
02 (04) - Bordeaux (1-0) - They were just the Merchantmen, but the dominance bodes well for more.
01 (01) - Ann Arbor (1-0) - The champs kickoff with an amazing show, only the big score was missing.

[Kodos]

I can't help but think the Lake Monsters are overrated in your poll. Not that I mind. :)


TE Jerry Aubrey - Rochester - backup tight end

Jerry is indeed the backup, but he will get a lot of PT, as we use a lot of 2 tight end sets and have him as the lone tight end in a couple of formations. And he already has his first TD as a Lake Monster. :)

[Alf]

According to MIJB, Fairbanks at Bordeaux should be the game to watch. That's good news as Dr K from MNF agrees too ! I am flattered.

[MIJB#19]

I can't help but think the Lake Monsters are overrated in your poll. Not that I mind. :)


TE Jerry Aubrey - Rochester - backup tight end

Jerry is indeed the backup, but he will get a lot of PT, as we use a lot of 2 tight end sets and have him as the lone tight end in a couple of formations. And he already has his first TD as a Lake Monster. :)I noticed that too. I know Aubrey plays better than rated. ;)

[flere-imsaho]

I may be gravely mistaken, but didn't someone on the IHOF boards do Week reviews of the games last year. They'd include a line that said "It was over when..." Or was that someone's dynasty?

[MIJB#19]

I may be gravely mistaken, but didn't someone on the IHOF boards do Week reviews of the games last year. They'd include a line that said "It was over when..." Or was that someone's dynasty?It was the Dr K. week review.

[Darkiller]

great to see power rankings, I felt this is something that had to be done : great stuff.
however, sad to see us ranked 32nd and last. But until we get a win, we won't be considered.

Looking at the European teams schedule in week2, I can't help but think we have a shot at coming right back into it :
Bordeaux Vs Fairbanks : the Northstars can (should ?) win.
Gothenburg...is on the road : no sure thing.
Maassluis...is on the road : no sure thing, at all.
Paris is home and plays Boulder (an improved team that won in week 1, but still, 1-15 last year and the worst record overall in the league's first two seasons) : we have a chance.

All in all, Paris has a shot at being 1-1 with Bordeaux and Gothenburg being 1-1 as well, and Maassluis 0-2 (or 1-1).

[MIJB#19]

Press release: Merchantmen put cornerback Wayne on IR
The Merchantmen management is devasted having to announce that cornerback Tai Wayne was put on injured reserve. Wayne suffered a high ankle sprain early in the home game against the Bordeaux Vineyards. With Wayne expected to not be completely recovered until midway the playoffs, the team has decided not to risk agrevating injuries.

Drafted at #12 overall in the 2005 draft, Tai Wayne has been seen as the Merchantmen's answer for a shutdown cornerback. Wayne's 2005 campaign wasn't very succesful, but his dominant pre-season play against backup receveires told the team he was ready for single-handedly improving the poor pass defense shown in 2005.

The supposed to be backup Dennis Preciado was traded after training camp. To fill the void, the team is weighing the options. One option is to find a backup elsewhere in the IHOF who would be an immediate upgrade for the Merchantmen. The other option is to go with the current personnel.

For the road game at the San Luis Obispo Burn the team will probably move Gus Stoffers from #2 to #1. Either nickel back Johnnie Stidham or dime back Myron Stevens will be the #2 cornerback. Another option would be to play backup safety Emile William at cornerback and activate late fifth round pick Lamar Singleton.

As a sidenote, the addition of guard Lane Stedman from the Columbus Architects hasn't gone unnoticed. Stedman and left tackle Harold Hurtado are not the best of friends, while backup guard Eric Dietrich fears for his role. On the other hand, young starting guards Timothy Lacy and Butch White are mentored well and made good progress the past week.

[MIJB#19]

Week 2 Recap

Merchantmen win, Flannery flames the Burn to defeat
In an exciting game of football, the Maassluis Merchantmen have won a big shootout game at the San Luis Obispo Burn. In overtime, defensive tackle Charles Gomez returned a fumble after sacking the Burn quarterback Curtis Corbett 8 yards for the game winning score. The final score of 36-30 marked the first time in IHOF history a losing team score 30 or more points. Quarterback Louie Flannery earned MVP honors in the win.

The Merchantmen took an early lead and basically led most of the game. At half time, the visiting team had a 16-6 lead and kept the margin alive until midway the fourth quarter. As Matt Offord ran 88 yards on a big punt return to score, the Merchantmen went up 14 points and the win looked secure. Dana Stenstrom pulled a big play on the next play with a 84-yard touchdown run. What followed was some big fourth quarter heroism from Curtis Corbett ending in his onw 3-yard touchdown run. Elas, in overtime Corbett fumbled after getting sacked near his own endzone and Charles Gomez made the early leaders of the game the winners.

The San Luis Obispo Burn dominated the game on offense and defense for mostof the game. Quarterback Curtis Corbett lead the team with 337 yards passing as the team gained 547 yards total on offense in less than 30 minutes of possession. With almost 200 yards less on offense, the Merchantmen did pull the upset with some excellent special teams play, forcing very little returning yards and making one big play on their own. Rookie Matt Offord had a great 88-yard punt return, punter Roscoe Corrales excelled and didn't allow a punt return and kicker Cary Coles scored 3 field goals and 3 extra points. Also very interesting was kicker Al Bettis' showing as he made several touchbacks and never saw the kickoff returner exceed the 21-yard line.

Louie Flannery completed 26 of 37 passes (70%) for 264 yards (7.1 per attempt, 10.2 per completion) and 1 touchdown. His main target, Bryce Ewald, caught 8 passes for 115 yards, while tight end Jim Reiser had an equal number of receptions for 69 yards and the score. The only other offensive touchdown was scored by Jamal Rosenberry on a 1-yard run. With this showing, Flannery ranks fifth in the league in passer rating and second in touchdowns. Amazingly, two other European division playcallers, Duane Davis (Gothenburg) and Joe Johnson (Bordeaux) are the top two in passer rating.

Good news is that the team didn't see another injury come to haunt the team. Gregory Monti is still not completely healthy, yet could return into action next game against the Orlando Knights. Brant Heinrich got injured during the game, but is fully recovered. The long term injured quarterback Justin McDavid, cornerback Tai Wayne and safety Richard Muller of course won't play either. Based on the season so far, this game looks like another big passing game with rookie quarterbacks leading the two teams on offense. Fans of passing football should really look forward to Dutch Bowl II.


European rivals in action
The Bordeaux Vineyards pulled one of the biggest wins in team history. With excellent third down play, the Vineyards kept the team going and they took advantage of a 2-0 turnover figure to win 27-21 in a close game. Our former star player Harold Wells excelled with 3 sacks and 6 tackles, winning him Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Gothenburg played a more efficient game than the Anaheim Matterhorns. In a pretty even matchup, the Giants scored touchdowns, where the 'horns settled for fields goals a lot. The final score 30-9 for the raod playing Gothenburg was impressive nonetheless.

Paris was hoping for a break-out game from Mario Hudson against the Boulder Blizzard and clearly he kept pace with Julius Irvine. Hudson passed for 236 yards and earned MVP honors in a 16-14 win. The game winning field goal came with 13 seconds left on the clock, yet a win is a win.


Other news around the IHOF
Our good friends from Rochester, who went of to a great start in week one, lost a game completly focussed on the running game. The Asheville Axemen won 10-9 in a game with 79 rushing plays and just 31 passing plays. The Lake Monsters drop back to second place tied with the winning North Plainfield Plague and winning Syracuse Mohawks. The last mentioned beat Leonard Lyon's Springfield Isotopes 22-7 with Bill Vickers scoring 5 field goals. The Plauge shutdown the Outer Banks Ospreys in a 14-0 road victory.

In other action, the 2005 champions Ann Arbor Anachronism were upset on the road at the Georgia Gridlock. Tim Wilkes tossed for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns in the upset. Other favorites who lost in week one, the Telluride Outlaws and Chesapeake Chitterlings, bounched back with 42-3 and 38-10 wins over the Frederick Red Menace and Fort Worth Fury respectively.

The Orlando Knights, who beat the AOC champions Conyers Condors last week, lost in overtime to the Minnesota Miners. The Condors themselves and star quarterback Everett Glenn looked lost at the Columbus Architects and are 0-2. Then there are a couple of teams who are silently sitting 2-0. The RayCo Raiders beat the Tucker Tigers 24-21 while the San Antonio Volunteers won 24-16 at the Astoria Heroes.


Standings
2-0 Gothenburg
2-0 Bordeaux
1-1 Maassluis
1-1 Paris


Schedule
Bordeaux faces another big test. The 0-2 Conyers Condors come to France and the Vinyeards will gladly avenge the loss in the 2005 AOC championship game. Gothenburg goes to fellow 2-0 team San Antonio. Duane Davis is on fire and wants to continue leading the league in passer rating. Paris goes to 0-2 Vicksburg. For the Vipers an opportunity to see whether they are cellar dwellers or just below average.

Maassluis will be playing at home in Dutch Bowll II against the Orlando Knights. Rookie Michael Prescott tossed 5 interceptions so far, yet also posted back-to-back 250-yard games. With 3 touchdowns against the strong Minnesota Miners defense, Prescott is looking good. Running back Israel Mars is on fire too so far, with 2 touchdowns in week one and 138 yards rushing in week two. Interesting tidbit: three players of the Merchantmen's terrible secondary were backups for Orlando in this matchup last season. Gus Stoffers and Johnnie Stidham are Maassluis' starting cornerbacks, Emile William seems to be the primary backup at any position.


Merchantmen player of the year lists
The Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. has nominated five players for the Merchantmen player of the year lists after the game against San Luis Obispo. The five are listed from five to one in terms of perfromance. Listed below that are the current leaders in the seperate categories like best newcomer and best rookie.

Week 2 nominees:
0 points for linebacker Cody Cluff, who had 8 tackles, and right guard Timothy Lacy, who had 3 key run blocks.
1 point for Matt Offord - the wide receiver returned 1 punt for 88 yards and a score, had 3 kickoff returns for 58 yards and had a 1-yard reception.
2 points for Bryce Ewald - the wide receiver had 8 catches for 115 yards, making him an important target for Louie Flannery.
3 points for Louie Flannery - the quarterback passed for 264 yards and 1 touchdown.
4 points for Jamel Rosenberry - the fullback scored on a 1-yard run as he totalled 21 yards on 5 runs. He also added a 1-yard reception and made 2 key run blocks, both on third down plays forcing a first down.
5 points for Charles Gomez - the defensive tackle scored the gamewinning fumble recovery touchdown after making the only sack of the game. He also made 5 tackles.

Overall point total:
7 - DT Charles Gomez
6 - QB Louie Flannery
4 - FB Jamel Rosenberry
2 - WR Bryce Ewald
1 - WR Matt Offord, LB Ellsworth Thelen

[Dutch]

Maassluis will be playing at home in Dutch Bowll II against the Orlando Knights.

We are looking forward to making the trip across the big pond to meet up with the Dutchmen. We are looking forward to avenging last year's loss. We plan on unleashing the F****** Rookie (to paraphrase HFP's great logo). See you Maassluis. :)

[MIJB#19]

We are looking forward to making the trip across the big pond to meet up with the Dutchmen. We are looking forward to avenging last year's loss. We plan on unleashing the F****** Rookie (to paraphrase HFP's great logo). See you Maassluis. :)Well, it will be interesting to see the two best rookie quarterbacks in yards (Prescott 1st, Flannery 2nd) and touchdowns (Flannery 1st, Prescott 2nd) so far this season play against eachother.

I sure hope to find a way to gain a bigger lead than the 14 points against the Burn, this story of upset wins is getting really annoying. We take a lead by miracle, defend it by stopping teams in the red zone, yet do allow the opposing QB to set some impressive franchise and personal passing records.

That said, the Merchantmen have never lost a game where we allowed 500 yards passing and rushing in total. In 2+ years of IHOF play, 10 times a team allowed 500 or more yards, eight of those times that team lost (all were different teams). The two times the Merchantmen allowed so many, 501 versus Conyers in 2005 and 554 versus San Luis Obispo in 2006, our team managed to win. Maybe we should add something to the game plan to represent this: make sure we give up 500 yards and we win.

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Well, what can I say after week 2?
* Flannery keeps playing very well.
* Our special teams unit is playing like I planned it to see it play, the hang time of the kicker and punter make returning kicks for long games difficult, especially if Cody Cluff and Mike Kershner are coming at you. Rookie Al Bettis seems to be worth the roster spot I kept open for him.
* Our defense sucks, big time: 188 rushing yards per game (4.9 per carry), 276 passing yards per game (63% complete, 7.8 per attempt, 12.2 per completion),just 1 sack so far, 0 interceptions, second worst in 3rd down conversions allowed (61%) and even our old cherry on the pie, the red zone defense, has turned sour, we allow 5.6 points per visit.
* Our running game is really looking aweful. We rank 31st in yards per game (67), 32nd in yards per carry (3.0). Yet our third down running and short yardage rushing is not bad. That said, Flannery clearly loves to throw a lot and doesn't know how big Randy Harris is around here.
* Our passing offense? Well, with Flannery is part of a passing game with a completion percentage of 63%, 231 yards per game, 7.1 yards per attempt, 11.2 yards per completion and 4 touchdowns versus 1 interception. Of course, I expect that last number to increase over the course of the season.
* Flannery's pace to pull havoc on Justin McDavid's rookie passing records? 230 yd per game is on pace for 3,700 yards, 4 touchdowns means on pace for 32. The record figures are 2,904 and 19 respectively.
* Gregory Monti is still questionable with a sprained knee. I have no idea how to cope with that, whether I should make him active or not. David Henkel as a replacement was decent (4 receptions, 48 yards), he's averaging 15 yards per reception so far.

MIJB's IHOF Power Rankings - post week 2
32 (29) - Miami (0-2) - Like expected, more Woodrow Taylor interceptions, 2006 will be tough.
31 (30) - San Luis Obispo (0-2) - When you think losing can't be more painful, the Burn set a new record.
30 (32) - Paris (1-1) - If this defense can shutdown more opponents, Paris might surprise some.
29 (25) - Vicksburg (0-2) - At least they are on the scoreboard this time, yet it's still not pretty.
28 (23) - Springfield (1-1) - All of a sudden, the loss of Huey Gervais looks big after all.
27 (28) - Anaheim (0-2) - The score made things look worse than they were, yet the Matterhorns are 0-2.
26 (27) - Maassluis (1-1) - With Louie Flannery passing like a veteran, the Merchantmen will win some.
25 (22) - Boulder (1-1) - Apparently the Blizzard's talented starters aren't completely clicking yet.
24 (31) - Georgia (1-1) - Hey, there is one team in the IHOF that has found a way to beat Donald Woods.
23 (21) - Orlando (1-1) - The offense keeps producing, yet now the turnovers start messing things up.
22 (24) - Brooklyn (1-1) - The Bums force 4 turnovers and finally visit .500 land for the first time.
21 (26) - Minnesota (1-1) - The defense was gone, but the turnover battle helped the Miners to win.
20 (18) - Frederick (1-1) - Difference in yardage: -10, difference in points: 39, reason: 6 turnovers.
19 (13) - Outer Banks (0-2) - Was week one a close game, week two was almost hopeless.
18 (17) - Conyers (0-2) - Can somebody please return the real Everett Glenn, the Condors need him, now.
17 (19) - Boston (2-0) - So far, the Rhinos are mistake free, but Fabian Parker is so unpredictable.
16 (20) - Asheville (2-0) - Thad has changed his plans, this year he makes first quarter heroics.
15 (10) - Astoria (1-1) - Still a good team with a strong offense, but 'AFO's' mistakes will be pricey.
14 (07) - Fort Worth (1-1) - The offense is so-so, the defense got spanked, don't overestimate the Fury.
13 (16) - Gothenburg (2-0) - And the Duane Davis show keeps going strong, time for real competition.
10 (15) - Syracuse (1-1) - The red zone offense needs to improve and where the hell has Joe Teeters been?
11 (12) - Columbus (1-1) - A great rebound to go 1-1 against last season's IHOF Bowl teams, not bad.
12 (14) - RayCo (2-0) - The Raiders are silently beating good teams and are one of few unbeaten teams.
09 (05) - Tucker (1-1) - And so the playoff caliber Tigers are back to their usual 'win one, lose one' habit.
08 (09) - Telluride (1-1) - Good ol' Norm Rizzo played so well, his successor got some playing time too.
07 (04) - Rochester (1-1) - So, maybe Rochester isn't a real top dog yet, with just a normal 1-1 start.
06 (08) - San Antonio (2-0) - And so the Volunteers are 2-0 against playoff teams and are back on top.
05 (11) - Chesapeake (1-1) - No room for discussion, Jaime Canter makes clear week one was a fluke.
04 (03) - Fairbanks (1-1) - Joey Allen is still an elite passer, but the rest is losing it a bit.
02 (06) - North Plainfield (1-1) - Conti rebounds and the defense avenges with it's first shutout.
03 (01) - Ann Arbor (1-1) - Every winning streak has to end some day, let's call it an off-day.
01 (02) - Bordeaux (2-0) - Week two should make clear that for the title, a team has to beat Bordeaux.

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Well, not much to tell, really. I've been working the past week to get two players who should be good additions to the team. The two players, I can't give away names as of yet, will have to be team players as they will probably not even make the active roster. It's probably not so much interesting, but to me 10 little moves can make as much impact as 1 big move. Making that 1 big move would obviously have my preference, but sometimes, especially when cap management is not going well, you have to settles with the little moves.

Additionally, there are some players complaining about playing time. Additional to Eric Dietrich and Edgar Dunkin, now our other new backup guard, Lane Stedman, wants more playing time. Some players just don't understand that when we trade for them, it doesn't mean they will be starters. A kind of a similair problem is here in the secondary. There are some serious conflicts between the players there. John Cole seems to not be a popular leader. I have to take better notice of birthdates of players when hiring them the next time...

[MIJB#19]

Week 3 Recap

Merchantmen become top scoring team in Dutch Bowll II win
In a matchup between two teams lead by rookie quarterbacks, the Maassluis Merchantmen kept the imaginary Dutch Bowl in the Netherlands as they beat the by 'Dutch' owned Orlando Knights 24-13. The teams kept the score close all game, yet the more efficient Merchantmen kept the Knights from converting third downs and won in their own fashion.

The first quarter of the game set the tone for the rest of the matchup. In three drives, the Merchantmen saw Randy Harris run wild, Jamel Rosenberry make a key third down run and had Louie Flannery to spread the ball around the receivers. In the end, Harris made the scoring run from 8-yards out, yet the score was not bigger than 7-0 due to a Flannery interception.

Also in the first quarter, the Merchantmen defense set the tone for the game of the Orlando Knights. Rookie Michael Prescott was intercepted on his second pass attempt and fumbled after a sack on his fourt attempt, while on his third attempt he was forced to scramble with the ball. In their third possession, the Knights moved forward with big receptions and great runs from Israel Mars, yet going into the second quarter, the team failed on fourth down and turned the ball over.

As the game kept going, young Prescott got over the bad start and started connecting with the very good Knights' receivers. Orlando kept moving and eventually the tying touchdown came on a 24-yard pass after a 21-yard pass.
As the time ran out, both teams added a field goal to see a 10 all score at half time.

In the third quarter, the Knights got into some trouble early on. After three consecutive holding penalties, of which one was declined, Prescott was sacked for a loss of 7 yards and he faced third and 42. Louie Flannery quickly returned the favor with an interception on his first pass attempt and the Knights turned into into a 13-10 lead.

Then came the moment Flannery really got his team together. Down by three, Flannery connected twice with Jim Reiser and a big pass to David Henkel for a 43-yard gain put the Merchantmen into a scoring position. Runs from Harris put the Merchantmen to third and 2 and the three yard line, to use the Jamel Rosenberry's specialty to score from a few yards out.

In his next drive, Michael Prescott got intercepted by former Orlando cornerback Johnnie Stidham. Some back and fort punting helped the Merchantmen to get to the Knights' territory. Flannery spread the ball around, while Harris kept the predictability out of the way with some fine 4-yard runs and it resulted in Flannery's first touchdown pass of the game as Bryce Ewald grabbed the ball after a 5-yard pass.

In the remaining six plus minutes, the Merchantmen defense kept the Knights far away from the endzone and forced two three-and-outs. The Merchantmen concerned more about clokc management and eventually won the game with a total of 34:46 minutes of possession. Speacial teams play kept the Merchantmen going and eventually it looks like a relative simple victory.

After the game, it turned out that the 24 points were just enough to move the Merchantmen into first place for the league in points per game. with 81 points in three games, the Merchantmen keep their divisional rivals Bordeaux and Gothenburg behind them in what seems to be an early European domination in the AOC conference. Despite that all, the Merchantmen defense still ranks second to worst in both passing and rushing yards, while the overall total points to a league worst.

But that's trouble for later, the Merchantmen have a week off and have all the time to get ready for the road game at the Syracuse Mohawks. The new secondary leader, Laurence Gerry, who was flown on the day of the game against Orlando to join the active roster, seems to have a positive influence. Young John Cole made some enemies on the team, while the former Astoria Heroes' veteran keeps the group a happy bunch. Some even claim that Gerry was part of the reason for the Merchantmen's win, yet game MVP Randy Harris called it a team performance. As long as all three parts of the game keep making plays, the Merchantmen could be dark horses to even reach the playoffs.


European rivals in action
The Bordeaux Vineyards keep winning against the great teams. Last week Fairbanks, this week the Conyers Condors choked after a 14-0 lead to see the home team Vineyards get rolling and win 26-14. Everett 'Aces' Glenn looked more like the good old league MVP, but the pressure was on him most of the game and the IHOF's alltime leading rusher Huey Gervais won the battle of big names with 112 yards rushing, 40 yards receiving and 1 score.

Gothenburg had it's first big test in San Antonio, Texas, against the also 2-0 Volunteers. Quarterback Duane Davis and running back Cecil Maxwell formed the backbone of the Giants, while the defense really managed to keep the Volunteers from playing well. The 19-13 win looks closer than it was as San Antonio needed a last minute touchdown to get closer from 13 points down.

Paris hoped to get into a 2-1 record with a game against the winless Vicksburg Vipers. Rookie running back Ronnie Kemp put his motor legs on as he racked up 153 yards on 30 runs with 2 touchdowns, of which one was a receiving score. Fernando Ramsey, a familiar face to the European division as Ramsey used to be Bordeaux' hero, played a bad game as he missed 2 extra points and a 29-yard field goal. Final score was Vicksburg 29, Paris 18.


Other news around the IHOF
A lot of surprises once again this week as some of the league favorites are really not doing very well so far this season. The league champions Ann Arbor Anachronism lost 23-24 on a missed extra point at home to the Outer Banks Ospreys. In the game, Donald Woods tossed 3 interceptions, but so did his former understudy E.G. 'The Great' Lumpin. The pressure to win games is back on Ann Arbor, yet the champs did have a 1-2 start in 2005 as well.

In a big matchup against the Chesapeake Chitterlings, the 2004 champions Fairbanks Northstars were shutdown 21-0, with 14 of those points coming from interception return touchdowns. The North Plainfield Plague steam rolled over the Telluride Outlaws with a big 24-6 victory, yet the game was dominated by 3 turnovers from Outlaws' Norm Rizzo. The RayCo Raiders wasted their unbeaten status with a 17-19 loss at home, despite not allowing a single offensive touchdown, except a fumble return. The other 2-0 team, the Boston Rhinos, lost 17-31 at the Georgia Gridlock.

Other interesting scores? The Rochester Lake Monsters outplayed the Tucker Tigers with 418 to 282 yards, yet needed a late touchdown to win 29-28 on the road. The Joe Teeters gang allowed the Fort Worth Fury to gain more yards, yet saw Brent Peterman show some of his promised talent as the Syracuse Mohawks won 13-12 at home. Seth Dwight, the #1 pick, made the headlines with a touchdown pass in both directions in a close 10-13 loss at home against the Columbus Architects.


Standings
3-0 Gothenburg
3-0 Bordeaux
2-1 Maassluis
1-2 Paris


Schedule
Bordeaux visits 2-1 Boston for a tough game. In 2004, the Rhinos won 23-10 in the same matchup. This time, Bordeaux will be the clear favorites with the big wins against Conyers and Fairbanks in the pocket.

Gothenburg gets another big test as they visit North Plainfield. If the Giants win this game, they'll join the list of serious contenders for a playoff ticket, if they aren't already there after the win over San Antonio.

Paris goes to Rochester to warm up the Lake Monsters for the more important week 5 matchup against North Plainfield. The Musketeers won the last time these two teams played eachother in a freezing atmosphere as Joe Teeters set a mark with 17 tackles. It's also the game between Kevin Wiggins and Joe Boulware, who switched teams in a trade between the two teams. Wiggins is the Lake Monsters' new star rusher, while Boulware is Paris' promising runner.

Maassluis is enjoying a week off and hopes to see enough 2-1 AOC teams lose games to for the first team in franchise history be listed in a playoff position. Even as it would come after 3 7/8th of the season, it's still something new to the Merchantmen. After that, they'll be visiting the Syracuse Mohawks.


Merchantmen player of the year lists
The Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. has nominated five players for the Merchantmen player of the year lists after the game against Orlando. The five are listed from five to one in terms of performance. Listed below that are the current overall standings.

There were no points for the linemen Wilson Grimaldo, Timothy Lacy and Butch White, who all made 3 key run blocks while allowed 0 sacks, no points for Bryce Ewald, who had 78 yards receiving and scored 1 touchdown and also zero points for Cody Cluff, who made 7 tackles and defended 1 pass. The top players so far? Louie Flannery completed 18 of 29 passes for 235 yards and 1 touchdown, yet the 2 interceptions he tossed kept him from a nomination, while Charles Gomez' 5 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry are also insufficient to make this week's top five.

Week 3 nominees:
One point for David Henkel - The wide receiver had just 4 receptions, yet gained 94 yards for a 23.5 average.
two points for Johnnie Stidham - The cornerback made an interception and allowed just 1 catch.
three points for Albert Bernardo - The defensive end made 1.5 sacks, blocked 1 pass, recovered 1 fumble and made 2 tackles.
four points for Gus Stoffers - The cornerback made 1 sack, forced 1 fumble, defended 1 pass and made 4 tackles, while allowing just 2 catches.
five points for Randy Harris - The running back ran for 115 yards and 1 touchdown and had an 11-yard reception.

Overall point total:
7 - DT Charles Gomez
6 - QB Louie Flannery
5 - RB Randy Harris
4 - FB Jamel Rosenberry, CB Gus Stoffers
3 - DE Albert Bernardo
2 - WR Bryce Ewald, CB Johnnie Stidham
1 - WR David Henkel, WR Matt Offord, LB Ellsworth Thelen

[Kodos]

Paris goes to Rochester to warm up the Lake Monsters for the more important week 5 matchup against North Plainfield. The Musketeers won the last time these two teams played eachother in a freezing atmosphere as Joe Teeters set a mark with 17 tackles. It's also the game between Kevin Wiggins and Joe Boulware, who switched teams in a trade between the two teams. Wiggins is the Lake Monsters' new star rusher, while Boulware is Paris' promising runner.


Wiggins is the leading rushing in IHOF. :) Here's hoping he schools Joe this Thursday.

[Alf]

believe me, Boston is making me more worried than Fairbanks or Conyers...

[MIJB#19]

Week 4 Recap

Merchantmen enjoy week off, trade for new quarterback
As the Merchantmen had no game this week, the team had a little relaxed week to get ready for week 5. It didn't go unnoticed though as star defensvie tackle Charles Gomez had a short meeting concerning his contract this week with the Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. and he caught a bad cold during the meeting. M.IJ.B. had a hard time finding excuses for turning in for work with a bad cold, leading to Gomez' minor problems.

During the week, it appears the Merchantmen manager worked the phones a lot to seal a trade with the Rochester Lake Monsters. The Merchantmen are committed to get Louie Flannery a mentor and Dominic Lynch seems to be a welcome fourth quarterback. The Merchantmen give up two third round picks in 2007, yet get two fifth rounder in return, in addition to Lynch. With the recent signing of Laurence Gerry, it does mean that the Merchantmen need to open up a roster spot for him.

With this off week, the Merchantmen kept their status as top scoring team in the league. With 27 points per game, the Dutchmen have a 1.25 points margin over number two Rochester's 25.75 per game, while Boulder ranks third with 25.33 points less per game. In the defensive yardage rankings, the Merchantmen still stink with 31st in passing yards and 32nd in rushing yards per game. The offense does make plays, especially with the passing game, but it could help that they play the relative lowly ranked Orlando and San Luis Obispo.


European rivals in action
The Bordeaux Vineyards went to Boston and got completely wasted. The total yards difference (195 vs. 358) was even worse than the score could hide (just 10-13). Boston actually needed to go for it in the last two minutes, being down 9-10 and got the desire touchdown. Bordeaux then gambled with 11 seconds left to run rather than try a 42-yard field goal.

Gothenburg came down to earth after a 28-18 beating at North Plainfield Plague. They were'nt that bad, yet simply failed to turn yardage into scores.

Paris suffered a terrible beating at the Rochester Lake Monsters. Paris was held to 152 total yards with 3 turnovers, while the home team fared well with zero turnovers and 315 total yards. The final score of 36-7 was a true representation of how the teams are playing. Minor detail: Paris quarterback Mario Hudson was pulled in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive game. To be continued?


Other news around the IHOF
A couple of power house teams resotred their image a bit, yet the AOC Southeast division turned into the biggest upset of the entire league. The three playoff teams in 2005 (Conyers, Orlando and Tucker) all suffered the third loss in three weeks, while the Georgia Gridlock extended their winning streak to three to give them a big lead. The AOC champions Conyers Condors are even 0-4.

In the AOC Northeast division, all three team beat their European opponents, putting Boston, North Plainfield and Rochester all at 3-1, while Syracuse sits 2-1 in last after an open weekend. 2005 IHOF champions Ann Arbor rebounded to be 2-2 with a big 23-9 win over Anaheim. 2004 champions Fairbanks beat Columbus 16-14 on the road to also sit 2-2. The current top favorites Chesapeake played with backup Ron Lyle under center, but still managed a 21-14 win over Miami at home. Asheville extended the winning streak to four, making them the only unbeaten team after four weeks of play. The RayCo Raiders also keep going with a win over now 0-4 San Luis Obispo, to stay in second place of the NAC with a 3-1 record.


Standings
3-1 Gothenburg
3-1 Bordeaux
2-1 Maassluis
1-3 Paris


Schedule
Bordeaux and Paris are not playing in week 5.

Gothenburg failed their second big test at North Plainfield, yet another big one awaits. The 3-1 Boston Rhinos visit Sweden to see one of these two teams move up to 4-1. Despite the good start in weeks one to three, the loss to the Plague and Bordeaux loss to Boston don't promise much good for the Giants.

Maassluis has a real tough game with road game at the Syracuse Mohawks. Quarterback Brent Peterman is playing better than ever before for Syracuse. Joe Teeters is very much focussed to post double digit tackle numbers or make his first sack against the Merchantmen. In his year at Paris, Teeters didn't make much plays against Maassluis, other than an interception in Oranje Haven. Maassluis still ranks first in points per game and dead last in defensive yardage rankings.


Merchantmen player of the year lists
As in 2005, the Merchantmen general manager makes his own list of top player per week and gives them points for the purpose of overall rankings.

Week 4 nominees:
None, the Merchantmen didn't play.

Overall point total:
7 - DT Charles Gomez
6 - QB Louie Flannery
5 - RB Randy Harris
4 - FB Jamel Rosenberry, CB Gus Stoffers
3 - DE Albert Bernardo
2 - WR Bryce Ewald, CB Johnnie Stidham
1 - WR David Henkel, WR Matt Offord, LB Ellsworth Thelen

[MIJB#19]

Editor's note
The Power Rankings tradition I started for the 2006 has been ended. Well not really, I decided to only post the Power Rankings over at the IHOF board, although if there's desire to post them here too, I'll reverse my decission and simply add the power rankings to the dynasty report.


General manager notes
At last, we've got a mentor quarterback!
Dominic Lynch has arived in Maassluis after a trade with our good friends from Rochester. The Lake Monsters needed some cap space and hoped that trading Lynch would be enough. Apparently it didn't work out, but they have until gameday to resolve it, I presume.

Lynch has made a splash of an entry, he's having affinity with Harold Hurtado and Gregory Monti, while Flannery is the guy he should be working with. All I can hope for is that it's worth it. Now I can only hope that Lynch isn't unhappy with being our #4 quarterback and #5 once McDavid returns in 2007, although by that time either Atkins or Bower, or even Lynch himself, will be expendable.

Imagine this: If you compare our three initial quarterbacks with the five we have now, you can see the world of difference I created, Atkins, Bower and Flannery are all better than McDavid was just 2 1/4th seasons ago.

But then, seeing our offensive line, we might have to come up with a good plan to stop sack machine middle linebacker Joe Teeters on Monday, Butch White and Timothy Lacy won't be able to stop that guy from haunting Louie Flannery. I'm thinking out my options and, to be honest, I think I know what to do, but it's too early to tell what it might be. Perhaps something Chubbish? I'll spare the details for after the game...

[MIJB#19]

Editor's note
I've created a couple of weekly updates, but I'll try to compilate a huge recap to get you all up to date with how the Merchantmen have fared. Little teasers to get you interested again: We've had an amazing start with for the first time ever sitting in a playoff spot during the season, we've got a top scoring RB duo and a turnover collecting defense. And, as usual, had some heart breaking moments over the course of the first 10 games. More later, probably after the week 12 games (Goal is next Thursday or Friday)...

[Kodos]

Woo-hoo! We're back!!!

[MIJB#19]

Recap of weeks 5 to 11
With the outage of FOFC, the Merchantmen dynasty was on hold and a couple of historic moments got lost in the momentum. To recap what happened, here's a short overview of the games and main happenings after the week 4 games.

Week 4-5 mid-week
In exciting last second transactions, right tackle Russell Malave moved to the Telluride Outlaws in a trade of picks, moving a 2008 second rounder up to 2007 and getting fifth rounders in 2007 and 2008. Coming in from our good friends from the Rochester Lake Monsters was mentor quarterback Dominic Lynch with two fifth round picks for two third rounders we still had in 2007.

Week 5
In a defense dominated game, the Syracuse Mohawks (2-1) beat the Merchantmen (2-1) 20-14 at home with two field goals in the final two minutes. On the Merchantmen side, strong side linebacker Ellsworth Thelen recorded no less than 14 tackles, while the offensive line together held league monster linebacker Joe Teeters to just 3 tackles and 0 sacks.

Week 5-6 mid-week
With right tackle Wilson Grimaldo sidelined due to injury, we signed left tackle Kerry McLaurin as an immediate replacement. McLaurin never started in the IHOF, but was a member of the 2004 champions Fairbanks NorthStars and the 2005 AOC champions Conyers Condors. McLaurin's arrival also ment the release of backup fullback Doug Nelson. The sixth rounder was probably the worst player on team and didn't warrant enough skill yet to make him an active roster member.

Week 6
With an adjusted game plan, ment to stop Rochester (4-1) running back Kevin 'Chief' Wiggins, the Merchantmen (2-2) won Futility Bowl III (the nickname of the Maassluis-Rochester matchup). Randy Harris totalled 159 yards rushing, while Louie Flannery had two passing touchdowns to make the offensive share of a 20-10 win at home. Wiggins was held to 69 total yards for the day. Desmond Craig made his mark on defense with an interception in his first start ever as Gus Stoffers was injured and unable to play.

Week 6-7 mid-week
Due to injury of center Brant Heinrich, we saw Bubba 'Gump' Kearney on the market. We decided to offer the former-Bordeaux draft pick a contract and let him work out together with rookie free agent Duane Bishop for the roster spot. Kearney was amazingly released by the Boulder Blizzard by the staff behind the back of the general manager. Kearney won the workout, meaning Bishop was quikcly released again, as was linebacker Karl Mercer, who had been inactive all season.

Week 7
After a failed two-point conversion, the Boston Rhinos (3-3) loss a pretty one-sided event in Oranje Haven. The Merchantmen (3-2) played as well as against Rochester, despite seeing Randy Harris held to 54 total yards. Rookie Louie Flannery gained his second MVP honor for a game, although the defensive effort was more important. Cody Cluff and Charles Gomez recorded 8 tackles each, while Johnnie Stidham made his second interception of the year.

Week 8
The Paris Musketeers (2-4) came into Oranje Haven in an exciting European matchup. The Merchantmen (4-2) took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter with a touchdown from Randy Harris and a field goal from Cary Coles. In the remainder of the game, the defense kept the game exciting, but eventually prevailed with interceptions. Desmond Craig returned one for a score, while Johnnie Stidham returned one of two picks for 83-yards and a sealing score. In the 24-14 victory, Louie Flannery struggled for the first time, recording 3 interceptions, despite completing 2/3rd of his passes for 205 yards. Randy Harris earned the MVP honors with 117 yards rushing and 62 yards receiving.

Week 8-9 mid-week
The win over Paris ment that the Merchantmen captured the second wild card spot in the AOC behind Gothenburg Giants (6-1) and Bordeaux Vineyards (5-2) with all other non-division leaders being 4-3 or worse.

Week 9
For the game at the North Plainfield Plague (4-3), the Merchantmen (5-2)went back to an old game plan and, clearly, made a big mistake. The Plague defense made it a horrible day for the Dutch team, recording their highest point total and also recording Maassluis' biggest points allowed figure. Final score was 40-14 for North Plainfield. Louie Flannery completed 1/3rd for his passes for only 1119 yards, no scores and 3 interceptions, marking his worst game ever. Randy Harris (88 yards rushing including a 59-yard run) and Jamel Rosenberry (59 total yards including a 44-yard touchdown run) did move into a position of being one of the best scoring back field tandems in the IHOF.

Week 9-10 mid-week
With a 5-3 record, the Merchantmen dropped to eight place in the AOC based on tie-breakers. With divisional tie-breakers getting preference, they ranked behind Rochester (despite winning head-to-head), Bordeaux and North Plianfield, all being 5-3 as well. Also, the Orlando Knights were 5-3 division leaders in the Southeast division.

Week 10
In another European matchup, the Merchantmen (5-3) were competitive against the Bordeaux Vineyards (5-3), but did lose 17-24. Louie Flannery recorded the third straight game with 3 interceptions, yet did find the end zone again. Jim Reiser emerged as his new main target with 8 receptions for 70 yards at the absence of Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald being all sore. Scot Dick won the sacks battle versus Harold Wells with 2.5-1.0, yet with Wells' team being, he might still be the better end of the trade. Stat of the game was IHOF legend Huey Gervais (twice seasonal rushing leader and still all time rushing leader) being held to 21 rushing yards, his lowest total ever. On the other hand, Gervais did score twice, but the stat remains as a fact.

Week 11
As the Gothenburg Giants (7-2) worked their way up to the #2 spot in the AOC behind San Antonio Volunteers (8-2), they were very eager to reach the #1 position with a win over the Merchantmen (5-4). For the first time all season, Gothenburg's Duane Davis struggled with just 183 yards passing, no scores and 1 interception, but did earn MVP honors in a 20-10 victory. It didn't mena much as Louie Flannery got hurt early on and struggled the rest of the day into 4 interceptions. Having 196 yards passing and a score didn't heal the wounds. Randy Harris ran 86 yards and added 3 catches for 37 yards and a score to keep his name as potential team MVP going.

Week 11-12 mid-week
Louie Flannery is questionable with a sprained knee, which is an injury warrenting cautiousness. With the Anaheim Matterhorns (2-8) coming to Maassluis, the matchup looks favorable, Las Vegas gives Maassluis a 9-point handicap, yet the Matterhorns won 2 of their last 3, Maassluis lost their last 3 on the road. Flannery is a game time decission and Shane Bower has been taking a lot of snaps as the #1 quarterback in training sessions.


Offense review
Louie Flannery made a lot of progress. On the scouting reports, Flannery has reached 40 out of 100 already and his star is rising, although his stats are dropping fast. With 1921 yards passing in 10 games, he seems to be on pace for a franchise passing record, although the 11-19 touchdown-interception ratio is worrying. Flannery's weakness, the nose for interceptions, is turning up with 13 in the last 4 games.
Randy Harris is even hotter than before. With 757 yards rushing and 5 scores, while also catching 29 passes for 284 yards and 4 scores, he's on pace for 15 touchdowns for the year. It's just a matter of time to see him surpass 1,000 yards rushing for the third time in his career.
Jamel Rosenberry is emerging as a great pickup, despite being a fullback. With 4 rushing touchdowns and 1 receiving touchdown in just 51 ball touches, he's making a case for being an elite fullback.
Jim Reiser has moved up to second place on the scouting report in the IHOF's best tight end charts. With an already career high 52 catches and 463 yards (3 shy of tying his personal best) he's making a case for being the AOC's best tight end.
Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald struggled through injuries. Togehter they have just 47 receptions for 659 yards and 3 scores. Third receiver David Henkel is struggling with dropped passes, yet does get the big plays with a 15.5 yards per catch figure.
Butch White is making key run blocks like it's his job to do. Of course it is, but for a second year guy to record 2 key blocks per game is not nothing. With a team high 4 sacks allowed, which isn't bad, you already see that the line is protecting Louie Flannery well. Harold Hurtado remains a great leader and Wilson Grimaldo a huge skilled guy, while the other guard, Timothy Lacy is learning fast from mentor Lane Stedman. Center Brant Heinrich is struggling with injuries, again, and with 4 sacks in 8 games looks like the weakest link so far.

Defense review
Ellsworth Thelen (71 tackles) and Cody Cluff (69 tackles) looks like the big ones on the defense. However, with both allowing 2.5 catches per game and 0 passing plays broken, they're not contributing to the pass defense, at all. Mike Kershner is still struggling with development, despite having his personal mentor in Josh Weisberg.
Scot Dick made 4.5 sacks and broke 13 more passing plays to make him a nice addition to the team. With Charles Gomez, John Bryant and Albert Bernardo at 3 sacks each, the defensive line is making plays again, although most of that game in the past 6 games. Gomez also shows up with 54 tackles, making him a candidate for another All IHOF recognition.
Johnnie Stidham makes himself known in the league, being in the top 10 in interceptions. With 5 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles, he's a key turnover man. Desmond Craig emerges with 3 interceptions in 5 starts as a good starter as well. Gus Stoffers looked good in the 5 games he played, allowing just 6 catches in 158 plays. Safety Lincoln Gilmore and John Cole also show up with over 30 tackles each and combining 10 passes defended or intercepted versus 30 catches.

[MIJB#19]

General manaer notes
Rats! I just figured out that Harold Wells has moved up to third place in the all-time sacks tables, with 32 sacks in 42 starts, including 10 for Bordeaux this season. Drop the two sack machine linebackers and you have the one and only #1 sacking defensive end in the IHOF. Wish we could have kept him now...

Another fact to noticed:
After 10 games, Louie Flannery has a lower all-time Merchantmen passer rating than the two other rookie starters, despite being scouted as the most talented of the three. Mainly his interception percentage hurts his rating:
62.3 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004 (15 gs), 2005 (7 gs), 2006 (IR))
61.6 Leonard Lyon (2005 (9 gs))
60.5 Louie Flannery (2006 (10 gs))

[MIJB#19]

MIJB Merchantmen Player Rankings
Including the week 12 games, here are the current standings of the player of the year race. The week 12 game against the Anaheim Matterhorns will be reviewed later.

22 - RB Randy Harris
20 - DT Charles Gomez
10 - CB Johnnie Stidham
7 - QB Louie Flannery, LB Ellsworth Thelen
6 - LB Cody Cluff
5 - DE Albert Bernardo, CB Gus Stoffers
4 - FB Jamel Rosenberry
3 - DT John Bryant, DE Scot Dick, LT Kerry McLaurin
2 - WR Bryce Ewald, OT Wilson Grimaldo, TE Jim Reiser
1 - SS Lincoln Gilmore, WR David Henkel, WR Matt Offord, LG Butch White

[MIJB#19]

Week 12 recap

Merchantmen keep losing, hand win to lowly Anaheim
In a matchup between the two teams owned by a Matt, the Matterhorns took a 24-13 win on the road to move up to 3-1 in the last four games. The Merchantmen looked hopeless on offense with black and blue quarterback Louie Flannery unable to field a passing game. The Merchantmen defense allowed sophomeres quarterback Claude Maxwell and running back Kurt Basso to shine and keep the chains going. Hopes for the playoffs should go into the toilet after the longest losing streak since the league record 14 losses that stopped in early 2005.

With three offensive scores for the Anaheim Matterhorns, the Merchantmen failed to answer that all game. The offense was held to 214 yards in their own home and the only touchdown came on a fumble recovery by defensive end Albert Bernardo from 10 yards out. With the usual long snapper absent, Cary Coles missed two of four field goal attempts, both misses being longer than 45-yard kicks. The Matterhorns kept playing and overcame a -2 turnover margin to record their third win in four games, yet it won't be enough to even dream about the playoffs at 3-8.

Given the Matterhorns record, the Merchantmen should have won to prove they are payoff material this season. Of course the 10-point wins over the Orlando Knights and Rochester Lake Monsters are proof enough, but after four straight losses they have dropped from a wild card spot at 5-2 to at least two games away. The four straight losses are disappointing, even given the tough schedule going into the Anaheim matchup. Maybe being 5-6 is the best this team can do with a roster ranked as single to worst in the league.

Louie Flannery played mostof the game, although the rookie quarterback was nursing a sprained knee and the team had earlier on announced Shane Bower as starting quarterback. Flannery completed 8 of just 16 attempts for 61 yards. Flannery lacked the speed to avoid 3 sacks, but did end a streak of games with interceptions. After 13 in the last four games, Flannery was mistake free. Bower relieved Flannery in the fourth quarter, yet he looked unfamiliar with the system as of yet. Bower completed only 3 of 8 passes, although he lamost surpassed Flannery in yardage with 58 yards. In an attepmt to close the eight point gap with a long pass, Bower tossed an interception that eventually set up the game deciding field goal.

Bright lights for he Merchantmen were running back Randy Harris, strong safety Lincoln Gilmore, defensive tackle Charles Gomez and linebacker Cody Cluff. Of course, that isn't all new to the team, Harris, Gomez and Cluff have been the team's stars over the past two seasons as well, while Gilmore managed to regain his starting job over Wiley McGhee, who is now on pace for All IHOF with the Telluride Outlaws after being surprisingly released by the Georgia Gridlock after 8 games.

Harris ran for 94 yards and entered the top 10 rushing in the IHOF as Orlando's Israel Mars had only 153 in the last three games, Fort Worth's William Wood hasn't topped 70 yards in the last four games and Asheville's Ben Erb was held to less than 10 yards in two of his last four games.

Gomez recorded his fourth sack of the season. With Scot Dick suffering a season ending injury against Anaheim, the pass rush will be more leaning on Gomez' shoulders than before. With 8 tackles he adds up to 62 and easily ranks first amonst defensive linemen.

Cluff made 9 tackles and surpassed Ellsworth Thelen on the team total tackles rankings. With Cluff's 78 and Ellsworth's 75, they are in the race for the most tackling duo in the league.

Gilmore recored his first interception of the season to illustrate he's becoming a key player on defense. With 4 tackles he's totalling 35 for the season to compensate for defending 1 pass per 2 catches allowed.

Next up are the Fort Worth Fury. Last season, this head-to-head was between two 1-1 team who both faced the opportunity to go over .500 for the first time ever. This time around, the 5-6 Merchantmen visit the 6-5 Fury in an important matchup for the last wild card ticket. With the level of play in the Northeast divsion by Syracuse, North Plainfield and Rochester it's unlikely they will not clinch at least one of the wild card spots. The second is likely to go to the runner up in the European division battle between Gothenburg and Bordeaux. Both Fort Worth and Maassluis know they need to win all of their remaining games to have a chance to reach the post season. Given the injuries of key players on both sides, it's tough to predict what will happen.


European division in action, week 12
The division leading Gothenburg Giants beat the Boulder Blizzard (now 6-5) to go untied in leasing the AOC conference at 9-2. The Bordeaux Vineyards pulled an amazing fourth quarter comeback from 10 points behind to win 27-20 at winless San Luis Obispo Burn. The Paris Musketeers upset the quarterback-less Fairbanks NorthStars 27-3 on the road, giving the first IHOF champions an 8-3 record.

Standings
9-2 Gothenburg
8-3 Bordeaux
5-6 Maassluis
3-8 Paris

Schedule
Gothenburg hosts the Tucker Tigers, who at 5-6 need a win to stay in the playoff tickets hunt. Bordeaux visist the used-to-be AOC power house Telluride Outlaws, who at 4-7 are practically eliminated from the post-season. Another 4-7 team, the Georgia Gridlock are visiting Paris in hopes to win again and finally clinch having their best season ever in terms of total wins.

The playoffs race in the AOC is not so tight at all, it's basically narrowed down to 7 contenders and 4 pretenders:
Northeast: 8-3 Syracuse, 7-4 North Plainfield, 7-4 Rochester
Deep South: 8-3 San Antonio, 6-5 Fort Worth, 5-6 Vicksburg
Southeast: 7-4 Orlando, 5-6 Tucker
European: 9-2 Gothenburg, 8-3 Bordeaux, 5-6 Maassluis

It's a bit too early to tell which teams will have to do what, but for the Merchantmen's sake, what would be required to get there? Winning the division looks impossible as Gothenburg would have to lose all 5 games and Bordeaux all 4 games other than the Gothenburg matchup, while we would need to win all 5, we can't win tie-breakers against our divisional foes. The first wild card will be tough as it will require, again Bordeaux to drop all but 1 game and will require two Northeast teams to win 2 games max of their last 5.

The second wild card could still go our way, but it will require Gothenburg or Bordeaux to take the first wild card. It will require Syracuse or North Plainfield to win the Northeast as our best case scenario would have Rochester ending up second with the same record. Otherwise, we'll need the advantage in victories. What happens in the Southeast won't matter, much. Orlando and Tucker won't beat us on tie-breakers. The Deep South's only serious rival is Fort Worth as San Antonio is too far ahead. Beating Fort Worth will be crucial to be able to end up above them.

Bottom line, to stay in the playoff race, we need to win against Fort Worth Fury. Beating Paris (on the road, week 15) and Gothenburg (week 17) will be the next priorities for conference record, beating Fairbanks (week 14) and Boulder (on the road, week 16) will be required to have a sufficient win total. If we can reach the playoffs at 9-7, it can only happen if the sole loss comes against Fairbanks or Boulder.

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Seeing the upcoming rival currently scouting the dynasty, I have to be careful whatto say.

The verdict is still not out on whether Louie Flannery will be quarterbacking, and if he will whether we'll emphasis more to the run to protect the sore knee. The complete injury report:
QB Fumblin' Justin McDavid - The used-to-be franchise quarterback is on injured reserve with ACL knee surgery, he'll return in 2007.
QB Louie Flannery - The new franchise quarterback will be questionable with a sprained knee.
TE Charlie Martins - The long snapper is almost back to form after a knee injury.
LG Butch White - The key run blocker will miss the Fury matchup with a hyperextended knee.
DT Charles Gomez - The defensive anchorman should be able to play through a sore heel.
CB Tai Wayne - The franchise cornerback is on injured reserve, although he's listed as questionable with high ankle sprain.
CB Myron Stevens - The dime back could be limited in playing time with a bruised stenrum.
FS Richard Muller - The 2005 starting free safety might not return to the field before 2008 as he's suffering from repetetive concussion syndrome.

Playing time report:
LG Lane Stedman - Being a mentor and backup to Butch White and Timothy Lacy, he's unhappy, but might get a shot the upcoming games.
LT Kerry McLaurin - The injury-fill-in for Wilson Grimaldo thinks he's more than the primairy backup.
OC Bubba 'Gump' Kearney - The injury-fill-in for Brant Heinrich thinks he's more than the primairy backup.
OC Eddie Taylor - Clearly he expected more than being third stringer.

Other things to note?
We hired an astronomical advisor for future player signings. We can't tell how it has effected results, but at least all three recent signings (Kerry McLaurin, Bubba Kearney and our new backup fullback Greg Berk) are good for the chemistory, or so I am told. Coincidence or not, with McLaurin and Kearney starting, we won 2 games. I'm going to have more looks on how this might effect our results. Expect some important chemistry building with future signings.

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Reshuffle on offensive line
Your loyal inside-out information source on the Merchantmen strikes again. We managed to get someone inside yesterday's secret training session and have some important information, the offensive line is reshuffled like it has never been before. The names of Wilson Grimaldo and Brant Heinrich were given as potential backups, rather than their usual starting roles.

It all started with left guard Butch White's injury. White has become a key run blocker in his second season after having a tough rookie campaign. With White absent, the Merchantmen need to find a replacement. Our reporters claim that no less than five players were in the hunt for the spot. Let's see who they are.

Lane Stedman, left guard, hired mainly to mentor Butch White and the new right guard Timothy Lacy. Stedman is reported as the best pass blocking guard and could help to stop the recent spree of sacks limiting Louie Flannery in his success. Granted, with Flannery's knee injury making him less mobile, it makes sense he's sacked more often. Pretty crucial is Stedman's ongoing beef with left tackle Harold Hurtado.

Eric Dietrich, right guard, hired to be the primairy backup guard. Dietrich is yet to see significant playing time. Traded in from the Vicksburg Vipers, Dietrich was supposed to be an important backup, but so far the starters kept healthy. With his official side being the right, Dietrich is not likely to start.

Edgar Dunkin, left tackle, hired as backup for Harold Hurtado. Dunkin has the talent to be a playable backup, however his limited stamina seems to keep him out of the lineup as of yet. With the arrival of another backup, who's more skilled and seems to be good for chemistry, Dunkin could be inactived for the Fort Worth Fury matchup.

Kerry McLaurin, left tackle, hired as injury fill-in. With Wilson Grimaldo injured, McLaurin was hired and started three games. Amazingly enough, the Merchantmen won all three games with McLaurin on the right side. His stats were not so impressive in two of three games, but his pass protection skills might justify starting him at one of the two left side spots.

Bubba Kearney, center, hired as injury fill-in. When Brant Heinrich was injured, Kearney got the chance to play and with him starting, the Merchantmen won two games. His stats were far from impressive, but chemistry seems to be good. The only concern is his weak stamina.

It's clear that one of these five guys will play. We hear that the Merchantmen might move around a couple of players. Options would be Lacy on the left side, Wilson Grimaldo at guard with McLaurin at right tackle, McLaurin as left tackle with Hurtado at guard, or Kearney playing side-by-side with Heinrich at the center and one guard position.

The verdict on Louie Flannery is also not out yet, however Shane Bower's 3 of 8 completion efficiency with 1 interception as reliever might have cost him the shot at being the starter at Fort Worth. An anonymus source even told us there are odds of seeing Mel Atkins playing a significant role against the Fury. Whatever happens, it will be crucial for the required reshuffle on the line. If there are important changes to be noted shortly, Gossip News will pop up with the news for you.

[MIJB#19]

Week 13 recap

Merchantmen snap losing streak, almost choke in Fort Worth
In an all important game to keep the last hopes on a first ever playoff appearance alive, the Fort Worth Fury and Maassluis Merchantmen showed an exciting game of football. The Merchantmen took a big half time lead, only to almost blow it and escape on a last second field goal to win 23-21. Especially Charles Gomez stood out for the Merchantmen and inspired his defensive line with magnificent play to haunt the Fury backfield for most of the game.

Going into the game, both teams knew that losing today could end the playoff aspirations. Although the Fort Worth Fury (6-5) still have a key matchup against their rival San Antonio Volunteers (8-3), the Merchantmen (5-6) needed to start a five-game winning streak. Inspired or not by that fact, but the Fury were hot going into the game with 5 straight wins, while the Merchantmen were cold with 4 consecutive losses.

In the first half, the power of the Fury looked tempered and the Merchantmen leaned back on their defense to haunt the Fury backfield and never let them leave their own half of the field. With Johnnie Stidham's sixth interception of the year, the young cornerback is making a case for being mentioned amongst the IHOF's elite. Inspired by the defense, going into half time, the Merchantmen offense put a nice 20-0 lead on te board with two touchdown passes from rookie Louie Flannery and two field goals from Cary Coles. Especially the 46-yard kick with 18 seconds left was impressive.

In the second half, the Fury needed former Merchantmen fullback Mark Burger to enter Maassluis' territory for the first time. The first time inspired the offense and quarterback Lionel Helfirch connected with Dylan King for the touchdown. Although the time was already running out fast, Helfrich managed to complete a 46-yard pass with Nathan Ward to start the fourth quarter with possession inside the Merchantmen's red zone. Two players later, again Dylan King grabbed a Helfirch pass to narrow down the score to 6-points behind.

As the Merchantmen kept struggling on offense, Randy Harris was held to 53 yards all day, while Louie Flannery passed for only 165 yards, the Fury got marching. After a drive of 14 plays that lasted almost seven minutes, the Fury went three out of three in possessions and touchdowns for the entire second half, William Wood ran in from 1-yard out to take a 21-20 lead.

It didn't do much to Louie Flannery. The rookie passer made big plays in the remaining 4:22 minutes and the Merchantmen ran out the clock well enough to be the only team in possession the remainder of the game. With a big ten-yard run on third-and-nine, fullback Jamel Rosenberry earned respect from his teammates. A few plays later, with six seconds left and the Merchantmen calling their last time out, Cary Coles got all the time to convert the 29-yard field goal and he succeeded.

Looking back, it wasn't so much the Merchantmen being so great, but the Fort Worth Fury being two faced that made this game so strange. Not reaching the oponnents turf in the first half and being perfect in the second half is an amazing achievement and it's really interesting to see this can happen. The last possession by the Merchantmen, however, was classy and it almost looked like the visiting team never expected to lose te game after taking the early lead.

Louie Flannery earned MVP honors in the game. Having two touchdown passes, one to Gregory Monti and one to Jamel Rosenberry, Flannery got to spread around the ball a lot. Flannery was helped by his offensive line, as only 2 pays were rushed, yet the real heroes were on defense today. Cody Cluff recorded 8 tackles to keep the running game shut down. Charles Gomez added 3 sacks his 8 tackles and should have been the real game MVP. With interceptions for Johnnie Stidham and defensive end Albert Bernardo, the defense really made plays. For the day, the defense wasted 13 of 42 passing plays. Free safety John Cole had 2 passes defended and didn't allow a catch to make him another honorary mention.

Next up for Maassluis are the Faribanks NorthStars. The used-to-be dominant IHOF team have lost their last two games a combined 31-66 as they are without their first and second string quarterbacks. Especially the absence of league legend Joey Allen has hurt the team, yet at 8-4 they still are a candidate for the NAC West division title or a wild card. Accorrding to the Las Vegas people, the Merchantmen are 2-point favorites to win at home. But with or without Joey Allen, the NorthStars have a great team and could hand the Merchantmen a demoralizing seventh loss of the season.


European division in action, week 12
Gothenburg kept the lead in the division with a 17-9 win over the Tucker Tigers. Duane Davis had a tremendous game, if it wasn't for the two interceptions. At least he played much better than Joe Johnson did for Bordeaux. In a game where Johnson completed only 11 of 32 passes for 131 yards, the Bordeaux Vineyard went down pretty hard at the Telluride Outlaws: 19-3. Yet it wasn't as big a loss as the Paris Musketeers fell victim to in their own house. Against the Georgia Gridlock, Paris had just 44 yards on offense less, yet were overpower with a 27-3 score.

Standings
10-2 Gothenburg
8-4 Bordeaux
6-6 Maassluis
3-9 Paris

Schedule
Gothenburg play their last home game of the season against the only winless IHOF team, the San Luis Obispo Burn, who clinched the biggest losing streak in league history, tied with the 2004-2005 Merchantmen. In retrospect, the Bordeaux Vineyards play their last game on the road at the Boulder Blizzard, who at 7-5 clinched the biggest turn around in league history, tied with the 2005 Merchantmen. Paris goes to Anaheim in a matchup between two 3-8 teams with no hopes of a playoff ticket anymore.

The playoffs race in the AOC is narrowing down a bit more after the week 13 games. Most 5-6 teams lost and now it seems only teams at 6-6 or better still have a shot at making it:
Northeast: 9-3 Syracuse, 8-4 North Plainfield, 8-4 Rochester
Deep South: 8-4 San Antonio, 6-6 Fort Worth
Southeast: 7-5 Orlando
European: 10-2 Gothenburg, 8-4 Bordeaux, 6-6 Maassluis

It's a bit too early to tell which teams will have to do what, but for the Merchantmen's sake, what would be required to get there? Winning the division has become impossible as we can't win tie-breakers against Gothenburg. The first wild card will also be tough as it will require, again Bordeaux to drop all but 1 game and will require two Northeast teams to win 1 games max of their last 4.

The second wild card could still go our way, but it will require Gothenburg or Bordeaux to take the first wild card. It will require Syracuse or North Plainfield to win the Northeast as our best case scenario would have Rochester ending up second with the same record. Otherwise, we'll need the advantage in victories. What happens in the Southeast won't matter, much. The Deep South's only serious rival is Fort Worth, who we'll beat on tie-breakers, while San Antonio is too far ahead.

After winning the all important game against Fort Worth, what do we need next? Beating Paris (on the road, week 15) and Gothenburg (week 17) will be the next priorities for conference record, while beating Fairbanks (week 14) and Boulder (on the road, week 16) will be required to have a sufficient win total. If we can reach the playoffs at 9-7, it can only happen if the sole loss comes against Fairbanks or Boulder. But making the playoffs at 9-7 looks impossible now, unless Bordeaux and North Plainfield stop winning games.


GM MIJB's Merchantmen Player of the Year
In the surprising win over the Fury, it's been tough to call out five heroes for the game, but in the end, it wasn't as tough as it seemed at first. Who get the points this week?
0 points for Mike Kershner - the weak-side linebacker made 4 tackles and defended 1 pass in his limited playing time
0 points for Albert Bernardo - the defensive end made 47-yard interception return and added 2 quarterback hurries to his 1 tackle
0 points for Johnnie Stidham - the cornerback returned an interception 53 yards, while adding 5 tackles
0 points for Brant Heinrich - the center made 3 key run blocks and didn't allow a sack
1 point for Jamel Rosenberry - the fullback made 6 receptions for 26 yards and 1 touchdown, while also running for 12 yards and recording a key run block
2 points for John Cole - the free safety made 2 tackles and defended 2 passes while not allowing a catch all day
3 points for Louie Flannery - the quarterback completed 19 of 28 passes (62%) for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns
4 points for Cody Cluff - the middle linebacker had 8 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry
5 points for Charles Gomez - the defensive tackle had 8 tackles and 3 sacks

Overall standings:
25 - DT Charles Gomez
22 - RB Randy Harris
10 - LB Cody Cluff, QB Louie Flannery, CB Johnnie Stidham
7 - LB Ellsworth Thelen
5 - DE Albert Bernardo, FB Jamel Rosenberry, CB Gus Stoffers
3 - DT John Bryant, DE Scot Dick, LT Kerry McLaurin
2 - FS John Cole, WR Bryce Ewald, OT Wilson Grimaldo, TE Jim Reiser
1 - SS Lincoln Gilmore, WR David Henkel, WR Matt Offord, LG Butch White

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
In the recent injury report, I failed to mention that our sacks leaders after 11 games, defensive end Scot Dick, has been put on injured reserve with a torn rotator cuff. I have no idea what kind of injury it is, yet, but the duration of the recovery asked for this decission. It means that rookie Omar Gougeon and second year player Britt Bycroft will see an increased role on the defensive line. Ian Degrange will not play more, his personality doesn't fit with the team and we'll probably let him leave the team after the season.

The injury made room for a new signing. I decided that it would be smart to hire a new backup fullback. After the release of Doug Nelson we had no backup to Jamel Rosenberry, but now we signed another rookie in Greg Berk. Berk has been cycling from team to team in the preseason, but didn't make a regular season roster.

Our backup left guard Lane Stedman is becoming a trouble maker. If it wasn't for his role as mentor, he'd be out of a job with the Merchantmen already. Granted, we're giving some left tackle preference over him right now, but we are 4-0 with Kerry McLaurin starting. If only we had a scouting report telling us he's so important based on talent rather than a lucky streak...

The call for playing time is getting out of hand with more players. What once was the achilles heel of our team is now probably our best unit. Even if we'd start five backups like C Bubba Kearney, LG Lane Stedman, RG Eric Dietrich, LT Edgar Dunkin and LT Kerry McLaurin, we'd have a better line than in the initial IHOF season. Now our quarterback Louie Flannery isn't doing much better than Justin McDavid did, but it does make a difference as Flannery is more of a pocket passer, while McDavid has (had?) the insight and speed to avoid sacks.

Talking of quarterbacks, looking ahead already to the 2007 season, we could be in a tough situation. With five quarterbacks signed, we'll have to make a choice on who to keep and who to dump. Shane Bower, who was acquired as the one year fill in for McDavid, might be looking at a situation where he's on the tradable players list. Things can change fast. Who are the five guys and what are their roles now?

Justin McDavid
The once called franchise quarterback was a rookie records setter (although one IHOF owner doesn't want to recognize them, maybe because his rookie ended up second in all those categories.) After fumbling four times in one game, he earned the nickname Fumblin' Justin, which was carried over as a well known name. McDavid beat first rounder Leonard Lyon for the future job in 2005, until he got a serious knee injury. McDavid missed half of the 2005 season and has been on injured reserve since preseason of the 2006 season. McDavid should be the #2 quarterback in 2007, barring the injury doesn't limit his skills too much.

Mel Atkins
Atkins was traded in as replacement for Leonard Lyon. I decided that Lyon would never become a worthy starter, although I didn't realize then that our excellent scout underrated Lyon. Atkins has a season as starter on his resume, which makes him a reliable #3 passer. With his outstanding holding, he's a useful player for the special teams unit too.

Shane Bower
With McDavid out, I realized that, whether or not we could get a rookie quarterback, we needed a backup to fill in when the rookie is down. Bower has a similair profile as McDavid has, making him an interesting backup. Signed longer than one year, he was supposed to be a one-year replacement for McDavid. So, once traded in to be our starting quarterback, he might see himself not wearing orange-white-and-blue in 2007, unless the Minnesota Miners want him.

Louie Flannery
The rookie quarterback made a tremendous start in the IHOF. After five games he was amongst the IHOF elite in most passing categories and he was te first Merchantmen to record three consecutive wins. After a little downfall at mid-season with 13 interceptions in four games, he bounced back. I never even concidered benching him, although when he was listed as questionable, I did pull a trick to temporarily call him the backup. The fact that he got the start afterall should show I dare to hand Flannery the keys to our future. That is despite his tendency to toss an extra interception every second game.

Dominic Lynch
Well, what's to say about Lynch? We traded him in from Rochester Lake Monsters with only one goal: to mentor Louie Flannery. And it paid off, our scouting staff reports that Flannery's increased progress has been going hand-in-hand with the arrival of Lynch. Given the potential of Flannery, it's more than likely we'll bring Lynch back for his first full year with us in 2007.

For those wondering how Leonard Lyon is doing.
Lyon has been one of the worst passing quarterbacks in the league as starter for the Springfield Isotopes. He does play better than Mel Atkins did, but it only makes sense as Lyon has more experience than Atkins had in his rookie season. For the Isotopes, I hope Lyon proves wrong and turns out to be starter material, but right now, I think it won't happen. That said, I do wonder how Lyon would have done in Flannery's place with this team. I even think we could have been 7-5 or 8-4 with Lyon making the calls. The fact that I always check out Lyon's stat line for the week, it should be clear I wish he succeeds.

[MIJB#19]

Week 14, year 2006, preview of Maassluis versus Fairbanks
Parity. It's important to see people maintain interest in a sports league. But to make it more interesting, the league also needs one or two teams to hate or root against. Preferably a team that's been very succesful over time. And it's always fun to have a team to root for to win, simply because they suck and never seem to be able to end a football game victorious.

In the IHOF's first season, the Fairbanks NorthStars won a league high 13 games and added three more in the playoffs to crown themselves the 2004 champions. After a 15-1 record in the next season, the NorthStars made clear they are a dominant team. In the 2006 season they started out 8-2, but now they've fallen back after seeing their top two quarterbacks go down with season ending injuries. At 8-4, they are just one of many teams to have a shot at making the playoffs.

On the other end of the spectrum are the Maassluis Merchantmen. In a heart-breaking 1-15 campaign in 2004, including mostly close losses, they team from the Netherlands acquired a name as dark horse to win a game every week. But a splashing 2005 campaign with a 7-9 record, a miracle win over the eventual AOC champion Conyers Condors and an almost shutout of the 13-3 Chesapeake Chitterlings in their own home, the Merchantmen gained some respect. With again the weakest roster of all AOC teams, the 2006 season has been an up-and-down year, landing them at 6-6 and just barely in the playoff race.

It's week 14 of the 2006 season. The leading team of the IHOF is going to visit Maassluis for the first time and are underdogs. That's right, the Vegas experts see the Merchantmen winning by two. But how will they manage to do that? 6-6 is not bad, but the team is still underestimated and concidered amongst the worst in the league by some.

As written earlier, the NorthStars are having troubles to field a quarterback of starter quality. Joey Allen is Fairbanks' 2004 IHOF MVP, but required back surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the season. In relief, James Hatch played some fine ball, being active in three victorious games, but after going down with a career threatening knee injury, he's going to miss the rest of 2006 and some of the 2007 season as well. The NorthStars have cycled through quarterbacks in their two recent losses and might have found their guy in Timothy Hardaway. Hardaway completed 36 percent of his passes for 49 yards and 1 touchdown in 2 games so far.

On the opposite, the Merchantmen have been haunted by injuries on their secondary. With star cornerback Taj Wayne out since week 2 and free safety Richard Muller since pre-season, no-names had to step in and make plays. So far, cornerback Johnnie Stidham has made his name heard with 6 interceptions and 152 return yards, which puts him in the IHOF's top five in both categories. Add two forced fumbles and you can see that Stidham has been a turnover monster in Wayne's absence. In the meanwhile, strong safety Lincoln Gilmore and cornerback Gus Stoffers have also emerged as decent starters, while nickel back Desmond Craig is also moving the world with 4 interceptions and a forced fumble.

In the upcoming game, it is clear to expect the NorthStars to emphasize on the run. So far, running back Mark Halley has racked up 1034 yards (86 per game) and 8 touchdowns. It won't be an easy game for his as he's facing defensive tackle Charles Gomez, who's leading the IHOF in sacks with 7 and in tackles with 70 at his position. Lineing up behind him is middle linebacker Cody Cluff, who's on pace to break the magical 100 tackles barrier. With 86 tackles, 5 defended passes and 2 forced fumbles, he's being an important player and his occasional interception is yet to come. Add strong lineback Ellsworth Thelen (80 tackles) and you have a better run stopping unit than the 129 yards per game pretend them to be.

The NorthStars haven't been impressive on defense, while the Merchantmen do little on offense themselves. For Fairbanks the standout players are linebacker Jeffry Boggs (9 sacks) and most of their secondary unit. On the Merchantmen offense, running back Randy Harris is on pace to hit the 1,000 yard mark for the third time and with 9 touchdowns in total, he's a key player in scoring position. Tight end Jim Reiser ranks fourth in the IHOF in receptions, while fullback Jamel Rosenberry has 6 total touchdowns to carry some of the weight. But if rookie quarterback Louie Flannery can't return to early season form, it'll be a tough game to win for Maassluis.

All in all, it's an interesting matchup between two teams still hoping for a post season appearance. The IHOF power house Fairbanks NorthStars as the visiting team and the dark horse Maassluis Merchantmen as the unlikely two-point favorites. The Merchantmen players believe in an upset, maybe the expect rain can help out. The NorthStars are dome-people and have played in the rain just twice before. But maybe it doesn't call for good things, the Merchantmen are 4-6 in home games with rain, while Fairbanks never lost in the rain. Get dressed orange-white-and-blue for a big game. Don't forget to bring your umbrella with you.

[MIJB#19]

Week 14 recap

Merchantmen have record win, keep playoff dreams alive
On a day that alomst everything seemed to click for the Maassluis Merchantmen, they pulled down an amazing 36-10 victory over the IHOF's all time best team, the Fairbanks NorthStars. Guided by rookie Louie Flannery, the running backs excelled and keep the Merchantmen in the race for the playoffs.

36 wins and 8 losses, that was the score for the NorthStars going into the matchup. The Merchantmen were looking at a 14-30 all time regular season record and the fans figure their team wouldn't stand a chance. But then you'd simply ignore the fact that the visiting was missing their star player Joey Allen, the two time All IHOF selection at quarterback.

The Merchantmen took no message from the absence of the Fairbanks' star, the defense rolled from the start and the offense responded with a socring drive, including a 31-yard run from Randy Harris and finished off with a 1-yard pass from Louie Flannery to Jamel Rosenberry. Followed by two scoreless drives, the NorthStars regained possession, but Merchantmen rookie cornerback Myron Stevens intercepted a pass and returned it 47-yards for the score and a 13-0 lead after the first quarter, kicker Cary Coles misses the first extra point kick.

With a wild running Randy Harris and a decent looking Flannery, the Merchantmen offense kept moving and saw Cary Coles score a 20-yard field goal. After a fumble on the kickoff return, the Merchantmen got the ball in the red zone and saw Coles score a 29-yard kick for a 19-0 lead. On the next possession, the NorthStars got on the scoreboard witha 33-yard field goal from Wes Hillis, but as Devin Henson responed with an 86-yard kickoff return for a score, the Merchantmen improved the lead. With defense making plays next, the home team went into the break with a huge 26-3 lead.

In the second half, the NorthStars failed to make a fist and the Merchantmen just extended the lead a little bit. Mark Halley ran a touchdown in to close the gap a bit, but as Cory Coles scored on a 23-yard kick and Jamel Rosenberry ran a score in from 1 yard out, the game was wrapped in and got a big tie around it. At 36-10, the final score looks like a terrible beating and based on game stats it was maybe a little bit closer.

Louie Flannery earned his fourth MVP award of the season by completing 19 of 29 passes for 205 yards and 1 touchdown. The interception he threw on the first Merchantmen drive in the second half hardly changed things. To run the clock out, Randy Harris eventually had 22 touches for 114 yards, marking his fourth century of the season. It was enough to clinch his third consecutive 1,000-yard season as well. In the shadow of Harris, fullback Jamel Rosenberry scored twice and has now scored 8 touchdowns for the year.

The victory means that the Merchantmen remain as a contender for the playoff tickets, yet, being 2 games behind the two AOC wild card ticket spots, it'll be a longshot to get there. With two 9-4 rivals playing each other, it is apperant that 10-6 is the least a team will need to take the first wild card. The second will likely be for a 10-6 team, but 11-5 is also still in the options.

To stay in the race, a win in Paris next week is crucial for the Merchantmen to maintain the record of six losses. The Musketeers are playing at home and in two previous meetings, the Parisiens allowed just 10 points in total. Especially the 2005 game was humiliating for the Dutch team as they were handed their then biggest loss in franchise history. The Merchantmen are playing with a new quarterback for the third time in the matchup and Louie Flannery has already tasted the sweetness of beating Paris. That was despite his three interceptions versus no touchdown passes. Flannery has something to set right.


European division in action, week 14
Gothenburg got involved in the upset of the week. The top ranked team in the IHOF lost at home against the winless San Luis Obispo Burn 14-31, with two defensive touchdowns make the difference for the visiting underdogs. The Bordeaux Vineyards rested Joe Johnson, which led to a 14-17 loss at the Boulder Blizzard (now 8-5). The Paris Musketeers also rested their quarterback, with Eugene Westcott doing well in Mario Hudson's place, yet couldn't avoid a 28-38 beating at the evenly ranked Anaheim Matterhorns (now 4-9).

Standings
10-3 Gothenburg
8-5 Bordeaux
7-6 Maassluis
3-10 Paris

Schedule
Gothenburg and Bordeaux face of in the French wine city to potential end the race for the division title. The Giants take the European crown with a win, while Bordeaux would require a ending up tied in total wins to get there. For the Maassluis Merchantmen first place is out of the options, yet a Bordeaux loss would make a seceond place still in te options. To get there, of course they need to win in the other French city, at the Paris Musketeers.


The playoffs race in the AOC is narrowing down more after the week 14 games. Most 5-8 teams are clearly out, yet to win a wild card, teams already require a winning record. Who are still in the race:
Northeast: 10-3 Syracuse, 9-4 North Plainfield, 9-4 Rochester
Deep South: 9-4 San Antonio, 6-7 Fort Worth
Southeast: 8-5 Orlando, 5-8 Tucker
European: 10-3 Gothenburg, 8-5 Bordeaux, 7-6 Maassluis

For the Merchantmen to get there it will require a 10-6 record, so it seems, and a best case scenario would having Rochester Lake Monsters to finish second in the Northeast with a 10-6 record or having Bordeaux ending up with one win less than Maassluis.


GM MIJB's Merchantmen Player of the Year
After the amazingly big win over Fairbanks, which players deserve a honorary mentioning?
0 points for Gregory Monti - The wide receiver had 4 catches for 70 yards.
0 points for Devin Henson - The wide receiver had one ball touch, an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
0 points for Charles Gomez - The defensive tackle made 1 sack, 4 tackles and 3 assists.
0 points for Johnnie Stidham - The cornerback made 2 tackles and didn't allow a catch.
0 points for Louie Flannery - The quarterback completed 19 of 29 passes for 208 yards and 1 score with 1 interception.
1 points for Cody Cluff - The middle linebacker made 7 tackles and defended a pass.
2 points for Myron Stevens - The dime back return an interception 47 yards for a touchdown, blocked a pass and had 4 tackles.
3 points for Albert Bernardo - The defensive end made 2 sacks, 3 tackles, 2 assists and had 1 quarterback hurry.
4 points for Randy Harris - The running back ran for 114 yards with 5.1 yards per carry.
5 points for Jamel Rosenberry - The fullback had a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in just 8 ball touches.


Overall standings:
25 - DT Charles Gomez
22 - RB Randy Harris
11 - LB Cody Cluff
10 - QB Louie Flannery, FB Jamel Rosenberry, CB Johnnie Stidham
8 - DE Albert Bernardo
7 - LB Ellsworth Thelen
5 - CB Gus Stoffers
3 - DT John Bryant, DE Scot Dick, LT Kerry McLaurin
2 - FS John Cole, WR Bryce Ewald, OT Wilson Grimaldo, TE Jim Reiser, CB Myron Stevens
1 - SS Lincoln Gilmore, WR David Henkel, WR Matt Offord, LG Butch White

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes

Dear readers and fans,

Readers and fans because technically it's not the same as some readers are pseudo-fans, they sometimes rather see me lose when my 'men face their players.

I'm not writing to let you all know how smart I am in using words and don't think I'm going to retire. Becoming the g.m. of the Maassluis Merchantmen is a dream coming true. That is if you don't count returning to the first team of the local volleyball club and something about finding true love, of which the first has worked out in the mean time...

Anyway, I'm here to tell you all I think I can keep the current 53 players (okay, most of the 58) together for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. I've done my homework, I know we're projected $20 million over the cap in 2007, but that includes $15 million of bonus money paid to former players like Harold Wells, Wiley McGhee, Leonard Lyon and Dennis Preciado. I'll still need to have some talks with tight end Jim Reiser, wide receiver Gregory Monti and a couple of backups, plus some overpaid players will have to go.

That means that we can afford $15 million more for 2008 compared to 2007 and this season as well. I've done some research and we might be able to restructure contracts enough to get the $20 million we'll be needing at the start of the draft, yet with the draft picks we hold, I doubt I'm going to use them all. As it looks like now, we'll be having four draft picks in the mid second round area (picks in the 40 to 50 region) and six fifth rounders, who will account for cheap backups with hot prospect status in key areas for their positions. Players like Lamar Singleton, Charlie Martins, Myron Stevens and Andy Weliczka.

The four second rounders will be up for grabs as soon as the pre-season starts. I'm going to advertise the picks and will try to get good value out of them to have some rebuilding options in 2009, when we'll really be working against the cap. That's also when a few players will be gone. And maybe our tackles Harold Hurtado and Wilson Grimaldo will stay around until then, which would really help.

Yes, we're 7-6 and still in the race, but it's uncalled for to think we can see a miracle scenario go through with the Merchantmen reaching the playoffs. Ending up 10-6 is still possible, but even then we'll be needing other teams to choke. No, 2007 and 2008 will be our years. We have the roster sitting ready and we left some highly paid contracts untouched to be sure those deals will be editable in the 2007 off-season.

Like I said, some players will be going out. Four players should be seen as making sense as leavers. It's too early to reveal the names, but when the time is right, we'll try to start negotiating with other teams. I mean, as soon as we're eliminated from contention, we will be able to start talking trades.

Oh yes, trading will still be a key element in the Merchantmen organization, but the general manager has a life next to it. 2007 and 2008 look like the ideal seasons to be less active in that area and just focus on the games.

Some good news, by the way, our medical staff and scouting staff are making sure that Tai Wayne will be back to his old self at the start of 2007. He's already upgraded to questionable, but sitting on injured reserve he's not going to play. Just face it, he's done basically nothing to our success and had no role in reaching the playoffs. Imagine where we'd sit with Wayne starting every week over Gus Stoffers at left cornerback. We might be looking at 8-5 or 9-4 in stead!

On the other side of the coin is agrevation of Louie Flannery's knee injury. He's downgraded from probable to questionable. In normal cases, we'd bench the player until he's fully recovered, but Flannery is a key player. I know that it's a long shot to reach the playoffs, but it would be foolish not to try now. We'll always play with young players. Just look at our starters and you'll see we're young and rising. Guys like Jim Reiser and Charles Gomez are big players, while Randy Harris, Jamel Rosenberry, Johnnie Stidham, Cody Cluff, Ellsworth Thelen and Butch White are showing up as good players.

Enough wishful thinking for now. Just remind me of how confident I was back at the week 14-15 stop of te 2006 season about our cap situation. No doubt I'm going to second guess things at the start of the 2007 off-season and that I'll be going out on some stupid trade to get a high first rounder. But then, maybe we can find a missing piece to the puzzle in the draft, if we still need a piece of the puzzle that is...

Let's hope we can keep it up and make the progress we made count in 2007. Being ranked seventh in the power rankings as per Solecismic system, we have nothing to lose anymore. The Merchantmen have won 14 of the last 28 games, we're a middle of the road team who can beat every team in the league. I mean, give me all the teams that have a perfect record over both the Fairbanks NorthStars and Chesapeake Chitterlings. That's right, there's only one: the Maassluis Merchantmen.

Before I start looking like the Astoria Heroes general manager, I'll counter act with stating that we still hold the longest losing streak, although tied, in IHOF history and have recently lost the status of most improved team in IHOF history. Let's first beat Paris before I continue bragging about this team.

Thanks for reading in the past, well, how long it has been. Keep reading, there'll be more to come, that's for sure!

[Chubby]

we're perfect against Fairbanks and Chesapeake too. Nice try ;)

[MIJB#19]

we're perfect against Fairbanks and Chesapeake too. Nice try ;)No way, your Mohawks never beat the Chitterlings. :p I've double checked it, there are some 1-0 life time against one of the two, but Maassluis si the only at 100% against both.

Besides, the Mohawks are basically one leg into the playoffs, you don't have to take some obscure big wins over two elite teams as the highlights of your franchise.

[MIJB#19]

Maassluis at Paris preview
The IHOF has 32 teams and like every other league out there the IHOF has elite teams, mediocre teams and cellar dwellars. In almost three seasons since the start of the league, the Maassluis Merchantmen and Paris Musketeers each have won just one third or less of their games. Despite that, every season one of the two was able to be in the playoffs reace for most of the season. And with the highly drafted quarterbacks they have, it makes some interesting matchup.

The quarterbacks rivalry. Mario Hudson versus Louie Flannery. Both tagged as the franchise quarterback of the future, Hudson for the Musketeers, Flannery for the Merchantmen. Hudson was drafted fourth overall in the 2005 draft, Flannery fifth overall in the 2006 draft. But besides their almost identical draft situations, there are more areas where they can be compared.

Hudson played for Tennessee in college, Flannery played with Middle Tennessee State. As you can see, the two playcallers learned to play the game in the same US state. And that's not all. Flannery is just 88 days old as both are born in 1982. Hudson is 6'3" feet tall, Flannery is just 1 inch taller at 6'4". And in weight, Flannery's 232 pounds is just 1 more than Hudson's 231. And when you think it's not enough already, ironically, both guys are nursing the same injury: a sprained knee.

Looking at their on field performance, they even have pretty similiar stats. Both have a career completion percentage of 57 percent and a yard per attempt average of 5.9. Where the two differ is the touchdowns and interceptions area. Flannery has a bit more per game in both areas. But what really seperates Flannery from Hudson is the most important thing: Flannery won 7 of 13 games (54%), Hudson just 5 of 27 (19%).

Another thing to note is that Flannery seems to mature a lot faster than Hudson does. Our scouting department now rates Flannery higher than Hudson, yet at season start, Hudson ranked a lot higher. Who's to blame is unclear, but it seems the Merchantmen is doing a better job to get their young quarterback the tools to work his way up into the starting calibre quarterbacks. But with both quarterbacks hurt, however, it might be unclear who of the two are going to play. We might see them both or neither. The progress in the past time has no meaning, all that matters is what they can do now. Head to head, Flannery has the edge after the win in Maassluis, in a game where both tossed 3 interceptions.

Merchantmen offense versus Paris defense
PY/gm. - 186 vs 206
PY/att. - 5.9 vs 7.1
PY/cm. - 10.4 vs 11.3
comp% - 57.1 vs 62.6
sackyd - 11.7 vs 10.2
Yd/gm. - 112 vs 146
Yd/att. - 4.2 vs 4.3
3rd dw. - 41.4 vs 52.1
turnover - 23 vs 19
red zone - 5.3 vs 5.0
Expectations: Maassluis should be able to record 200 yards passing if Flannery plays to his normal level, which is not a certainity with his sore knee. Especially him being even less mobile than usual should be a little troublesome. That said, Paris isn't the best run stoppoing team, which is good for the Merchantmen, having Randy Harris, Jamel Rosenberry and Jonathan Smith doing prett well. Especially when Butch White is expected back in te lineup. With Paris' bad play on third downs and the Merchantmen's ability to have a better yards-to-go situation, it makes sense to expect the Dutch team to do well on offense. The only thing that might be a bit worrying is that Harris hasn't scored in the last three games.

Merchantmen defense vs Paris offense
PY/gm. - 226 vs 178
PY/att. - 6.7 vs 6.0
PY/cm. - 11.4 vs 10.6
comp% - 59.0 vs 56.7
sackyd - 13.5 vs 12.8
Yd/gm. - 130 vs 114
Yd/att. - 4.2 vs 4.2
3rd dw. - 48.1 vs 37.8
turnover - 25 vs 18
red zone - 5.6 vs 4.5
Expectations: The Merchantmen have an interesting defense, to say the least. A poor pass defense in terms of talent, yet it seems these guys make up with turnovers and know how to play well on key plays. With Joe Boulware, Paris has a fine looking running back, but with injuries to both of their guards, there's reason to expect no 100-yard game from him. Seeing how Paris played with Eugene 'Westcoast' Westcott in the last game, expect him to be the playcaller again. As of now, Westcott is in fact the better passer of the team, so there shouldn't be a dropoff in stats, but rather an increase. The good news for Maassluis is that Charles Gomez is again back to his old self. He's having a career year and makes a serious run for All IHOF honors.

Overall
The surprizingly good Merchantmen special teams unit and the ability of their defense to force turnovers have been crucial along the way. With Johnnie Stidham and Desmond Craig combining for 10 interceptions they're making mistakes count. The Merchantmen should expect to win for the first time ever on the road in a divisional matchup. Really, with their success so far this season, it's the least to expect. After this game comes a tough road game at the Boulder Blizzard, possibly in snow, and a home game against the Gothenburg Giants. If they want to win eight games, this is the one where they should set their new highlight.

[MIJB#19]

Week 15 preview, playoff scenario update
With the Merchantmen still hoping for a playoff ticket, which games in week 15 will have an impact on their chances?

Maassluis @ Paris - Clearly, this game where it all starts, no win is basically no playoffs already.

Bordeaux vs Gothenburg - Bordeaux' final win total will have a huge impact on the Merchantmen's hopes. Technically Gothenburg can be tied in wins at 10-6, but they are still going to beat Maassluis on tie-breakers. A Bordeaux win would eliminate a losing Maassluis. A win for Gothenburg would clinch their first European title.

Rochester @ North Plainfield - Both are 9-4 and immediate rivals for the wild car tickets. Maassluis has a positive tie-breakers scenario over Rochester, but negative over North Plainfield. Depending on te final rankings, it would be best to see Rochester in second place at 10-6 in the Northeast division and with North Plainfield or Syracuse in third.

Syracuse vs. Boston - Syracuse can still be a spoiler at 10-6, a win will ensure at least an 11-5 record.

Fort Worth vs. San Antonio - Not really interesting as Maassluis will win tie-breakers over both teams, but San Antonio win will ensure division championship for them.

Orlando vs. Tucker - Not really interesting as Tucker is out of the wild card race, while Orlando will likely win the division and have no fear for the negative tie-breakers versus Maassluis.

[MIJB#19]

Week 15 recap

Merchantmen dreams collaps, get a beat up in Paris
The Maassluis Merchantmen's playoff scenario was already looking like a miracle, but the Paris Musketeers ended the story with a painful 40-20 victory. With 613 yards passing and rushing in total, the Musketeers extended the all time worst figure, that the Merchantmen already held after week two of the 2006 season. With just two wins in the last seven games, the Merchantmen can still record a winning season, being 7-7.

It was a longshot, but a victory over Paris would at least keep it going. The Merchantmen were the 2005 most improved team at 7-9 after a 1-15 season and reaching the playoffs in the third season would make the turnaround complete. With only the already injured reserve players missing and quarterback Louie Flannery a bit limited due to a sore knee, the Merchantmen expected to have the team to win.

Eugene Westcott started under center for Paris and in his second start he showed he's the better passer. Second year 'franchise quarterback' Mario Hudson was nursing a sprained knee and Paris wanted a healthy passer. It was a wise decission, Westcott got sacked six times, a figure that would likely aggrevated Hudson's injury and turned the tide early in the game.

Westcott was the smart choice and made a case for remaining as the backup in the coming seasons. With 419 yards passing and three scores, Westcott put his name in the Paris record books and had a great share in a record breaking night for the Musketeers. With Joe Boulware racking up 173 yards on the ground and Henry Gayle recording 212 yards receiving and being the target of two of Westcott's scoring passes, the trio gave the Parisians something good to look back to. The win eliminated a rival and that's always a nice feeling.

For the Merchantmen only one player really played well enough to leave the field facing his nose up. Second year role player Devin Henson made his name better known with his third and fourth career touchdowns. His role in the passing game has been limited, but as a return specialist, Henson moved up to the IHOF elite. With 193 yards on 6 runs, including a 89-yard run for a touchdown, Henson has moved up to an untied lead in kickoff return scores in the league. His second score of the day came after an 18-yard run from running back Randy Harris. Harris fumbled the ball, yet Henson picked up the free ball and ran it in for the six points from 56 yards away.

Next up for Maassluis are the Boulder Blizzard. The NAC West runners' up are 8-6 and the 2006 version of the most improved team. Where Maassluis went from 1-15 to 7-9, the Blizzard already clinched a bigger turnaround, coming off a 1-15 season as well. The Blizzard currently hold the second wild card spot and losing against Maassluis would end their options to win the division and could drop them back in the race for the last wild card, with another 8-6 and four 7-7 teams in pursuit.

In the 2006 draft, the Blizzard management handed a big help in the Merchantmen's ability to draft Louie Flannery. A handshake potential trade for the #12 pick made the Merchantmen draft situation great, but a go ahead call from Boulder to go pursuit the #5 pick to get Flannery helped the Merchantmen to get the rookie passer. Also, these teams are the only two franchises ever to record a 1-15 season and the only two to ever record a win-improvement of more than 3 wins are in good terms with eachother. And with the Merchantmen likely starting their younger players, the Blizzard might not have to worry about the starting wide receivers Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald, cornerback Gus Stoffers and defensive end Albert Bernardo. Of course, with the mentioned Flannery, star running back Randy Harris, tight end Jim Reiser and defensive tackle Charles Gomez, the Blizzard won't have an easy day anyway.


European division in action, week 15
In a game that could have handed the Gothenburg Giants the division title, the Bordeaux Vineyards say their defense step up to allow not a single touchdown in their own home. Guided by the former Merchantmen defensive end Harold Wells, the Vineyards took a half time 20-6 lead and kept the score facing positive to their side for the remainder of the game. The 20-18 win means that Bordeaux now needs to win one more game than Gothenburg in te last two rounds to win their third consecutive European title.

Standings
10-4 Gothenburg
9-5 Bordeaux
7-7 Maassluis
4-10 Paris

The playoffs race in the AOC has narrowed down to just seven teams. The Merchantmen drop out at not being able to be better than 9-7, seeing the first wild card go to a 10-6 or better team in the Northeast division and knowing that the best possible ranking inside the division is at number three. So, who are left in the race?
Northeast: 11-3 Syracuse, 10-4 North Plainfield, 9-4 Rochester
Deep South: 10-4 San Antonio
Southeast: 9-5 Orlando
European: 10-4 Gothenburg, 9-5 Bordeaux


Schedule
Te Gothenburg Giants visit the Fairbanks NorthStars, who are still without their quarterback stars, but who did return to winning ways after a 45-10 win over San Luis Obispo Burn. The Burn are the Paris Musketeers opponents in week 16. The Bordeaux Vineyards take on the Anaheim Matterhorns, who won 4 of their last 5 games, who were Claude Maxwell's second to sixth career stars. The Vineyards and Giants are still battling for their playoff hopes and for their European divisional rankings, while Maassluis and Paris are locked at third and fourth place respectively.


GM MIJB's Merchantmen Player of the Year
A disappointingly bad loss and yet I have to name three players who made their salary figure worthwile.
1 point for Randy Harris - The running back had 16 carries for 92 yards and made 3 catches for 30 yards. Harris did fumble, but luckily possession didn't get lost.
2 points for Charles Gomez - The defensive tackle recorded 7 tackles, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry to increase his All IHOF chances.
3 points for Devin Henson - The wide receiver returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown and scored on an offensive fumble with a 56-yard run. For the game, Henson had 193 kickoff return yards on 6 carries.


Overall standings:
27 - DT Charles Gomez
23 - RB Randy Harris
11 - LB Cody Cluff
10 - QB Louie Flannery, FB Jamel Rosenberry, CB Johnnie Stidham
8 - DE Albert Bernardo
7 - LB Ellsworth Thelen
5 - CB Gus Stoffers
3 - DT John Bryant, DE Scot Dick, WR Devin Henson, LT Kerry McLaurin
2 - FS John Cole, WR Bryce Ewald, OT Wilson Grimaldo, TE Jim Reiser, CB Myron Stevens
1 - SS Lincoln Gilmore, WR David Henkel, WR Matt Offord, LG Butch White

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Merchantmen and sinking, two words that shouldn't go well together. In fact we're 7-7, clinched being at least as good as in 2005 and it's more than likely that we'll be coming of a season with 9 games played against playoff teams, already, the 'worst case' scenario is 7 games against playoff teams, were the league average will always be 6 games against playoff teams.

Sinking? Is that possible? Well, concidering what I have up my sleaves, two losses might pull the jack in the box out to call me out. Thing is, the defense has not moved the world at all and I really, really want to find a way to get the worst secondary in the IHOF perform like at least average. Otherwise we'll never be a force in this league. Especially concidering we'll be with practically the same personnel the coming two seasons.

What I probably will do for sure is starting the young wide receivers, young defensive ends and maybe even the young wide receivers. It could turn out to be an ugly game at the Blizzard, but playing in the snow, we'll be having a disadvantage anyway. And if we manage to beat the Blizzard, it'll turn out as a passed test and give me confidence to keep playing the spoilers role in week 17 against Gothenburg. Sure, they deserve going to the playoffs, but being 1-4 all time against the Giants and 3-14 all time against divisional foes, going 2-4 this season in divisional games would show a bit more progress.

Our good friends from Rochester are currently just barely in the race. They lost their quarterback Jackie Williamson for the season and at 9-5 are only keeping Bordeaux behind them on head-to-head record. To reach the playoffs, the Lake Monsters need to stay in pace with Bordeaux, however, if the Vineyards would move up to a division title, Gothenburg all of a sudden can knock Rochester out at 11-5. It's going to be a thrilling battle for the wild cards in the AOC.

I've been counting and right now I'm going to root for Orlando and Rochester to reach the AOC championship game, with Fairbanks in the NAC title game. If possible, I'd also like to see Boulder get there after we beat them in week 16. Wouldn't it be cool to have beaten all four teams playing in the conference finals in one season?

Oh, I failed to mention, at this point we're the eight best team in the AOC. If we can win one and avoid losing the other game, we clinch having a winning record and with that clinch a top half ranking in the AOC. Plus, it would put us at 16-16 over the past two seasons, a mark I'd really love to see us reach.

And one last thing: I will never let SLB Ellsworth Thelen play at WLB and WLB Mike Kershner at SLB, ever, again. Two times we did it, twice our defense set the new mark for total yards allowed. Go me...

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen playing their backups
Our sources in Merchantmen land have discovered interesting happenings in the training sessions. It seems that the Merchantmen are resting a couple of players who have minor injuries and are putting a few usual starters in backup roles. Especially the wide receivers situation is emerging as a weird situation.

Devin Henson and Matt Offord are the #4 and #5 receivers in Maassluis. Behind long time starters Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald, as well as big-play #3 guy David Henkel, they are mainly on team as return specialists. In recent training sessions, it showed that Henkel is unlikely to play and that Henson and Offord could be getting more looks than usual. Some sources even claim that it could be to increase the involvement of Randy Harris, Jamel Rosenberry and Jim Reiser as Louie Flannery's top three targets. Plus, Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald could be surprisingly good #3 and #4 options in the 3 or 4 wideout sets.

On the defensive line, the team is said to start with rookies Omar Gougeon and Andy Weliczka. Weliczka has been starting since John Brynat got hurt, while Gougeon seems to get the go ahead over sack machine Albert Bernardo, to play opposite third year player Britt Bycroft. Bernardo is expected to have a lot of playing time anyway as the Merchantmen seem to rotate a lot with personel in the defensive line.

In the secondary, we hear that rookies Myron Stevens and Lamar Singleton could be starting cornerback and free safety. Usual starting strong safety Lincoln Gilmore is hurt and the team seems to move free safety John Cole to the strong side, as he's being a better run stopper than Singleton. Stevens would be starting over Gus Stoffers, who has missed some games, but yet allows only 2 catches per game.

One of our reporters says that Maassluis is going to try a new defensive scheme after the total humiliation in Paris, where the Merchantmen allowed a league high 580 yards, including the loss of 33 yards on 6 sacks. But when they're expected to start with four rookies, what can you expect? Charles Gomez, Cody Cluff and Johnnie Stidham won't be enough to stop Julius Irvine's offense.

With the two injury prone star wide receivers benched, forcing the return specialist to play more and thus have little threat on the return duties, it'll be a tough passing game on offense too. Only having your backs and tight end open won't be helpful. Nope, our conspiracy theories man believes in a walk over for the Boulder Blizzard, something that has been part of the conditions for the #5 pick overall trade going on for Maassluis after sealing a deal with the Blizzard for the #12 pick.

Or it's just smoke to keep the eyes away from what's really going on, the Merchantmen seem to already published their 2007 trade block. Names of Gus Stoffers and John Bryant (both supposed to be benched come Thursday), Ian Degrange, Jonathan Smith and Lane Stedman have been found on a list. Gossip News found it and as usual will keep you up to date with all the ins and outs on the Merchantmen.

[MIJB#19]

Press release: Merchantmen deny losing on purpose theory
The Maassluis Merchantmen management wants to acknowledge that the team will not lose the game at the Boulder Blizzard on purpose. Recent accusations from Gossip News (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showpost.php?p=618453&postcount=546) are not true. The Merchantmen will not tank the game at Boulder and there has never been an escape clause that the Merchantmen would try hard to lose the week 16 matchup against Boulder after nullifying a proposed trade for the #12 draft pick overall.

The Merchantmen are trying to improve on the 7-9 finish in the 2005 season. Winning the last road game of the season in the snow of Boulder would mark a new highlight in team history. It is true that the team will experiment a bit with a new defensive scheme. The defensive scheme of recent games was abused very well by the Paris Musketeers in week 15 and it calls for changes. With some injuries, the team will not take any risks at seeing injuries aggravate, except with Louie Flannery's sprained knee.

The team wants to address the gossip on a new trading block list circling around on the internet with a "no comment". It should be clear that the Merchantmen management is always looking to the future, hence the starting role for some rookies who are supposed to be less experienced right now. That means that players with potential for trade are already identified, yet the team will not officially publish the list until the season is over, which will be after the week 17 against the Gothenburg Giants.

On the benched wide receivers issue, the team is not trying to get Jim Reiser to get more carries to beat out Astoria Heroes' Brendon Drumm for the All IHOF honors. Bryce Ewald and Gregory Monti are key players to the passing game and should start every game. The Merchantmen management does admit that Devin Henson and Matt Offord will have increased roles against the Boulder Blizzard, but how it works out will be kept secret until gameday.

[MIJB#19]

Editor's note
Readers, I'm having difficulties with my laptop, which is the only pc where I have the game installed, so I have to forfeit a long week 16 update.


General manager notes of week 16
Well, the game in the snow at the Blizzard was a dissaster. We never were able to make a fist and the 13-10 loss was not how the game really went. Highlight of the game was Randy Harris 10-yard run for a score to put us 10-7 up in the fourth quarter, but the lead was a result of four missed field goals from Boulder side. With a last second 45-yard field goal, the home team won and took what they deserved after outscoring us 399-184 in yardage and by winning the turnover battle 2-0 on two by Louie Flannery thrown interceptions.

Our divisional rivals had a tough week too, except for the Bordeaux Vineyards, who are now in pole position for the European title. The Gothenburg Giants, however, are the European team that clinched a playoff ticket, while Bordeaux can still miss the post-season with a 10-6 record, in favor of the Rochester Lake Monsters. Ironically, it would require us to lose to Gothenburg, which means the Merchantmen will be trying to keep the Lake Monsters out of the playoffs in week 17. Despite the loss, being 7-8, we had already clinched being at least as good as in 2005 (when we were 7-9). With a win over Gothenburg, we could be 8-8, despite playing 9 games against playoff teams, providing that Boulder takes the NAC's second wild card and Bodeaux taking one of the AOC wild cards.

The three players deserving of a honorary mentioning were:
Wilson Grimaldo, the right tackle, who's been anchoring an offensive line that allowed just 24 sacks all season, with Grimaldo being the leader with just 1 sack allowed in 12 games. Against Boulder, the team allowed 1 sack and Grimaldo led the team with 2 key run blocks.

Charles Gomez, the defensive tackle, extended his chace for the Defensive Player of the Year honors with 9 tackles, 3 assists and 2 quarterback hurries.

Al Bettis, the kickoff kicker, scored a 30-yard field goal and an extra point, while replacing Cary Coles as placekicker. The rookie also kicked off 3 times for an average of 70.3 yards, with 1 touchback and being part of a special teams unit that allowed 25.5 yards per kickoff return and 17 yards per kickoff.

That means that the overall standings in my Merchantmen player of the year race are now:
29 - DT Charles Gomez
23 - RB Randy Harris
11 - LB Cody Cluff
10 - QB Louie Flannery, FB Jamel Rosenberry, CB Johnnie Stidham
8 - DE Albert Bernardo
7 - LB Ellsworth Thelen
5 - OT Wilson Grimaldo, CB Gus Stoffers
3 - DT John Bryant, DE Scot Dick, WR Devin Henson, LT Kerry McLaurin
2 - FS John Cole, WR Bryce Ewald, TE Jim Reiser, CB Myron Stevens
1 - K Al Bettis, SS Lincoln Gilmore, WR David Henkel, WR Matt Offord, LG Butch White

Yes, that means that Charles Gomez is already the best player, while Randy Harris wins offensive player of the year and Louie Flannery wins rookie of the year. The newcomer of the year award is still up in the air between Flannery, Jamel Rosenberry and Johnnie Stidham.

Also note that of the team, I think the following players are in the race for the All IHOF awards ceremonies:
FB Jamel Rosenberry - With a big game against Gothenburg he might be able increase his 8 touchdowns scored, which is exceptional for a fullback
TE Jim Reiser - Has made 75 receptions already and is more than likely to finish the season in the league's top 10 in receptions.
OT Wilson Grimaldo - Has made 21 key run blocks in 12 games, with a a success percentage of 36 and just 1 sack allowed in 376 passing plays.
LDT Charles Gomez - With 90 tackles, 32 assists, 9.5 sacks and 18 more passing plays broken up, he's already a lock for All IHOF first team honors.
MLB Cody Cluff - It's a longshot, since Cluff doesn't make pass rushing plays, but his 111 tackles are top 10 in the IHOF and ith 6 passes defended it could count.
SLB Ellsworth Thelen - Lacking the pass rush numbers, but with 97 tackles he could end up as the fourth best mentioned outside linebacker.
CB Johnnie Stidham - A longshot, but with 6 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles, he's a turnover machine. With 5 defended passes and 44 tackles, he might be a darkhorse for the fourth cornerback spot.

[MIJB#19]

Week 17 recap

Merchantmen finish season victorious, beat Gothenburg
In a game of turnovers, the Merchantmen end the season with a 20-16 win over the Gothenburg Giants. Anchored by a determined Charles Gomez, the defense forced enough turnovers to make the offense win the game. It gives the Merchantmen new franchise highlights.

Last game of the season, the Gothenburg Giants were coming to Maassluis and it was clear that the visiting team was already with their heads in the first round playoffs game they had to play. Cecil Maxwell was kept out of the game, making the Giants play focussed on the passing game. And with the Merchantmen's ability to defend an early lead, the Giants could be facing a fourth loss in a row.

A motived Merchantmen offense picked things up well and gave the team an early lead. The game started with a 60-yard run from fullback Jamel Rosenberry. With a 22-yard field goal by Cary Coles and a 12-yard pass from Louie Flannery to Jim Reiser, the Merchantmen had a 10-0 lead after eleven minutes. With the defense's ability to force the Giants into three-and-out in between, it called for a big game for the Dutch team. Especially when Emile William return an interception 60 yards for the score to put the Merchantmen 17-0 up after barely 13 minutes of game time. In the second quarter, the Giants tried to fight back and got on the scoreboard with a touchdown pass from Duane Davis to William Walker. A missed field goal kept the 10-point gap alive at the start of the second half.

The Giants came out the locker room determined to win this game. In the remainder of the game, the Merchantmen failed to force the Swedish team to punt. By not allowing another touchdown and stopping two drives with interceptions, made by Johnnie Stidham and Ellsworth Thelen, the Giants had to settle for three field goals, all converted by Damien Deming.

The Merchantmen offense was horrible in the second half and it was really a miracle how the Giants failed to turn the tide enough to win the game. In fact, the Merchantmen offense accounted for a total of -2 yards in the second half, altough Cary Coles did score a 19-yard field goal to finish a drive that started at the Gothenburg 6-yard line.

For the Merchantmen, Charles Gomez earned MVP honors for the game, as he accounted for 9 tackles, 3.0 sacks and a forced fumble. Ellsworth Thelen turned out to be a good number two though, having recorded a sack and an interception at key moments to add to his 12 tackles. Well, that is if you ignore that he allowed 7 catches for the day. Gomez racked up his season totals, but whether it's enough to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors is yet to be seen. But the loyal Gomez couldn't care less: "We're the worst defense in the league, do you really think a guy playing on that defense deserves such an award?"

With the eight win of the season, the Merchantmen clinched a one-win improvement from the 2005 to 2006 season. Additionally, the win over Gothenburg means that the 2006 season will go into the books as the first with two divisional wins and one with a 6-2 record at home. A season with a record high win over Fairbanks and one withtwo negative records. The Merchantmen are the first team to allow 500 yards on offense in two games in one season, setting the new worst standard twice this season. Additionally, the 2006 Merchantmen are the first team to allow 40 points in two different games.

General manager M.IJ.B. is optimistic: "In 2007 the young players will all be a lot better. Since we're planning to keep the core of the team, about 40 to 45 players, together, we expect to see chemistry and cohesion take a bigger role too. Clearly, we haven't found the working defensive game plan, but I'm optimistic about the game plan we used in 10 of the 16 games. We went 6-4 in those games." Looking forward to next season's schedule, he was even more optimistic: "We're again facing our friends from Rochester, which means Futility Bowl IV. We're going to face the Georgia Gridlock, who have never been better than 5-11 and we know we'll play the Fort Worth Fury again too, we're 2-0 life time against them, in their stadium. And with the way we've played in divisional games, I expect the team to win at least 3 of those games."


European Division In Action
Other than Maassluis' win over Gothenburg, the Bordeaux Vineyards took two Mario Hudson interceptions to the endzone to anchor a 24-10 victory at home against the Paris Musketeers and clinch a playoff ticket. But with the Gothenburg loss, the outcome of this game had as much effect on the final standings. The scores do mean that in the first round of the playoffs, the two European rivals will face each other in Bordeaux.

11-5 Bordeaux Vineyards
10-6 Gothenburg Giants
8-8 Maassluis Merchantmen
4-12 Paris Musketeers

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen season in a review

Off-season
The off-season was dominated with two major headlines. The Merchantmen gave up on defensive end Harold Wells by trading them to divisional rivals Bordeaux Vineyards. In return, the Merchantmen traded enough draft picks to acquire the #5 pick overall and used it on quarterback Louie Flannery. This came after the earlier moves that put the whole quaterback situation in a strange situation with Justin McDavid on injured reserve, 2005 first round pick Leonard Lyon traded to Springfield for 2005 second round pick Mel Atkins and the trade for Shane Bowers as the temporary fill-in for McDavid. Other important moved were te trade of tight end Jerry Aubrey and defensive end Deon Chapa to Rochester Lake Monsters, the acquisition of cornerbacks Gus Stoffers and Johnnie Stidham from Orlando, trades with Bordeaux that gave them guard Alvin Causey and Maassluis safety Emile William and running back Cedric Rubio. There were trades that gave Maassluis mentors in David Lynch (quarterback from Rochester) and Lane Stedman (guard from Columbus). And finally on the trading deadline, the Merchantmen traded their last initial offensive lineman Russell Malave to the Telluride Outlaws.


Injuries during the season
Injuries didn't have much effect on the Merchantmen, well, that is if you ignore the haunted secondary, at some point all four starters were unavailable. Safety Richard Muller was up for trade, until he was hit by the repetitive concussion syndrome that sidelined him for the entire season and possible the entire 2007 season as well. He joined quarterback Justin McDavid, who was sidelined since the mid 2005 season. Joining the two after the week one game was Maassluis' first rookie draft cornerback Tai Wayne with a high ankle sprain. At mid-season, defensive end Scot Dick joined the injured reserve list, while Louie Flannery suffered a sprained knee that limited his mobility in the second half of the year. Others who missed a good number of games with injury were: right tackle Wilson Grimaldo, cornerback Gus Stoffers and wide receiver Gregory Monti.

Results
After losing the first game against Bordeaux, stealing a win in overtime at San Luis Obispo and dominating Dutch Bowl II versus Orlando, a 2-1 record put us into a good start. After a loss at Syracuse on a 46-yard field goal after interception, we got on fire with three consecutive home game wins. At 5-2 we were one of only eight teams still looking in the race for the playoffs in the AOC. A three-game losing streak on the road dropped us back and a devastating loss to Anaheim put the playoffs out of the picture. A nice two-game winning streak against the F-teams brought us into a miracle scenario situation, but a loss at Paris ended the dreams. With a humiliating loss at Boulder, although sealed with a last second 45-yard field goal and a sort-of stolen win over Gothenburg, the season amazingly ends at 8-8 and us being nineth in the AOC based on common games record compared to the Telluride Outlaws.

Scores
Wk01 . L 21-27 . Bordeaux (11-5, #1 European Division)
Wk02 . W 36-30 (ot) . at San Luis Obispo (2-14)
Wk03 . W 24-13 . Orlando (10-6, #1 Southeast Division)
Wk04 . open
Wk05 . L 14-20 . at Syracuse (12-4, AOC Wild Card #1)
Wk06 . W 20-10 . Rochester (10-6, missed playoffs)
Wk07 . W 21-19 . Boston (5-11)
Wk08 . W 24-14 . Paris (4-12)
Wk09 . L 14-40 . at North Plianfield (12-4, #1 Northeast Division)
Wk10 . L 17-24 . at Bordeaux (11-5, #1 European Division)
Wk11 . L 10-20 . at Gothenburg (10-6, AOC Wild Card #2)
Wk12 . L 13-24 . Anaheim (6-10)
Wk13 . W 23-21 . at Fort Worth (6-10)
Wk14 . W 36-10 . Fairbanks (10-6, #1 West Division)
Wk15 . L 20-40 . at Paris (4-12)
Wk16 . L 10-13 . at Boulder (10-6, NAC Wild Card #2)
Wk17 . W 20-16 . Gothenburg (10-6, AOC Wild Card #2)

Player Reviews
In the quarterbacks department Louie Flannery had a hot start, being a top quarterback after the first six games. Than a streak of 13 interceptions in four games dropped him back and he ended the year with a league high interceptions figure at 23. Flannery ends the year with a decent completion percentage of 57.5, 2765 yards and 15 touchdowns. The previous starting quarterback Justin McDavid spent the year on injured reserve, recovering from ACL knee surgery. Shane Bower filled in for Flannery in two games, however he struggled in his limited playing time. Mel Atkins saw only action as the holder on special teams, while Dominic Lynch was hired to mentor Flannery.

In the backfield Randy Harris had his best season so far, as he ran for 1,203 yards with a 4.1 yard per carry figure. His yardage total was the tenth best in the IHOF. By scoring 10 touchdowns, including a team high 4 receiving touchdowns, Harris was a key player for the offense. He was supported by Jamel Rosenberry at fullback. Rosenberry scored 8 touchdowns as the third down specialist. Jonathan Smith scored his first career touchdown, but with 69 ball touches he had a limited role. Cedric Rubio was limited to just 3 ball touches, Kyle Montoya didn't even play a game. Fullback Greg Berk was signed during the season to replace the earlier on released Doug Nelson.

From the receivers, tight end Jim Reiser was the big man. With 79 receptions, he ranked sixth overall in the IHOF. Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewaldstruggled as the starting wide receivers. Both missed playing time due to injuries and with 42 and 39 receptions respectivelty, their roles were limited. Ewald scored just 1 touchdown after 5 in the 2005 season, while Monti had a career high 3. Third receiver David Henkel was hired for his big play threat in three-receiver sets, but on 23 receptions, Henkel gained only 320 yards and didn't score. Tight end Charles Burley didn't catch a ball, despite being the second tight end. Second year player Devin Henson had his first career touchdown in a win against Boston, while rookie Matt Offord had just 2 catches. Both Henson and Offord were return specialists. So was the late season acquisition Donovan Bradley, who had 3 receptions, and long snapper Charlie Martins, who had no receptions.

On the offensive line Harold Hurtado amazed by not missing a single game. The left tackle had a fine season, until he was 'credited' with 3 sacks in the last game, to destroy the team's acquired position as team with the least sacks allowed. With 28 key run blocks, Hurtado anchored the running game. He was supported best by left guard Butch White. White had 24 key run blocks in 14 games and just barely missed the 40% mark in effective run blocking. Right guard Timothy Lacy had an up-and-down first season, with a run blocking percentage of 23%. Right tackle Wilson Grimaldo missed 3 games, which the team all won, however, with just 1 sack allowed in 400 passing plays, Grimaldo was clearly the pass protection anchorman. Center Brant Heinrich had a decent year, but didn't stand out. Left tackle Kerry McLaurin was hired during the year and in five stars at right tackle and left guard he clearly made a difference as the team won all those games. Center Bubba Kearney was hired during the year, but looked aweful in two starts. Rookie center Ernie Taylor played just one game. The trade acquisitions guard Eric Dietrich and left tackle Edgar Dunkin hardly played a down for the team, but amazingly both were 2-on-2 on run blocking. Lane Stedman was hired to mentor the young guards White and Lacy. Right tackle Russell Malave was active in the first few games, but didn't play a down and was traded after four games to the Telluride Outlaws.

On the defensive line, injuries limited playing time of most players. Tackle Charles Gomez was hardly affected by it and recorded 99 tackles and 12.5 sacks, two amazing figures for a player at his position. Left end Albert Bernardo contributed with 7.5 sacks, right end Scot Dick had 4.5 sacks in 11 games. Rookie end Omar Gougeon made 3.0 sacks, which could have been more if he hadn't been slowed down by injury. Right tackle John Bryant was limited by injuries and started only 5 games after starting all 32 previous Merchantmen games. As a pass rush slecialist, he did record 3.5 sacks. Bryant was sharing time with nose tackle Andy Weliczka, who made 2.0 sacks and 32 tackles in 11 starts. Left end Britt Bycroft showed some skill as a premier backup all around the line. Right end Ian Degrange didn't play a game after it turned out he was bad for team chemistry. Tackle Stanley Jacke spent the season on injured reserve, although he wouldn't have seen much, if any playing time.

In the linebackers department, middle linebacker Cody Cluff topped the team with 120 tackles and 35 assists. strongside linebacker Ellsworth Thelen supported with 109 tackles, but the duo was mainly active as a receptions allowing duo. Together, the two allowed 93 catches, the second highest of all duos around the league. Weakside linebacker Josh Weisberg was hired to mentor Mike Kershner, but Kershner failed to see much progress. Kershner was limited in his role due to the frequent use of the nickel back formation and made just 54 tackles and 1 sack. Weisberg had just 3 tackles and 2 assists, which are the same totals as inside linebacker Carl Meier had. Karl Mercer was released during the season.

The secondary was missing two supposed to be starters all season. Cornerback Tai Wayne played just one game, but didn't allow a catch in that limited action. Johnnie Stidham took advantage and excelled this season with 7 interceptions, which rank him in the IHOF's top five. The other starting corner was supposed to be Gus Stoffers, but he suffered through injuries as well. Desmond Craig was promoted to nickel back for most of the year and even started 5 games. Craig recorded 4 interceptions, which would have been a franchise record, hadn't Stidham been here too. Rookie Myron Stevens got his playing time and sadly accounted for no less than 37 catches. He did return an interception for a score one game, but that just doesn't do enough to make up for the loss. The last corner on the team Laurence Gerry played in 7 games and was mainly hired to be the leader of the secondary, as the team clearly lacked a leader. Free safety Richard Muller could have been a leader, but wasn't and he even missed te entire season while suffering from repetitive concussion syndrome. In his place, strong safety Lincoln Gilmore had 9 passes defended or intercepted versus 22 catches with 54 tackles in 13 games. Supported by fumbles forcing free safety John Cole and backup safety Emile William, the safeties played a bit better than the other pass defenders. Rookie Lamar Singleton had 1 interception, but didn't show much more to make him a promising future starter, he's terrible in supporting the run.

The special teams unit had some interesting role this season. Cary Coles was the field goals and extra points kicker, with which he accounted for 97 points. Rookie Al Bettis was hired as kickoff kicker and it seemed he played his role well. Punter Roscoe Corrales didn't turn out with impressive punting numbers, but with his excellent hang time, he's helping to keep the kickoff return as short as possible. Kickoff returner Devin Henson scored twice on his returns and with that leads the IHOF, untied. In fact, he's only the third player to accomplish it. With 25.7 yards per return he didn't run for peanuts on the 30 other returns either. Rookie Matt Offord added a punt return touchdown, which was one of only six recorded in the IHOF this season. Charlie Martins proved to be an excellent long snapper, as 2 of the 6 missed kicks this season where recorded in his one game absence.Mel Atkins was the holder all season and it looked like he did it very well.

Team statistics
Here's a collection of the team stats. It's scary to know that we rank in the both ten of all four main categories. If you wonder how we made up for that bad play, maybe you should look at the number of penalties, for the second year in a row, we're the least penalized team. Other reasons are possible our turnover margin improvement to +1, decent red zone offense, but that is all cancelled out by allowing the most touchdowns in red zone defense. Maybe it all tells us that special teams can make so much of a difference after all?
Passing - 178 yd/gm (#25 in IHOF)
Rushing - 109 yd/gm (#23 in IHOF)
Pass Df - 248 yd/gm (#32 in IHOF)
Run Def - 128 yd/gm (#23 in IHOF)
Turnovers: 27 committed vs. 28 forced

[MIJB#19]

2006 All MIJB 53-Men Selection
Today the IHOF announced the 24 names of offensive players and kickers in the All IHOF first and second team selections. As anticipated, no Maassluis Merchantmen players made the lists. In fact, not a sinlge player from the European Division was rewarded for their effort. To counter act, here are the 53 names of players selected by Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. as his 2006 All MIJB roster. As per the rules, every team is represented and the 53 names would for a logical roster, including return specialists, but excluding a long snapping and kick holding specialist. Players are listed in order of position. In brackets are the years a players has been selected before. MIJB selected three Merchantmen players in offensive tackle Wilson Grimaldo, defensive tackle Charles Gomez and wide receiver/kickoff returner Devin Henson.

qb1 - Boulder - Julius Irvine
qb2 - Syracuse - Brent Peterman
qb3 - North Plainfield - David Conti
rb1 - Astoria - Billy 'Bam Bam' Jamerson
rb2 - Paris - Joe Boulware
rb3 - Springfield - Raymond Flowers
pr1 - North Plainfield - Davis Cole
fb1 - Georgia - Cole Dean
fb2 - Fort Worth - Mark Burger
te1 - Astoria - Brendon Drumm
te2 - Conyers - Brent Hickok (2005)
te3 - Asheville - Andrew Augustin
wr1 - Orlando - Reggie Norris (2004)
wr2 - Telluride - Seymour Barber (2004,2005)
wr3 - Ann Arbor - William Duenas
wr4 - Minnesota - Alfredo Bass (2005)
kr1 - Maassluis - Devin Henson
c1 - Anaheim - Keenan Arguello
c2 - Rochester - Chet Shell
g1 - Astoria - Stacey Decoteau
g2 - Gothenburg - Luke Hayes
g3 - Rochester - Scottie Yuan
g4 - Syracuse - Randy Salgado
ot1 - Vicksburg - Randall Dunkin (2004)
ot2 - Outer Banks - Dwain Higginbotham
ot3 - Maassluis - Wilson Grimaldo
ot4 - Orlando - Chris Gallaher
p - Outer Banks - Malcolm Detwiler
k - Syracuse - Bill Vickers
de1 - Columbus - Gary Shields
de2 - Bordeaux - Harold Wells
de3 - Telluride - Bennett Ruano (2005)
de4 - Frederick - Frank Kerrigan
dt1 - Maassluis - Charles Gomez (2005)
dt2 - Outer Banks - Charles Carreno
dt3 - Rochester - Greg Lehr (2004)
dt4 - Miami - Ronald Bell
ilb1 - Ann Arbor - Devin Hidalgo
ilb2 - Tucker - Jeffrey Cogan
ilb3 - Anaheim - Joseph Flaherty
ilb4 - Brooklyn - Johnnie Braithwaite (2005)
olb1 - Orlando - Andreas Liddell
olb2 - Chesapeake - Miles Sam
olb3 - Gothenburg - Andrew McDaniel
olb4 - San Luis Obispo - Truman Hudson
cb1 - Chesapeake - Phillip Shumway (2004)
cb2 - Fairbanks - Omar Stewart
cb3 - Boston - Randall Royster
cb4 - RayCo - Clarence Whyte (2004,2005)
s1 - San Antonio - Chance Hite (2005)
s2 - Chesapeake - Justin Swanson
s3 - Ann Arbor - Isaac Graham
s4 - Outer Banks - Milo Epperson (2004,2005)


All European Division
With the selection of not a single European Division player in the All IHOF offensive teams, the Maassluis Merchantmen present a potential All Europe selection. Of the 25 names, six are reserved for the Merchantmen players. Divisional champs Bordeaux got seven spots, Gothenburg seven and Paris five.

QB - Bor - Joe Johnson (15 gp, 2,966 yd, 13 td, 5 int, 89.4 rating)
RB - Par - Joe Boulware (16 gp, 1,398 yd, 8 td, 4.7 yd/carry, 10 total td)
FB - Maa - Jamel Rosenberry (16 gp, 8 total td)
TE - Maa - Jim Reiser (16 gp, 79 receptions, 693 yd, 3 td)
FL - Got - William Walker (16 gp, 55 receptions, 866 yd, 7 td)
SE - Bor - Toby Williams (16 gp, 58 receptions, 823 yd, 2 td)
C - Got - Rocky Schramm (14 gp, 36 run blocks, 34%, 1 sack)
LG - Got - Luke Hayes (13 gp, 34 run blocks, 43%, 1 sack)
RG - Par - Tony Kuhn (16 gp, 23 run blocks, 27%, 3 sacks)
LT - Bor - Reuben England (15 gp, 20 run blocks, 31%, 5 sacks)
RT - Maa - Wilson Grimaldo (13 gp, 22 run blocks, 34%, 1 sack)
P - Par - Keith Horne (16 gp, 41.4 yd/punt, 49.4% in20)
K - Bor - Louie McConnell (16 gp, 28 fg, 90% accurate, 55 yd long)
DE - Bor - Harold Wells (16 gp, 15.0 sacks, 59 tackles)
DE - Bor - Ross Musgrave (15 gp, 9.0 sacks, 31 tackles)
DT - Maa - Charles Gomez (16 gp, 12.5 sacks, 99 tackles)
DT - Got - Chris Nagel (16 gp, 8.5 sacks, 52 tackles)
OLB - Got - Andrew McDaniel (16 gp, 126 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 0 int)
OLB - Par - Paul Dunkle (16 gp, 73 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 int)
ILB - Got - Steven Marshall (16 gp, 101 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 int)
ILB - Maa - Cody Cluff (16 gp, 120 tackles, 0.0 sacks, 0 int)
CB - Got - Harley Gowan (16 gp, 9 int, 10 def, 34 catches, 55 tackles)
CB - Maa - Johnnie Stidham (16 gp, 7 int, 5 def, 33 catches, 48 tackles)
S - Par - Edward Boatwright (16 gp, 5 int, 7 def, 25 catches, 62 tackles)
S - Bor - Cecil McIver (16 gp, 4 int, 15 def, 42 catches, 82 tackles)

[3ric]

Great teams, I especially like the All-Europe squad... nice! :D

[Alf]

Great as usual !

[MIJB#19]

Charles Gomez again selected as All IHOF
After a statistical huge year, Charles Gomez has been honored with being named to the All IHOF first team selection. With 12.5 sacks and 99 tackles, Gomez has been a big force on the Merchantmen run defense and pass rush. Sadly, Gomez couldn't keep the defense from ending up as a league worst in pass defense and overall defense in yardage. The selection is Gomez' second All IHOF honor, in 2005 Gomez was a second team selection. Amongst the other names was Bordeaux Vineyards defensive end Harold Wells. The ex-Merchantmen joined Gomez on the All IHOF first team.

Still to come up are the individual awards for league MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and the two Rookie of the Year awards. For that matter, the Merchantmen expect to have little candidates. Charles Gomez is a potential Defensive Player of the Year, while cornerback Myron Stevens could be a longshot at the Defensive Rookie of the Year title.

[Chief Rum]

Disappointed DT Ivan Sparks didn't make the list, but thanks for recognizing Flaherty and Arguello. Especially Arguello--I really think he is one of the best centers in the league, and he was very good this year.

CR

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Players of the Year
As the 2006 season ended after the victory over the Gothenburg Giants, it's time to announce the best player of the year award as selected by the Merchantmen general manager. The top five players of the last game were Charles Gomez, Ellsworth Thelen, Jamel Rosenberry, Emile William and Butch White.

With that the final standings per category are:

Best rookie:
1. quarterback Louie Flannery (picked #5 overall)
2. cornerback Myron Stevens (undrafted)
3. punt returner Matt Offord (undrafted)
4. kicker Al Bettis (undrafted)
5. defensive tackle Andy Weliczka (drafted at #193 overall)

Best newcomer:
1. fullback Jamel Rosenberry (traded from Syracuse)
2. quarterback Louie Flannery (drafted)
3. cornerback Johnnie Stidham (traded from Orlando)
4. cornerback Gus Stoffers (traded from Orlando)
5. defensive end Scot Dick (traded from Bordeaux)

Best special teams player:
1. gunner Cody Cluff
2. kick returner Devin Henson
3. punt returner Matt Offord

Best defensive player:
1. defensive tackle Charles Gomez
2. middle linebacker Cody Cluff
3. strongside linebacker Ellsworth Thelen
4. cornerback Johnnie Stidham
5. defensive end Albert Bernardo

Best offensive player:
1. running back Randy Harris
2. fullback Jamel Rosenberry
3. quarterback Louie Flannery
4. right tackle Wilson Grimaldo
5. left tackle Kerry McLaurin

Best player:
1. defensive tackle Chares Gomez
2. running back Randy Harris
3. fullback Jamel Rosenberry
4. middle linebacker Cody Cluff
5. strongside linebacker Ellsworth Thelen

Sadly, the good performance from the offensive line goes by a little bit unnoticed with these rankings, but that's the effect of having an overall well performing line. If the top players should be mentioned based on the entire season, rather than game by game stand out names, Wilson Grimaldo and Butch White would be given more credits. Additional, tight end Jim Reiser had a huge year with 79 receptions, but his yardage and touchdown numbers didn't call for big single game honors.

[MIJB#19]

Disappointed DT Ivan Sparks didn't make the list, but thanks for recognizing Flaherty and Arguello. Especially Arguello--I really think he is one of the best centers in the league, and he was very good this year.

CRWith the way I make the 53-men roster, sometimes the 4th best player might not make it at the absence of a player of some teams. But in the case of Ivan Sparks, it was more a result of Lehr (Roc) and Bell (Mia) having almost similiar stats as Sparks while missing 3 games more.

On the other end is Georgia's inside lienbacker John Culpepper, who deserved being in there, but he was overshadowed by the absence of a Tucker and Brooklyn player, while the IHOF's tackles leader Joseph Flaherty just had to make the 53-men list.

Arguello has such amazing stats, I can't believe he isn't an All IHOF pick, 43% of effective run blocking, 1 sack in 508 passing plays. But then, it's always an argument who should and who shouldn't be on the list. Just looking at the quarterback situation, with none standing out as a true #1, but about nine deserving a #2 concideration...

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen talking trade already
The off-season is coming up and the masters of trade are back at it. Our sources claim that the Merchantmen already finalized a trade for the upcoming off-season. With the Merchantmen facing a cap hit of 15 million dollars, they have to find a way to create over 20 million of cap space. With the names mentioned of who are up for trade, it makes sense to expect that a couple of players will be dealt. The front runners are running back Jonathan Smith, defensive tackle John Bryant and the unhappy guard Lane Stedman.

As usual, the Merchantmen management was not willing to comment on the issue, but we have reason to believe that they are trading Ian Degrange. 'Deranged' Degrange's player agent Moe Wagner was spotted in Maassluis and we think it has to be with an upcoming trade. Degrange saw limited action in the three games he played for Maassluis, despite being traded in for a 2009 seventh round pick together with tight end Charles Burley, who played only 24 downs on offense.

The Merchantmen advertised Degrange as being worth a seventh rounder or potentially being part of a package deal. Degrange denied everything, but we can read between the lines. "The Merchantmen don't know how to use me. I'm a sack machine, but you got to play me. maybe some other team knows how to handle things." There is reason to believe that Degrange's conflict with veteran linebacker Carl Meier have had a key role in the decission to put him on the inactive list for most of the season. Degrange only returned to action recently due to injuries for both Scot Dick and Omar Gougeon.

Another potential candidate could be John Bryant. The defensive tackle has reportedly the same agent as Degrange and Bryant's role has been small the past season. In 2004 and 2005, Bryant started in all 32 games, in whichhe made 11.5 sacks and 118 tackles. In the 2006 season, Bryant had to play second fiddle behind seventh round pick Andy Weliczka as a pass rush specialist. Limited with some minor injuries, Bryant had just five starts and missed one game altogether. What his new home could be remains a question mark, but with nine teams listed as having a need for a defensive tackle, he could be a hot commodity. But why would they already finalize a deal for him then? It doesn't make sense and it should say enough that the team is trading Degrange and not Bryant.

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Well, the league is currently advancing slowly, we're still getting ready for the first round of playoff games. For the Merchantmen, it means we're doing nothing but hoping that we can resolve a little issue: we've gone over the cap!

What happened? Well, between the week 16 and week 17 games, we signed two new players in flanker Donovan Bradley and safety Earnest Atkins. With these moves, we went 10,000 US dollars over the cap. This shouldn't have happened, yet our cap manager had miscalculated the salary figure of defensive end Britt Bycroft the same 10,000 US dollars too low.

To resolve the issue, we've been talking with backup tight end Charles Burley to extend his contract and tune down his 2006 salary figure. So far, Burley didn't sign the new deal, but we hope he will sign a contract before season's end. If he doesn't, we'll have to work something out with someone else.

Going into the 2007 season, a couple of players will be free agents:
* fullback Greg Berk
* flanker Donovan Bradley
* center Bubba Kerney
* left tackle Kerry McLaurin
* defensive end Britt Bycroft
* cornerback Laurence Gerry
* strong safety Earnest Atkins

You know something, I'd like to return all these guys. Gerry is our secondary leader and has been important to keep the chemistry alive. But other than that, his role was limited. Others have been good for chemistry too, yet are just backup players. Of them, Kerry McLaurin jumps out a bit. We've won all five games with him in the starting line up. That's interesting to say the least, especially given the fact he's been on two IHOF Bowl reaching teams in the past.

Britt Bycroft has had a decent role and we might promote him to even more playing time in 2007. I expect to go on without Scot Dick in 2007, who's been a decent play, but we've got a young guy ready to take his place in Omar Gougeon as sack machine. Bycroft is a run stopper and can also fill in as backup tackle on the defensive line. Yes, he's a free agent, but only a restricted free agent and we should be able to re-sign in time for training camp.

Other things to note, we're shopping a few other guys around. Defensive tackle John Bryant has been doing good things as Charles Gomez' boy wonder, but I expect more out of seventh round pick Andy Weliczka and I really hope to get a promising defensive tackle in the 2007 draft, not necesserily a rookie, but rather with one of the second round picks. In fact, we've already made a deal with another team in the league to send Bryantr to them in the upcoming off-season. We're not disclosing the what's and if's, but fact is, Bryant is not going to be a Merchantmen at the start of the 2007 season.

Running back Jonathan Smith is another guy who might be gone by that time. He's been a good backup, but his role has been limited and we've got two cheaper backups in Cedric Rubio and Kyle Montoya. Really, I'd like to keep Smith, but the salary figure is so high at 2.2M US dollars. Only if we can pull his figure down to below 1.5M US dollars, we could be able to keep him around.

The situation on free safety Richard Muller is still a mystery. The repetitive concussion syndrome that sidelined him might force him into retirement, which is basically what I expect to happen. If he stays around, perhaps we'll try to find a new home for him, otherwise he'll spend the 2007 on injured reserve. Plus, we've already acquired Emile William, just before Muller went out, we still have John Cole around and have good hopes that Lamar Singelton is a worthy backup safety over time. And then, we still have the anchorman Lincoln Gilmore at strong safety.

The story around Justin McDavid will also be interesting to follow. I have no idea how he will show up in mini camp and training camp. We might be forced to downgrade him from primary backup to number three or number four. If that is the case, I fear me might have to say goodbye to the franchise passing yards and touchdowns record holder. Imagine that, the Merchantmen without Fumlin' Justin, that's unheard of, no? But if we'll keep him, it's still a bit of a tough decission in the quarterback department. Mel Atkins is a decent #3 and has excellent holding skills. But than, Louie Flannery can do that too. Shane Bower is talent wise a good #2, but hasn't shown his skill in the limited action he saw. Dominic Lynch will definately stay to mentor Flannery. And clearly going into 2007 with five quarterbacks would be unwise.

Others who we are shopping around?
* cornerback Gus Stoffers - he's been good, but we might want to go a different direction when Tai Wayne returns to play opposite Johnnie Stidham. Stoffers lacks the nose for interception to be our nickel back.

* guard Lane Stedman - has been mentoring Butch White and Timothy Lacy well, yet I fear eventually his attitude and happiness will cause problems in the locker room.

* defensive end Ian Degrange - has been a locker room problem and I don't think he'll ever play enough downs in Maassluis to live up to his potential. We've got better options on the line.

Other things to note right now? Well, not really, except that we're still awating the final decission on the Defensive Player of the Year award. Charles Gomez' had a huge season, but the 23.0 sacks from Columbus' Gary Shields, the league leading 135 tackles and 52 assists from Anahiem's Joseph Flaherty and the 9 interceptions from San Antonio's safety Chance Hite could keep Gomez away from the trophy. Still, we're not complaining. The Merchantmen defense was last in least yards allowed, even though we finally learned to compensate mistakes with turnovers and we've improved in the pass rush department, despite the departure of sack machine Harold Wells. If only we found a way to make our linebackers' roles be bigger than just to tackle the opposing players after running or catching for a new first down...

That reminds me, Mike Kershner's progress has been disappointing. I hired Josh Weisberg to mentor Kershner, yet his progress was too slim to call it a success. I'm seriously thinking to go overboard with one of our linebackers (Thelen, Kershner) and find a guy who actually is able to support the pass defense. The pass defense has been so bad, it's the biggest concern on the team, even our more than capable paas rush can't make up for it. That is while knowing that there is statistical proof that a good pass rush decreases the effectiveness of the paasing game.

Enough for now, you're up to date.

Well, except for one more thing: I've made a list of about 20 players who are worth trying to get in the off-season through trade or free agency. If things go as planned, me might be able to get up to three of hese guys. Would that be something?

Oh, and another note, our draft situation looks to be good, despite missing a first rounder. We're holding picks #39, #41, #48, #49, #130, #132, #141, #144, #145, #149 and a fifth rounder that is yet to be ranked, based on te outcome of the playoffs. For those who didn't notice, that's four second rounders and seven fifth rounders. We're going to dominate the fifth round of the draft for sure. Unless we're going on a trading spree, again...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen records book
Yes, I was bored and not motivated to work on my project or be busy on looking for a (trainee) job. Here are the top three's in the Merchantmen's all time statistical record books.

Points - career
260 Cary Coles (2004-2006)
138 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
54 Bryce Ewald (2004-2006)

Passer Rating - career
64.4 Louie Flannery (2006)
62.3 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004-2006)
61.6 Leonard Lyon (2005)

Passer Rating - single season
64.4 2006 Louie Flannery (2006)
63.9 2004 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004-2006)
61.6 2005 Leonard Lyon (2005)

Passing Yards - career
3941 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004-2006)
2765 Louie Flannery (2006)
1814 Leonard Lyon (2005)

Passing Yards - single season
2904 2004 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004-2006)
2765 2006 Louie Flannery (2006)
1814 2005 Leonard Lyon (2005)

Passing Yards - single game
294 2004 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004-2006)
265 2004 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004-2006)
264 2006 Louie Flannery (2006)

Passing Touchdowns - career
24 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004-2006)
15 Louie Flannery (2006)
9 Leonard Lyon (2005)

Passing Touchdowns - single season
19 2004 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004-2006)
15 2006 Louie Flannery (2006)
9 2005 Leonard Lyon (2005)

Passing Touchdowns - single game
3 2004 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004-2006)
3 2005 Leonard Lyon (2005)
3 2006 Louie Flannery (2006)

Rushing Yards - career
3344 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
511 Jonathan Smith (2004-2006)
476 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004-2006)

Rushing Yards - single season
1203 2006 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
1114 2005 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
1027 2004 Randy Harris (2004-2006)

Rushing Yards - single game
159 2006 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
129 2005 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
115 2006 Randy Harris (2004-2006)

Rushing Touchdowns - career
15 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
5 Jamel Rosenberry (2006)
2 Mark Burger (2004-2005)
2 Fumblin' Justin McDavid (2004-2006)

Rushing Touchdowns - single season
6 2005 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
6 2006 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
5 2006 Jamel Rosenberry (2006)

Rushing Touchdowns - single game
3 2004 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
2 2005 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
1 several

Receptions - career
129 Bryce Ewald (2004-2006)
128 Jim Reiser (2004-2006)
113 Gregory Monti (2004-2006)

Receptions - single season
79 2006 Jim Reiser (2004-2006)
67 2004 jerry Aubrey (2004-2005)
47 2004 Bryce Ewald (2004-2006)

Receptions - single game
8 2006 Bryce Ewald (2004-2006)
8 2006 Jim Reiser (2004-2006)
8 2006 Jim Reiser (2004-2006)
8 2006 Jim Reiser (2004-2006)

Receiving Yards - career
1729 Bryce Ewald (2004-2006)
1552 Gregory Monti (2004-2006)
1202 Jim Reiser (2004-2006)

Receiving Yards - single season
760 2004 Jerry Aubrey (2004-2005)
693 2006 Jim Reiser (2004-2006)
683 2004 Bryce Ewald (2004-2006)

Receiving Yards - single game
123 2004 Bryce Ewald (2004-2006)
121 2004 Gregory Monti (2004-2006)
115 2006 Bryce Ewald (2004-2006)

Receiving Touchdowns - career
9 Bryce Ewald (2004-2006)
8 Randy Harris (2004-2006)
7 Gregory Monti (2004-2006)
7 Jerry Aubrey (2004-2005)

Receiving Touchdowns - single season
6 2004 Jerry Aubrey (2004-2005)
5 2004 Fredric Vargas (2004)
5 2005 Bryce Ewald (2004-2006)

Receiving Touchdowns - single game
2 2004 Jerry Aubrey (2004-2005)
1 several

Key Run Blocks - career
79 Harold Hurtado (2004-2006)
43 Wilson Grimaldo (2005-2006)
42 Butch White (2005-2006)

Key Run Blocks - single season
31 2004 Harold Hurtado (2004-2006)
28 2006 Harold Hurtado (2004-2006)
24 2006 Butch White (2005-2006)

Key Run Blocks - single game
5 2004 Harold Hurtado (2004-2006)
5 2004 Harold Hurtado (2004-2006)
5 2005 Russell Malave (2004-2006)
5 2006 Butch White (2005-2006)

Sacks - career
24.0 Charles Gomez (2004-2006)
22.0 Harold Wells (2004-2005)
15.0 John Bryant (2004-2006)

Sacks - single season
13.0 2005 Harold Wells (2004-2005)
12.5 2006 Charles Gomez (2004-2006)
9.0 2004 Harold Wells (2004-2005)

Sacks - single game
3.0 2006 Charles Gomez (2004-2006)
3.0 2006 Charles Gomez (2004-2006)
2.5 2005 Harold Wells (2004-2005)
2.5 2006 Scot Dick (2006)

Interceptions - career
7 Johnnie Stidham (2006)
5 Desmond Craig (2005-2006)
4 Lincoln Gilmore (2004-2006)
4 Dennis Preciado (2004-2005)

Interceptions - single season
7 2006 Johnnie Stidham (2006)
4 2006 Desmond Craig (2005-2006)
3 2004 Randall Smith (2004)
3 2005 Richard Muller (2005-2006)

Interceptions - single game
2 2006 Johnnie Stidham (2006)
1 several

Tackles - career
309 Cody Cluff (2004-2006)
237 Charles Gomez (2004-2006)
204 Ellsworth Thelen (2005-2006)

Tackles - single season
120 2006 Cody Cluff (2004-2006)
109 2006 Ellsworth Thelen (2005-2006)
99 2004 Cody Cluff (2004-2006)
99 2006 Charles Gomez (2004-2006)

Tackles - single game
14 2006 Ellsworth Thelen (2005-2006)
12 2006 Cody Cluff (2004-2006)
12 2006 Ellsworth Thelen (2005-2006)

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
It was about time, I've further evaluated the entire roster and figured out which players will fit on the 2007 list of 53 names. I'm not giving all the info away, besides, most is out there already, but I've come to the conclusion we might not need all the draft picks we currently hold. 11 picks is a lot, and really, we don't need that many. So, I'm leaning to a different draft situation from what we have now and what I would like to sit in.

It would be unwise to give away the plans, but it should be clear that the four second rounders and seven fifth rounders should turn into less 2007 picks and a few extra 2008/2009 picks. The main desire is to get a mid-first rounder. To get there, I've got the four second rounders, of which I'd dare to sacrifice three to get into that situation. With the trade talks tombolo getting started now, so the draft situation could be virutally closer to the desired situation before the IHOF Bowl has been played.

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen to use franchise tag on backup player?
The International House of Football is in the playoff stages and the weaker teams are making a look to the upcoming 2007 season. One of the toughest decission to make for each team is whether to use the franchise tag and on who. But not for one of those teams. The Maassluis Merchantmen have only two players on roster who are scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The franchise tag will likely go to one of them, if the management can make up their mind. Quick question: how many games did the 2006 franchise player play for the Merchantmen?

Alvin Causey was an elite left guard in the IHOF when the league started play in 2004. The Orlando Knights were Causey's first home, but at the end of the season he suffered through a serious shoulder injury and was scheduled to miss 15 of 17 regular season weeks in 2005. The Maassluis Merchantmen jumped in with a gamble trade, but then drafted a replacement for Causey. Eventually, Causey only started in the last two games and only due to injury of right guard playing right tackle Russell Malave. In between, Causey somehow managed to earn the honors of being the IHOF's strongest man in the 2005 season.

In the 2006 off-season, The Merchantmen traded in a younger right guard in Timothy Lacy and decided that Causey was expendable. Earlier on, they franchised Causey as the guard was not willing to sign a new deal during the 2005 season, while he was scheduled to become a free agent. In the end, the Bordeaux Vineyards were willing to add the then 28-year old, meaning that the franchise player had only 2 starts for the Merchantmen.

Now, the team has an easy choice to make and "to use or not to use" isn't the question. It's "Gerry or Kerry", as simple as that. One guy played 31 games for the Astoria Heroes in 2004 and 2005, fell without a job in early 2006 and then was hired as the secret weapon in Dutch Bowl II. The other guy was on the roster of the 2004 IHOF champions, the 2005 AOC champions and then saw his 2006 team go 5-0 when he was listed in the starting line up. There, these are your candidates for the franchise tag in Maassluis. I see you laughing, they're not going to use that tag on a backup player who based on his position would cost 5.5 million dollars. But you might be wrong there.

Laurenc Gerry came into town to become the secondary leader in a young group of players. The oldest player was injured reserved safety Richard Muller, at 28 years at the season start. 25-year old John Cole took the role on him, but clearly he failed and locker room ramblings were going strong. Gerry was hired a day before the home game against the Orlando Knights. With Gerry playing a backup role, the Merchantmen won 24-13 and started a four-game winning streak at home. Then followed three losses on the road and Gerry moved to the inactive roster as other defensive backs returned from injury.

Kerry McLaurin was hired a week later than Gerry. With Maassluis seeing their best offensive lineman Wilson Grimaldo injured, the team hired McLaurin to be a backup, but on game day they decided to give McLaurin the start on the right outside. It paid off, the Merchantmen won 20-10 against the then AOC leading Rochester Lake Monsters and McLaurin recorded 4-on-4 key run blocks. In the next four games where he started, he recorded just 3 key run blocks on 10 opportunities, but amazingly the Merchantmen won all those games.

Clearly, neither of these guys have done anything to be worth a salary of 5.5 million dollars. But then, both had their role in the success of the Merchantmen and the team seems to be interested in retaining the services of both guys. Both will probably stay in the free agency pool through out the pre training camp period, but the Merchantmen don't want to risk losing these guys. General manager M.IJ.B. said: "Gerry is a gift to the locker room. The secondary is still the worst in the league, but with him we're keeping it close to being #31. Kerry is an amazing guy. The guy is said to be just a marginal talented player, but he's playing well on the line and we could use an experienced backup behind the start Hurtado and Grimaldo."

Gerry or Kerry, some have been joking about elections, but then, John Kerry lost in 2004 and this would just scream for a double loss. Who's it gonna be, it's going to be a big question. Maybe the Merchantmen will let them both walk, who knows? Aynway, the franchise tag could be used, but if the Merchantmen will do it, they'll be offering 5.5 million bucks to a career backup. Keep reading and you'll find out by the start of the 2007 off-season whether it's "Gerry or Kerry".

[Alf]

As you are European, like me, I suppose you are going to franchise Kerry :p ,while the US guys would have franchised the other guy :p

[MIJB#19]

Homage to the readers II: 2006 Player of the Year poll
To give the readers of this dynasty, again, a little bit of power, I decided to create a poll in the dynasty poll section, just like I did at the end of he 2005 season. There are again nine candidate, while the tenth slot is reserved for write in candidates. Please note that the trout-option, running back Shelton Troutman, plays for Springfield and not for Maassluis. The poll can be found here: Merchantmen 2006 Player of the Year (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?t=32172).

[Dutch]

MIJB,

I think you have unintentionally given one of my numerous "skunked" posts new life. :D

[Dutch]

Best newcomer:
1. fullback Jamel Rosenberry (traded from Syracuse)
2. quarterback Louie Flannery (drafted)
3. cornerback Johnnie Stidham (traded from Orlando)
4. cornerback Gus Stoffers (traded from Orlando)
5. defensive end Scot Dick (traded from Bordeaux)

Glad I could help....and if only I knew that cornerback was going to be sucha huge need for me this year.

[MIJB#19]

Glad I could help....and if only I knew that cornerback was going to be sucha huge need for me this year.Oh yes, these two guys changed the world, we ranked only 32nd in passing yards allowed.

Stoffers is listed as up for trade, by the way... :)

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Here's the general manager again, I've got something to tell you all. No, I'm not going to announce a trade or something, although we are working on something big right now and on something else a bit smaller, but still significant enough.

No, the thing to do is give some looking back on the player progress of our players. I've listed all players who have made progress according to the scouting staff. And to put things better into perspective, I'll have to provide some info on the environment our players work in.

Quarterbacks: good coordinator, excellent with young talent, mentor on roster since week 5
QB Louie Flannery, rookie, 24yo, +16 on 1-100 scale

Running backs: average coordinator, excellent with young talent
RB Randy Harris, 5th year, 26yo, +2 on 1-100 scale
RB Jonathan Smith, 3rd year, 25yo, +2 on 1-100 scale
FB Jamel Rosenberry, 4th year, 25yo, +3 on 1-100 scale

Receivers: excellent coordinator, excellent with young talent
TE Jim Reiser, 3rd year, 25yo, +11 on 1-100 scale
FL Gregory Monti, 4th year, 25yo, +4 on 1-100 scale
SE Bryce Ewald, 3rd year, 25yo, +6 on 1-100 scale
SE/KR Devin Henson, 2nd year, 25yo, +2 on 1-100 scale

Offensive Linemen: very good coordinator, excellent with young talent, mentor for guards, mentor for offensive tackles
C Brant Heinrich, 2nd year, 24yo, +3 on 1-100 scale
LG Butch White, 2nd year, 24yo, +9 on 1-100 scale
RG Timothy Lacy, 3rd year, 23yo, +9 on 1-100 scale
LT Edgar Dunkin, 2nd year, 23yo, +1 on 1-100 scale

Kickers/Punters: average coordinators, excellent and good with young talent
K Cary Coles, 3rd year, 25yo, +5 on 1-100 scale

Defensive linemen: very good coordinator, good with young talent, mentor for defensive ends
DE Britt Bycroft, 2nd year, 25yo, +4 on 1-100 scale
DE Omar Gougeon, rookie, 23yo, +3 on 1-100 scale
DT Charles Gomez, 5th year, 27yo, +6 on 1-100 scale
DT John Bryant, 4th year, 26yo, +2 on 1-100 scale
DT Andy Weliczka, rookie, 24yo, +2 on 1-100 scale

Linebackers: very good coordinator, good with young talent, mentor for outside linebackers
MLB Cody Cluff, 3rd year, 25yo, +6 on 1-100 scale
WLB Mike Kershner, 3rd year, 24yo, +3 on 1-100 scale

Secondary: very good coordinator, good with young talent
CB Desmond Craig, 2nd year, 24yo, +3 on 1-100 scale
CB Gus Stoffers, 3rd year, 23yo, +4 on 1-100 scale
CB Myron Stevens, rookie, 23yo, +3 on 1-100 scale
CB Johnnie Stidham, 3rd year, 25yo, +8 on 1-100 scale
FS John Cole, 4th year, 25yo, +4 on 1-100 scale
SS Lincoln Gilmore, 3rd year, 25yo, +6 on 1-100 scale
SS Lamar Singleton, rookie, 22yo, +1 on 1-100 scale
SS Emile William, 5th year, 27yo, +3 on 1-100 scale

So, what need does the average fan have about this info? Well, it's good to know that our young roster is making progress and that players are catching up with the other teams around the league in experience. Yes, I see you thinking, others make progress too. Just for an example, 'Super' Mario Hudson, Paris' second year quarterback, has hardly made any progress. It seems that the 2005 #4 overall pick is caught in the wrong environment to develop. (Note that this isn't an attempt to make the Paris management look bad, I've talked about the progress of Hudson a lot the past season with the Paris management, Hudson's lack of progress is just an example to point out how different situations can be.) I've decided to take a team into a developmental situation that would require two or three years to get going.

The total is +131 points on the 1-100 scale, knowing that most of the progress has come in playing time, mainly for starters (let's put the figure at 22), that accounts for about +6 per starter during the season.

Also, we're going to have to hire a new head coach in the upcoming off-season. Unless Leroy Van Der Woude is willing to sign with us for about 2.5 million a year, we might be looking for a new head coach. Aged 38, Van Der Woude is young enough to get better, but with his skills being average, I have no idea whether there will be competition. But with a 15-17 record on a pretty weak team, people might be interested.

But then, we need a strategy to keep a good defensive coordinator on team after the 2007 season anyway. Kim Johannsen is a steal at his salary and with his skills we might want his services in 2008-2011 as well. Then, retaining Van Der Woude isn't a priority. But then, we might go a different course and try to hire a cheaper lead scout or offensive coordinator to create staff cap room (which is something the IHOF inducted and hasn't given up yet).

And something else, we might need to ship Wilson Grimaldo to a willing trade partner if we really, really, really can't open up the 20 million of cap room we'll need to create this off-season. The 15 million of lost cap room could get pretty serious if we don't manage to work things out in time for training camp. It's not something I want, Grimaldo looks like a key player, especially after what he did in the 2006 season, but he's not going to play forever. After all, he is 33 years old and I suspect that he's got only two years left in the tank, maybe three. I shipped away our backup guy for him during the 2006 season to Telluride, so we got to find a replacement sooner than later. With injury woes always hunting the offensive line, we'll need a decent sixth guy to start anyway, so perhaps we could take a look at offensive tackle in the draft...

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, it seems that our schedule for the 2007 season is looking pretty tough wit games against the NAC Mid-West division (the only division with no losing teams), and the AOC Deep South. The complete provisional schedule, with in brackets each team's 2006 record:
Week 01 Paris (4-12)
Week 02 at Ann Arbor (11-5)
Week 03 at Rochester (10-6, hello Futility Bowl IV!)
Week 04 San Antonio (12-4)
Week 05 open
Week 06 Vicksburg (6-10)
Week 07 at Fort Worth (6-10)
Week 08 at Paris (4-12)
Week 09 at Telluride (8-8)
Week 10 Bordeaux (11-5)
Week 11 at Gothenburg (10-6)
Week 12 RayCo (9-7)
Week 13 Georgia (5-11)
Week 14 Minnesota (8-8)
Week 15 Gothenburg (10-6)
Week 16 at Columbus (8-8)
Week 17 at Bordeaux (11-5)

More news later...

[MIJB#19]

IHOF League News: North Plainfield and Chesapeake win conferences
The cards have been reshuffled, there's only two players left. The North Plainfield Plague will represent the AOC in IHOF Bowl III, while the Chesapeake Chitterlings defend the pride of the NAC. Both teams are first time qualifiers for the Bowl game, yet both have come near the Bowl game in te past seasons. The Plague reached the AOC Final in 2004 and reached the final four of the AOC in 2005. Chesapeake had mde the NAC final four in both 2004 and 2005.

North Plainfield has a young team, which is anchored bytheir defense. Cornerback Jimmie Sprawn is the most famous player of the bunch, yet the defense is overall very impressive. With 175 passing yards per game allowed, they rank second in the IHOF. And with the talented quarterback David Conti leading the top scoring offense (26.1 points per game), there's no question that the Plague will have a chance in the title game.

The Chesapeake Chitterlings have a pretty similair reputation. With the top ranked pass offense (273 yards per game), led by quarterback Jaime Canter (4,045 yards, 25 touchdowns), they can win any game with the second best socring offense (23.6 points per game). But then, they also field the best run defense of the IHOF (83 yards per game) and have their own bunch of defensive stars. Strong linebacker Myles Sam (92 tackles, 10 sacks, 4 interceptions) can make plays in every to-go situation, while cornerback Scott Benge is the Chitterlings' solution to stop opposing wide receivers. Benge and his buddy Phillip Shumway, combined for 14 interceptions, making them a duo to not be underestimated.

With that, it seems that the two most obvious candidates for the title game are indeed playing in Oklahoma City next Thursday. Both teams were the top seeds per conference and with them being the #1 and #2 in points per game, this game calls for an exciting matchup. But then, the defense might show up and keep the other side from scoring. Chesapaeke kept the opponent to 20 or less points in 16 of 18 games this season. North Plainfield kept the opponent to 20 or less points in 15 of 18 games. But amazingly, both teams lost those games where they allowed more than 20 points. First to score 21 points to win this thing?

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Hey, hey, here's your favorite IHOF general manager again. (Well, maybe not, but I'm the only one giving as much away about the team strategy as all others combined, I think.)

Anyway, here's a stunning statistic for you, the Merchantmen tied a league record this season, a single season record and it wasn't a negative one. When you read it, I bet, you can't avoid laughing. Are you sitting down already? Yes? Here's the shocker, the Maassluis Merchantmen led the IHOF in 2006 and tied a league seasonal record in fumbles lost.

Ha!

No, that wasn't a joke, it's for real! In a year that we kept Fumblin' Justin on injured reserve all year, our 'men in total lost just three fumbles all season, making us the 2006 leaders and tying the totals from the 2004 Boston Rhinos and Fairbanks NorthStars. Yes, the same franchise that still holds the negative turnover margin record at -23, set in the 2004 season.

Okay, dry the eyes, because in contrast, we ranked second in the IHOF in 2006 in interception percentage with 4.87 interceptions per 100 pass attempts. The Georgia Gridlock did even worse with 5.26 percent and set a new record.

And then, we set another league record. 56 penalities in an entire season. The old record was 70, set by the 2004 Georgia Gridlock. Coincidentally, the penalty yardage record also went our way with 425 yards for the season. The same Gridlock team held the record previously at 499 yards.

Need another stunner? Our 1-15 2004 pass defense set a record that might never get broken in the IHOF. Least yards per pass completion allowed. 9.26 yards per completion. Second is a team that allowed 10.42 yards per completion. That is the same franchise that allowed record highs with 3,968 passing yards and 339 pass completions in the 2006 season. And the same 2006 defense that allowed a league high 3.52 touchdowns per 100 rushing attempts.

Let's recap the records set and the other side of the spectre after three seasons of football:
# of fumbles lost: Maassluis had 3 in 2006; Boulder had 16 in 2005
turnover margin: Maassluis had -23 in 2004; Ann Arbor had +23 in 2004
# of penalties: Maassluis had 56 in 2006; Brooklyn had 141 in 2004
penalty yards: Maassluis had 425 in 2006; Minnesota had 961 in 2004
yards per completion allowed: Maassluis had 9.26 in 2004;Gothenburg had 13.17 in 2005
passing yards: Maassluis had 3968 in 2006; North Plainfield had 2416 in 2004
rushing td percentage: Maassluis had 3.52 in 2006; North Plainfield had 0.66 in 2004

Funny enough to read that stuff?

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Oh goody, today is IHOF Bowl day!
IHOF Bowl III between the North Plainfield Plague and Chesapeake Chitterlings.
A couple of former Merchantmen players are taking the field today:

WR Fredric Vargas, Plague, was our #3 receiver in 2004 when he recorded a career high 5 touchdowns. He's missed a lot of playing time this season and missed the matchup with us, but should be a factor in the game as the #2 guy.

C R.J. Miller, Chitterlings, was projected as our starter for 2004, but got cut by the staff and has now quitely become a decent backup lineman for Chesapeake.


Personally, I'm looking forward to the 2007 season, especially the off-season. Sure, I'll try to attend the live coverage of IHOF Bowl III, but how important is it to see who wins? Granted, if the Chitterlings win, we'll go to an astonishing 2-1 all time record against the 3 IHOF champs, with a matchup against the 2005 champions Ann Arbor on schedule for 2007. But then, the NAC conference is starting to look superiour to the AOC, our conference. That's not good either...

Anyway, I've worked hard the past week. I've concluded negotiations with another team for a blockbuster trade, yet both sides still have the rights to cancel the deal, so no details at this hour. Maybe in a few days, when the smoke from the title game has cleared a bit, we can give some more details. Fact is that I'm still not too sold on the deal and my trade partner is not 100% on the details either. At least we've reached the stage of no more negotiating.

Also, trade talks to get a first rounder turned into an impasse situation and now we're back to the drawing table with four second rounders in hands, rather then a single first rounder. We have some other lines open at the moment, but all is quiet around the league until the 2007 season officially starts. It seems that everbody is waiting for the announcement of the draft class.

Tip of the ice berg for the 2007 season, people think my team is in a disastrous 32.5M over the cap. My own cap management shows we're just 17.55M over the cap, with 53 players signed and 11 draft picks in hand.

What are we looking for as a solution?
Well, it's simple, we've got a few issues to solve:

* the quarterback situation. We've got too many decent backups and can't afford the roster spots in them. Atkins, Bower or McDavid has to go. Concerning the fan base and cap situation, McDavid could be a non-issue, but we have still no idea how McDavid post-MCL surgery will be.

* the passing game misses a big play wide receiver. Bryce Ewald and Gregory Monti are good receivers, but both lack the route running and downfield catching ability that we lack. RB Randy Harris and TE Jim Reiser also lack the downfield ability. That's something to eye for this offseason. Big play receiver David Henkel, who we acquired this off-season, didn't move the world and had just 23 catches, 13.9 yards per catch and 0 touchdowns after a career year with 888 yards and 6 scores. Henkel deserves a second year here, the first year on a new team is always the toughest, but even then, I'd still be looking for a new guy in town. We migh even want to try shopping around either Monti or Ewald to do that.

* We need a young offensive tackle. Clearly, trading Russell Malave might have been a dumb decission after all. Grimaldo is ageing and Harold Hurtado looks like he's at his peak too. Kerry McLaurin will be tought to keep and the guy ain't young either. For the sake of playing all over the line, a left tackle would be best.

* On special teams, I'll be looking for an additional return specialist and might eye for a new kicker. Right now we lack a backup for returning duties. For the kicker situation, I'm not too happy about the progress the kickers made. It seems that sharing duties between Cary Coles (points) and Al Bettis (kickoffs) kept both guys away from progress. But then, if Bettis makes at least some progress next training camp, he's a better kickoff guy and a good investment afterall for a league wide top 16 kickoff kicker.

* Defensive tackle is again an issue, yet I'm really leaning towards Andy Welickza as the solution opposite Charles Gomez. The pass rush threat has to come from the ends and with Omar Gougeon we've already got a hot porspect. Perhaps that I'll eye for another prospect in the draft and give Scot Dick the sack. The injury he suffered doesn't bode well anyway.

* The linebackers group is another issue. In fact, it's not a big deal that these guys are allowing together 7.5 catches per game, as long as our secondary makes more plays, and right now they don't (or didn't). The lack of progress for Mike Kershner remains as a problem. Even hiring a mentor didn't help. Perhaps we should keep him more on the field, put him in the backup slot for strong side and inside back, but with our nickel back playing a lot, Kershner misses important playing time, or so it seems.

* The secondary is still far from excellent. We really need to find a way to get the zone defense to work. At least Tai Wayne, Johnnie Stidham, Lincoln Gilmore, Gus Stoffers and Emile William can all play more coverage schemes. But the rookie projects Myron Stevens and Lamar Singleton don't fit in any other scheme than the zone defense, so it remains as a risky decission. Also, we might be forced to look for a new secondary leader to maintain chemistry. We've been looking out for a new guy in case we can't return Laurence Gerry next off-season.

* Cap space. Well, the plan is simple, a bunch of cap out negotiations could resolve the issue and I hope to be able to keep the contracts manageble in 2008 as well, when we have 15M more to spent on salary, cap-wise. I'm 100% confident we'll manage it, this time I won't go crazy and trade away a first round quarterback and deal our best player to a division rival (Harold Wells was all-IHOF with 15.0 sacks, with a cap out offer we could have kept him and could have been a bigger factor in the European division. Rookie mistakes, I guess...)


Oh well, enough strategy sharing for now, IHOF Bowl III will be up in about 3 1/2 to 4 hours, depending on when the IHOF commish will start broadcasting the game's play-by-play.

Oh, and for those who missed it the previous times I mentioned it, we've managed to go 8-8 and end up 17th with a roster that's ranking as 31st best in roster value.

[MIJB#19]

Testing:
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<td align="center" style="background-color: #deebff; border: 1px dashed Black; padding: 8px;"><font class="arial" size="1" color="#000000">Go Merchantmen!</font></td>
</tr><tr><td align="center"><img src="http://modernmusclecars.net/forums/images/sign.gif" alt="" border="0">
</td></tr>
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[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen release Gerry and Kerry
On the day of IHOF Bowl III, won 10-7 by the Norht Plainfield Plague in a defensive game over the Chesapeake Chitterlings, the Maassluis Merchantmen released cornerback Laurence Gerry and left tackle Kerry McLaurin. Both veterans were going to be free agents at the start of the 2007 off-season. With this move, the Merchantmen make sure they end the 2006 season being in a healthy cap situation. The move also opened up the option to renegotiate contracts with three key members of the team, yet none of them signed a new deal.

Gerry and Kerry, as they had been called recently, were both signed during the seeason to fill a gap in the roster and now their stints with the Merchantmen are over. The Merchantmen management said the team might try to sign both of the veterans in the upcoming free agency periods for the 2007 season, but that isn't a guarantee. General manager M.IJ.B. said: "This move was neceserry to get under the cap. With both guys already scheduled to leave the team, there was no harm done to other situations. The only thing that we can't do now is designate either of them as franchise player, which we in fact did plan to do. But in the end the franchise tag would create a tougher situation in cap management."

The team tried to seal deals with tight end Jim Reiser, linebacker Ellsworth Thelen and quarterback Dominic Lynch to give them a longer contract and push some money forward to the 2006 cap situation, yet that attempt failed as all three players declined the contracts given. General manager M.IJ.B.: "It's no big deal, we still need to open up 17.5 million US dollars of cap space, as we had to. If the deals had gone through, it would have risen to about 20 million."

Next up for the team is the awaiting for the day that players can officially announce their retirement from the IHOF. M.IJ.B. "We're not expecting to Merchantmen players fill the papers, yet they have the rights to do it anonymously, thus we won't know for sure until tomorrow." The Merchantmen management has listed seven players as potential retirees:
* Defensive end Scot Dick, who turns 30 before the 2007, yet is already a nineth year pro football player and suffered a torn rotator cuff during the 2006 season.
* Offensive tackle Wilson Grimaldo, who turns 34 just before the 2007 season starts.
* Quarterback Shane Bower, who will turn 34 in May 2007.
* Linebacker Josh Weisberg, who will turn 34 in February 2007.
* Safety Richard Muller, who will turn 30 during the 2007 season and missed the 2006 season due to repetitive concussion syndrome. Muller is expected to miss the entire 2007 season and might also miss the start of the 2008 season.
* Quarterback Justin McDavid, who just turned 26 during the playoffs of the 2006 season, he's still recovering from ACL knee surgery and is undecided on whether he'll try to make a comeback in the IHOF.
* Guard Lane Stedman, who turns 33 in the 2007 season and has been unhappy with his role on the Merchantmen roster as a backup and mentor to the young starters.

With that, the search for a new head coach has started and the team will soon announce the name of the new candidate. After the relative success of the team in the past seasons, they team feels a big desire to try to maintain Leroy Van Der Woude as head coach, yet it's uncertain whether there will be competition. Maybe the team will try to persude a free agent, like Arnie Hardee, who left the Conyers Condors after their conference championship year, or Floyd Seba, who was defensive coordinator with the Merchantmen during the 2004 season and has been unemplyed since the end of that season. Other candidates could be people with current employment in the IHOF at other teams, like San Antonio's head coach Robert Franz, Fairbanks' head coach Reggie Burton, Springfield's head coach Billy Richmond or Forth Worth's defensive coordinator Vinny Jarvis.

[MIJB#19]

League News: North Plainfield Plague win IHOF Bowl III
In a sold-out stadium in Oklahoma City, the North Plainfield Palgue captured the IHOF league title in a thrilling 10-7 victory over the Chesapeake Chitterlings. Linebacker Ethan Mills took the MVP honors with some big defensive plays. The Plague take their first title and are the first Atlantic Ocean Conference representative to win it all.

Looking at the stats, the Chitterlings offense was the better part of the game, but three missed field goals from rookie Ike Settles, including a 26-yard attempt when trailing 0-3, it was a tough game to win. And with special teams stand out punter Jon Middelton keeping the Plague moving forward time-after time, the Plague overcame being outscored 3:2 in yardage and losing the turnover battle 0-2.

Chesapeake quaterback Jaime Canter had a great game, as he kpet his men going all game with 273 yards passing and no interceptions. But Canter's day was spoiled by mainly one guy: North Plainfield's Ethan Mills. The strong-side linebacker recorded 6 tackles and 3.5 sacks. His last sack was the crucial big play to end the game. With Chesapeake trailing 7-10, they had 2 seconds on the clock at their own 15 yard-line to go for a Hail Mary pass. Mills took advantage of the exhausted left tackle Mort Smithson and ended the game in his own style, by taking Canter down to the green layer and finish the game.

Most of the fans and league pundits were disappointed by the low scoring effort, as the two teams had ranking first (North Plainfield) and second (Chesapeake) in scoring after the regular season. But the real experts knew that this was a game between arguably the two strongest defenses in the league and not the battle between two of the elite quarterbacks.

All IHOF selection David Conti was clearly not able to fight such a strong defense, as he completed just 10 of 23 passes for 109 yards and 1 interception. In return, Conti did record a touchdown pass, to show his excellent skills with a big play when it counted, to take a 10-0 lead midway the third quarter.

The loser of the game was clearly Chesapeake kicker Ike Settles. The rookie kicker was called out four times to pull his trick. In the regular season, Settles had amazed people by scoring on 19 of 24 field goal attepmts and converting a a league high 44 of 44 extra points. But in maybe the most important game of his career,the lack of power in his leg was worldwide broadcasted. Settles never scored a longer kick than a 47-yarder and thus it was not to be expected to see him convert a 43-yard and a especially a potential score-tying 48-yarder with less than two minutes left in the game. But in the end, his miss from 26 yards away was a big mistake and some sources around the league predict that the undrafted rookie will be playing elsewhere or even be out of professional football during IHOF Bowl IV.

With the victory for North Plainfield, the Plague are the first Atlantic Ocean Conference representative to win it all. Over the past three seasons, three North American Conference's seemed to have dominated the IHOF. But where the Fairbanks NorthStars (2004) and Ann Arbor Anachronism (2005) took the highest crown, the Chesapeake Chitterlings choked in their attempt to show they are on te same level. The North Plainfield Plague take their first title to demonstrate their dominance in the AOC over the first three seasons of the IHOF. The Plague have won the Northeast division three times in a row. The Northeast is arguably the strongest division in the entire league, with a league high eight winning records in three years.

And now on to the 2007 season. The league is anxiously awaiting the possible retirement of star players. Three IHOF Bowl quarterbacks, Norm Rizzo (Telluride, lost the final in 2004), Donald Woods (Ann Arbor, 2005) and Jaime Canter (Chesapeake, 2006) are in the age group where they might decide to call it a game. Another IHOF Bowl quarterback, Joey Allen (Fairbanks, 2004), suffered a serious back injury and his role in the IHOF for the future is in jeopardy too, despite him turning only 30 a few days before the 2007 starts.

In the meanwhile, young David Conti gets ready for a repeat. Conti is only 24 years old and is now the favorite to be the first playcaller to win the IHOF Bowl twice.

[MIJB#19]

Fumblin' Justin returning to Maassluis in 2007
The requests for retirement papers arrived in the IHOF league office today and there was good news for the Maassluis Merchantmen: none of the 53 players under contract filed the papers. That means that the long-term injured players Justin McDavid and Richard Muller will both return.

Sadly the first reports on Justin McDavid's health are not so positive. The scouting staff thinks that McDavid can succeed as a professional football player, but the knee injury he suffered has hurt him bad enough to not be a starting calibre player and will have a hard time making the final 53-men roster for the 2007 season. The Merchantmen management wants to acknowledge that McDavid's salary may be a concern, but that his popularity with the fans could be an important reason to give him a reasonable shot at the third string role.

Richard Muller is expected to miss 20 weeks, according to the medical staff, meaning the free safety will miss the preseason and 14 games of the season. What Muller's role will be for the Merchantmen is not sure yet, but it could be that he will be placed on injured reserve at the start of pre-season or on the 53-men roster cut day.

All other players who were listed as potential retiring players didn't fill the papers either and will return to Maassluis for the upcoming season, barring trades or releases. Two former Merchantmen players did make an announced retirement though. Fullback Vincent Lopez, traded to Boulder last off-season, played two seasons in Maassluis. Cornerback Angel Tong spent a few weeks on the Merchantmen roster during the 2005 season, yet moved to Astoria as a free agent and retired a Hero. Last but not least, none of the famous quarterbacks retired, except Brian Hartsock from the RayCo Raiders.

[MIJB#19]

Editor's Note: Season Reviews
Just like after the 2005 season, I've written season reviews conference-by-conference, division-by-division, team-by-team. I hope everyone enjoys them as much as last season. By the way, the color schemes are created by the commish (VPI97), I've simply inserted the text.

Links:
Atlantic Ocean Conference Reviews (http://www.fof-ihof.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3064)
North American Conference Reviews (http://www.fof-ihof.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3063)

[MIJB#19]

John Bryant traded to Georgia Gridlock
Today the Maassluis Merchantmen and Georgia Gridlock announced the trade of John Bryant from Maassluis to Georgia for a fifth round pick in the 2007 draft. The deal had been agreed on during thw playoffs, yet the league administration is against announcing trades before the league commish is able to process the trades.

Bryant has been a first minute member of the Merchantmen roster, starting in all of the first 32 games the franchise played. In three years, Bryant played in 47 games, starting 37 of those. He made 149 tackles and 15.0 sacks in those games. Last season Bryant lost the starting job battle to seventh round pick and then rookie Andy Weliczka. This move also means that Stanley Jacke, who spent the 2006 season on injured reserve and 2005 on the inactive roster, has a better chance to play in a Merchantmen game again, for the first time since week 17 of the 2004 season.

With this trade, the Merchantmen create about 1.5 million of cap room, factoring in the salary of the selected rookie with the pick, and will mean a cap hit of 1.8 million for the 2008 season.

With this trade, the Merchantmen will have a league high 12 draft picks in the 2007 draft, as much as the Fairbanks NorthStars, including eight picks in the fifth round. But knowing the management better, this situation probably won't be reality when the draft starts.

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Alright people, the trade talking is going on right now.
This season, I'm not going to give in as easily as I used to. I feel we have very little needs and things to do to make the next big step forward. Having a healthy Tai Wayne will be pretty crucial for possible success.

I've finalized negotiations for a deal with another team, yet they need to resolve their cap situation a bit to be able to acquire a player from our team. I tell you, this deal is a pretty big one for both sides. But since I have full confidence in the other team getting the cap room in time, this trade will go through. I'll explain how all went and such after the trade is announced and confirmed. But to give you a little bit of a teaser, this deal took a lot of negotiating and I have had second thoughts on finally giving the go ahead with a "Let do this deal".

I've also been involved in an interesting trade negotiations with another team that will help out both sides a bit. But since both ends are not giving in right now, despite us being very close to a deal, this thing can still blow off so I can't give details at this moment. From the sidelines, it's interesting to see who will give in first...

Other things to note?
Well, with Fumblin' Justin turned into a career 3rd stringer at best, it's really a tough decission to make when we start negotiating with players to get a huge 21M cap problem resolved. That includes the expected cost for draft picks, which should be resolved as we're clearly trying to trade all four second rounders (rated at about 1M) for just one 2007 first round pick and a couple of future picks.

More to note?
We're probably going to say goodbye to a few other players this off-season who are not listed on the trade block.
* DE Scot Dick, contributed with his pass rush, yet I feel confident that Omar Gougeon can do that too and with Albert Bernardo and Britt Bycroft also signed, Dick would be a backup. With his salary, he's too expensive to ride the bench, even in our pass rush rotation.
* WR David Henkel, big-play guy who excelled at the Vicksburg Vipers, especially in 2005. Maybe I should give him another year to get used to the system, yet I have little hope he will work out as the #3 receiver I thought he could be. And then, we're not using the multiple wide-outs sets a lot, to keep our outstanding receiving backs and tight end involved a lot.
* OT Wilson Grimaldo. I see you thinking "WTF?" Well, the guy is pretty old and might have been the key to our excellent year of pass protection (28 sacks allowed), yet when he was missiing due to injury, the team won three games in a row, two of those games were at home against eventual 10-6 teams. I might go the route to try to get a high draft pick and pick a young offensive tackle to fill his job, but right now I don't have a first rounder and Grimaldo's age won't help me get a 1st for him up straight.

"I pick Omarosa!" We really need to find someone else to do the finances, we've been losing money the past season ($10.8M) and our fan base has made a hit too (-7,000 fans per game), despite us being very hot as a playoff contender for most of the season. We didn't make much more money with the new ticket prices, so we might keep them at the current figures and hoping that inflation will make the tickets look more attractive and draw a bigger audience.

And now the important issue, our head coaching job. Well, we haven't hired a new head coach yet, but we are confident we'll get the guy we wanted. I've tried to come up with a good strategy to get 'our guy', but clearly I can't tell you whether we made him an offer yet and whether it is indeed the old head coach, Leroy Van Der Woude. Let's hope I have more news, being good news pretty soon.

Oh, and then another thing, the legendary Gene Simmons, who I tried to acquire in the 2005 off-season, the guy who was the best offensive linemen in the IHOF in 2004 and 2005, he's released by the Rochester Lake Monsters. What's up? Well, Simmons suffered a serious injury and didn't quite come out of it very well. He's still able to play football, but not at the level we were used to see him on. He was scheduled to make 4.5M bucks, which the Lake Monsters didn't want to spend on a career backup. He's now seeking about 5M over 3 years, perhaps the Merchantmen can finally get the guy we always wanted to have, although only as a backup. And honestly, even at his new level, he'd still have been a starter for the 2004 Merchantmen, a playing backup in 2005 and a 3rd stringer in 2006. But in 2007, we're looking for another step forward and Simmons might miss the quality now.

Back to the negotiations table, I've got a few other talks started as well. And no, the "Masters of Trading" won't be making 25 trades this off-season. At this point, I think 10 deals is the over/under. Make your best now!

[MIJB#19]

Editor's note: What happened to Fumblin' Justin?
For the fans, here's a link to three scouting reports on Fumblin' Justin.
The reports are snapshot at three different stages in his career:
* the save game right after the game where McDavid suffered his knee injury, week 11 of 2005
* the save game right after the 2006 training camp
* the save game right after the 2007 season start

Link: hxxp://merchantmen.defense.com/mcdavid.htm
(Just replace hxxp with http, I think the Merchantmen website is worksafe, but you never know for sure these days. :D)

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen back at it, announce four trades
Yesterday evening, the Maassluis Merchantmen and three other teams involved announced four trades. With these trades four Merchantmen players are given a new home, while four other players are coming over from across the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, the Merchantmen received and dealt away draft picks. Let's breakdown the trades one-by-one.

First announced was that defensive end Scot Dick is moving back to France. After a stint with the Bordeaux Vineyards in 2004 and 2005, the Paris Musketeers are his new home. Paris gave up their 2009 third round pick and traded down from third to twenty-first in the fifth round of the 2007 draft.

Second announced was that cornerback Gus Stoffers will move to the Outer Banks Ospreys. In return, tight end Arnold Ramirez will go to the orange-white-and-blue.

Third trade was again with the Outer Banks Opspreys. Defensive end Ian Degrange is leaving Maassluis, but in return cornerback Danny Person is flying in from the States. Additionally, the Ospreys trade up in the fifth round of the 2007 draft from thirty-second to seventeenth, while they give up their 2008 fifth round pick too. Most importantly, the Ospreys receive the seventh pick in the second round of the 2007 draft for their own second round pick in 2009.

Last trade announced was the biggest one and which had been finalized for a few days before announcing. Offensive tackle Wilson Grimaldo will move to the Vicksburg Vipers, while offensive tackle Cornelius Rice and return specialist-wide receiver Emmanuel Jennings go the other way. Additionally, the Vipers give up their second round picks in 2008 and 2009 for the nineth pick in the second round of the 2007 draft, the Vipers trade down from seventh to twenty-eight in the fifth round of the 2007 draft and the Vipers get the 2009 third rounder from Maassluis for their fifth rounder in 2008.

Dick, Degrange and Stoffers were all 2006 off-season additions to the Merchantmen, yet the management clearly saw no big roles for them in 2007. The trade of Wilson Grimaldo is amazing as the Merchantmen General manager M.IJ.B. recently declared that Grimaldo was one of his 'Players of the Year'. M.IJ.B.: "Dick would be an overpaid backup, easy decission. Degrange was a locker room problem and was only traded for those reasons. Stoffers would be a backup with the return of Wayne and improvement shown by Stidham. Tight end Ramirez will give us a decent backup again, cronerback Person will be our new secondary leader and backup starter. Jennings will be our new return specialist and Rice will take the spot we open with the trade of Grimaldo. Grimaldo has been a key member, but I wanted a younger guy starting, plus his high cap figure made it easier to part ways with him."

The Merchantmen project to still be $10.7M over the cap, but claim they will resolve the issue in a timely fashion to make the Degrange for Person trade. The trading of picks mean the Merchantmen have added two second rounders in 2009, while they will now have three second rounders and eight fifth rounders in 2008. The 2007 situation sees two mid second rounders and no less than eight fifth rounders, including five located in the top eight of that round. M.IJ.B.: "We're still hoping to get a first round pick for the two second rounders. For the bunch of fifth rounders, you will have to wait and see what we'll do with those picks."

[fantastic flying froggies]

Let the Trading Madness begin!!!

:D

[MIJB#19]

Let the Trading Madness begin!!!

:DI'm still planning to do about 10 trades max, with 5 done already.
But then, I somehow suspect it will turn out to be 10 before the draft, 1 or 2 during the draft and about 5 after the draft, for a total of about 15.

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
A little insight on the announced trades here.

OT Wilson Grimaldo has been a key element on the OL in 2006 and I fear we'll give up 40 sacks next season, rathen than the 28 we gave up. If Rice turns out to be the real thing, this trade was wort it. All we still need to do is figure out whether Dunkin is good enough to be the primairy backup OL player or whether we'll need a new backup, like Kerry McLaurin turned out to be for us.

DE Scot Dick was a good player, but he was simply a temporary solution. When we got Omar Gougeon in the draft, the need for him was gone and now I've been able to deal him away for a 3rd rounder and also managed to trade up in the 5th round of the draft.

DE Ian Degrange has great potential, but with him simply not fitting in with chemistry, he wouldn't get playing time here to develop. Sadly, but it just wouldn't work with him on the line.

CB Gus Stoffers was a good fill-in. He was the initial guy to side with Tai Wayne, but then Wayne got injured and Johnnie Stidham broke out with 7 interceptions. Sure, Stoffers contributed in a way, but he would be a backup and doesn't have the interception skills to show for it, unlike our other backups Desmond Craig and Myron Stevens.

Now the future additions:
WR Emmanuel Jennings will give us more room for the returning duties. With him we'll have two punt returners and two kick returners rather than one. I believe in special teams and reserving roster spots for it.

RT Cornelius Rice was a second round pick for Vicksburg and I think he can work out here. He should be interesting for chemistry and has the skill level to at least not be the weakest link on the link in pass protection or run blocking.

CB Danny Person is a man-to-man coverage standout, but the guy will also be a great new secondary leader and should be a decent replacement when either Wayne or Stidham gets injured.

TE Arnold Ramirez will finally give us a good backup behind Jim Reiser. Sure, we had good old Jerry Aubrey in the past, but he was, well, old. And the Charlies Burley and Martins just don't do it. Burley is exclusively a pass catcher, he can't block, while Martins can't do either well, but yet is an excellent long snapper.

Also, I feel pretty happy with the new draft situation. In 2008 we now have enough picks to make an impact then, if we need to, but we also added two 2nd rounders in 2009, when I initially planned the required rebuilding. But with Grimaldo traded at a dead cap friendly timing, we might not be forced in a big rebuilding mode, but rather will still be looking for a big offensive tackle to replace Harold Hurtado at some point. And in the 2007 draft, I will still try to get a (low) 1st rounder and start focussing on the fifth round of the draft, wait and see what's available there.

[cthomer5000]

In the meanwhile, young David Conti gets ready for a repeat. Conti is only 24 years old and is now the favorite to be the first playcaller to win the IHOF Bowl twice.
Let's hope so. He didn't play too well in the IHOF Bowl, so I think he's hoping he'll get a chance to really show his stuff on the big stage again.

Great stuff as always, I love reading through this thread from time to time. It's so well done.

[MIJB#19]

Let's hope so. He didn't play too well in the IHOF Bowl, so I think he's hoping he'll get a chance to really show his stuff on the big stage again.

Great stuff as always, I love reading through this thread from time to time. It's so well done.http://www.fof-ihof.com/phpBB2/images/smiles/icon_redface.gif It's always nice to read compliments.

It'll be intersting to see how the Plague will move in the offseason. Like I wrote in the season review, there's nowhere but to go down now (and that basically refers to your own words. :))

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Where's the new Merchantmen headcoach?
It's week three of the staff hiring period in the IHOF and two teams haven't signed a headcoach yet. The Maassluis Merchantmen clearly tried to keep Leroy Van Der Woude around, but they seem to be in a bidding war with an undisclosed team. The rumor are that the coach-less San Antonio Volunteers, who where 12-4 division winners and the AOC runners' up, are the other team bidding. But why don't the Merchantmen have a plan B?

Well, we here they do have a Plan B. The guy is called Dana Bailey and was the offensive coordinator in Paris last season. The Merchantmen management didn't want to comment on this gossip, but we're pretty sure they offered Bailey a two-year contract to fill the void as they seem to expect Van Der Woude to sign with the Volunteers.

But why Bailey? The guy pretty much ruined the career of 'Super' Mario Hudson. Well, maybe there you have it. It's well known league wide that the Merchantmen had their eye on Hudson in 2005, yet saw their rivals Paris trade up to get the guy and the Merchantmen settled with Leonard Lyon. We all know where that guy hangs out these days, being the handoff guy to Huey Gervais' successor Raymond Flowers in Springfield.

Bailey is said to be a type of coach just like Van Der Woude, yet a much older version at the age of 63. Van Der Woude is only 39 years young. Van Der Woude has the futurew and could be an elite headcoach for he ages.

But maybe the Merchantmen's so called "Plan B" refers to Reggie Burton. Burton is 64 years old, yet was the headcoach for the Fairbanks NorthStars the past three seasons. We all know how that worked out, the NorthStars were the first champs in 2004 and still hold the best single season record with a 15-1 record in 2005. But the downfall after injury to Joey Allen pretty much cost Burton his reputation and the NorthStars suffered a record 36-10 loss in Maassluis last season, against the league's worst defense.

Or maybe they're aiming for 41-year old Bernard Leaf. The guy would be new to the league, yet the experts say he's a good play caller, and knows about everything something, except that he has no clue what kind of techniques defensive linemen use.

The last candidate is said to be Billy Richmond. The guy coached the Springfield Isotopes to a 12-36 record, yet people do rate him as a good coach. Only his offensive play calling seems to be off at times.

The options are numerous, but the fans are calling the management out. The rumors that Fumblin' Justin would have to leave the Merchantmen after injury gives little respect and the management has to solve something there. The announced trade of defensive end Scot Dick, a popular player around the league, not in the last place with his last name, he's traded to the arch rivals from Paris. And now there are rumors that wide receiver Bryce Ewald would be traded next, after the already announced trade of moderately popular guys like defensive tackle John Bryant and offensive tackle Wilson Grimaldo.

But now, the coaching job has to be given to someone. The Merchantmen have screened the candidates and they've said they made an offer to one guy today. Who it is, we'll hear later on, but we suspect that they indeed have given up on Van Der Woude and that "Plan B" referes the the first digit of a first name or last name. Our favorite: Reggie Burton. Keep reading Gossip News and you'll find out who it is.

[MIJB#19]

Press Release: Merchantmen try to keep Fumblin' Justin
The Maassluis Merchantmen management wants to let the fans around the IHOF and especially the Merchantmen fans know that Fumblin' Justin McDavid isn't written off as of yet. The management want to point out that it is too early to draw conclussion out of McDavid's return from injury in a state we are not known to see with the fan favorite. McDavid will not be released before the pre-season starts.

When Justin McDavid suffered a serious knee injury in week 11 the 2005 season at the Gothenburg Giants, people around the league feared for McDavid's retirement. McDavid decided to return for the 2006 season so spend the year on injured reserve and at the start of the 2007 season the fan favorite to the Maassluis Merchantmen fans has called in for duty in the heart of Europort.

The Merchantmen scouting staff has reported that McDavid won't reach the level of play the fans got used to and will never reach the potential he was said to have. Still, the Merchantmen management understands that McDavid has become a popular player and is important for the fan base. The management believes that with his experience and popularity, McDavid will be a worthy number three quarterback.

With that statement, that doesn't mean that McDavid is a lock for making the 53-men roster. The competition with Shane Bower, Mel Atkins and and Dominic Lynch for the two or three spots behind Louie Flannery as backup quarterbacks will be big. The team has even sent out a league wide message that Atkins, Bower or McDavid could be available in a trade.

As McDavid has a cap figure of $2.67 million the team does have to make a choice here. The management wants to let the fans know that at this rate, McDavid is too expensive to ride the bench. The management will soon start negotiating with McDavid's agent Leland Hanks to make sure that McDavid will have a chance in the upcoming training camp to make the 60-men pre-season roster and eventually the 53-men regular season roster.

Last, but not least, the earlier announced trades of expensive players like Wilson Grimaldo and Scot Dick could help to maintain Justin McDavid as a Merchantmen. In the original plans, Grimaldo's salary was taken into account as being part of the cap situation, but with him traded there might be room to keep McDavid around and to save other fan favorites from leaving the team. As soon as there is more news, the Merchantmen will let the fans know.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Bring Van Der Woude Back, Hire New Coordinator
Good news in the heart of the world harbor today, the Maassluis Merchantmen managed to get headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude to sign a five-year contract to keep the succes coach around. In addition, the Merchantmen hired a new defensive coordinator in Bernie Hicks.

Leroy Van Der Woude, 39 years young and the apparent crownprince in the coaching department. He's been mentioned as the one guy who lead the once laughing stock of the IHOF to .500 land and helped the team in 2005 to a then record turnaround season from 1-15 to 7-9. With the team reaching 8-8, despite having a roster that was tagged as the worst in the AOC, Van Der Woude was given the confidence of the Merchantmen management. Today, Van Der Woude signed a five-year contract, which means the team won't have to worry about the need to hire a new coach.

Bernie Hicks was the surprise announcement of the day. Hicks is already 66 years old, but the Merchantmen management expect that the former Tucker Tigers offensive coordinator will be an important guy in the continued improvement of the defense. It also ment the termination of Kim Johannsen at this role, but the young talented coordinator was immediately hired by the Columbus Architects through the 2009 season.

With Van Der Woude and Hicks on the team, the Merchantmen have sealed up their staff members through the 2010 season. General manager M.IJ.B. claims that no job is safe: "Well, with the deals done for so long, we have a guaranteed continuation of team support. But if it turns out that one of the guys is making a mess of his job, we won't hesistate to hire someone else. Plus, we don't expect to see either lead scout Gabe Avila or defensive coordinator Bernie Hicks to not retire by 2010." Next up is the job to managing the roster to an extend where the team will be able to make a more serious run for the playoffs than the one failed attempt in the 2006 season.

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
I'm delighted to have Leroy Van Der Woude back. The guy is a very good play caller in both areas and with his young age, I hope he'll be excellent in one or both of these areas before the end of his cotract.

Bernie Hicks will be a little improvement over Kim Johannsen. Hicks is excellent with young talent, which should be good for us. Especially as he's excellent with linebackers and we have two guys in Cody Cluff and Mike Kershner who really could use a teacher. With Hicks being 'only' average in the two other areas, the young defensive linemen and backs might see a set back, but if Hicks really is so excellent with youngsters, it should work out okay after all. And he also knows more about kickers than any previous coordinator we ever had.

Now comes the ticket prices and franchise tag period, yet we won't be too active here. We're probably freezing the prices as the drop of attendance (-9%!) is worrying and we really can't use more loss of fans. In that regard we will really have to strive to keep Fumblin' Justin McDavid around, the guy is an idol to so many fans. The franchise tag won't be an issue since we've got no unrestricted free agents and the restricted free agents are not worth concideration, if you ask me. C Bubba Kearney, DE Britt Bycroft, FL Donovan Bradley, SS Earnest Atkins and FB Greg Berk all might be willing to sign a new deal before the draft. We 'only' have to create cap room for them in a timely fashion.

[Kodos]

Did you break the news about poor ol' Gene Simmons?

[MIJB#19]

Did you break the news about poor ol' Gene Simmons?Yup... :( Oh, and then another thing, the legendary Gene Simmons, who I tried to acquire in the 2005 off-season, the guy who was the best offensive linemen in the IHOF in 2004 and 2005, he's released by the Rochester Lake Monsters. What's up? Well, Simmons suffered a serious injury and didn't quite come out of it very well. He's still able to play football, but not at the level we were used to see him on. He was scheduled to make 4.5M bucks, which the Lake Monsters didn't want to spend on a career backup. He's now seeking about 5M over 3 years, perhaps the Merchantmen can finally get the guy we always wanted to have, although only as a backup. And honestly, even at his new level, he'd still have been a starter for the 2004 Merchantmen, a playing backup in 2005 and a 3rd stringer in 2006. But in 2007, we're looking for another step forward and Simmons might miss the quality now.

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Yay, the 2006 general manager awards are in and...
Nothing, again.

Well, not hat we had any candidates, although Charles Gomez made a strong case for Defensive Player of the Year, yet the competition was very big.

Our best bet was our fourth best wide receiver Devin Henson. Henson return two kickoffs for a score, scored on a fumble recovery and didn't record a fumble while he returned kickoffs for 25.7 yards per return. The league mentioned him and, probably boosted by my own vote for him, Henson was tied for being the runner-up in the Special Teams Player of the Year category. Winner was four times fumbler, not including his IHOF Bowl mistake, and three times touchdown scoring punt returner Davis Cole from the champs, the North Plainfield Plague.

Other awards?
Best GM went to Boulder Blizzard GM Blackadar, who guided his team to the best turnaround in league history with +10 wins, including a playoff win on the road, outdoing our own second best all-time at +6. (Indeed, I ended up second in this voting after our amazing season).

The player awards weren't such a big surprizes. Even though I personally voted on a different guy in every single category, go figure how odd that is.

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Exciting moments are coming up, today will be another important day in the future of the IHOF.

The 2007 draft class will be revealed, teams will announce their free agents and all team will get a single shot at re-negotiating contracts with as much players as possible to get under the cap in time for free agency and the first couple of trades could be processed after those negotiations.

I will be taking special note to which players will be available from the fifth round down. It'll be a gamble to rely on fifth round picks, but I just don't see much need for using high draft picks on new players with the players we have today. Last season was different, we needed to get a hot prospect quarterback as I didn't dare to rely on Leonard Lyon or a 100% healthy return of Justin McDavid (it paid off, in a way).

Sure, we could use a hot guy in the first round, I still hope to turn the two remaining second rounders into a first rounder, but it's not a necessity. The only reall needs we might have are a future replacement for Harold Hurtado, but maybe we'll be lucky and get a potential starting left tackle in the second round who would immediately be our backup at guard and right tackle. Other needs still are a backup running back, a deep-thread wide receiver, maybe a run stopping defensive tackle and maybe another shutdown cornerback, although I have confidence in both Tai Wayne and Johnnie Stidham there.

The biggest risk still is giving up Grimaldo. With McDavid starting, we could risk having a shaky pass protection. McDavid has the eye and intelligence to see the pass rush thread and had the speed to avoid a problem on first or second downs. The newby Louie Flannery doesn't come with that skill. Also, we really need a deep threat wide receiver to make Flan's additional value as long passes throwing guy pay off. Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald lack that deep threat, while David Henkel seems to not be the solution either. Our backs and tight ends can't be trusted to do that either, so we might try to get such a guy this draft.

Go ahead other owners, read this stuff, you never know where I have a trade with someone else set up to fit the needs anyway... :)

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Good news from the Netherlands, we've started negotiations with 25 players to extend contracts and in a few cases to just drop the cap figure for this season. The players who are about to be shipped back to the States have gone untouched and when the smoke of all trades today has been cleared, we could be in a more than healthy cap situation at around $2.5M under the cap. That's right: almost $20M better than where we were.

Fumblin' Justin McDavid has said to be willing to give up about 1.5M in his salary figures, without asking for a signing bonus. Wow, talking of loyalty. How can we now release this guy? The fans adore him, no way McDavid is going back to the States, let alone to Sweden or France.

Wow, the freed salary cap figure means that, with draft picks even taken into account, we might make a splashing move in free agency. Not that we have much needs or that the market has some interesting players, because there are about 10 free agents who could make an impact. Of all the free agents, we've listed about 20 who can be decent signings, but more importantly, we've identified 5 players who deserve concideration to be offered a contract. No, no names here and two or three of these guys would mean that we'd be making just a small upgrade at some important roster spots, but I've found three players who could make an impact. Knowing the market, we're probably not going to be able to sign these five guys anyway and of we could get two, we'd have made a big impact.

The draft class is revealed and at this moment I'm not quite sure what to think. The league all around is thrilled about this being a great class, with a lot of interesting quarterbacks, but I have yet too see which of those passer can really make an impact. There are two real franchise type guys in Chris Donaldson and Nate Sutter, but the second of the two is reported as lacking something called "timing". The third guy that should be going in the top three is running back Randy Reagor, who according to my scout would immediately be a top three back in the league, isn't that something?

Our needs and draft solutions? I think it's a slim chance. there's one awesome WR in Jonathan Adams, with about three other wide outs who would fit the picture of the type of guy I'm looking for. But then, that would be their potentials. At left tackle, the top prospect is Donald Cook. The guy needs a year or three to develop, lacks the endurance to really make an impact here and is scouted to have a very high volatility. I wonder who will even dare to draft this guy. There are other offensive tackle who could make a splashing entree here, though, and I might concidering picking one, if we'll be able to get a draft pick high enough to get such a guy. And you know me, I always get two guys to fill one need, one in a trade, one in the draft, so the guy will have to beat incoming Cornelius Rice for the job.

How about defensive tackle? Well, there are four guys who caught my eye and I dare to bet one of them will be there at the mid second round. There's also a Andy Weliczka type of guy around, A typical run stopper with high stamina called Shaun Billig. We will also need a new defensive end, or two, with Degrange and Dick moving out. The top five prospects don't fit the Merchantmen worthy profile, but I'm comfident we'll be able to get such a guy in the fifth round.

And last but not least, cornerback will again be a need position. I've seen enough guys who would fit the Merchantmen profile for a cornerback and we might try to get such a guy. But not before the fifth round.

Oh yeah, that fifth round, what are the Merchantmen going to do with all those picks there? No, it's still to early to tell, I'm not done with the plan there and won't give too much away anyway.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Present First 2007 Addition, Negotiate Contracts
The Maassluis Merchantmen have been trading again and the first addition was today presented at the Merchantmen headquarters. Tight end Arnold Ramirez was acquired in a trade with the Outer Banks Ospreys for cornerback Gus Stoffers and arrived to town. Ramirez will be wearing the #89 jersey and should be the new backup tight end to Jim Reiser. In 31 games with the Ospreys, Ramirez made 19 receptions and scored 4 touchdowns. He should also be a reliable run blocker on goal line plays.

The Merchantmen management also worked out new contracts with 32 players. Most notable were three-year contract extentions to wide receiver Gregory Monti and cornerback Johnnie Stidham. Next in line was a big salary cut that Justin McDavid agreed to make, which will likely help him to make the 53-men roster at the season start. Also important was the new contract running back Jonathan Smith agreed with, which helped him to get withdrawn from the trading block.

All the moves in total freed about $16 million in cap room. With expected additional negotiations and the trade of offensive tackle Wilson Grimaldo, the Merchantmen management expects to have enough cap room to use one draft pick in the top two rounds and add a bunch of players in the fifth round.

Two trades were postponed today as the Vicksburg Vipers came short to free up enough cap room to acquire Wilson Grimaldo today. This non-trade also ment the postponement of the trade that should bring in cornerback Danny Person and see defensive end Ian Degrange leave the team.

In another trade, defensive end Scot Dick did move to the Paris Musketeers. This mean that for he second year in a row, the Merchantmen will face a former defensive end in week one against a divisional rival. It also kept a good tradition alive between the Merchantmen and the Musketeers to make a trade in each off-season, not counting the relative short off-season prior of the 2004 season.

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Lose Their Face
No, Fumblin' Justin isn't going anywhere, but so isn't anyone else. The story of the off-season is one of big trades, but the Merchantmen are not involved, at all. The only big deal they made was shipping tackle Wilson Grimaldo to the Vicksburg Vipers, yet today another team announced two big deal that put Maassluis in a huge shadow: the Conyers Condors acquired the top two pick in the upcoming draft.

Let's start with that big one, the Condors and getting the top picks. Going into the off-season, the Condors held three first round picks including the #4 overall. Today they traded their franchise player, quarterback Everett 'Aces' Glenn, with the #13 overall for the #1 overall from the San Luis Obispo Burn. Then they sent the #4 and #21 picks to the Springfield Isoptopes for the #2 and now they have a shot at getting the top two prospects: quarterback Chris Donaldson and running back Randy Reagor.

With all the news, the Merchantmen have gone to the international news pages, out of sight. Has the management lost the trade of trading? We keep hearing that this team is ready, but from 8-8 with te best players traded away, the next step isn't a championship ring, at all.

For once, the Merchantmen management was willing to respond, but we think it might be to get back in the headlines. General manager M.IJ.B. explained: "The team is set, we've got the players to make a jump forward. All we do is trading overpaid backups and the risky Grimaldo. We have made our splashing moves in the past, to get Tai Wayne and Louie Flannery. Randy Harris was here and we hope to make two more big additions this offseason." Liar.

Gossip News knows better, they guy has lost it. We hear how much he didn't make more trades because he got older and realized he can't trade everything away. Here's a wakeup call for you, the Merchantmen have already enmassed over ten million bucks in dead cap space. Ten million! Way to go, guys, have fun in .500 land. And now on to Georgia, where it's happening these days. The three teams there are the trade masters of this season and the traditional trade-a-holics Maassluis and the North Plainfield Plague are only making little deals. Don't expect more news from the Netherlands any day soon...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Present New Faces
With the conclusion of trades and the first freeagent signings, the Maassluis Merchantmen present the latest addititions to the team. With trades processed, the departure of tackle Wilson Grimaldo and defensive end Ian Degrange was official. Who are the new faces? Keep reading!

Brian Hammond - left guard, free agent from the Outer Banks Ospreys
Hammond was part of the Huey Gervais show in Springfield, starting 7 of 28 games. In those games he made 12 key run blocks and was a bit of a pass protection leak. In 2006 Hammond was an important player for the Outer Banks Ospreys, where he started 12 of 16 games. With 22 key run blocks and 6 sacks he played well. In Maassluis, Hammond will be the backup and mentor to young prospects Butch "Bruce" White and "Tiny Tim" Lacy.

Emmanuel Jennings - return specialist, traded from the Vicksburg Vipers
Jennings missed the 2006 entirely, but did see action in the 2005 season. In 3 starts in 13 games, the wide receiver scored 1 touchdown. His trade is returning and with 6.0 yards per punt return and 18.7 yards per kickoff return he's a good specialist. With 5 fumbles, he does make a risky play. Still, we needed a guy to line-up side-by-side with Drew Henson and Matt Offord.

Johnny Meadows - defensive tackle, free agent from the Outer Banks Ospreys
Meadows was drafted by the Minnesota Miners in 2007, seven picks behind the Merchantmen's Andy Weliczka. He didn't get to play there and got released later on. In Maassluis he's going to battle it out with Stanley Jacke for the backup roles and with whomever the team might draft.

Danny Person - cornerback, traded from the Outer Banks Ospreys
Person returns to Europe this season. Person started his career with the Paris Musketeers, but then got traded to the Syracuse Mohawks after 4 games. The last two seasons he spent on the Outer Banks Ospreys roster. Person started 22 games there, in which he recorded 1 interception and 65 tackles. Person should be the new leader in Maassluis of the secondary, yet the arise of a conflict with star Tai Wayne doesn't bode well for him to stay very long.

Cornelius Rice - offensive tackle, traded from the Vicksburg Vipers
Rice struggled a bit with the Vicksburg Vipers, but with 17 key run blocks and 8 sack allowed, Rice did make himself noticed in 14 starts in two years. In Maassluis he's got to fill the shoes of big name Wilson Grimaldo, but the Merchantmen might try to get another offensive tackle to put the pressure on Rice to perform.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Yay, I can still do it. Within an hour I struck three deals and in that I send a pick from team A to team B and another pick from team B to team C. In the trades, we're sending away the 2.17 pick, 5.32 pick and QB Dominic Lynch and get future picks, while we trade into the 5.5 pick.

Our future drafts are getting more interesting every day, yet this year's draft will be a no-show, in a way... It's fair to give away strategy now. I've gotten so much 5th rounders, it would be a drama in the draft. But trades have unintentionally moved is into having 6 picks within 7 spots. Okay, so the 6th acquisition lucked into our lap and we're trying to talk Boston in giving us that last pick, but we will be in control there.

We've addressed a lot of needs now and have 67 players signed if our free agent offers go through (included the restricted ones) and we use the draft picks we got. It's early, but we're almost ready for training camp. My projection is that we will be $4M under the cap with still the rookies to sign and us needing to extend the contract of tight end Jim Reiser. And with guard Lane Stedman still on team, who's role should be over with us due to locker room troubles.

Our future cap projections? Right now we're heading for being about $9 million over the cap with 71 players signed, including all draft picks. Our 2009 situation is projected at $3.5 million over te cap with 69 players signed. Conclusion: if this team works out, we have something great sitting ready for three consecutive seasons. We don't have to fear for retirements, but we might have to re-negotiate a few contracts in those seasons. And with a few I mean ten at most.

With Dominic Lynch gone, Louie Flannery might make less progress, but I've seen how McDavid made progress when Lynch wasn't mentoring our starter. I have faith in offensive coordinator Antonio Francis to help him out. It means we have four quarterbacks signed through the 2009 season. And as soon as we tie up Jim Reiser, we have all starters signed through the 2008 season.

We've still got six free agent offers standing out and if these guys sign, I feel confident we have a better team than in 2006. With conhesion and team chemistry stepping in, we should be able to avoid the big 14-40 type losses, edge out the field goal deciders and if we miss an upset win or two, we could be able to go into playoff contention all barring injuries of course, but most positions should be well backed up now. Especially if we draft well. 2007 ought to be good in Oranje Haven.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Youngsters Scouting Their Old Schools
With the 2007 IHOF draftcoming up, the Maassluis Merchantmen are scouting their options on who to draft this season. The talk of the moment in the league is the trading of top picks, the top 4 have all been traded within 6 hours of each other. To help the Merchantmen out, four prominent young players on roster were asked to scout their own former college teammates. Read what Cody Cluff (Texas Christian), Louie Flannery (Middle Tennessee State), Justin McDavid (Texas Tech) and Tai Wayne (Jacksonville) have to say about this draft class.

Charlie Long, Jacksonville, RB 6-2 232 lbs 22yo, rating 3.2, 40-time: 4.70, bench press: 18
Tai Wayne: Charlie is a cool kid. We called him "Charlie Long Gains" as the guy kept breaking tackles behind the opposing front seven to have a 20-yard gain game after game. He's got the body to break through and it really showed. His 4.70 40-time isn't great, but the guy is fast enough to get downfield and open. I hear he's going to be a likely late seventh rounder to not drafted.

Gerald Cheshier, Middle Tennessee State, FB 5-9 241 lbs 25yo, rating: 4.1, 40-time: 4.73, bench press: 27
Louie Flannery: I remember Gerald very well. With him around I got all the time to pick out trhe receiver, because he's a great pass blocker. With his body and power he was a great guy to let run over the middle. And on third downs, the guy was always open. We called him "Chessmaster" as the guy is so smart and it was just fun with his last name. The latest is that we all hope he gets drafted, but he's the typical 50-50 guy to be or not to be drafted.

Damon Flack, Middle Tennessee State, TE 6-8 286 lbs 21yo, rating: 2.5, 40-time: 4.91, bench press: 24
Flannery: "Da Monster" we called him. Just look at his size, the guy is huge. Damon made a good run blocker and was helpful as a receiver as well. The experts at school fear he won't get drafted, but with his speed he deserves to go into training camp somewhere.

Cole Martin, Middle Tennessee State, FS 6-0 203 lbs 23yo, rating: 2.0, 40-time: 4.71, bench press: 9
Flannery: Cole is a cool guy. He's got a good size for a safety, but he's probably not good enough for the pro level football. He might be a nice pickup for training camp as I hear he's a protitypical smart guy with break-out potential. Well, he's a run supporter and knows the game well, so maybe he will make it afterall?

Leslie Girardi, Texas Christian, C 6-6 310 lbs 23yo, rating: 2.0, 40-time: 5.27, bench press: 17
Cody Cluff: I've been following my old school through the taped games my old coach kept sending me and I got to say the school hasn't been a pro football developing school. Leslie could be the difference maker after me. He's not fast or very strong, but the guy had outstanding grades and my coach says he's got break-out potential to be a professional long snapper. He's not going to be drafted, but one of the ten smartest guys to leave college, he deserves a training camp spot.

Grant Bidwell, Texas Tech, LT 6-4 301 lbs 23yo, rating: 5.8, 40-time: 5.24, bench press: 33
Justn McDavid: Grant Bidwell... Boy, was he something. The guy wasn't the brightest of all, if I can say that, but boy, he did know how to protect the quarterback. Especially the last two years he's been amazing. Oh, and Grant has been a great supporter for the run too. With his power he can be a great starter in this league someday. I hear he's scouted as the best offensive tackle of the class, so I doubt he'll make it to Maassluis this season. Too bad, I'd have loved to see that happen. I hear he's mid first round talent, so I stick with that projection.

Cole McCarthy, Texas Tech, OT 6-3 312 lbs 22yo, rating: 3.6, 40-time: 5.45, bench press: 29
McDavid: I remember "C-Mac" very well. When I was the old guy and starting quarterback, he and I were called the McDonald's brothers. Of course, he ordered five quarter pounders while I stuck with the salad shake. Good times those were. Cole was a pass protection talent and his main trade was his stamina. I've heard he's a long shot to het drafted, but that he'll probably be picked in the late sixth to mid seventh round. It will be fun to see him in the league!

Trent Wilmer, Texas Tech, P 6-6 217 lbs 23yo, rating: 4.3, 40-time: 5.10, bench press: 14
McDavid: Trent was an outstanding punter for college standards. I hear he's got a great hang time and how he's got break-out potential. From what I've heard he's a 50-50 shot on getting drafted, but if he doesn't, he'll probably make a training camp roster somewhere. And, he's a good kick holder, so he's got more talents.

Justin McDavid said he hasn't seen enough of the two other Texas Tech prospects to rate them well, but wanted to let known he wished offensive tackle J.B. Blackburn and defensive tackle Thomas McConnell a future in the IHOF. He said he knows the school doesn't expect either to be drafted or even picked up, but the two kids were too stubborn and really wanted to try out for the draft. From the Merchantmen scouting the department, we hear both are guys with high volatility and could be break-outs.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Hire Cornerback Mitchem
Today the Maassluis Merchantmen were pleased with the news that cornerback Carlos Mitchem will join the ranks of the team. Carlos Mitchem is a mentor to cornerbacks and should be a decent starter. Mitchem was a member of the Miami Sharks secondary the past three seasons, where he missed just 1 games and started 20 times. Mitchem is said to have no interception skills, but he should be a worthy coverage replacement if a starter is out. And he should help mentoring the younger guys on team.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Back At It, Acquire #10 Pick
The Maassluis Merchantmen are back in buisness. With a big trade, the Merchantmen acquired the #10 pick overall. To ge the pick, the Merchantmen gave up their 2009 first and second rounders, their 2007 second rounder at #48 overall and the 2008 second rounder from Bordeaux. In return they got the #10 pick from the Tucker Tigers and their 2009 second rounder.

General manager M.IJ.B. was excited: "Oh yes, this is a good trade for us. We could use the #10 pick to draft an impact player. I'm not going into names, but it should be obvious what our needs are. Left tackle and wide receiver remain as our big needs. Cornerback and running back are other options we could address."

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Yes! We did it! Wo got the #10 pick!

Great deal, I think, to get the #10 pick.
We talked earlier with Tucker, but back then they offered the pick for a player I didn't want to lose. No names here, but it was a very interesting offer to get the #10 and a player I tried to get from Tucker for this one player.

Anyway, we got the pick afterall and I think it's a good deal. If my team is good in 2008, we give up a late 1st and two mid 2nd rounders for the #10 pick. What I like is that it was my initial offer that did it. I went on a rampage, thought I offered so much that the deal would be interesting, but also the maximum I could offer. The trade of second rounders in 2009 adds some gamble to the trade and to win the tie-breaker I offered to add a player who's expendable here, but in the end that player was taken off the trade.

What will we do with this pick?
Too early to tell, but we have a pressing need at offensive tackle. Both Hurtado and Grimaldo were old guys and replacing both in one season would be a problem. We got Cornelius Rice, he looks good, but I think I need a good #3 tackle, preferable a left tackle. There are a few good prospects in the draft, but I'm not too sold on any of them. Justin McDavid scouted his former college teammate Grant Bidwell and there's guys named Donald Cook and Anthony Jimenez in the draft class. And then, I could also opt to trade the pick for a player...

Our other need is clearly wide receiver, but that seems to be a hot commodity today. Especially with the draft class lacking a real stud. The top prospects Jonathan Adams and Travis Joseph look like late first rounders, but maybe they could go higher with this latest trend to go for wide receivers.

Quarterback? Who knows? It's the year of the quarterback already. Paris, Outer Banks, Conyers, Boston, Columbus, all traded their best quarterbacks already. And with about 10 prospects who could get into the starting caliber, it's tempting to try to get a high pick and use it on a quarterback. And here we sit, at #10, with a possible shot at getting a passer at Louie Flannery's level of potential...

Last, but not least, this is where I want to sit when the draft is about to start. #10 is a great position to be able to move up or down once we get going. And really, our needs are not guys who should go #10, but more like at #15 and #25.

I still have a trump card out there, in terms of free agency bids, but today I withdrew an offer on one of the two top free agents I sent out? Too early to tell who, I just hope to sign the other guy today. I think we stand a good chance with the offer we made, especially since there seems to be hardly any competition.

Oh, and we're working the phones 24/7 to trade Lane Stedman. With the acquisition of Brian Hammond, who is the 3rd heaviest player in the league, with the top two still being a free agent at the moment, we have no room for Stedman.

Oh, last thing, my astrological signs manager failed again. It seems that our new secondary leader Danny Person isn't going along well with our stud cornerback Tai Wayne. And sadly, our second in line for the role will be conflicting with Wayne as well. Great...

Oh, and then something I just found out. The Bordeaux Vineyards are bringing in Gerald Harris as their new running back. The other Harris earned All IHOF honors and has been the leading double-threat running back in the IHOF. Well, maybe expect for Huey Gervais, who Bordeaux traded earlier, and Billy 'Bam Bam' Jamerson from the Astoria Heroes.

Back to the phones, there might be more good news later this off-season. Or so I hope...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Lose Battle To Lake Monsters
The Maassluis Merchantmen today got disappointing news. The team had been pursueing free agent wide receiver Frederick Cabe, but the former Conyers Condors player signed with the Rochester Lake Monsters in stead. In contrast, the Merchantmen acquired Boston's fifth round draft pick in exchange for their own fourth round pick in 2009, giving them a freaking seven consecutive picks in the fifth round.

General manager M.IJ.B. was disappointed by Cabe's decission. "I think we offered him a big deal, but Rochester offered more per year over five rather than three years. Still, he was guaranteed to get 6.7 million dollars with us, in Rochester he's only guaranteed 6 million dollars." The loss to Rochester makes for some interesting warm up for the Fultility Bowl rivalry. "Well, not really, we won the last time."

With the acquisition of the fifth round pick the Merchantmen have acquired seven consecutive picks in the draft. M.IJ.B. "Well, they're lower round picks, but this gives some interesting options. If we have seven guys we like, we can all have them. And it's better than having to battle others for some rookie free agent and pay a lower talent guy more money."

The Merchantmen are said to be still looking for a wide receiver and offensive tackle. Having the #10 pick in the draft could help, but it might not be enough. M.IJ.B. "One pick, two needs. I think we're going to hope for a few gems with those late round picks." But with not getting Frederick Cabe, it looks like the Merchantmen failed to improve this off-season, even if they get an impact player with that pick. This smells like more .500 football in 2007 in the Netherlands...

[Kodos]

Merchantmen Lose Battle To Lake Monsters
The Maassluis Merchantmen today got disappointing news. The team had been pursueing free agent wide receiver Frederick Cabe, but the former Conyers Condors player signed with the Rochester Lake Monsters in stead. In contrast, the Merchantmen acquired Boston's fifth round draft pick in exchange for their own fourth round pick in 2009, giving them a freaking seven consecutive picks in the fifth round.

General manager M.IJ.B. was disappointed by Cabe's decission. "I think we offered him a big deal, but Rochester offered more per year over five rather than three years. Still, he was guaranteed to get 6.7 million dollars with us, in Rochester he's only guaranteed 6 million dollars." The loss to Rochester makes for some interesting warm up for the Fultility Bowl rivalry. "Well, not really, we won the last time."


But we've won 2 out of 3! :p

We are pretty excited about adding Cabe, but disappointed to miss out on the safety Adan Chambers. :(

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
On to Plan B.

Frederick Cabe was the big ace I hoped to sign. With him I'd have felt confident of becoming a contender, big time. We lose the battle, and of all people, did it really have to be the Rochester GM to make the winning bid? That ought to be cool for the pre-game talks for Futility Bowl IV.

This also means a set-up trade won't go through. I promissed another team to trade one of our WRs to them if we would land Cabe, but no luck there. On the other hand, I do hope to get another trade done, which we were close to finalizing, I think. The #10 could come in pretty handy there.

Not getting Cabe means we can spent about 2M more than expected all of a sudden. I guess we can give tight end Jim Reiser a nice extension, rather than having to franchise him the upcoming seasons. I might go out there and make a few more free agent bids and fill out to the 70 men roster with that and our nine draft picks. And Lane Stedman is still a Merchantmen, for now.

[MIJB#19]

But we've won 2 out of 3! :p

We are pretty excited about adding Cabe, but disappointed to miss out on the safety Adan Chambers. :(It's a bit too harsh to remind you that the Lake Monsters traditionally do worse after Futility Bowl (9-14 all time) than before the game (14-7 all time). With our matchup scheduled in week 3, that's got change in 2007.

Oh, we too play worse after the Futility Bowl (7-18) versus before (8-12).

[Kodos]

Regardless of the Cabe signing, next season could be a very long season for us if Williamson doesn't return with his ratings intact. :) Especially since we failed to land Ira Hanks.

[KWhit]

Cabe's a fool for not resigning with Conyers.


Except for the fact that we weren't offering nearly the money he was asking for.

[Kodos]

We were. :)

Consider it revenge for not accepting my trade proposal! :p

[KWhit]

Too bad you're not going to have a QB to get him the ball.


:)

[Kodos]

Too bad you're not going to have a QB to get him the ball.


:)


:(

Bastard! ;)

[MIJB#19]

IHOF Breaking news: Merchantmen Trade #10 For Brooklyn's Ivan Jacques
The latest news is that the Maassluis Merchantmen just traded the just recently acquired #10 overall pick to the Brooklyn Fightin' Bums to get left tackle Ivan Jacques. In addition they trade a fifth round pick in 2007 for Brooklyn's fourth round pick in 2009. The move comes after the news that Maassluis failed to sign free agent wide receiver Frederick Cabe. With this trade of picks, all Maassluis has left in the draft is seven straight fifth rounders.

General manager M.IJ.B. was not willing to comment on the issue yet: "Nope, we have no official confirmation, the trade hasn't been processed by the league office and a new player won't be presented until he arrives in Oranje Haven." Only to add: "Ivan Jacques could be the right guy to follow up Wilson Grimaldo for at least five seasons." More later if this trade is officially confirmed.

[MIJB#19]

Too bad you're not going to have a QB to get him the ball.


:)So far you only have Dominic Lynch at QB.

For the non-IHOF readers:
KWhit is GM of the Conyers Condors, the 2005 AOC champions and team that traded their only QB under contract to trade for the #1 and #2 pick so they can presumably pick the top QB Chris Donaldson and RB Randy Reagor in the draft.

Kodos you all know. He's our good friend from the Rochester Lake Monsters, who are slowly turning into real rivals.

[KWhit]

So far you only have Dominic Lynch at QB.

For the non-IHOF readers:
KWhit is GM of the Conyers Condors, the 2005 AOC champions and team that traded their only QB under contract to trade for the #1 and #2 pick so they can presumably pick the top QB Chris Donaldson and RB Randy Reagor in the draft.
Presumably???

What else am I gonna do, draft a punter like Celeval did?




;)

[Kodos]

http://www.fof-ihof.com/upload/Sports%20Illustrated/keith-horne.jpg

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
The trade is done, Ivan Jacques is ours.

Goodness, we have used the #10 pick overall premature! Jacques will be a great pass protection guy and should be better than any of the left tackle prospects in the draft. I did this whole trading and all in good sense, but some college GMs don't understand, I think. Or maybe it's me who makes the mistakes. I think it's time for the usual analysis. Which I will write tomorrow.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Trades Analysis
Oh yes, It's been a good old trading rampage in Maassluis, but you've seen the last of them pre-training camp ones already. Well, except for the trade that will send guard Lane Stedman elsewhere. And for any potential trade to give as a stud wide receiver. Or maybe a trade to gives us a future pick for our lowest fifth round pick. Anyway, what did we give and what did we got this off-season so far, excluding free agent signings? I've already scratches off everything that we got and sent out.

Going out:
RT Wilson Grimaldo
DE Scot Dick
RDT John Bryant
CB Gus Stoffers
DE Ian Degrange
QB Dominic Lynch
2009 1st rounder (Maassluis)
2007 2nd rounder (#7)
2007 2nd rounder (#9)
2007 2nd rounder (#16)
2007 2nd rounder (#17)
2008 2nd rounder (Bordeaux)
2009 2nd rounder (Maassluis)
2009 3rd rounder (Maassluis)
2009 4th rounder (Maassluis)
2007 5th rounder (#13)
2007 5th rounder (#16)
2007 5th rounder (#17)
2007 5th rounder (#21)
2007 5th rounder (#28)

Coming in:
LT Ivan Jacques
RT Cornelius Rice
TE Arnold Ramirez
WR Emmanuel Jennings
CB Danny Person
2008 2nd rounder (Vicksburg)
2009 2nd rounder (Tucker)
2009 2nd rounder (Outer Banks)
2009 2nd rounder (Vicksburg)
2009 2nd rounder (San Luis Obispo)
2008 3rd rounder (Conyers)
2009 3rd rounder (Paris)
2009 3rd rounder (Brooklyn)
2009 4th rounder (Brooklyn)
2007 5th rounder (#3)
2007 5th rounder (#5)
2007 5th rounder (#6)
2007 5th rounder (#7)
2007 5th rounder (#8)
2008 5th rounder (Vicksburg)
2008 5th rounder (Outer Banks)
2009 5th rounder (San Luis Obispo)

Right...
Okay, let's change that a bit so it's more readable. I'm scratching off future picks in the same round.
Going out:
RT Wilson Grimaldo
DE Scot Dick
RDT John Bryant
CB Gus Stoffers
DE Ian Degrange
QB Dominic Lynch
2009 1st rounder (Maassluis)
2007 2nd rounder (#7)
2007 2nd rounder (#9)
2007 2nd rounder (#16)
2007 2nd rounder (#17)

Coming in:
LT Ivan Jacques
RT Cornelius Rice
TE Arnold Ramirez
WR Emmanuel Jennings
CB Danny Person
2009 2nd rounder (x3)
2008 3rd rounder
2009 3rd rounder
2008 5th rounder (x2)
2009 5th rounder

There, that's more readable. And that would be ignoring the fact that we traded up a total of 66 picks in the fifth round. Now let's get on to a further analysis, weighing the players and picks out.

RT Wilson Grimaldo vs. LT Ivan Jacques & RT Cornelius Rice
here we give up the "best offensive tackle of the league" for a top 20 tackle and a guy who's at least good in run blocking, pass blocking and endurance. To me, the crucial part is that Grimaldo is a 34yo and together with Hurtado (33yo) it was just too risky to not get their replacements by this season. Now, Only one of the two (developed) replacements will play, while the other can sit in the stables waiting for Hurtado to retire and for stepping in with injuries.
edge: positivie

DE Scot Dick & DE Ian Degrange & RDT John Bryant vs. nothing
Here we lose three guys on the defensive line, of which two (Dick and Bryant) look like starters on paper. But then, I invested low round 2006 picks in Omar Gougeon (4th round) and Andy Weliczka (7th round) to replace Dick and Bryant, who were both accounting for too many cap space. And Degrange is a big talent, but was simply a locker room problem. So maybe I should have hired a different leader, but with Gougeon and Albert Bernardo, only Gougeon or Degrange would be starting.
edge: negative

CB Gus Stoffers vs. CB Danny Person
Well, this one evens out in talent, although Person is the older guy. Person is hired to be the new secondary leader and was signed for more years at the same cap figures.
edge: positive

QB Dominic Lynch vs. TE Arnold Ramirez & WR Emmanuel Jennings
There you go, "bye bye" mentor quarterback. Will it be worth it? I bet it is. I feel confident that offensive coordinator Antonio Francis can develope Louie Flannery into the "very good" rated quarterback he's scouted to be, without the help of Lynch. Besides, we were playing a numbers game at quarterback, with five guys signed, at least one had to go. Tight end Ramirez will give is a reliable #2 tight end, which we didn't have in 2006, while Jennings will make a very good #2 return specialist on both kickoff and punt returns.
edge: on par

2009 1st rounder (Maassluis) vs. nothing
Clearly, anything below the 2nd round can't compare to a 1st round pick. Here, I think I needed to give this pick up to get a replacement left tackle now, rather than in 2009. Balancing out with the right tackles, we lost some talent there, but if we do very well in 2008, this pick won't be good enough to pick a tackle of the Ivan Jacques level at all, while a Cornelius Rice type would cost a high second round pick.
edge: negative

2007 2nd rounder (x4) vs. 2009 2nd rounder (x3)
Oh my, four top half second rounders in the current draft going out for draft far away. Well, it's a numbers game and, unlike with the 1st rounder, I figured we need picks in the future too to be able to get a player we want. Not that I see much holes to fill in the future, but you never know when things happen like what happened to Justin McDavid, a career threatening injury.
edge: negative

2008 3rd rounder & 2009 3rd rounder & 2008 5th rounder (x2) & 2009 5th rounder vs. nothing
Here, we get some value in terms of picks to help out to get replacements in te future. The picks will certainly balance out with the loss of value in second rounders, but not with the first rounders. Still, I think most of these picks will eventually be traded.
edge: positive

So, I haven't factored in free agents yet, as they are not part of trades, but for the completeness of the off-season, here goes:

Going out: SS Earnest Atkins & WR Donovan Bradley
Both guys are young and were hired at the end of the 2006 season as injury repacements. Neither will be good enough to make the 2007 roster, yet we could try to hire them as restricted free agents. But then, they'd probably get no interested for a trade, so it would be useless and just a waste of roster spots. Well, unless one of the two breaks out, but even then neither makes a good change to reach the 60-men pre-season roster.

Coming in: CB Carlos Mitchem & G Brian Hammond & DT Johnny Meadows
Mitchem and Hammond are mentors and will be primairy backups. Both will probably be upgrades over the backups we had (Stoffers and Stedman), while the mentor roles are coming in as an additional trade. Meadows looks like he won't survive the 53-men roster cut day.

Bottom line of all is that I think we have addressed the tough need to replace our relative old offensive tackles, while we created the useful cap space by trading two defensive linemen, who would have been overpaid backups in Maassluis. The only real issue is the loss of the 2009 1st rounder and not getting enough value out of the 2007 2nd rounders. I think I have to blame myself there and haven't used my trading skills to the maximum there. But then, we traded them all in bigger trades and a guy like Ivan Jacques simply can't be had with any of the 2007 2nd rounders, while with the 2009 1st rounder, we'd have a comparable guy by 2011 or 2012. And if I got too little out of Wilson Grimaldo, well, maybe I traded with the wrong team, but I cerntainly don't see many teams trading a top 10 pick to get him, not at his age.

Last but not least, I still have a bunch of free agent offers open, to max our roster out to 63 and with seven draft picks waiting to be used. In Maassluis, we're already trying to figure out who the 17 casualties will be towards the regular season, so we can put them on the trading block in time to get them a job elsewhere, rather than becoming a free agent and being out of football by the start of 2008. Of course, one casualty is already identified as free safety Richard Muller is scheduled to miss most of the season and we will likely put him on injured reserve for the entire year.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Just to help out, what does the Merchantmen roster look like at the moment, with for each player rounded off scouting numbers:

Quarterbacks
QB Louie Flannery (45/65) - The clear #1 and I'm planning to reshape our gameplan to his profile, rather the old McDavid-game plan.
QB Shane Bower (30/50) - Still has to prove he's a reliable #2, but right now has the edge to keeping that role.
QB Mel Atkins (20/40) - Is our elite holder, although Flannery can do it too. Will have to win the battle for #3 to stay.
QB Justin McDavid (20/30) - This idolized guy is the least skilled. With his history he's got a chance to become the #2.
Additional players - It's not likely that we will add a player to this position group. Only if a true gem is there in the 5th round.


Running backs
FB Jamel Rosenberry (60/70) - Our obvious starting fullback. Great blocker with the skills to do goal line duty and also be a receiver.
RB Randy Harris (55/65) - He's the clear starter. Harris is still the best runner in most areas. Can catch a ball too.
RB Jonathan Smith (35/45) - He's still a good backup and made progress. Will likely be the #2 RB with his inside and outside runs.
Cedric Rubio (30/40) - Is losing it a bit. He's a longshot at the #2 and might even drop the #4.
FB Greg Berk (20/40) - Looks like a potential #2 fullback, but needs a good training camp to become an active roster guy.
RB Kyle Montoya (25/35) - Might have seen his last time here. Needs an impressive camp to not be replaced.
Additional players - It's a 9 out of 10 that we'll draftor sign a new RB to fight to the #3 role. We might add a #2 FB candidate too.


Tight ends
TE Jim Reiser (80/80) - Scouted as the best in the league, has the blocking and receiving skills. Is popular too.
TE Arnold Ramirez (35/45) - Can run block and looks like a decent receiver as well.
TE Charles Burley (20/40) - The guy can't block and that might cost him his job. He is a potential good receiver though.
TE Charlie Martins (20/30) - Elite long snapper and is a fair blocker. Those two skills will likely keep him around.
Additional players - It's unlikely we will get a new guy, unless we can find a better #3 with long snapping skills.


Wide receiver
SE Bryce Ewald (55/55) - Is still our best receiver. If only he could stay healthy all year...
FL Gregory Monti (45/50) - Like Ewald, a reliable receiver. But then, like Ewald, gets hurt every year too.
FL David Henkel (30/30) - Didn't turn out to be the #3 WR I hoped he could be. I'm undecided whether he'll get a second chance.
SE Devin Henson (25/30) - Slowly becoming an elite kickoff returner. Based on that he deserves a roster spot. Can be a #4 WR.
FL Emmanuel Jennings (20/25) - Can return kickoffs and punts. Looks like a pure return specialist, little potential as a receiver.
SE Matt Offord (15/25) - Is becoming a long shot to make it. Can only return punts and Jennings can do that just as well.
Additional players - Well, it should be obvious that we might bring in one or two guys to try out for the #1 to #4 WR jobs.


Offensive linemen
LT Ivan Jacques (70?/70?) - Coming soon! Should be the pass blocking LT I always wanted to have.
C Brant Heinrich (45/60) - Looks good this way, but he's only good in run and pass blocking.
C Bubba Kerney (30/55) - Pass blocking specialist. Only lacks the endurance to be the starter.
G Butch White (45/50) - Is a very good run blocker and that's what a guard should do.
LT Harold Hurtado (45/45) - Will move to the right side with Jacques, is mainly a run blocker.
G Timothy Lacy (40/55) - should become an excellent run blocker, but like White lacks the pass protection skills.
RT Cornelius Rice (40/45) - Will be the primairy OL backup. Is our third best pass blocker, behind Jacques and Kearney.
G Brian Hammond (35/40) - Is just as good as White and Lacy, but should be their backup.
LT Edgar Dunkin (25/40) - if only the guy had stamina, he'd been given a shot to develop into a good pass protector.
G Eric Dietrich (25/40) - Has good run blocking potential, but seems to lack the skills to become a starter.
C Ernie Taylor (15/40) - Is potentially a good backup, but with Kearney here a longshot to survive the cuts.
Additional players - Not likely to happen, I'm happy with the top 3 guards and top 3 tackles, while Heinrich is good enough.


Kickers
P Roscoe Corrales (55/55) - Used to have the best hang time in the IHOF, but he's slowly losing it. Might be replaced.
K Cary Coles (45/55) - Is our best points kicker. Lacks the power to score 50+ yarders. Should stay.
K Al Bettis (20/40) - Is mainly a kickoff kicker and should be in the IHOF's top 16 there. Should stay.
Additional players -I might bring in a punter for injury reasons and maybe a kicker who can do it all.


Defensive linemen
DT Charles Gomez (85/85) - Best defensive tackle in the IHOF. Do I need to say more?
DT Stanley Jacke (25/50) - The guy has potential, but will not likely start for us.
DE Albert Bernardo (45/45) - Will likely start again. Should be mentoring Gougeon into a star.
DT Andy Weliczka (30/45) - 7th round pick. Should develope into a very good run stopper.
DE Britt Bycroft (30/45) - A running downs specialist. Not sure what to do with him. Is good enough, but I like Gougeon a lot.
DE Omar Gougeon (15/40) - Marginal talented? The guy should become a very good pass rusher some day.
DT Johnny Meadows (15/35) - has a shot at making it as the #7 DL player. Needs to reach more for his run defense potential.
Additional players - We'll probably bring in one or two guys here to challenge the others. We could use a mentor DT.


Linebackers
MLB Cody Cluff (60/70) - Still looking like a potential excellent run stopper and has some covering skills too.
WLB Mike Kershner (45/65) - Now he's got his own mentor and the best linebacker coordinator. Time to reach that potential!
ILB Carl Meier (50/60) - Has made progress over the season change. This all-rounder screams for a 3-4 defense.
SLB Ellsworth Thelen (50/50) - If the guy could do the pass protection, he'd be an elite linebacker.
WLB Josh Weisberg (45/45) - For a backup he's very good. He can step in when needed and is a mentor.
Additional players - We need a few training camp bodies. Especially if we're moving to 3-4, but that's unlikely.


Defensive Backs
CB Tai Wayne (45/65) - Made progress, despite the injury. Our shutdown corner will be back strong in 2007!
SS Lincoln Gilmore (45/55) - The comeback kid. Will again be our run stopping and coverage strong safety.
SS Emile William (35/50) - Will battle with Cole for the #1 job at FS. It's 50-50 game right now.
CB Carlos Mitchem (40/45) - Has all the tools to start, but doesn't have the intercepting skills Stidham has.
FS Richard Muller (40/45) - Will likely spend the 2007 on injured reserve. We don't expect him to return better than Cole or William.
CB Danny Person (40/40) - The new secondary leader. Is an elite man-to-man marker. Not sure what to do with him yet.
FS John Cole (30/40) - Will fight it out with William for the #1 FS job. His intercepting skills give him an advantage.
CB Johnnie Stidham (25/40) - Will more than likely be a starter in 2007. If he can mirror his 2006 interceptions figure, that'd be awesome.
CB Desmond Craig (25/35) - Has become a longshot to survive the roster cuts. Does have the cohesion plus to show for it.
SS Lamar Singleton (15/30) - Needs to break out to become an active roster member. Can only do zone coverage and intercept.
CB Myron Stevens (15/20) - Was a decent nickel back. Seems to have lost potential. Longshot at surviving the roster cuts.
Additional players - We're always looking for CB upgrades, so it's not unlikely we'll try to get one, again. A #2 SS safety would help too.

[MIJB#19]

Popular Merchantmen Players
A recent poll amongst Merchantmen fans was held to figure out who the most popular players are. Fro the top 10, quarterback Louie Flannery is missing from the list, but our sources say he ranks 11th and is just one or two heroic moments away from entering the top 10. Running back Randy Harris has moved up to the #1 spot, with Mike Kershner again in second, while Fumblin' Justin has dropped to third place. Star defensive tackle Charles Gomez only ranks nineth, just behind middle linebacker Cody Cluff and the surprize #6, punter Roscoe Corrales. The complete top ten:
1 - RB Randy Harris
2 - WLB Mike Kershner
3 - QB Justin McDavid
4 - TE Jim Reiser
5 - SE Bryce Ewald
6 - P Roscoe Corrales
7 - G Timothy Lacy
8 - MLB Cody Cluff
9 - DT Charles Gomez
10 - QB Shane Bower


The top 5 of least popular players amazingly includes interception machine Johnnie Stidham. The number five was not fair to be listed, as the guy is new to the team. The top 5:
1 - LT Edgar Dunkin
2 - CB Johnnie Stidham
3 - CB Myron Stevens
4 - RB Kyle Montoya
5 - CB Carlos Mitchem

[MIJB#19]

Press Release: Merchantmen Present Left Tackle Ivan Jacques
The Maassluis Merchantmen management is proud to present left tackle Ivan Jacques as the new star of the offensive line. The team traded the #10 overall pick to the Brooklyn Fightin' Bums. With this move, the Merchantmen address the biggest need this off-season. This news comes as a welcome feel-good moment after losing the bidding war on wide receiver Frederick Cabe. In contrast, fan favorite Fumblin' Justin McDavid will make his comeback the upcoming season.

Ivan Jacques was a starter on the Brooklyn offense for the 2004 and 2005 season. After the team acquired left tackle Donald Brown through a trade with the Boston Rhinos in the 2006 off-season, Jacques was benched and saw playing time in only 7 offensive plays last season. Jacques had become a locker room problem and the Maassluis Merchantmen saw a potential trade.

Earlier this off-season, the Maassluis Merchantmen stunned the IHOF by trading the much appreciated right tackle Wilson Grimaldo to the Vicksburg Vipers for third year right tackle Cornelius Rice. Last season Grimaldo had allowed only 1 sack in 400 passing plays and he was concidered the best offensive tackle in the game. However, with Grimaldo turning 34 in the 2007 pre-season and Maassluis' left tackle Harold Hurtado turning 33 come April, the team felt a need to move Grimaldo and get two younger replacements.

General manager M.IJ.B. explains: "Our scouting department rates Ivan Jacques as the third best pass blocker amongst left tackles. As we all know, left tackle is a tough postion to play and requires a true specialist to start there. Now we can play Hurtado on the right side and have Rice as an insurance policy for injuries and future years. People tend to overlook the fact that Jacques is 26-and-a-half years younger than Grimaldo. Vicksburg is happy with Grimaldo, Brooklyn happy to be without Jacques and we are happy with both."

With this trade, the Merchantmen address the biggest need in the franchise, the replacement of the offensive tackles in one single off-season. The team feels that giving up a 2009 first round pick is worth the talent Jacques brings in, especially with a draft pick not reaching Jacques level of play until the 2011 season.

In the past off-seasons, the Merchantmen have more than once gotten one of two players they really wanted. In 2005 they drafted cornerback Tai Wayne, but failed to trade for guard Gene Simmons. In 2006 they drafted quarterback Louie Flannery, but again failed to acquire Gene Simmons. In 2007 they team acquires left tackle Ivan Jacques through trade, but fails to sign wide receiver Frederick Cabe.

The acquisition of Jacques can't entirely make up for not signing wide receiver Frederick Cabe as a free agent. General manager M.IJ.B.: "Cabe was the guy we wanted. He chose a longer contract with only a little bit less guaranteed money and a team that performed better each of the past three seasons. It's his right to do so. Not getting both players we had our eyes on, that's not just how it goes. It just means we keep our eyes open to other options to upgrade our receivers corps."

Last but not least, the management wants to repeat that Justin McDavid is not going to leave the Merchantmen this off-season and will be on roster for the 2007 season. "Fumblin' Justin" is a popular player and the drop in fans has kept the team from willing to part ways with him. The team traded away mentor quarterback Dominic Lynch to make room for McDavid and might do the same to former Springfield Isotopes starter Mel Atkins after pre-season.

[MIJB#19]

General manager notes
Hello fans, here's the GM again.
For those who haven't figured out yet from earlier news, we've got 7 draft picks left this year, all in the fifth round and being the #130 to #136 overall.

We've explored the draft class and pointed out 60 players as candidates to be drafted. No worries of seeing them all gone by the time we're on the clock, although some should. We've devided the rookies in three categories:
* 16 major improvements, no-brain picks if they by miracle make it all the way to our selections
* 24 potential upgrades, players who will need to show they're worth it in training camp and pre-season to win a starting role
* 20 rough diamonds, players who migh not be starters, but could be interesting players some day and have a good shot at surviving the 53-men roster cut day

Of the first group, these guys shouldn't fall to our picks at all. They're first round guys, with some being second round picks. They could be interesting to trade into the draft for with our acquired future picks. (Of course, first trading four picks out of the second round and then trading back in doesn't look good on your resume, so I think we'll only do it to get such a guy in the low second round or deeper down.)

Of the second group, I doubt that all will make it to our picks, but I actually expect to see at least seven of these guys to make it. Almost all of these players are scouted in the 20/50 region.

The third group are potential free agent picks ups, or we could try to trade into the draft to get such a guy with a future 5th round pick traded for a 6th rounder or so.

Bottom line is, I think, that all our draft picks should be worth it to make the 53-men roster. Last season I traded to get a fullback in the sixth round and the guy simply didn't work out. We released him mid-way the season, but he never even was worth putting on the active roster. But then, all other draft picks have worked out in a way so far. A little analysis.

2005.1.12 CB Tai Wayne - Our shutdown corner, missed 2006 to injury, will start in 2007
2005.1.28 G Butch White - Was almost traded after disappointing 2005 season, but in 2006 he showed he's a start-worthy run blocker
2005.1.31 QB Leonard Lyon - Looked like a bust and was traded after his rookie year, is hoping to start again in 2007 for Springfield
2005.1.32 C Brant Heinrich - Was pretty good in 2005, a weak link in 2006, will probably start again in 2007
2005.3.32 WR Devin Henson - Kickoff returner for profession, has turned out to be worth the pick in 2006
2005.5.25 RB Kyle Montoya - Has spent two years on the inactive roster, and has almost been released before
2006.1.05 QB Louie Flannery - Should turn out to be the real thing, only a 13 picks in 4 games streak destryed his image
2006.4.27 DE Omar Gougeon - In potential a top20 pass rushing DE, this guy will startin 2007, no doubt
2006.5.30 SS Lamar Singleton - Should have been signed as a free agent, he's a longshot to make it if we draft a new S
2006.5.31 C Ernie Taylor - Busted a bit, as we should have expected; is a longshot at making the 53-men roster in 2007
2006.6.24 FB Doug Nelson - Looked like a steal, but then we saw he isn't real; released mid-way 2006
2006.7.01 DT Andy Welizcka - Steal of the draft? Has become a starter on our traditional position group as run defense specialist

I have reason to believe that this year's draft will bring us seven new players in the level of talent as Devin Henson, Omar Gougeon and Andy Welizcka. The fifth round should bring us guys who would be mid to low third rounders in other years. How cool would that be?

Oh, here's a shocker: Our scouting staff thinks that Wilson Grimaldo has the potential to be the IHOF's best player. Go us for trading him!

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Looking For High Second Round Pick
More often than not, the Merchantmen management changed their minds. This yeat, it won't be different. First they trade an offensive tackle, get a new one in the trade, but all of a sudden they turn around and trade the franchise to get the #10 pick, only to trade it again to get an offensive tackle.

Well, we've got news, we hear they Merchantmen are trading back into the draft. That is, in the rounds that do matter. The Chesapeake Chitterlings are advertising picks, including the #11 in the second round. And the Merchantmen are said to be interested. Hello? The Merchantmen already traded the #7, #9, #16 and #17 in the second round away!

Here's the trick the Merchantmen tried to sign free agent wide receiver Frederick Cabe. But then Cabe decided to go for more money to the Merchantmen's out of division rivals, the Rochester Lake Monsters. And now, they want back in the draft to get the top receiver Jonathan Adams. Of course, a well prepared management should know that the top receiver will not make it to the second round, even if the best guy is second round material.

The Merchantmen just mess around, they're hopeless, no way they'll even become championship contenders with this trend. Also, we here they might pursue quarterback Caleb Dinger. The former Vicksburg Vipers hero and last season the Norm Rizzo understudy for the Telluride Outlaws is still a free agent and the Merchantmen have a bout five million of cap room after negotiations with left tackle Ivan Jacques and wide-out Bryce Ewald.

And what's up with the fifth rounders? The Merchantmen are, again, the joke of the league. The days of the 1-15 season, the fumbling of fan favorite Justin McDavid and the inability to score from Randy Harris are back alive. The only thing missing as a superb Jerry Aubrey, who's playing for the contenders from Rochester. His succesor Jim Reiser might be the best tight end in the league, but so far, he's not willing to sign a new deal with the Merchantmen. if that isn't a clear sign, then what is?

[MIJB#19]

Editor's Note
The IHOF will be on hold for two weeks, so there will be little to write about the upcoming period. Maybe I will write something, but it depends on inspiration and having something interesting to write. Let's get teasing again with a few cliffhangers and all. What's coming up next?

Answers on big questions like:
Are fifth round picks really going to help to improve the team?
Will Harold Hurtado continue to start and be the offensive leader?
Can Jimmy Reiser make the fans forget about Jerry Aubrey?
How will Johnnie Stidham and Tai Wayne work-out together in the secondary?
Is 2007 going to be the first winning season?
And 2008, will there be more trading?
Will Charles Gomez continue his All IHOF form?
How good will Omar Gougeon and Any Welizcka wutn out to be?


The main cliffhangers will obviously be:
Will the best linebackers defensive coordinator be able to develop Mike Kershner?
Is Ivan Jacques the desire pass protection?
Will the Merchantmen get Louie Flannery a deep threat wide receiver?
Can the defense keep defenses below 300 yards again?
And will the Merchantmen pickup Gene Simmons as a free agent?


But the most intrueging question of them all is still:
Will Fumblin' Justin McDavid make the comeback of the year and win the starting job back?


Stay tuned, the first and only alive IHOF Dynasty will be back... In the new year!

[MIJB#19]

Editor's note
This is a final bump to vote in the Merchantmen Player of the Year 2006 poll. For a link, either go to the dynasty poll forum or click on "Maassluis Merchantmen" in my signature.

[MIJB#19]

Olive Is 151st Merchantmen Player
The off-season is heading towards the draft, yet the Maassluis Merchantmen are never busy trading. A few days ago, the Merchantmen management announced the trade of backup left tackle Edgar Dunkin to acquire Bordeaux Vineyards' left tackle Darrin Olive. In addition, the Merchantmen give a 2009 third round pick and get a fourth in the trade.

Olive should be an upgrade at the backup spot on the offensive line and make the scare for injuries history at the line and especially tackle positions. Olive will battle with Cornelius Rice and legend Harold Hurtado for a starting job opposite Ivan Jacques. Olive played for the Vineyards since the league start, but fell to a backup role the past season. So, Olive will probably have the same problem in Maassluis, but th chance to play against Bordeaux should make up for it, in a way.

With the addition of left tackle Darrin Olive, the Merchantmen have acquired 152 different players in team history. 53 players were acquired in the 2004 league draft followed by 56 signed as a free agent, 31 acquired in a trade and 12 players were picked in the amateur drafts of 2005 and 2006. With cornerback Johnnie Stidham acquired twice, the team actually acquired 150 before Olive, thus making him #151.

Here are the 153 names with their current teams and roles, in order of acquisition as approved by the league office. Note that Edgar Dunkin and Darrin Olive are not officially traded yet.
1 DT Charles Gomez - Maassluis starter
2 DE Harold Wells - Bordeaux starter
3 DT Robert Duong - Fairbanks starter
4 DE Deon Chapa - Rochester starter
5 RB Randy Harris - Maassluis starter
6 DT John Bryant - Georgia starter
7 DE Cecil Doney - Tucker starter
8 WR Gergory Monti - Maassluis starter
9 QB Justin McDavid - Maassluis backup
10 WR Fredric Vargas - North Plainfield starter
11 WR Amos Collins - Rochester starter
12 FB Mark Burger - Fort Worth starter
13 LB Cody Cluff - Maassluis starter
14 LB Mike Kershner - Maassluis starter
15 TE Jim Reiser - Maassluis starter
16 TE Jerry Aubrey - Rochester starter
17 RB Jonathan Smith - Maassluis backup
18 WR Raul Marshall - Fairbanks backup
19 WR Bryce Ewald - Maassluis starter
20 S Percy Francis - Outer Banks backup
21 CB Earl Turner - (retired)
22 LB Sam Sasa - (retired)
23 S Lincoln Gilmore - Maassluis starter
24 S Randall Smith - Paris starter
25 DT Stanley Jacke - Maassluis backup
26 DE Geoff Lake - (retired)
27 OT Russell Malave - Telluride backup
28 FB Vincent Lopez - (retired)
29 CB Gus Alston - (retired)
30 CB C.J. Schwartz - (retired)
31 CB David Armstead - (retired)
32 LT Seth Hirsch - (retired)
33 LB Les Norton - (retired)
34 LB Britt Silvan - (retired)
35 QB Earnest Sheldon - (retired)
36 RB J.J. Palacios - (retired)
37 RB Kyle Page - (retired)
38 LB Matt Sellers - Fairbanks backup
39 OT Jeff Fontenot - (retired)
40 G Albert Young - (retired)
41 TE Ethan Winfield - (retired)
42 G David Burdett - (free agent)
43 C Tom Schwartz - Astoria free agent
44 C Julio Carranza - (retired)
45 G Devin McDaniel - (retired)
46 CB Zack Kinney - (retired)
47 LB Oren Lashley - (retired)
48 S Graham Stevens - (retired)
49 QB Calvin Snider - (retired)
50 LT Willie Dudley - (retired)
51 G Darrin Nellums - (retired)
52 P Roscoe Corrales - Maassluis backup
53 K Cary Coles - Maassluis backup
54 DT Andrew King - Springfield free agent
55 QB Antoine Shepard - Paris backup
56 WR Arnulfo Arnett - (retired)
57 QB Jerrold Sipes - (retired)
58 CB Johnnie Stidham - Maassluis starter
59 CB Jose Haggard - (retired)
60 DE Junior McKeehan - Columbus free agent
61 C R.J. Miller - Chesapeake backup
62 RB Seth Kinney - (retired)
63 CB Dennis Preciado - Conyers backup
64 LT Harold Hurtado - Maassluis starter
65 LB Ellsworth Thelen - Maassluis starter
66 OT Wilson Grimaldo - Vicksburg starter
67 DE Albert Bernardo - Maassluis starter
68 S Wiley McGhee - San Luis Obispo starter
69 S Richard Muller - Maassluis backup
70 G Alvin Causey - Bordeaux starter
71 LB Roosevelt Whalen - (free agent)
72 RB Roy Kesler - (retired)
73 S John Cole - Maassluis starter
74 RB Kyle Montoya - Maassluis backup
75 WR Devin Henson - Maassluis backup
76 G Butch White - Maassluis starter
77 CB Tai Wayne - Maassluis starter
78 CB Steven Davis - (retired)
79 RB Kennedy Colwell - Brooklyn free agent
80 LB Mitch Groh - (retired)
81 WR Lonnie O'Reilley - (retired)
82 DT Cornelius Farr - (retired)
83 CB Sammie Hernandez - (retired)
84 TE Charlie Martins - Maassluis backup
85 CB Desmond Craig - Maassluis backup
86 QB Leonard Lyon - Springfield starter
87 C Brant Heinrich - Maassluis starter
88 QB Aubrey Brunelle - (retired)
89 CB Carl O'Hara - (free agent)
90 WR Mario Halas - (retired)
91 LT Hunter Myers - (retired)
92 DT Bryan Fyie - (retired)
93 CB Angel Tong - (retired)
94 TE Jack Ohare - (retired)
95 DE Scot Dick - Paris starter
96 QB Mel Atkins - Maassluis backup
97 LT Edgar Dunkin - Bordeaux backup
98 QB Moe Baxter - Conyers free agent
99 LB Josh Weisberg - Maassluis backup
100 G Timothy Lacy - Maassluis starter
101 G Eric Dietrich - Maassluis backup
102 WR David Henkel - Maassluis backup
103 FB Jamel Rosenberry - Maassluis starter
104 CB Johnnie Stidham - Maassluis starter
105 CB Gus Stoffers - Outer Banks backup
106 QB Shane Bower - Maassluis backup
107 P Lester Murrell - Orlando backup
108 LB Carl Meier - Maassluis backup
109 G James Paddock - (free agent)
110 S Norman Mueller - Orlando free agent
111 RB Vincent Tavares - (free agent)
112 DE Richard Stutz - (retired)
113 LB Karl Mercer - (free agent)
114 FB Charles Reuter - (free agent)
115 DE Erik Springer - (retired)
116 DE Omar Gougeon - Maassluis starter
117 S Lamar Singleton - Maassluis backup
118 C Ernie Taylor - Maassluis backup
119 FB Doug Nelson - Tucker free agent
120 DT Andy Weliczka - Maassluis starter
121 K Al Bettis - Maassluis backup
122 CB Myron Stevens - Maassluis backup
123 WR Andre Horning - Springfield backup
124 OT Jeramy Thompson - (retired)
125 LB Kenneth Field - (retired)
126 S Bernard Buffington - (free agent)
127 QB James McKnight - (free agent)
128 WR Matt Offord - Maassluis backup
129 QB Louie Flannery - Maassluis starter
130 TE Charles Burley - Maassluis backup
131 DE Ian Degrange - Outer Banks backup
132 RB Cedric Rubio - Maassluis backup
133 S Emile William - Maassluis backup
134 DE Britt Bycroft - Maassluis backup
135 G Lane Stedman - Georgia backup
136 CB Laurence Gerry - (free agent)
137 QB Dominic Lynch - Conyers backup
138 LT Kerry McLaurin - (free agent)
139 C Bubba Kearney - Maassluis backup
140 C Duane Bishop - (retired)
141 FB Greg Berk - Maassluis backup
142 S Earnest Atkins - Maassluis free agent
143 WR Donovan Bradley - Maassluis free agent
144 TE Arnold Ramirez - Maassluis backup
145 WR Emmanuel Jennings - Maassluis backup
146 OT Cornelius Rice - Maassluis backup
147 CB Danny Person - Maassluis backup
148 G Brian Hammong - Maassluis backup
149 DT Johnny Meadows - Maassluis backup
150 CB Carlos Mitchem - Maassluis backup
151 LT Ivan Jacques - Maassluis starter
152 LT Darrin Olive - Maassluis backup

Of these 151 different names, 93 no longer are Merchantmen players. Of these 92, 60 were released, 27 were traded, 6 left as free agents and none retired. Interesting tidbit is probably that of the 53 initial league draft selections, 24 are out of football, of which only 1 made an official retirement as a Boulder Blizzard player (Vincent Lopez). Of these 53 initial players, free agents David Burdett and Tom Schwartz are the only two unretired players whole were not traded away or are still on roster.

[MIJB#19]

Fans Choose Charles Gomez As Player Of The Year
After Charles Gomez' individual amazing season, with 99 tackles and 12.5 sacks, and being chosen the best defensive tackle in the IHOF, Gomez was awarded again. By an internet poll, the Maassluis Merchantmen fans voted for Gomez as the Merchantmen player of the year 2006. With 57% of te votes, it was a runaway poll. Offensive tackle Wilson Grimaldo ended up second, with 14% of the votes. Gomez won the fan poll in 2005 as well, although then he had to share the title in a three-way tie with quarterback Justin McDavid and and defensive end Harold Wells.

Gomez seemed excited by the poll: "I guess my stats helped me, but I see it as a team performance. We've not been the best defensive in the game, yet managed to make big plays at times and help out. Besides, I thought guys like Randy [Harris], Wilson [Grimaldo], Johnnie [Stidham] and Cody [Cluff] would be really close. Anyway, someone had to win it and I'm proud to win this title. Thank you, fans!"

Gomez was the first player taken by the Maassluis Merchantmen in the league draft back in 2004, at #23 overall. After a strong effort in that first year, Gomez earned SI.com All AOC honors. A year later, Gomez earned All IHOF second team honors. 2006 was his best year so far, with the stats and the Best Defensive Tackle in the IHOF title. In 2007, Gomez is expected to remain as the leader of the defense and have another shot at award ceremonies.

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Hiring Fan As Manager
It's premature, but our sources picked up signs that the Maassluis Merchantmen are hiring a new general manager. No, M.IJ.B. is not givien the sack for the ridiculas trade sprees, but the g.m. says he's got volleyball related issues and needs a replacement. Well, we hear that the president of the Fumblin' Justin fan club, WadeMoore, has been pursued to step in. Even after the way the fan burnt the garden of M.IJ.B.'s house after Fumblin' Justin lost his starting job.

Wade Moore was quoted something like: "Hell, yes what an opportunity. I've been helping around in the IHOF and I think I can bring the Merchantmen to glory!" Wade Moore claims he has been managing a football team called the Tampa Bay Torpedoes in some league called the CFL to the playoffs, but our sources are unsure of the existence of this team. Of course, if it were true, the Merchantmen could use some of this guys skills.

But what the hell can the guy do for this team? The Merchantmen have only seven picks and all are in the fifth round of the draft. The team will be stuck with names like Bucky Longfellow, the other Donaldson quarterback named Roderick, Horace Earthman, Norbert Tijerina, Dale Glenndenning, Phillip Trockmorton and Vernon Rachmaninoff. Of course, if there's one place where unpronouncable names could fit, it's with the Merchantmen. Poor WadeMoore, they guy will have to spell and pronounce those names. Or is that his penalty?

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Good times are here, the draft is about to start and we just signed two interesting players long-term.

First of all, we signed TE Jim Reiser to a new contract. He'll be given a modest salary for an elite receiver in the IHOF, but then, he's loyal, wants to be part of our next big steps and I think he's a crucial part in our success. Afterall, he broke the franchise receptions record, despite being the successor of All IHOF first teamer Jerry Aubrey.

Andy Weliczka will be Charles Gomez' side-kick throughout the 2010 season. The run specialist signed a new four-year deal and will end all the rumors of us trying to hire a better DT. Well, that is, we could use a better DT, but what's the use of putting Weliczka on the bench for two years? He'd better get experience on the line with Gomez, Bernardo and our other hot guy, Omar Gougeon.

We're still on the market to hire free agents, but I'm not expecting to see anything fall through. In the end, we'll be having 70 players signed after the draft if they all sign with us. The seven draft picks will all be likely used and the list of players to be taken is down to 45. The plan is so easy now, anybody could do the job.

And that's what is going to happen, maybe. I'll be probably in no opportunity to make the fifth round picks myself if the draft will go pretty fast. To counter act and be in control, I've recruited a replacement general manager, who will act as I would on draft day in my time of absence. He'll be having the power to make his own decission too, a bit, but I doubt it will be required, whether that's a good thing or not, we'll see in the end.

With the off-season moving forward, our roster is again dropping fast on the roster value list. We rank 25th right now, knowing that Conyers, Springfield and Ann Arbor should be able to get past us the upcoming weeks.

By the way, there's been some trade interest in cornerback Tai Wayne recently. No, no names, as usual, but we've been giving a huge offer for him. I declined as I see Wayne as a crucial element on our defense and I doubt I can immediately find a replacement cornerback. That is even despite the conflict he's got with leader Danny Person.

Right now, It's time to plan a bit ahead and see which players might get released following training camp. I mean, the 60 to 53 men cut day could include all 7 drafted rookies, but with them all making it, we need to release 7 players who are now on roster. And 3 others will have to go immediately after training camp, not counting safety Richard Muller, who will be put on injured reserve at some point.

My job is far from over this off-season, but it's getting intersting now. The draft is about to start, let the show begin!

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen And Wide Receivers Don't Match
"My house for a wide receiver!" At times, you'd think the Merchantmen have no clue what they want. Remember, back in the day the IHOF started? Amos Collins, Raul Marshall and Fredric Vargas were still Merchantmen. It's 2006 and the Merchantmen are stuck with Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald. Not the worst of receivers, but both have suffered a big hit in their skills after injuries in 2004.

It's early 2007 and the Merchantmen found their franchise quarterback in Louie Flannery. Flan' knows how to find top tight end Jim Reiser and all-round running back Randy Harris, but he's got troubles reaching his receivers. Flannery likes to toss long passes, especially the deep ones, but looking at the Merchantmen roster, the team lacks a deap threat receiver. Remember last season, when Orlando Knights' stud Reggie Norris made rookie Michael Prescott look like the real thing at quarterback.

Fredrick Cabe was supposed to be the solution. Guess again, the Merchantmen tried to get him for an apple and an egg, as the management called it. Cabe is a Lake Monster and will be playing against the Merchantmen in week 3 of the 2007 season. Their new target seems to be Ruben Deck, but the former Anaheim Matterhorn doesn't even come close to a stud receiver and there are more teams in the race for his services. And the draft won't be much helpful either.

David Henkel, Emmanuel Jennings, Devin Henson and maybe Matt Offord. Those will be the wide receivers again in 2007 behind Monti and Ewald. If they even make the roster cuts. The latetst news around the Masters of Trading is a departure of some of them. Especially Henkel and Offord could be gone pretty soon. Henson saved his but with his league league two kickoff return touchdowns. Jennings is new, but you never know how safe your job is in Maassluis.

2007, it will be Flannery to Reiser all over, again. The over/under with the bookmakers is set at 75, only four receptions below Reiser's franchise record. The goals for Monti and Ewald are more modest at 40 receptions each. Chances are that neither starting receiver will be in the Merchantmen's top three receivers in 2007. Fullback Jamel Rosneberry (36 catches in 2006) and running back Randy Harris (39 catches in 2006) will be back strong in 2007.

Still, Flannery loves to toss a few long bombs once in a while and to avoid interception, the Merchantmen need a deep threat receiver. Reiser lacks the speed and agility, big-play guy David Henkel lacks the ability to get open and to get downfield for it. The Merchantmen are still searching for this receiver. And the draft will unlikely help out there, because, looking at the options there are, it doesn't look good for Maassluis.

Right now, the Merchantmen keep hoping to land free agent Ruben Deck. And then, Deck lacks the route running to be a serious candidate afterall. The other option is to trade two second round picks for a receiver. But does that make sense after how the Merchantmen sent away Collins, Vargas and Marshall, who all could have solved the issue the Merchantmen have this season?

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Sign Ex-Paris Player And More News
After the Merchantmen traded away Scot Dick to the Paris Musketeers and Ian Degrange to the Outer Banks Ospreys, the Merchantmen were clearly shopping for a fourth defensive end. With the signing of Duane Shank, the void seems to be filled. Shank was released recently by the Paris Musketeers and signed a one-year contract. With that, it means the Merchantmen traded their backup end to Paris and signed their backup as a freee agent, smart move.

"We like the kid a lot. Shank should be another prospect for the pass rush. He's clearly not as good as Scot Dick, yet, but with us he will get the time to grow." Head coach Leroy Van Der Woude is clearly pleased: "With Bycroft, Gougeon, Bernardo and Shank, we've got a nice quartet. Bycroft isn't a big pass rusher, but he can play tackle as well."

The Merchantmen still seem poised to draft a defensive end, to have at least 5 ends go into training camp and to be able to send 9 defensive linemen into pre-season. The Merchantmen also showed interest in journeyman Thomas Kisner, who played with the Asheville Axemen in 2004 and 2005. "With Shank signed, we might drop the interest in him. This was a simple, first guy to sign will make it issue." General manager M.IJ.B. doesn't make a secret of it. "Kisner looks good, but Shank signed and with the option to draft another pass rusher, we don't need him anymore."

In other news, the Merchantmen lost the bidding war on defensive tackle Julius Caine. The 30-year old preferred the Minnesota Miners over Maassluis, mainly based on bonus money. Caine could have bolstered the tackle position to backup Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka and teach the last and Stanley Jacke the tricks of tackling. In Minnesota, Caine gets a shot to start, which could have been crucial.

The Merchantmen also surprizingly withdrew their offer on wide receiver Ruben Deck. After being the front runner to sign him, they stepped out and Deck signed with his old team, the Anaheim Matterhorns for far less money. Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. said "Deck got his opportunity, we offered him a million dollars in bonus money, but Deck didn't take it early, too bad for him." The Merchantmen saw the competition and stepped out, despite having arguably the best offer.

The last move, to not sign Deck, clearly points to the Merchantmen trying to draft a wide receiver. That is despite that the Merchantmen management doesn't like most of the players. General manager M.IJ.B.: "It's an option. We are also finding options to maybe trade back into the draft in the second or third round to pick a guy there, but it's not clear cut it will be a wide receiver."

The Merchantmen management did give away clues on which positions will be pursued in the draft. M.IJ.B.: "Full back, running back, wide receiver, offensive line, punter, kicker, defensive line, linebacker and defensive back. And if we get lucky, me might draft a stud quarterback or tight end." It's clearly all wide open. Plus, with 58 players signed after getting Shank and including the likely injured reserve status for Richard Muller, the team clearly has only 3 spots ready for the pre-season. It means they will have to dump at least 4 players or picks by the start of pre-season. M.IJ.B. smiled: "Wait and see." Then that's what we'll do. Wait and see.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Okay people, the draft is on and I have to see it's been wild so far. We're at the 2.15 pick right now and I've currently got the 2.26 and one guy I really want.
No big update yet, but once I've got the 2.26 pick covered or get my guy, I'll be posting a big draft day review of how I wheeled and dealed.

Only thing I say right now is that I think we took care of our biggest need this draft by picking a wide receiver. I see you thinking, you thought I said we only had 5th rounders. Well, the Merchantmen are never done trading. Stay tuned, I'll be updating soon.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Top 48 picks Of 2007 Draft
Draft day is here, the good times began.
Going into the draft, our draft situation was:
5 (2), 5 (3), 5 (4), 5 (5), 5 (6), 5 (7) & 5 (8).

With the recent inability to get a wide receiver in free agency, I decided to go for a wide receiver in this draft. The top four guys would be Jonathan Adams, Travis Joseph, Cris Lyons and Jerry Berry. I ranked Adams as low 1st rounder, Joseph and Lyons as mid 2nd, Berry as late 2nd. Adams looked great, but out of trade up reach, Joseph and Lyons were awesome too and Berry ranked #1 on our draft board to get in he would drop to the fifth.

My other need (a luxury) would be to get an all-round defensive tackle. We tried to trade for a two-time All IHOF selection guy, Barton Garcia, but never reached an agreement. That ment we looked at the draft and saw only one guy who would be on my want list: Shaun Shiroma. I ranked Shiroma as a late 2nd rounder. He ranked #2 on our draft board to get in the 5th round if he would drop.

The draft started and with the recent value to wide receivers, I figured my ranks of receivers were off by about half a round. After the top receiver went off the board, I got nervous and started talking with three teams to get a 2nd round pick in the 1-10 region, to get WR Berry there. Simultaneously, I tried to get a low 2nd rounder to get DT Shiroma there.

I tried to get the 1.29 from Chesapeake, no luck. I tried to get the 2.11 and/or 2.31 from Chesapeake, but ask&demand was far from each other. Trade talks to get the 2.32 from Conyers broke off twice. Outer Banks bumped in to offer picks. We talked, no, sent counter offers about 10 times to finally agree to give me the 2.18 and 2.26 picks, while giving future 2nd rounders and the 5.7 and 5.8 picks.

Next step was to get a low 1st. I offered to 1.26 Boulder the 2.18 and more, but eventually they picked. I also made an offer to 1.29 from Chesapeake, again, but in stead they picked WR Joseph and I didn't get him. Then, 1.31 was up, being Georgia. After a few rounds of talking, we got a good deal that made me trade up from 2.18 to 1.31.

I was torn between WR Lyons and WR Berry. Berry fits chemistry and is a better big-play guy, what we need, but Lyons added kick returning skills and endurance. I picked Lyons in the end, but that wasn't the end of the story. To save our relations with the Brooklyn management, we talked them into trading up to get WR Berry at 2.3 (they succeeded) and we traded Berry for Lyons. (The IHOF allows the trade of draft picks rights as long as the draft isn't over yet.)

Mission 1: get Jerry Beyer, accomplished.

Mission 2: Get Shaun Shiroma. This was a tough one. We talked with Outer Banks, again, to get the 2.7, but failed. Then, we let the draft run and see who was left at 2.15. Asheville was on the clock and Shiroma was the best graded defensive tackle left. I decided it was time to move up again and I started talks with San Luis Obispo (2.17) and Tucker (2.16), ironically two picks I traded away this off-season. In the end, San Luis Obispo declined, yet Tucker was willing and we made it dependant on the 2.15 pick. Asheville took a CB and we traded 2.16 for 2.26 with us giving up a 2009 2nd round pick for a 4th rounder. Yes, that's expensive, but we got the guy we wanted.

So, what's next? We got the wide receiver and defensive tackle we wanted. Beyer should rotate with the older injury prone starters Monti and Ewald, while Shiroma should be taking Andy Weliczka's role next to Gomez. Beyer will also become our #1 or #2 punt return specialist, so that might mean our touchdown scoring punt returner Matt Offord is out of work in Maassluis soon. Or we will trade Emmanuel Jennings away after getting him this off-season.

No names for the fifth round yet, but it should be obvious that we re-write the plan immediately. We still have the 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 and 5.6 picks. Our list of names will be different, though. A few guys would really be able to help us immediately, I think. Wish us luck to get a few gems in the fifth round!

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Just a little tidbit to mention: I won't give away team names, but I've gotten offers for the rights of Lyons (even after trading for the rights to Beyer) and the rights to Shiroma. In total, they cost me about a mid 1st rounder of value each, so it's unlikely to happen.

Also, I offered all the fifth rounders in this draft to the teams with the least players on roster. They all politely declinded. Not that I care, I can use the picks and possible players, but I think they turned down a chance to get cheap rookies for a value below the open market, which is where they will be filling out their rosters. It's good to know that every team has a different philosophy.

Oh, by the way, here are my future draft situations:
2008, 9 picks: 9 5th rounders
2009, 10 picks: 3 2nd rounders, 4 4th rounders and 3 5th rounders

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen And Fightin' Bums Write History
The football world is nailed to their keyboards and monitors, as the IHOF is entertaining it's third annual amateur draft. The 2007 edition started with the Conyers Condors to pick an awesome one-two in running back Randy Reagor and quarterback Chris Donaldson. The Condors' couple became something new, but two other teams also made a lopside move. Or maybe it was three, the role of the third team will maybe never be revealed.

The story started with a trade between the Maassluis Merchantmen and the Outer Banks Ospreys. The Merchantmen all of a sudden came out of nowhere, while faking to stick with a freaky number of seven consecutive fifth round picks. Bam, there they were, back in the second round at 2.18 and 2.26 overall. Nothing big so far, until the first round was about to end. Georgia Gridlock on the clock, a bit of a delay. Boom, trade. Merchantmen back at it, grade wide receiver Cris Lyons. A couple of teams didn't see it coming and were stunned.

The draft continues a bit and then, out of nowhere, the Brooklyn Fightin' Bums trade into 2.3. Well, not completely out of the dark, they had the 2.10, but the Outer Banks Ospreys looked not ready to make that 2.3 count anyway. The Bums announce their player: wide receiver Jerry Beyer. Not a bad pick.

Then more like a sniper than the other trades, Brooklyn and Maassluis trade the rights to their wide receivers and Maassluis gets a fifth for a sixth rounder as compensation. The news was so unexpected that it snowed in and got ignored almost completely. One team even rang the Merchantmen to trade for Lyons, only to be stumped that the right to Lyons were already traded to the Fightin' Bums.

But now the big question arises, how did the players take it? Well, it was simple, in a way. Lyons knew about the interest from Brooklyn, but was anxious that the Bums did want to use the 1.10 on him. Then, they tried to trade into the first round to make a second round material receiver a first rounder. Their attempts failed, yet the Merchantmen mastered to do the unprecitable and pick Lyons in stead. Lyons stumped, the Bums disappointed.

What happened next was another shocker, the Bums and Merchantmen managements grabbed the phones and agreed on a deal to make Lyons go to Brooklyn and as a first round pick, while the Merchantmen would get Jerry Beyer in the second. The Bums didn't hesistate and picked up the pick on the clock to make the trade go through.

End good all good? Well not at all, Jerry Beyer already got himself a nickname before arriving in Maassluis. The general manager accidentaly called him Jelly Belly. Beyer wasn't too amused, until the Merchantmen picked their next player. Shaun Shiroma did other managements ring the bell of a 1979 song "My Sharona". As young as Beyer is, he missed the reference, but Shiroma heard it more often and wasn't happy about it either. Shiroma "If the Merchantmen people play that song everytime I make a big play, it's fine with me. The Kansas fans loved it."

[Kodos]

If the Merchantmen people play that song everytime I make a big play, it's fine with me. The Kansas fans loved it."

But I'd like to hear "My Sharona" at least once in a while. :p

[MIJB#19]

If the Merchantmen people play that song everytime I make a big play, it's fine with me. The Kansas fans loved it."

But I'd like to hear "My Sharona" at least once in a while. :pI try to catch the song soon and Shiroma's playing time will be based on how much I like the song. Rumors are that Andy Weliczka has created an ugly remix, I have no idea why.

[Alf]

As long as it is not "Trance" !

[MIJB#19]

As long as it is not "Trance" !Trance is hot in the NLs. :P

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Add More New Players
On the second day of the IHOF Draft 2007, the Maassluis Merchantmen presented the names of 7 new players to the organization. Five of them were selected rookies, two of them free agent signings. Guard Alphonse Gale comes over as a free agent as does safety Darnell Majors was the other free agent signing. Through the draft, the Merchantmen picked running back Tyrell Mahoney, fullback Henry Poston, tackle Norman Holliday, cornerback Gene Sampson and kicker Alvin Ladner. The five rookies were selected with the second through sixth overall picks in the fifth round.

Alphonse Gale is a classic example of a guy who packs his bag every off-season to head for a new team. Gale started 16 games for the San Luis Obispo Burn in 2004. Next he was a full time starter with the Orlando Knights in 2005. In 2006, the Chesapeake Chitterlings picked Gale up and let him play in 4 games, with 3 starts. The move to Maassluis might make him one of few players to have played for four different teams in the IHOF. Gale will battle with about seven others for the five backup roster spot on the offensive line.

Darnell Majors has no big history in the IHOF yet. In his rookie season eh saw action in one IHOF game as he played some downs for the Telluride Outlaws in a 24-27 loss at the San Antonio Volunteers. Majors is a man to man defense stand out and is expected to battle for the five backup spot in the secondary.

Tyrell Mahoney played college football at Vanderbilt. At the scoutong combine he recorded a decent 40-yard time at 4.66 seconds. The Merchantmen scouting staff reports that Mahoney could be a good receiver and make plays as a runner with his breakaway speed and hole recognition. The management says they also like Mahoney's level of developement and with his endurance and ability to hold on to the ball, he has a shot at making the 53-men roster.

Henry Poston spent his education at Kansas State. The Merchantmen scouting staff reports that Poston should be a very good receiver type back, while his hole recognition, ability to not fumble and run blocking skills should give him a very good chance to make the final 53-men roster.

Norman Holliday has his football base taught by the coaches of Missouri. The 6'9" 323 lbs big guy had a good combine and was reported to be a pass block specialist, who can do run blocking too, if needed. The management knows that Holliday doesn't come in pro football shape, but he'll be given time to grow into a future role, perhaps even as a starter opposite left tackle Ivan Jacques. Holliday is expected to sit out the 2007 season on the inactive roster. That is if the fourth new tackle to the roster even makes the 53-men roster.

Gene Sampson has his football roots with the Stanford. The Merchantmen management is a bit worried about his Solecismic Test score at the scouting combine, but his 40-yard time of 4.49 seconds proves the 5'7" 177 lbs. body is a speedy one. The scouting staff reports that Sampson knows some basics on both man to man coverage and zone defense, while he could also support the run defense and make plays on special teams. He should have a shot at making the 53-men roster, even in a backup role if he get lucky.

Alvin Ladner kicked balls for Emporia State. Ladner is reported to be ready for the pro game and the management likes that he can do both the points kicking duties and the kickoff duties. Ladner had a high Solecismic Test score and showed he was the strongest of all kickers. The management hopes to see Ladner do well in training camp and threaten the jobs of all time leading Merchantmen scorer Cary Coles (points kicker) and second year player Al Bettis (kickoff kicker).

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Mahoney, Poston, Holliday, Sampson and Ladner.
Five more rookies were added to the class and, boy, do I like these guys. All will make the training camp and pre-season battle interesting and we could use that.

We could use a few more bodies for the battles and to get at least one decent rookie, we traded two 2008 fifth round picks to the Conyers Condors and Bordeaux Vineyards each (we had nine anyway) to get the 6.4 and 6.5 picks with the 6.3 being on the clock.

Of the five fifth round picks, Poston looks safe to take the job from Greg Berk. Mahoney will battle with Rubio and Montoya for the #3 and #4 roles, but he might surprise us with a #2 role. Holliday will join an already overcrowed OL group with 3 centers, 5 guards and with him 5 tackles. Sampson has 6 corners and 5 healthy signed safeties to compete with, Ladner will join 2 kickers for perhaps only 1 roster spot. And what about the 6.4 and 6.5 picks? Well, they will make the battle even stronger, we might even draft a fourth center or a seventh wide receiver...

Nine incoming rookies is a new Merchantmen record. The old top figure was set in 2005 with six rookies and tied in 2006 with again six picks. Why? Well, mainly because the 2007 draft class has been rated far higher than the 2005 and 2006 classed were. We just had to take advantage.

Time to head over for other things now, wish us luck to get the two guys we want with the 6.4 and 6.5 picks.

[cthomer5000]

But I'd like to hear "My Sharona" at least once in a while. :p
That bass line would sound awesome through the stadium sound system during player introductions.

[MIJB#19]

That bass line would sound awesome through the stadium sound system during player introductions.Wow, I'm getting more and more interrested by the song. I need to find a .mp3 somewhere...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Bolster Defensive Line In Sixth Round
The Maassluis Merchantmen today announced players 68 and 69 for their training camp roster. With the fourth and fifth overall selections in the 2007 IHOF Draft, the Merchantmen selected defensive linemen Aaron Sherrill and Andrew Rasmussen. Both will need a good training camp to be able to surive the 60-men roster cut day going into pre-season.

Aaron Sherrill played college ball with Virginia. The tall defensive end, measured at 6'4" at the scouting combine, was called a nice looking rookie by the scouting staff. Merchantmen lead scout Gabe Avila called Sherrill the 2007 steal at the position. Sherrill is said to have a very good pass rush technique, was rated as a good run stopper and will also have the endurance to play in the Merchantmen rotation system. Albert Bernardo, the veteran at defensive end should be happy to have Sherrill and 2006 draft steal Omar Gougeon rotating on the other end.

Andrew Rasmussen spent his education at Tennessee. The 5'11" defensive tackle is relatively undeveloped, but the Merchantmen scouting praised Rasmussen. He could be an excellent pass rusher and has enough skills to stop the run and play all day. Rasmussen joins a young group of players as Shaun Shiroma was drafted sixteenth overall in the second round and Andy Weliczka was a steal at the top of the seventh round in 2006. Being the best tackle in the IHOF, Charles Gomez should be able to teach the young guys a thing or two.

[3ric]

Ah, Aaron "Jackie" Sherill. You've got to make that nickname official to tease HFP.

[MIJB#19]

Ah, Aaron "Jackie" Sherill. You've got to make that nickname official to tease HFP.Not another nickname, I thought that having Fumblin Justin' around was enough already (Bubba Gump and Deranged Degrange were names I inherited through signing the players)...
;)

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Trade Back Into Draft Again
It's in theire name, but the numbers game seemed to speak against them. The Maassluis Merchantmen were done drafting before in this draft, not once, but twice already. But apparantly they have another prospect they like as they sacrifices another 2008 fifth round pick, this time to get the 7.11 pick overall to select linebacker Terrance Norris.

"If we can get a guy who we think is worth a fifth round pick by that time, why note use it?" Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. defends their move: "We didn't like our chances to get the guy as a free agent and now we invest something that makes releasing him even tougher." Whomever the Merchantmen will take, just like the sixth round defensive linemen, the player should be honored by the move. The Merchantmen are mortgaging for what is usually seen as a ticket to being released after the pre-season.

But then, the Merchantmen are going to have some tough decission to make, with this seventh round pick, the training camp roster will reach the figure of 70. Seventy! Sure, they had that figure before, but with ten rookies, about 45 players from the 2006 roster and the unlikely release of new acquisitions tight end Arnold Ramirez, guards Brian Hammond and Alphonse Gale, tackles Ivan Jacques, Cornelius Rice and Darrin Olive and cornerbacks Danny Person and Carlos Mitchem.

But let's not draw early conclusions, there can happen a lot in the weeks going into training camp. The Merchantmen have released a list of potential post-training camp casualties and it's getting ugly for a few familiar names in Merchantmen land. number three receivers David Henkel, punt return specialist Matt Offord, zone defense interceptors Myron Stevens and Lamar Stevens, the always inactive hot prospect Stanley Jacke and even Bubba "Gump" Kearney are listed.

But most notable is the Merchantmen's all-time leading scorer, kicker Cary Coles. Coles already saw Al Bettis join the team last season, but "Big Al" only won the kickoff duties. But in the 2007 draft, Alvin Ladner was picked at number six in the fifth round and the early expectations are that Ladner will win the place-kicker duties. Ladner might even win kickoff duties and save the Merchantmen a roster spot by letting both Coles and Bettis go.

What ever will happen, the Merchantmen are pleased with Norris. The North Texas graduate was picked for his run defense potential, his hard hitting, his endurance and his abilty to defend man to man. "Norris was a special teams standout in college, but coming of a smaller school, nobody noticed," Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said. Norris is expected to challenge long-time starter Mike Kershner for the weakside linebacker role.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Oh goody, today is the day, the rookies are required to report to their new teams.

We'll be seeing 10 rookies this year and, to be honest, I can't complain yet. RB Tyrell Mahoney, FB Harold Poston, WR Jerry Beyer, OT Norman Holliday, K Alvin Ladner, DE Aaron Sherrill, DT Andrew Rasmussen, DT Shaun Shiroma, LB Terrance Norris and CB Gene Sampson.

Our scouting staff ranks all 10 rookies in the the 53 of players on roster. Ladner, Mahonye, Poton, Norris and Shiroma rank in the top 53 of the players in experience. Beyer, Sherrill and Sampson will have a shot at making it too to the top 53. Rasmussen and Holliday are project for the future.

70 players, broken down by position that is:
4 quarterbacks, we might drop to 3 for the 53-men cut
5 running backs, we will drop to 4 at the 53-men cut
3 fullbacks, we will drop to 2 for the 60-men cut
4 tight ends, we will drop to 3 for the 60-men cut
7 wide receivers, we will drop to 6 for the 60-men cut and might drop to 5 for the 53-men cut
3 centers, we might drop to 2 for the 60-men cut, we will drop to 2 for the 53-men cut
5 guards, we will drop to 4 for the 60-men cut
5 tackles, we might drop to 4 at the 53-men cut
3 kickers, we will drop to 2 at he 53-men cut, we might even drop to 1
1 punter, no cuts
5 defensive ends, we will drop to 4 at the 53-men cut
6 defensive tackles, we will drop to 5 at the 60-men cut, might drop to 4 at the 53-men cut
2 inside lienbackers, none will go
4 outside linebackers, we might drop to 3 at the 53-men cut
7 cornerbacks, we will drop to 6 at the 60-men cut and to 5 at the 53-men cut
6 safeties, we will put 1 on injured reserve and might drop to 4 at the 60-men cut, will be at 4 at the 53-men cut

We've listed the 9 names who are the early 'favorites' to be out of a job after training camp: FB Greg Berk, TE Craig Burley, WR David Henkel, C Ernie Taylor, G Eric Dietrich, DT Johnny Meadows, DT Stanley Jacke, CB Myron Stevens and SS Lamar Singleton. The 10th casualty will be FS Richard Muller, who will be placed on injured reserve as he's still not fully recovered from repetetive concussion syndrome. It's time to shop the nine others around a bit.

[Alf]

Matthijs, you already tried to sell me FB Berk, C Taylor and G Dietrich :roll:

[Alf]

dola : aren't you a bit thin at LB ?

[MIJB#19]

Journeyman Carl Meier Threatening Cody Cluff's Role
The first season of the IHOF was just over and the Maassluis Merchantmen had recorded the league's worst record. The team had won only one of sixteen games and were concidered one of the jokes of the league. The good sign on the team was a young linebacker named Cody Cluff. Cluff recorded 99 tackles and one interception to make himself heard. On top of that, Cluff received the Defensive Rookie of the Year award and his future was looking bright.

In the 2005 season, Cluff seemed to struggle a bit in the learning proces. Still, the Merchantmen roster made a big leap forward to a 7-9 record and Cluff had again a key role on the defense. With 90 tackles and an amazing interception return for a score, Cluff was once again one of the better defensive players. But working in the shadows of first round pick cornerback Tai Wayne and the defensive linemen Harold Wells and Charles Gomez, who earned All IHOF second team honors, Cluff was just one of the guys.

As the 2006 was about to start, the Merchantmen made an impulsive move and acquired linebacker Carl Meier in a trade from the Boston Rhinos. Meier was not old at the age of 27, but looked lost in Boston. Meier emerged as the new leader of the defensive front seven, yet Cluff remained as the starting middle linebacker. With a big season, Cluff recorded a franchise record 120 tackles, the job looked securer than ever.

At the early rise of the 2007 off-season, Carl Meier decided to work out and as the year was advancing, the Merchantmen staff reported that Meier had made good progress and might be better than ever expected. And now, with training camp about to start, the Merchantmen are about to have a big decission to make as Meier has worked out hard enough to be equal, if not better than Cluff.

The two can get along well, but it will be unlikely that the Merchantmen will change to a 3-4 defense to get them both to work out. The team drafted two defensive tackles, of which one went in the second round. And with the All world Charles Gomez still around, no way the Merchantmen will change their defense around. Reportedly, the Merchantmen even tried to trade Meier during the draft to get the drafted defensive tackle Shaun Shiroma higher in the second round than he eventually went.

So far things are going well. With Ellsworth Thelen and Mike Kershner having their issues, Carl Meier could be made the premier backup all over the linebackers group. The veteran of the group, Josh Weisberg, and seventh round pick Terrence Norris will be having difficulties to get playing time then, but Meier is too good to not give him a shot. And with defensive coordinator Bernie Hicks being a linebackers expert, the eyes will be on the men playing behind Charles Gomez in 2007.

The usual way the Merchantmen solve their roster problems is trading, but Meier's stock went up and he's not going out for cheap. In retrospect, the move they made to get Meier was not so bad afterall. For the Merchantmen he originally was a means to trade up from #30 and #28 to #23 overall in the 2006 draft, but Meier has gotten the level of a low first round player and it looks like the Merchantmen received a third rounder for a sixth rounder in that trade.

It his second season in Maassluis and the expectations are that Meier won't settle for a small role. He's reported to have improved soo much and the other defensive players walk away with him. Rookie linebacker Terrence Norris even said that Meier is one of the reasons he wanted to be drafted by the Merchantmen. And yet, it will be tough to find a starting role for all the linebackers. Carl Meier might become the best backup in the IHOF and be lucky enough to be on one of the weakest teams in talent. Don't be surprised if next season by this time either Meier of Cluff has been traded.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Sign All Ten Rookies On One Day
The Maassluis Merchantmen have done it. Without much hassling, they managed to get all ten of their draft picks to sign their rookie contracts far before training camp starts. The cherries on the pie, wide receiver Jerry Beyer and defensive tackle Shaun Shiroma, together account for almost ten million dollars over the next four seasons. The eight other selections, taken in the fifth, sixth or seventh round together account for about ten and a half million over three years.

As the players reported for their first minicamps, the defensive tackles Shaun Shiroma and Andrew Rasmussen looked good. Charles Gomez, the star defensive tackle on the Merchantmen team was positive about both guys: "These guys are steals. Rasmussen in the sixth, this guy could be a great starter anywhere int the IHOF. And Shaun is Shaun. First round talent and already as good as departed John Bryant was."

Meanwhile the offensive line is getting revamped all over again. Long time starter Harold Hurtado fears for his job: "The arrival of Ivan Jacques made sense after the trade of Grimaldo. Cornelius Rice looks good to take over from me someday. But now, this Norman Holliday kid, he's far from ready, but he's got so much potential. It's scary. And the kid is 6-9, Flannery will love to hide behind him."

Running backs Tyrell Mahoney and Harold Poston also made a splash enterance. Randy Harris, the Merchantmen's three-time 1,000-yard rusher feels good about them: "Poston looks like a younger version of Jamel [Rosenberry]. Not as good a blocker, but he could be a great receiver type back. And Tyrell, well, what's to say? He's not a stand-out guy in anything, but he seems to do everything right a bit."

In the other backfield, Gene Sampson arrives as a hot prospect and his team mates are looking forward to him to get playing time. Tai Wayne, the Merchantmen's 2005 top draft selection, called him "spectacular". The long time Merchantmen player, safety Lincoln Gilmore, was more specific: "With Gene, we'll be able to go back to more coverage schemes. We can stick with the zone defense, but can also add some more man to man coverage."

Seventh round pick Terrence Norris got less kudos all over. Carl Meier, who Norris was said to be calling his mentor, was not so fond: "Terror [Norris' nickname] will have a hard time to make the 53-men roster. The staff said they wanted a great run defender, but sofar he's not looking a good fit with the team." Especially Norris' zone defense skills are a concern, but Meier added: "Ellsworth [Thelen] is not a zone defender either, yet he manages to make plays anyway."

In front of the linebackers, Aaron Sherrill is expected to be at least a rotating backup with 2006 fourth round pick Omar Gougeon and veteran Albert Bernardo. The 'Big Al' seems Sherrill as a future starter: "He's more like Harold Wells than we thought. Aaron will be a pass rush threat, but also will be supporting the run defense. Omar and Aaron will battle it out, but I can't say I'm safe of being a starter myself."

Alvin Ladner, the new kicker in town, will have a hard time to make the 53-men regular season roster. Punter Roscoe Corrales was skeptic: "With Cary [Coles] we already had a guy who makes the points and Al Bettis is an excellent kickoff specialist. Sadly for Alvin, I don't see him make the roster. Still, Ike Settles went to the IHOF Bowl and I rank Alvin much higher, he'll get picked up somewhere. And you never know when injuries hit."

Last, but not least, wide receiver Jerry Beyer signed his contract. In early mini camps the management was excited to see they got the guy they wanted. General manager M.IJ.B. explained: "We felt there was a need for a guy with the ability to get downfield and make big plays there. David Henkel failed to do that. Henkel played well when he had the ball, but Flannery struggled to connect with Henkel. Monti can't get downfield and Ewald doesn't get open enough. We hope that Jerry will make up for the things we lacked."

Then new rookies and all signed. Although the Merchantmen already reported that Ladner and Norris will have a hard time making the final 53-men roster, even if eight players make it, it'll be the biggest new rookie group drafted. In 2006, undrafted guys like punt returner Matt Offord, kickoff guy Al Bettis and the interceptor Myron Stevens, but this year undrafted rookies won't make the roster at all. The team already has 22 new faces and the management expect to have at least 15 of them survive the two roster cut days.

Despite the promissing looks, the earlier draft classes are getting less and less attention. Of the class of 2006, quarterback Louie Flannery and defensive end Omar Gougeon are expected to start, but nose tackle Andy Weliczka is bound to drop to #4 on the depth chart, while center Ernie Taylor and safety Lamar Singleton around bound to follow Reggie Nelson to being released before finishing the rookie contract. In contrast, of the class of 2005 only quarterback Leonard Lyon left so far and he was traded to be a starter in Springfield.

With these new faces, the Merchantmen expect to be revamping more and more, but the core of the offense and defense stay the same. Of all the rookies, none are expected to be full time starters. Jerry Beyer will likely begin as the #3 guy, while Shaun Shiroma should start over Andrew Rasmussen and will be rotating with Andy Weliczka. Tackle Norman Holliday might get a chance and so could it happen to Gene Sampson and Aaron Sherrill.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Alright!

All ten rookies signed and according to the general consensus, two of our ten rookies joined the ranks of "booms". Fifth round OT Norman Holliday could use a bump as he was rated no higher than 6 out of 100 in experience. But then, he's got a potential of 73 in pass blocking. I mean, "wow!". That said, he's scouted at 1 out of 100 and 2 out of 100 in experience for run blocking and pass protection. It will be tough to find playing time for him in 2007.

On a similair case, DT Andrew Rasmussen bumped up too and threatens second round pick Shaun Shiroma for the starter role next to Charles Gomez. Shiroma's in the "Fair" region of all things, Rasmussen is scouted around 7 out of 100. But in potential, Shiroma only slightly has the edge, as should have been expected with the so similair scouting combine scores the two had. Meanwhilst, Andy Weliczka still has the edge on being the starter on running downs, but the pass rush abilityof Shiroma and potential of Rasmussen are giving us four good looking tackles.

Also, I've published a list of 18 players who are available for trade as soon as possible. Sure, we don't need to go down to 61 names yet, Richard Muller included, but the earlier we get trades worked out, the better. The list?
RB Cedric Rubio - he's good, but it's a numbers game, it's him or Montoya
RB Kyle Montoya - he's a cool guy, self drafted, but he's never got a shot
FB Greg Berk - It's Berk or Poston and rookie Poston looks better to be the backup
TE Charles Burley - Numbers game, Martins is the long snapper, Ramirez better as backup
WR David Henkel - Beyer in, Henkel out, he never lived up to expectations
C Ernie Taylor - Sadly for him, we picked up Bubba Kerney mid-way 2006
G Eric Dietrich - Sadly for him, we hied 2 new guards and 4 new tackles
K Alvin Ladner - Coles or Ladner, tough choice, but Ladner lacks the power
DE Duane Shank - Tough one, he's good enough to backup but it's him or Bycroft
DE Britt Bycroft - It's him or Shank, I like Shank's pass rush technique better
DT Johnny Meadows - Never really had a chance, unless we hadn't drafted a DT
DT Stanley Jacke - the guy made the roster in (bad) luck before, so you never know
LB Terrence Norris - drafted for his run defense talent, and he doesn't have it enough
CB Danny Person - well, maybe we won't dump him, but me might
CB Desmond Craig - I like his interception skills, but he's no man2man defender at all
CB Myron Stevens - the zone defense prospect who became our nickel back
SS Lamar Singleton - more potential than Steves, less experience



Maybe I'm a sucker for role players, but some of these guys I'd actually wish to keep around. The guys who really hove no future in Maassluis are Dietrich, Meadows, Burley, Berk, Jacke and Ladner. Even though, I liked the pick of Ladner, the guy lacks the power in his leg to get past Cary Coles as the placekicker. Wasted pick? Probably, but with eight lower round picks (investment of ten fifth round picks) you can't hit the jackpot ten out of ten times. Holliday, Rasmussen, Sherrill, Poston and Sampson make up for it.

Talking of Sampson, with him and Danny Person, we can move to a more varried pass defense. Sadly, free safety John Cole is a zone defense specialist, like the 2006 rookies Stevens and Singelton, but most of the others also can do man to man defense. Yes, our linebackers won't help much more out there, but things can't get much worse there anyway. Sampson and Person can do the man to man and guys like Tai Wayne, Johnnie Stidham and Lincoln Gilmore can do it too.

The pass rush should be the big winner in 2007. John Bryant wasn't a big rusher and we get three promising rushers in return. Rasmussen could be worth a position change to defensive end and help out there. Bottom line, if we can get a 4.31 pick (Omar Gougeon), and a 6.4 (Aaron Sherrill) to combine for 15 to 20 sacks, we've made wise investments, I'd say. Add Andrew Rasmussen (6.5 pick) and Andy Weliczka (7.1 pick), you'd even wonder why on earth we invested so much to get Shaun Shiroma...

Oh, by the way, from this place, I'd (again) want to thank Wade Moore, the substitute general manager for his role to the Merchantmen. As expected, Wade made our fifth round picks and we can't say he made the wrong choices. Sadly, Alvin Ladner might have to go after pre-season, but he was high on our list and it's not Wade's fault that Ladner seems to not work out. And with guys like Tyrell Mahoney, Harold Poston, Gene Sampson and Norman Holliday picked by him, we've got a couple of talented guys added to our roster.

See ya all back after training camp, or earlier if there's big news.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Safety Richard Muller Misses Another Season
The Maassluis Merchantmen could have done it before but just shortly before training camp they made the decission, Richard Muller won't play for the Merchantmen in the 2007 season. Muller was placed on injured reserve with repetitive concussion syndrome, after missing the entire 2006 season with it. The management called it a tough decission but there was no other way to go.

Medical advisors of the Maassluis Merchantmen said that Muller could be ready for football again for the last two games of the season at the Columbus Architects and Gothenburg Giants. Muller might have even returned earlier, but the team is not sure how Muller fits into future plans, especially after he's not been able to play football for 15 months the moment he returns. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said: "Muller had a great role on the team in 2005, was part of the turnaround, but like last year, it's unwise to let some player return late in the season and take over from a guywho started all year."

Muller was disappointed at first, but he seems to have no grievance towards the management as of yet. But if the team will be going into the playoffs and needing a healthy safety in the post-season, that might change. "The headaches are still a big problem, my memory is not all back to normal," Muller said, "I should be thinking of football at this point."

In his time with the Merchantmen, Muller played and started 16 games in the 2005 season. Muller recorded 67 tackles that year, ranking him fourth on the team, lead the team with 3 interceptions and was third with 10 defended passes. Muller signed with the Merchantmen as a free agent after being a backup for the Leesburg Generals (renamed to Miami Sharks in 2005), where he made 24 tackles and 1 interception, but never started.

To have an easier time to recover, the team decided to give Muller freedom to recover in his home town, Riviera Beach in Florida.

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Offer Five Guys For One Pick
The Maassluis Merchantmen are getting out of control now. The management announced a list of 18 names of players available for trade and apparantly they offered to trade five of hem for just one draft pick to an undisclosed team. The management was unavailable for comment, but it should be clear that they are desperate. Or is general manager M.IJ.B.'s trading addiction coming up again?

The rumored five players or no no-knows. Running back Cedric Rubio, wide receiver David Henkel, left tackle Darrin Olive, linebacker Carl Meier and cornerback Danny Person are reported to be all offered for one single first round pick. Our IHOF trades analyst Stu Pitt explains: "Rubio ran for 843 yards. Henkel had 888 yards. Olive has three European titles under his belt. Meier started in the strong Northeast division. And Person guided Outer Banks to 14-7 with him starting. It should be obvious they are all worth a number two. If they can get just a single one, they are stupid."

In other news, we here the Chesapeake Chitterlings rang the Merchantmen for one of their kickers following the Ike Settles drama in the 2006 IHOF Bowl. Settles missed three field goals and got released at the start of the 2007 off-season. The Chitterlings were without a kicker until after the draft. But it might be false alarm as the Chitterlings signed free agent rookie Winfred Ward today. We hear the Merchantmen were not willing to give up Cary Coles up straight for a sixth round pick.

The latest rumors in Merchantmen land are they are trying to snag up a free agent linebacker and will let defensive tackle Johnny Meadows go before training camp starts. Meadows was signed early in the pre-draft free agency. The name of the linebacker is undisclosed, but we got a tip from the office of player agent Harvey Blades. Going by their resume, it has to be either Jermaine Gibson, rookie Zack Connell or Cornell Terrell.

[MIJB#19]

Roscoe Corrales Is The Sure Thing In Maassluis
It's summer 2007. The teams in the IHOF are preparing for training camp. Most of the teams have filled out the 53 roster spots and 7 pre-season additional slots. For training camp, teams may hire another 10 players. Usually it means there will be exciting positional battles. The Maassluis Merchantmen already hired 70 men and have a lot of these battles set up. But one player has no reason to fear for his job. Roscoe Corrales is the one sure thing for 2007.

Roscoe Corrales? I see you watching in amazement, have the Merchantmen traded in a new player? No, not at all, Corrales is the Merchantmen's all-time punter. The Merchantmen even opted to draft or sign a new punter, but the fans seem to love Corrales. In a recent poll, Corrales was a top ten name for most popular Merchantmen football player. And then we haven't even looked at his stats.

86 punts, 3,411 yards. That's an average of 39.6 per punt in 2007. The expert sees these are not the most overwhelming stats, but Corrales' trade isn't the length of his kick or the precission of kicks (Corrales had 28 In20 kicks.) Corrales used to have the best hang time in the IHOF and it paid of in the 2007 season. Of the 86 punts, only 22 were returned for a total of 122 yards. In 12 of 16 games, the Merchantmen allowed less than 10 yards returned.

Cody Cluff, the Merchantmen's middle linebacker and gunner, praises Corrales: "It's easy with Roscoe. You see the snap, Roscoe gets the ball, he kicks and the ball vanishes from sight. When the returner finally gets the ball, Mike [Kershner] and I can pile up on the returner." Long snapper Charlie Martins adds: "Roscoe is so good, even if the snap goes wrong, Roscoe saves the day with a big punt."

In recent history, the Merchantmen have taken more and more time to build a good special teams unit. Just take a look at the 2006 roster, quarterback Mel Atkins, tight end Charlies Martins, wide receiver Matt Offord and kicker Al Bettis wouldn't have the roster at their own positions. Atkins is an excellent holder, Martins provides outstanding lonsnapping, Offord returns punts and Bettis is one of the best kickoff kickers in the league. Some people in the Merchantmen organization even claim that the 8-8 record in 2006 was based on good special teams.

"It's a sign, the offense and defense can rank in the bottom third of the league, in both passing and running, but the overall performance was one of an average team," Corrales himself is proud on the movement. "In Maassluis, special teams are a real part of the team. Maybe the drafting of Alvin Ladner hurt the confidence in Cary [Coles], but at least they show they care. And look at the addition of Jerry Beyer and Emanuel Jennings, it seems the team learned from the mistake to release Lonnie O'Reilley last season."

Lonnie O'Reilley, remember that name? During the amazing 2005 campaign, O'Reilley was the number three receiver, punt returner and reserve kickoff returner. He had 30 receptions for 357 yards and even started in 4 games. But then, just before the 2006 regular season, the Merchantmen played the numbers game wrong and made Lonnie O'Reilley their last casualty. General manager M.IJ.B. called it the toughest decission in his career in the IHOF. O'Reilley was bitter, but didn't sign anywhere else and is sadly out of football.

"We tried to stay in touch with Lonnie," Corrales says, "but he was too bitter to even return phone calles. Granted, the management had been advertising as the second coming of Mouse Tail Perry [Famous undrafted Fort Worth wide receiver], but out of nowhere he's without a job." Punt returner Matt Offord was mostly affected by it. The fans called him out for being O'Reilley's replacement. Lucky for him, Offord returned one of his punt for 88 yards and the touchdown in the second game of the season.

In 2007 the Merchantmen will again rely on the duties of the special teams players. Mel Atkins will return as holder, Charlie Martins does the long snapping, Al Bettis makes the kickoffs, but Matt Offord isn't even safe to make it. Rookie Jerry Beyer is said to be a punt return specialist himself and another newby, Emanuel Jennings can return both punts and kickoffs. With Devin Henson for kickoffs and the placekickers Alvin Ladner and Cary Coles battling it out.

The special teams unit is improved, again. There should be more good things coming from the once worst team of the league. With the addition of Ivan Jacques, the non-departure of Tai Wayne, the amaizing draft class and the improvement for Louie Flannery, a winning record isn't impossible at all. But you've got to be careful what you say. There's still only one sure thing in Maassluis: Roscoe Corrales will be punting.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Make A Splash, Sign Wally World Wilcox
On the last day before training camp, the Maassluis Merchantmen make their biggest free agent acquisition in team history. Wally 'World' Wilcox was recently released by the Miami Sharks and the Merchantmen came out with the biggest offer. For two million dollars on a one-year contract, Wilcox will join an already good looking defensive line.

It's been a while ago, but in the 2004 season Wilcox recorded no less than 15.0 sacks for the Leesburg Generals. Playing together with Armand Woolfson, they formed one of the biggest defensive end duos in the IHOF. But after the team changed to the Miami Sharks, Wilcox only recorded 9.0 sacks in 31 games, of which only 3.5 in 2006. Those stats make him just a marginal sack machine for league standards.

"The past seasons don't count," defensive coordinator Bennie Hicks explains, "we see Wilcox as one of te guys who should be able to make the pass rush one of the strongest in the league." The Merchantmen already have Albert Bernardo around, will likely retain Omar Gougeon and they drafted Aaron Sherrill. Hicks: "Plenty room to rotate, we'll be having fit pass rushes all day." Add All IHOF tackle Charles Gomez and rookie Shaun Shiroma and it will indeed be tough to protect the quarterback against Maassluis.

On the reason behind the one-year contract, the Merchantmen management explained: "Wilcox is, like Bernardo, a mentor guy. We hope they can teach Gougeon and Sherrill the traits to make them big names in two years. Plus, we expect Wilcox to retire after the season. And if he doesn't, we can always try to franchise him." Apparantly Wilcox liked it too and will be seeing some action in Maassluis' rotation system.

To make room for Wilcox, the Merchantmen had reached the IHOF limit of 70 players under contract, the team released Johnny Meadows. The young defensive tackle was only recently hired as a free agent before the draft, but the selections of Shaun Shiroma and Andrew Rasmussen made Meadows chances to survive training camp very small. This move also means that the team will more than likely let Britt Bycroft and Duane Shank, another recent free agent signing, go after training camp or pre-season.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Have Mixed Feelings On Draft
With training camp ended, the Merchantmen management want to let their fans know what the take is on the 2007 rookie class. The Merchantmen eventually traded up and in to get ten selections in the entire draft. We'll run down the names and give an updated on their expected roles for the team in 2007.

WR Jerry Beyer - second round (#35 overall)
Beyer was acquired to be the new deep threat connection for quarterback Louie Flannery. His training camp wasn't impressive at all, but the management still thinks Beyer can be a very good #3 wide receiver. With his punt returning skills, he'll be a nice backup to Matt Offord on special teams. With Monti and Ewald often absent in the past, Beyer will see enough opportunity to start games. With a good pre-season, Beyer might even threaten long time starter Gregory Monti.

DT Shaun Shiroma - second round (#48 overall)
'My' Shiroma didn't impress much in camp and saw Rasmussen reach the same potentials as him. Still, with his experience, Shiroma is one-leg into a starting role over Andy Welizcka and Andrew Rasmussen, next to Charles Gomez. Shiroma will get enough playing time for the enitre season to improve his skills.

RB Tyrell Mahoney - fifth round (#130 overall)
Mahoney looks like a decent running back, but will have to make a splashing pre-season showing to end up on the active roster. With Randy Harris, Jonathan Smith, Cedric Rubio and Kyle Montoya, we have four better runners and only Mahoney's receiving skills give him the edge over Montoya. As of now, Mahoney is out in te open anywhere from #3 runner to being released on 53-men cut day.

FB Harold Preston - fifth round (#131 overall)
Poston is ranked as a steal of the draft by the Merchantmen. Poston looks like a very good receiver type fullback someday and will be the much needed backup for Jamel Rosenberry we lacked in 2006. Poston can run and has the potential to be a run blocker as well someday. He's definately going to be on the active roster for the 2007 season.

OT Norman Holliday - fifth round (#132 overall)
Holliday is still very 'green' and needs time to develop, but if he does, he's good a great future in Maassluis. Holliday will get plenty of playing time in pre-season, but after that he'll be having a hard time to see action behing Ivan Jacques, Harold Hurtado, Cornelius Rice and possible Darrin Olive. That said, Holliday is a lock to make the 53-man regular season roster.

CB Gene Sampson - fifth round (#133 overall)
Sampson didn't impress us in training camp, but the scouting staff still thinks Sampson has great potential. Especially as a run defender, Sampson can be a good starter in the IHOF some day. The management has faith in Sampson, but in 2007 he won't see much action, besides in the pre-season.

K Alvin Ladner - fifth round (#134 overall)
Ladner looks like a good pick and after training camp he looks like a good kicker in potential. Sadly for him, we have Cary Coles as a placekicker and Ladner doesn't look like he'll be the better guy there. And with kickoff specialist Al Bettis also signed, Ladner will only make the 53-men regular season roster if Coles or Bettis gets injured.

DE Aaron Sherrill - sixth round (#164 overall)
Sherrill will be on a good group for the 2007 season. With Wally 'World' Wilcox and Albert Bernardo we have aged veteren ends, while 2006 draft pick Omar Gougeon has great potential. Sherrill will see a lot of pre-season action and after that will be one of the four guys in the rotation.

DT Andrew Rasmussen - sixth round (#165 overall)
Rasmussen had a great training camp. He still lacks the experience to be a full time starter, but his potential looks amazing. Behind Charles Gomez, Rasmussen will be battling with second round pick Shaun Shiroma and 2006 draft pick Andy Weliczka. And in the rotation system, after playing a lot in pre-season, Rasmussen will see a lot of playing time anyway.

LB Terrence Norris - seventh round (#203 overall)
Norris was drafted as a project pick and, as could have been expected, after training camp he's looking like a clear cut post training camp casualty. The team already received a trade offer for Norris and he will either be traded or released before the first pre-season game.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Yikes, that training camp was nasty. Some of our rookies lost a lot of potential, mainly our two second round picks WR Beyer and DT Shiroma. (Sigh.) Let's take a glance at the post trainig camp roster. Given are rounded scouting figures.

Quarterbacks
QB 45/65 Louie Flannery - This is our #1 guy; his weakness is still avoiding interceptions.
QB 30/45 Shane Bower - Well, he's no real #2, but too good to be a #3; does he fit the system?
QB 25/40 Mel Atkins - The elite holder, will make the roster.
QB 20/30 'Fumblin' Justin McDavid - The fans' choice, I give him pre-season to show still can do it.

Running Backs
RB 55/60 Randy Harris - This is our #1 RB, plain and simple.
FB 60/70 Jamel Rosenberry - If he scores another 8 touchdowns we'll be very happy.
RB 40/45 Jonathan Smith - And yet another season as our #2 RB for John Smith.
FB 20/45 Harold Poston - So green, but so hot as a receiver; is ready to run a bit.
RB 30/40 Tyrell Mahoney - No specialties; only weakness is power inside, dark horse to make the 53-men.
RB 30/40 Cedric Rubio - Is only a bit better than Mahoney and was a bigger investment, so...
RB 25/35 Kyle Montoya - Result of an obscure trade; still only an elusiveness expert.
FB 20/40 Greg Berk - He's still around, but not for long.

Tight Ends
TE 80/80 Jim Reiser - C'mon, he doesn't need any introduction, it's our top receiver!
TE 35/45 Arnold Ramirez - He can block on running plays and catch some balls too.
TE 25/30 Charlie Martins - Long snapper; amazingly, he might even be a good receiver.
TE 20/40 Charles Burley - The guy looks like a good receiver; had he had blocking skills he'd stay.

Wide Receivers
SE 55/55 Bryce Ewald - And again Ewald is our top wide receiver, despite almost trading him, twice.
FL 45/50 Gregory Monti - We draft a replacement, but he busts a bit; he'll start again.
FL 20/45 Jerry Beyer - Our top pick; He'll be our #3 guy; I hope he reaches his potential really fast.
SE 25/30 Devin Henson - His kick returning is great but also masks his decent role as backup.
SE 15/25 Matt Offord - Matt will be our punt returner again.
FL 30/30 David Henkel - The big play guy that didn't work out in 2006; I doubt we'll keep him.
FL 20/20 Emmanuel Jennings - Return specialist, but nothing else; might stay, might.

Offensive Linemen
LT 70/70 Ivan Jacques - Welcome our new pass protection anchorman.
LG 50/50 Butch White - With him and Lacy we have awesome run blocking.
C. 50/60 Brant Heinrich - Will be our starter another year; will we ever 'love' him?
RG 45/55 Timothy Lacy - With him and White we have awesome run blocking.
LT 40/40 Harold Hurtado - Still a starter, for now; is still a great run blocker.
C. 35/55 Bubba Kerney - Will again be the backup center; If only the guy had stamina.
RT 40/50 Cornelius Rice - He's alround good; will start if either Jacques or Hurtado is injured.
RG 35/35 Brian Hammond - Mentor; will be our backup guard, inactive guy at least.
RT 15/50 Norman Holliday - Green project; He'll likely sit on inactive all year.
RG 35/40 Alphonse Gale - Looks great, but might have to go; the guy's resume looks good.
LT 40/40 Darrin Olive - Was a starter in Bordeaux, but here is a long shot to make the 53-men roster.
RG 25/40 Eric Dietrich - Disgruntled; looks good, but we've got better options.
C. 15/40 Ernie Taylor - Disgruntled; he won't be here much longer.

Punters
P. 55/55 Roscoe Corrales - The hang time specialist will stick around for another year.

Kickers
K. 20/40 Al Bettis - He's slowly turning into one of the very best kickoff kickers.
K. 50/55 Cary Coles - We drafted a replacement, but only injury will cost him the job.
K. 35/55 Alvin Ladner - He's looking good, but not good enough to take over from Coles.

Defensive Linemen
LT 85/85 Charles Gomez - He's back to anchor the line.
LE 45/50 Wally Wilcox - Say "hi!" to the oldest member of the 2007 fearsome four.
LE 45/45 Albert Bernardo - Say "hi!" to the most loyal member of the 2007 fearsome four.
LE 20/40 Aaron Sherrill - Say "hi!" to the youngest member of the 2007 fearsome four.
RE 20/40 Omar Gougeon - Say "hi!" to the tallest member of the 2007 fearsome four.
RT 25/45 Shaun Shiroma - He lost some potential, but he'll be starting in 2007.
NT 30/45 Andy Weliczka - The run defense specialist might lose his starting role.
LT 15/45 Andrew Rasmussen - He's green but might play at times, if not all the time.
LE 35/45 Britt Bycroft - He's been supportive in 2006, but in 2007 he's out of here.
LT 25/40 Stanley Jacke - The bets have started what injury will keep him around this year.
LE 25/30 Duane Shank - The guy looked around and should know he's gone soon.

Linebackers
SO 50/50 Ellsworth Thelen - A guy who can make 100 takes should always return.
MI 60/70 Cody Cluff - He's looking over his shoulder, but right now he's our guy.
WO 50/65 Mike Kershner - We've hired a coordinator and mentor to teach him, get developed!
WI 60/70 Carl Meier - He's so good now and yet we'll make him the primiary backup all over.
WO 40/40 Josh Weisberg - Mainly Kershner's mentor; can make a play when he plays.
WO 20/35 Terrence Norris - He's still here, but won't be for too much longer.

Defensive Backs
LC 50/65 Tai Wayne - Our best defensive back ever has returned, "Hallelujah!"
RC 25/40 Johnnie Stidham - Undeveloped, so what, the guy was a top5 guy in interceptions.
SS 45/55 Lincoln Gilmore - He's still the best safety we have, he'll start again.
SS 35/50 Emile William - It looks like he's better than Cole, making him a starter.
LC 40/45 Carlos Mitchem - Mentor; can be a good starter whenn others are out.
LC 25/35 Desmond Craig - Was a great nickelback, can still be; might have to go.
FS 30/40 John Cole - Still a good safety with zone defnese and interception skills.
RC 15/20 Myron Stevens - If we go to 100% zone defense, he'll be a great dimeback.
SS 15/30 Lamar Singelton - Another zone defense specialist, we need to run a 100% zone defense.
RC 15/40 Gene Sampson - He's so green and so promising; if only he had interception skills.
LC 40/40 Danny Person - I've got a trade set up for him; if he stays he'll be our #5.
SS 20/35 Darnell Majors - This guy could be a great guyin another system.
FS 40/45 Richard Muller - He's a good player, but will sit out the 2007 season on injured reserve.


I'm having a hard time to make the final decission to get from 70 signed to 60 players active or inactive. The zone defense plan we set up might work out afterall, but I'm not all too confident after the lost game at Boulder in 2006. Granted, it was the coldest game in IHOF history, but the blizzard can't be used as an excuse, can it?

The list of 18 names as given earlier will be the guide line, however a few changes were made. Right now 20 names are on the trading block and I'm still tossing around. One thing is for sure, CB Danny Person will likely go. We found a new team for him, but have to wait for them to make cap room for his contract (that means there are only about 10 candidates for him.)

Down the road, the real issue will be how we can get the defense working. With Wayne, Stidham, Gilmore, William, Cole, Stevens and Singleton we can run the zone defense, but we need to find a role for our linebackers in that defense. Meier, Cluff and Kershner can play it, Thelen and Weisberg can't. Interesting issue, to say the least...

Right now, I'm still torn on who to keep or release, but the 60-men limit will be a problem soon enough. Tough decissions will come soon and I won't like it, but that's how the game works. I just hope I make the right choices...

[MIJB#19]

Youngsters Bring Back Fearsome Pass Rush Memories
The Maassluis Merchantmen have a history of being loaded with a strong defensive line. Remember the league draft in 2004, the team spent six of their top seven picks on defensive linemen. A quick look to their roster tells you only one guy is still around, being the first round pick and All World defensive tackle Charles Gomez. In the meantime, the Merchantmen have worked hard and spent five second day draft picks in the last two drafts on defensive linemen. Team philosophy? Maybe, but trading away developed linemen and getting rookies in return doesn't make sense, or does it?

Let's refresh memory. In the 2005 season Harold Wells and Charles Gomez earned All IHOF Second Team honors with 13 and 6.5 sacks respectively. With John Bryant racking up 7 sacks and Albert Bernardo recording 6 sacks, the team had four guys in the top 64. That unit was called one of the reasons why the Merchantmen went fron 1-15 to 7-9, but yet the team decided to dump defensive linemen.

Robert Duong was the first to go. Before the 2004 even started, Duong moved to the Fairbanks Northstars in a trade and eventually was part of the first IHOF Champions. Next up was Cecil Doney in a trade to the Astoria Heroes with the 1.6 pick of the 2005 draft for future picks. Deon Chapa followed in the 2006 off-season to the Rochester Lake Monsters as did Harold Wells to the Bordeaux Vineyards. This off-season John Bryant became the fifth traded top pick with a move to the Georgia Gridlock.

Albert Bernardo, who arrived as a free agent in 2005 has been the centre of the moves so far. "Well, that's what people say," Bernardo says, "but I don't buy it, the management makes the moves." Bernardo has been mentoring young linemen since his arrival and people claim that Harold Wells and Charles Gomez are the best in the game because of their work with Bernardo. Well, we've got news for him, he's got more work to do.

Time to check out the new generation of linemen in Maassluis. Omar Gougeon was selected #123 overall in 2006. Andy Weliczka was picked #193 overall in 2006. Shaun Shiroma was taken #48 overall in 2007. Aaron Sherrill and Andrew Rasmussen were the #164 and #165 overall in the 2007 draft. That's five young players to tutor, good luck Albert. Well, not much, the Merchantmen hired Wally 'World' Wilcox after the draft to help out and share the teaching hours with Bernardo.

"We've got a fine class of you and promissing pass rushers," Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. says with confidence. "Weliczka is a run stopper, but the others should be hot prospects for the future. See here the new sack machines of 2009." 2009? That's far away, but the Merchantmen are happy and think they can make a fist today with Gomez, Bernardo and Wilcox still in the mix. M.IJ.B.: "We've always been rotating guys around, it worked well with Wells and Chapa, we think it also will with the new generation and the older stars."

Clearly the defensive line of 2007 in Maassluis is not much worse that those of the past and with the great potential Gougeon, Sherrill, Shiroma and Rasmussen show, this quarter could be dominant in 2009. For now, they'll cycle and have to pressure the quarterback enough to make sure the other defenders and make plays. The return of Tai Wayne at cornerback and expected progress of Cody Cluff and Mike Kershner into elite linebackers should make this season fun to watch from the defensive perspective.

Coming off a season as the worst defense in league history, with 360 yards per game allowed, there has to be done something. The promissed zone defense will likely be implented and force recently acquired man-to-man export Danny Person out. But then, the retained defensive backs all know the system and the linebackers problems are worked on. Carl Meier made progress and there are talks that strong backer Ellsworth Thelen and weak backer Mike Kershner will switch duties. And down the road, things can't go much worse than in 2006 on defense anyway, can they?

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
I'm disappointed. We've listed a few players up for trade, knowing they are not in touch with my desire of our system, but yet they would be top free agents after release in either experience or potential. Maybe I lost the trait of advertising (if I ever had that), but it is not fun to be in a situation where I have to release nine players, knowing they could make the 53-men roster elsewhere and have a bonus free long-term contract there.

Oh well, we've published the nine names that will be off the Merchantmen roster pretty soon:
CB Danny Person in a trade
FB Greg Berk in release, would potentially be a top fullback FA
TE Charles Burley in release, would be a top receiving FA
C Ernie Taylor in release
G Eric Dietrich in release, would be top guard FA
DE Duane Shank in release
DT Stanley Jack in release, 'green' and yet a decent FA signing
WLB Terrence Norris in release after a bounced trade for a 2010 7th round pick
SS Darnell Majors in release, who could fit in a man-to-man defense

Oh well, c'est la vie...

[wade moore]

MIJB,

I have to wonder if some of this is people getting more savvy on MP... At first I think we all reacted that no one would release good players, so we had to trade... I think it is getting more 'realistic' in that some of us are having to release good players because we cannot get the value we want out of them...

The Torpedoes may have to do the same...

[MIJB#19]

MIJB,

I have to wonder if some of this is people getting more savvy on MP... At first I think we all reacted that no one would release good players, so we had to trade... I think it is getting more 'realistic' in that some of us are having to release good players because we cannot get the value we want out of them...

The Torpedoes may have to do the same...I think you have a point there.

I might have the best FAs when released, but others might think so too.

What makes me puzzled is that I got stupid to add up to 70 names I liked and now I got to give up on a few, including 5th round picks. And, although I expected to have to cut a guy or three from those 5th round picks, I don't like seeing the value getting lost.

I never understood why NFL teams would release guys all the time and not try to give them a job elsewhere and get some value in return. Now, I see it's a simple case of people all liking the guys they have and only if the guy available is a big upgrade, they will take him.

Right now, I actaully think I can see why and I think I should feel lucky to be able to trade guys for even a 7th rounder.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Give Veterans New Homes
With the announcement of two trades, the Maassluis Merchantmen have given two veteran IHOF players new homes before playing a single game for them. Cornerback Danny Person goes to the Anaheim Matterhorns, left tackle Darrin Olive to the ROchester Lake Monsters. In return, the Merchantmen receive linebacker Mitch Hoofkin, Anaheim's 2009 fourth round pick and Anaheim's 2010 sixth round pick.

Person is said to be one of the best man to man defenders in the IHOF and being a cornerback, what else could one ask? Well, there were issues. First of all, Person had a conflict with Merchantmen star player Tai Wayne. The team wanted to resolve it before the season start. Second, the Merchantmen will hold on to the zone oriented pass defense. Person simply doesn't fit that scheme as well as a couple of younger players who were on team in 2006.

The Olive trade is even more amazing than it seems. Maassluis acquired Olive recently in a trade from the Bordeaux Vineyards for younger left tackle Edgar Dunkin. Dunkin himself arrived from the Rochester Lake Monsters in trade during the 2006 off-season. Are you still following? Olive had a shot at making the Merchantmen 53-men roster, until the team drafted tackle Norman Holliday in the fifth round of the draft and that guy looks like the real deal.

Mitch Hoofkin will give the Merchantmen some extra depth at linebacker. The team drafted Terrence 'Terror' Norris in the seventh round, but the guy didn't do much good in training camp and is on the list to be released before the first pre-season game. Hoofkin played only one game for Rochester in 2006 after playing the previous two seasons for the Brooklyn Fightin' Bums. Hoofkins started 11 games for the Bums and has a single game tackles high of 5, which he tied in a road game at Maassluis in the 2005 season.

Despite these moves, the Merchantmen still have to say goodbye to eight players before their first pre-season game in week two of the exhibition season against the Frederick Red Menace. The management announced that today fullback Greg Berk, tight end Charles Burley, center Ernie Taylor, defensive end Duane Shank and linebacker 'Terror' Norris will be out of a job in Maassluis. Shank and Norris were recent acquisitions, Berk was signed mid-way the 2006 season, Burley acquired by trade in 2006 and Taylor was drafted in 2006.

Also, the management has sent out a message that linebacker Carl Meier is on the ctrading block, as is backup quaterback Mel Atkins. Both are new to the list. Atkins could be a numbers game casualty as the team rather wants to have three quarterbacks during the regular season. Meier will be a fine backup in Maassluis, but the management said they want to explore the market and see what other teams will offer for Meier. But chances are very slim Meier is going anywhere soon...

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Yes!

You wonder why I'm so happy? Well, we acquired free agent cornerback Winford Endicott. Not that he's a big name player, but the guy is an excellent zone defender and with the zone defense being or main scheme, he will be a welcome addition. He'll be taking over Johnnie Stidham's spot a s starter, making Stidham the nickelback in 2007 and the dimeback position out in the open between Myron Stevens and Desmond Craig. For secondary leader Carlos Mitchem, chances on playing time keep getting slimmer and slimmer.

Today we're getting ready for the first pre-season game against the Frederick Red Menace. Although we announced our expected starting line-ups for the regular season, we'll be playing with different names, probably.

We still need to say goodbye to 5 players and 4 of those names are know. Cornerback Danny Person will be traded to the Anaheim Matterhorns, sooner or later, but salary cap woes could make it a tricky situation. Of the other names of casualties, one will be safety Darnell Majors, a man to man expert and run defender, but sadly not enough zone defense skills to stay around. Also listed as soon to be gone is guard Eric Dietrich, who we acquired through trade in the 2006 off-season and who could be a starter somewhere in the future. Dietrich was perfect in the 2 games he saw action last season, though.

Most prominent casualty will be defensive tackle Stanley Jacke. Jacke hasn't played a game since the 2004 season, but he's still got the potential to be a good backup in the IHOF someday. He made the 2005 and 2006 rosters with luck and injury. But after drafting Shaun Shiroma and Andrew Rasmussen, Jacke's roster spot is no longer, we say goodbye to a loyal guy, who never caused problems. We wish we could have given him a new home, but had no such luck...

Doing the math, that leaves us with one last player to deal. Well, we're working the phones to trade a running back soon. It's not Randy Harris, but the others are all open for trade, in my opinion. We hope to give one a new home before the first pre-season game, so this trade will account for our last post camp release.

Oh, for the numbers geeks around, we currently have no less than 20.36M of dead cap space for 2007 and 11.35M lost cap room for 2008, projecting us 11M over the cap in 2008. For 2009, we are projected to be 3M over the cap, with no lost cap room. Go us...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Make Quick Trades Just Before Pre-Season
The management worked around the clock, but in the end it paid off. The Maassluis Merchantmen had to release or trade five players before the first pre-season game and with four deals they made that happen. Leaving town are Eric Dietrich, Stanley Jacke, Bubba Kearney, Darnell Majors, Cedric Rubio and the earlier announced departing Danny Person. Coming in is Christian Reichel.

First of all, Person was traded to Anaheim, but with salary cap issues, the Matterhorns couldn't acquire Person immediately. Just before the first exhibition game of both teams, Person got traded from Maassluis to Anaheim for a fourth and sixth round pick in future drafts.

Second trade was Cedric Rubio to the Conyers Condors. The Condors give up a sixth round pick in 2008 and get good value for it. Rubio joint Maassluis in the 2006 off-season for a fourth rounder from the Bordeaux Vineyards, but never got out of being the #3 back. And with the drafting of Tyrell Mahoney and Henry Poston, Rubio's role would be more limited.

Next was a trade where Bubba Kearney left the Merchantmen for the Georgia Gridlock, where he has a better shot at a starting role. In return, the Merchantmen get a new backup in Christian Reichel, who is also an expert long snapper. In 2006 it showed that during the absence of the usual long snapper, Charlie Martins, the kicking units struggle. The Merchantmen also get a third round pick for a fifth and a seventh in the trade.

The three other players, Dietrich, Jacke and Majors, were traded to the Paris Musketeers for a seventh round pick in 2010. The Merchantmen were readyto release the three players, but the Musketeers had only 57 players signed and the Merchantmen management offered the three for the low pick. All three could have a shot at making Paris' 53-men regular season roster, but they have to show their best effort in pre-season.

With these moves, the Merchantmen can go to the next level, being the pre-season games. The Merchantmen haven't announced their lineup for the first game at home against the Frederick Red Menace, but tradition says they will start most, if not all of their starters. The most interesting things to watch will be the return of Tai Wayne, the first passes from Louie Flannery towards Jerry Beyer, the first snaps of Ivan Jacques at left tackle and the revival of the fearsome pass rush from the defensive line. At least the Merchantmen players, coaching staff and management is thrilled to see how things will go...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Pre-Season Roster
Listed below are the 60 players signed by the Maassluis Merchantmen roster for the 2007 pre-season. Listed are position, jersey number, name, age (as of September 1st 2007) and previous years of service in Maassluis, where gp and gs stand for games played and games started respectively.

Active Roster & Inactive Roster
QB - 03 - "Fumblin" Justin McDavid - 30 - 2004-2006 (22 gp, 22 gs)
QB - 07 - Shane Bower - 26 - 2006 (2 gp, 0 gs)
QB/H - 13 - Mel Atkins - 25 - 2006 (16 gp, 0 gs)
QB/H - 14 - Louie Flannery - 25 - 2006 (16 gs, 0 gs)
RB - 28 - Randy Harris - 27 - 2004-2006 (48 gp, 48 gs)
RB - 40 - Jonathan Smith - 26 - 2004-2006 (44 gp)
RB - 44 - Kyle Montoya - 22 - 2005-2006 (0 gp)
RB - 21 - Tyrell Mahoney - 23 - *new*
FB - 49 - Jamel Rosenberry - 26 - 2006 (16 gp, 11 gs)
FB - 34 - Henry Poston - 24 - *new*
TE - 86 - Jim Reiser - 26 - 2004-2006 (46 gp, 26 gs)
TE - 89 - Arnold Ramirez - 27 - *new*
TE/LS - 84 - Charlie Martins - 26 - 2005-2006 (31 gp, 2 gs)
WR - 81 - David Henkel - 30 - 2006 (16 gp, 8 gs)
WR - 80 - Gregory Monti - 26 - 2004-2006 (42 gp, 39 gs)
WR/KR/PR - 85 - Emmanuel Jennings - 24 - *new*
WR/PR - 16 - Jerry "Jelly Belly" Beyer - 24 - *new*
WR - 87 - Bryce Ewald - 26 - 2004-2006 (42 gp, 39 gs)
WR/KR - 83 - Devin Henson - 25 - 2005-2006 (32 gp, 4 gs)
WR/PR - 02 - Matt Offord - 24 - 2006 (16 gp)
C/LS - 53 - Christian Reichel - 26 - *new*
C - 54 - Brant Heinrich - 25 - 2005-2006 (25 gp, 25 gs)
G - 79 - Butch White - 25 - 2005-2006 (30 gp, 30 gs)
G - 64 - Alphonse Gale - 31 - *new*
G - 65 - Timothy Lacy - 24 - 2006 (16 gp, 16 gs)
G - 75 - Brian Hammond - 29 - *new*
LT - 63 - Ivan Jacques - 27 - *new*
LT - 68 - Harold Hurtado - 33 - 2004-2006 (44 gp, 43 gs)
OT - 71 - Cornelius Rice - 25 - *new*
OT - 60 - Norman Holliday - 22 - *new*
P - 12 - Roscoe Corrales - 32 - 2004-2006 (48 gp)
K - 18 - Cary Coles - 25 - 2004-2006 (47 gp)
K - 08 - Al Bettis - 24 - 2006 (16 gp)
K - 11 - Alvin Ladner - 23 - *new*
DE - 93 - Albert Bernardo - 29 - 2005-2006 (29 gp, 24 gs)
DE - 99 - Wally "World" Wilcox - 36 - *new*
DE - 92 - Britt Bycroft - 26 - 2006 (13 gp, 5 gs)
DE - 94 - Aaron Sherrill - 23 - *new*
DE - 74 - Omar Gougeon - 24 - 2006 (13 gp, 1 gs)
DT - 78 - Charles Gomez - 28 - 2004-2006 (48 gp, 47 gs)
DT - 98 - Andrew Rasmussen - 23 - *new*
DT - 90 - Shaun "My" Shiroma - 23 - *new*
DT - 59 - Andy Weliczka - 24 - 2006 (16 gp, 11 gs)
LB - 52 - Carl Meier - 28 - 2006 (16 gp, 0 gs)
LB - 50 - Cody Cluff - 26 - 2004-2006 (48 gp, 44 gs)
LB - 57 - Ellsworth Thelen - 28 - 2005-2006 (32 gp, 32 gs)
LB - 91 - Mitch Hoofkin - 24 - *new*
LB - 97 - Josh Weisberg - 34 - 2006 (16 gp, 0 gs)
LB - 95 - Mike Kershner - 25 - 2004-2006 (46 gp, 34 gs)
CB - 37 - Carlos Mitchem - 27 - *new*
CB - 47 - Tai Wayne - 24 - 2005-2006 (17 gp, 17 gs)
CB/KR - 42 - Desmond Craig - 25 - 2005-2006 (31 gp, 9 gs)
CB - 33 - Winford Endicott - 30 - *new*
CB - 22 - Johnnie Stidham - 25 - 2006 (16 gp, 15 gs)
CB - 32 - Myron Stevens - 23 - 2006 (16 gp, 3 gs)
CB - 26 - Gene Sampson - 23 - *new*
SS - 43 - Emile William - 28 - 2006 (16 gp, 4 gs)
SS - 46 - Lincoln Gilmore - 26 - 2004-2006 (43 gp, 34 gs)
SS - 41 - Lamar Singleton - 23 - 2006 (10 gp, 1 gs)
FS - 23 - John Cole - 26 - 2005-2006 (17 gp, 14 gs)
On Injured Reserve
FS - 20 - Richard Muller - 29 - 2005-2006 (16 gp, 16 gs)

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Eyeing 1,000-Yard Rusher
The Maassluis Merchantmen are never done trading and other teams have figured that out. The recent rumors in Maassluis are that they are going to bring in a 1,000-yard rusher, who's on the block elsewhere. We have no names, but seeing the list of 1,000-yard rushers and those who are backups or on cap strapped teams, the list is pretty short.

But why on earth would they want a new running back? The Merchantmen have Randy Harris and Jamel Rosenberry in the backfield, while Jonathan Smith is pormising and the team has two young guys waiting in the fridge with Tyrell Mahoney and Kyle Montoya. On the other hand, they did ship out Cedric Rubio, but the lost a lot in that trade, going from a fourth round pick to having just a sixth round pick. And then we haven't even mentioned the new backup fullback, Henry Poston.

Sure, the other European teams are piling up on good runners. The Paris Musketeers have Joe Boulware (1,509 yd in 2004, 1,398 yd in 2006), the Bordeaux Vineyards have Gerald Harris (3,945 yd in 3 years, all 1,000 yarders) and Rashad Burse (1,270 yd in 2005), while the Gothenburg Giants recently acquired Nicolas Dutra (1,946 yd in 3 season with 2 as a backup) and Cecil Maxwell (1,205 yd in 2006). Maassluis can't stay behind after trading Rubio (843 yd in 2004) away.

Well, we narroiwed down the list of candidates and it has to be a guy with a big payroll, but not too big to be acquirable for Maassluis. Joseph 'Joe the Shoe' Schoen from the Georgia Gridlock has been rumored to be looking for a new team. Bud Pitts is backing up Michael Fau with the San Antonio Volunteers and could be a cap casualty. Rodger Mowery is ice ages old and might be done for the RayCo Raiders. And then there's Edward Stelly from the San Luis Obispo Burn, who could be running less than before having a running quarterback like Everett 'Aces' Glenn around.

Bottom line, the Merchantmen are trade-a-holics and take almost every ofer that comes in. Don't be surprized if all of a sudden they have dealt away wide receiver Bryce Ewald for a first round pick in 2010, have dealt cornerback Tai Wayne for a first rounder in 2008 and have shipped Jim Reiser for a third round pick and a soon to be released linebacker. And yet they try to sell their best backup, linebacker Carl Meier for cheap. These things only happen with the Merchantmen...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Acquire 1,000-yarder Mowery, WR Benedict
The Maassluis Merchantmen are thrilled to announce the acquisition of running back Rodger Mowery and wide receiver Jules Benedict. Both players are coming in from the RayCo Raiders. Going the other way are running back Jonathan Smith and Gene Sampson, who have a better spot on the Depth Chart back in the States. Additionally, the Merchantmen got a future fourth round pick for four picks in the sixth and seventh rounds.

Rodger Mowery played three season with the RayCo Raiders, but with the retirement of quarterback Brian Hartsock it became apparent the Raiders needed to hand the reigns to second year journeyman Neal Aguillard. They drafted Adrian McCaughey to challenge him. With Mowery not getting younger either, the Raiders could use a new starter and the Merchantmen approached by offering Jonathan Smith or the to Conyers traded Cedric Rubio. Mowery posted two 1,000-yard seasons with the Raiders in 2004 and 2006, while scoring 21 total touchdowns in 41 games, including one on a punt return. Mowery is expected to do punt return duties and mentor the younger backs on team.

Jules Benedict was the victim of being in a strong receivers unit. The Merchantmen clearly could use another receiver with the oft injured Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald, while rookie Jerry Beyer doesn't look ready for the pro level football. It also means that the return specialists Devin Henson and Matt Offord will be even more restricted to special teams duties. Benedict posted 84 receptions for 1,163 yards and 9 scores in three season with the Raiders. With his skills, Benedict might even challenge the long term starters for a bigger role.

Gene Sampson saw only little action with the Merchantmen, being a rookie selected in the top of the fifth round. Samson didn't show the experience nor potential to fit in with the zone defense the Merchantmen are addopting and would have been a 53-men roster cut day casualty otherwise. The Raiders have only 9 defensive backs signed and Sampson wil have a decent shot at making the active roster.

Jonathan Smith had been the number two running back in Maassluis the past three seasons. Smith was a good backup to Randy Harris and ran for 511 yards in 44 games. In a record 14-40 loss at the eventual 2006 champions, the North Planfield Plague, Smith scored his first and so far only touchdown in the IHOF.

With the last-minute nature of the trade, Mowery and Benedict won't be able to compete in the first pre-season game for the Merchantmen against the Frederick Red Menace. The same is true for Smith and Sampson as both have pakced their bags and fly back to the States as soon as possible.

Just to ease the minds of the Merchantmen fans, there will be no more trades of players, except if any of the seven listed potential post pre-season roster cuts can be trades. Listed at this moment are quarterback Mel Atkins, running back Kyle Montoya, wide receivers David Henkel and Emmanuel Jennings, guard Alphonse Gale, defensive end Britt Bycroft and kicker Alvin Ladner. Of course, if injuries require it, some of these might stay around longer than planned, as could happen with them getting injured themselves.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Okay, that was the last trade, honestly.
...
Nah...

Man, that was some spooky stuff.
The RayCo Raiders were looking for a RB and while we were in negotiations to trade Smith for WR Benedict with the Raiders, the Conyers Condors came in with an offer for RB Cedric Rubio. Clearly, knowing Rubio could be a post pre-season cut, I dealt him first, but then we needed a new #2 RB and I offered to provided CB Gene Sampson. I dropped the RB names I liked in RayCo and they came back by offering Mowery. Well, to be honest you don't turn down to get a 1000-yard back to backup another 100-yard back, do you?

Benedict is a bit like Ewald and Beyer, but more experienced than Beyer and with his very good route running and big-play ability, with good hands, he should be a nice receiver.

Mowery has a bit of the traits as Randy Harris, but sadly is a bit of a fumbler and is not good in runs over the middle. Mowery can help with punt returning and be the backup (starter over?) Matt Offord until Beyer is more developed.

Why did I trade Sampson? Well, it's a two headed monster, really. No, not referring to Sampson. First, I thought that going with both M2M and Zone defense could work, having the excellent M2M marker Danny Person on team, as well as Tai Wayne, Johnnie Stidham and Carlos Mitchem who can do it both. Sampson can too, but is still very 'green'. But when I got a good deal worked out with Anaheim for Person, I took it and decided to go zone defense heavy afterall. Byebye Sampson and welcome back Desmond Craig and Myron Stevens as zone defense & interception specialists.

Smith has been good, but I've always tried to get a better backup over him. Mowery is a short term solution, but at least he can help the new backup Tyrell Mahoney or Kyle Montoya to develop as a mentor. And maybe Harris can learn a thing or two too?

Bottom line, looking at who we dumped and who we acquired this off-season, you can't honestly think we are not better than last season. Wilson Grimaldo is the only player with a significant role who left, with secod place for CB Gus Stoffers. Next are John Bryant and Jonathan Smith, while David Henkel will leave soon too. In return we saw Fumblin Justin and Tai Wayne return from injury, upgraded the backup jobs at fullback, tight end, guard, got three young tackles, got a bunch of young defensive linemen with great potential, added two backup receivers and we added good veterans with RB Mowery, DE Wilcox and CB Endicott should be as good, if not better than Stoffers. And I'm not even mentioning the break-out we saw happen to LB Carl Meier, from a good to a very good player, to be a tremendous backup player to our team.

Whether it's all enough to have a good season, we'll find out after the pre-season. In the first game a lot of young potential starters will see action, but after that it'll be backups, inactive roster players and soon-to-be-IRed-or-released guys. And you never know when a tough injury like Richard Muller's, Justin McDavid's or Tai Wayne's will haunt your team. Therefor, I'm happy to have decent backups all over the place now. 2007 should be the next step in the IHOF after 7-9 and 8-8 seasons. Afterall, we went from 31st best to 29th best roster already this off-season!

[wade moore]

wow... i'm shocked at how much last-minute trading you were able to get done...

These aren't your 2004 Merchantmen, that's for sure. I'm very interested to see how Flannery performs and if the running game can take enough weight off of his shoulders.

[MIJB#19]

wow... i'm shocked at how much last-minute trading you were able to get done...

These aren't your 2004 Merchantmen, that's for sure. I'm very interested to see how Flannery performs and if the running game can take enough weight off of his shoulders.Left from the 2004 roster are only few players and with reason as about 30 of the 53 guys were simple roster fillers and about 15 guys at a position where I had plenty of talent or couldn't use too many expensive players.

Still going strong since the start are:
QB 'Fumblin' Justin McDavid
RB Randy Harris
TE Jim Reiser
WR Gregory Monti
WR Bryce Ewald
LT Harold Hurtado (although he was a trade acquisition during pre-season)
P Roscoe Corrales
K Cary Coles
DT Charles Gomez
MLB Cody Cluff
WLB Mike Kershner
SS Lincoln Gilmore

As you can see, besided injury-challenged McDavid, maybe Hurtado and maybe one of the WRs, all are clear cut starters.

Just look at some of the players that have left: Smith (going from #2 to #1 RB), Rubio (from #3 to #2 RB), Dick (from #5 to #1 DE), Kearney (from #2 to #1 C), Bryant (from #5 to #2 DT), Person (from #7 to #3 CB) and Sampson (#8 to #4 CB) all have a bigger role where they are now. Even 'Terror' Norris got picked up recently in training camp.

Sure, in potentials we only got 1 player listed as excellent, 9 others as very good, but we also have 34 good (1 on IR) and 17 fair players. Of the fair players, I rank almost none as not being worth the tag of 'good':
RB Mahoney - good breakaway speed, good hole recognition, good receiver
DE Gougeon - very good rush technique, good diagnosis, fair run defense
QB Atkins - is a problem with 3rd down and 2-minute, but is an elite holder
G Hammond - mentor and prototype Merchantmen G with very good run blocking
WLB Weisberg - mentor and prtotype Merchantmen WLB with almost very good run defense
CB Winford Endicott - excellent zone defender
RB Montoya - at least fair in anything, excellent elusiveness
RB Mowery - mentor, very good outside speed, very good punt returner, good hole recognition
CB Craig - very good interceptions guy, good potential in run defense and zone defense
WR Henson - very good kickoff returner, good in getting downfield
WR Henkel - excellent big-play guy
SS Singleton - very good zone defense potential, good interceptions guy
QB McDavid - fan favorite, mentally a good quarterback
TE Martins - good receiver at best, but an excellent long snapper
WR Offord - very good punt return potential
WR Jennings - good return specialist
CB Stevens - very good zone defender and very good interceptions potential

[wade moore]

I can definately see why the turnover, but I would still think yours is higher than most of the league?

[wade moore]

Also..

why must you tease me with the QB controversy on the IHOF boards? I might have to pull out my Fan signs here real soon...

[MIJB#19]

I can definately see why the turnover, but I would still think yours is higher than most of the league?True, the turnover margin in players is big, one of the biggest in the league.
Still, most of my trades have been to get or drop overpaid backups, I rank cohesion high and thus don't mess too much with starters. Of 30 Off/Def potential starters, 9 are 2004 originals, 6 joined in 2005, 9 in 2006 and 7 in 2007. I think the Merchantmen are top 5 in backfied cohesion and still have mid-to-high cohesion in the offensive line and defensive front. Only the secondary is relatively low.

Research from Astoria's Hell Atlantic to put me in my place with the highest turnorver rated proved that my team ranks second on that list behind... Astoria.

Still, with the state of the offensive line and secondary I got out of the reference draft, there was no way around a big turnover to get a team that pleases me. QB McDavid was not starting material, 9 out of 10 OL players were nothing better than roster fillers. By the start of 2006, 9 of 10 were released, I got nothing in return. I had a few promising safeties, but all the cornerbacks sucked big time too and have been released as well. Except for Cluff and Kershner, all original linebackers are retired. All I had were expensive defensive ends (I dealt them all), wide receivers (dealt 3 of 5) and fullbacks (dealt both after making sure to get Rosenberry in 2006).

[MIJB#19]

Also..

why must you tease me with the QB controversy on the IHOF boards? I might have to pull out my Fan signs here real soon...Hey, McDavid is popular and we need the fans to return after losing 10,000 last season. Flannery is the clear #1, but with Fumblin' Justin, you never know what happens.

[wade moore]

Well, Despite Astoria's mascot, you're still my FOF GM Hero ;)

[MIJB#19]

Well, Despite Astoria's mascot, you're still my FOF GM Hero ;)LOL

Thanks.

For what it's worth, besides 5 players, all Merchantmen players are signed throughout the 2008 season, so I might be able to return all 2007 players in that season. Well, that is if we can resign both DE Wilcox and CB Endicott, who are on 1-year deals. I expect to see Wilcox retire, meaning we could franchise and sign Endicott to some obscure contract. (Plus, we mortgaged the 2008 draft, having only 4 5th rounders, so drafting won't be our thing that season. :D)

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Please Fans, Win First Pre-Season Game
The Maassluis Merchantmen have improved condidence for the 2007 season in their first pre-season game. In a 17-7 victory over the Frederick Red Menace, the passing game and pass defense looked good. The run oriented halves of the offense and defense need some focussing. Louie Flannery and Jerry Beyer clicked in their first game together. Carl Meier hauled in MVP honors with his play after his amazing off-season.

The action is back and the Merchantmen have done it. For the first time ever they managed to win the first pre-season game. Sure, they won five of six previous exhibition games at home the past three seasons, but they never won the first test before. Granted, the Frederick Red Menace didn't play with many starters, but the Merchantmen spared most of them as well.

The passing game looked good, although Louie Flannery saw two of his passes getting intercepted in the second half. But besides these mistakes, Flannery completed 16 of 24 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Combined with the returned Justin McDavid, the two accounted for 217 passing yards, were sacked twice and connected wit no less than eleven different receivers. After McDavid's quarterbacking, the Merchantmen went into halftime trailing 3-7. Flannery set things right and guided his offense to two touchdown drives and the 17-7 victory.

The pass defense had a big part in the victory two, as the defense recorded 3 interceptions in the second half of the game. Linebacker Mike Kershner accounted for two of those and made a strong case for moving to the strong-side in 2007. The defensive front made a fist with their pass rush, wasting nine of 28 passing plays. Helped by the pressure, Frederick's Jim McNown completed only 8 of 24 passes for a only 45 passing yards netto, being an average of just 1.6 yards per passing play.

In contrast, the Merchantmen defense allowed the Menace enough freedom to rack up 148 yards and a 5.4 yards per carry average on the ground. Usually one long gain can accout for such numbers, but even after substracting Daryl Layman's 37-yard run, the defense still allowed over 100 yards and more than four yards per carry. But as the sole scoring drive was the only one where the visitors had an opportunity to score, the Merchantmen defense kept all under control.

The Merchantmen ground game was not to good either. With 93 yards on 31 carries, it clearly was all just change of pace in the passing efforts. Kyle Montoya showed glimpses of being reading to finally move to #2 or #3 on the depth chart, racking up 57 yards and scoring on an 18-yard run. But then, with a 3.1 yards per carry average, he's still not in second or third, as rookie Tyrell Mahoney will get his shot and 1,000-yard back Rodger Mowery will join the team for the next game.

On the offensive side of the ball, the highlight of the game was probably the play where Louie Flannery connected with top rookie Jerry Beyer on a touchdown pass from one yard out on second and one. Beyer accounted for 5 receptions, of which four were Flannery's passes. Beyer racked up just 20 yards on those plays, but it's to easy to ignore that the score was a 1-yard pass and another one was for a first down. In the end, the staff should be happy to see that Flannery can find his new target. It will be interesting to see whether Beyer showed enough to be at least the #3 guy with the recent addition of proven veteran Jules Benedict.

With all the talk on how good things looked, the one player that really stood out was Carl Meier. The Merchantmen management and staff had been reporting how much Meier improved in the off-season, but nobody really beleived it until seeing Meier's effort in this pre-season game. After recording 6 tackles, 1 assist and 1 sack, Meier was the popular choice for game MVP, despite the two interceptions from his fellow linebacker Mike Kershner. Cody Cluff and Ellsworth Thelen should start wondering whether they still will both be starting in 2007, desite their 100-tackles seasons.

In the upcoming three pre-season games, the Merchantmen will likely sit out the best players, like Louie Flannery, Randy Harris and Charles Gomez. In fact, Gomez wasn't dressed for this pre-season game and Randy Harris was limited to only 2 carries for 7 yards and a 7-yard reception. The team wants to give the younger players time to mature. Especially the defensive linemen and offensive rookies Jerry Beyer, Tyrell Mahoney and Henry Poston can use the extra playing time. And to please the fans, Justin McDavid will be given the opportunity to win back his role on the team, to show he can still be a reliable passer when Flannery is down. It should be an interesting pre-season the rest of the way...

[wade moore]

Rumor has it there were some familiar faces in the stands wearing Fumblin' Justin T-Shirts underneath Louie Flannery Jerseys....

We'll have to keep a close eye out in the rest of the pre-season games...

[MIJB#19]

Rumor has it there were some familiar faces in the stands wearing Fumblin' Justin T-Shirts underneath Louie Flannery Jerseys....

We'll have to keep a close eye out in the rest of the pre-season games...I'll post the second pre-season game review pretty soon, that game was a Fumblin' Justin classic: 100+ passer rating and, of course, a lost fumble.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Lose Second Pre-Season Game
The Maassluis Merchantmen have lost their second pre-season game in their warm-up sessions to the 2007 season. The Asheville Axemen were victorious in their own dome with 17-7. The passing game looked great and the running game good. The run defense was aweful again and will need more patching the upcoming weeks.

The score has to be taken with a grain of salt as both teams rested most of their stars, but the signals of this second game didn't look good. The Merchantmen were pinned down to their own turf for most of the game and the only points came on te last drive of the game, resulting in a pass from Mel Atkins to Charlie Martins with 29 seconds left. The holder connected with the long snapper to make the final score 7-17.

Good signs came from the passing game. Even though the offensive line allowed 7 sacks all game, the quarterbacks combined for 245 yards. Especially Justin McDavid looked amazing while completing 8 of 10 passes for 86 yards and Mel Atkins added 159 yards and a score. On the receivers end, rookie Jerry Beyer excellend with 108 yards on 5 receptions to deserve a starting role this season. Recent signing Jules Benedict had 2 catches for 42 yards.

With the game being a catch up for most of the 60 minutes, the ground game never looked very good. With 102 yards on 25 carries, the 4.0 average was good, but with the top runner Tyrell Mahoney only racking up 47 yards on 12 touches, there were not many happy faces.

The run defense in contrast looked aweful all day. Boosted by a big 42-yard burst and a 30-yard touchdown run, the Axemen collected 214 yards on 37 carries, giving the Merchantmen more to worry about, especially as 6 of 7 defensive front starters were starting in this game.

The pass defense made up with a decent showing, although the 126 yards were pretty normal for the run-oriented Axemen offense. It should be noted that when the defense can force only 9 third down plays, with 5 yards to go on average, they never managed to stop the chains from moving.

Again the sixth round draft picks Aaron Sherrill and Andrew Rasmussen paid the managements confidence back. After a joint sack last week, they accounted for one each against the Axemen. But for the real play of the game, one has to look at punter Roscoe Corrales, who punted the ball out of bounds at the opponents 1-yard line.

Last but not least, Justin McDavid's old habbit showed up again and he was sacked early in the game at the 0-0 score. McDavid fumbled the ball and possession was lost. The Axemen scored on the following drive and never looked back. Add a missed 41-yard field goal from Al Bettis just before the half and the loss is easily explained.

In the upcoming two games, the young players will again get time to get experienced, however there are signals that the management might force in the regular starters in the last pre-season game at home. The game at the Chesapeake Chitterlings will be a backup show. But against the Miami Sharks, Charles Gomez, Jim Reiser and Tai Wayne might see action this pre-season afterall...

[MIJB#19]

The Y-Factor Determining Merchantmen's Season
The Maassluis Merchantmen are one of few IHOF teams that improved each of the past seasons in wins. So far, the credits went to decent draft day decissions and a massive amount of trades. But after further research, it shows the team is aiming for some different factor in 2007. That factor is the Y-Factor.

The Y-Factor, what in the world is that? Well, research shows that the Merchantmen are suckers for players with an "y" in their name. Just think of it, with their general manager being proud about the "Dutch IJ" in his middle name, maybe it's just another of his strange habbits? But how big is this quirck?

It all starts with Louie Flannery. The quarterback's last name has the "y" and after that it only gets more and more in the name. Long-time running back Randy Harris has the "y" in his first name and his sidekick Jamel Rosenberry, like Flannery, sees his last name end with the "y". And so the whole offense is loaded, watch and observe.

The offense will be loaded with it: Louie Flannery, Randy Harris, Kyle Montoya, Tyrell Mahoney, Roger Mowery, Henry Poston, Jamel Rosenberry, Gregory Monti, Bryce Ewald, Jerry Beyer, Timothy Lacy and Norman Holliday. Seeing all the running backs listed, stop wondering why Jonathan Smith and Cedric Rubio had to leave, it was all in their names.

On defense, the team relies on: Wally Wilcox, Andy Weliczka, Cody Cluff, Tai Wayne and Myron Stevens. No wonder the defense was the worst one the IHOF ever saw in 2006. The Y-Factor was missing. Good thing placekicker Cary Coles has it, otherwise the field goal unit would be entering the field for nothing time after time.

Well, the key to success is exposed, but the team could still try and do better. Gothenburg Giants stud center Rocky Schramm, Paris guard Tony Kuehn, Brooklyn tackle Albert Creasy, Orlando defensive end Marty Stoffel and Columbus linebacker Cory Whaley should be the obvious 2008 additions to complete the team.

But then, to really get things worked out, the management has a lot of work to do. Of the coaching and scouting staff, only headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude has it. There's still a lot of work to be done to further exploit the Y-Factor to the fullest. Only one burning question remains, how to get the team name fixed...

[MIJB#19]

Jerry Beyer And Norman Holliday: The Hawaiian And The Tall Guy
The 2007 IHOF draft has been over for some time now, but the effects of that selection procedure are only now coming in place. As the Maassluis Merchantmen eventually used ten selections, the team has tried to be impacted big time with eight picks in the fifth and later rounds. The two names that jump out the most so far are a wide receiver and an offensive tackle.

How the Merchantmen acquired wide receiver Jerry Beyer has been covered enough, but we still don't know who that 'Jelly Belly' is. Jerry was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii and still resides there in the summer break. To get some education, Beyer attended Mississippi, but he'll never forget his roots. But with Maassluis being 8500 miles away, how does one do that?

Lucky for Beyer, he was picked up by the best player agent in the IHOF. Cory Schiavi represents 223 players in the league and a record nine are playing for the Merchantmen. His fellow receiver, the two years older Bryce Ewald, is also represented by Schiavi and has taken Beyer under his wings for now. And after Jules Benedict's arrival recently, the Schiavi agency represents three of the top four Merchantmen receivers.

The relative small agency of Wes Sonnanstine represents only two players in Maassluis. Ellsworth Thelen has been a starter for two years, but rookie Norman Holliday arrived only recently as one of five draft picks in the fifth round. Holliday is the Benjamin of the team, yet with his 6 feet 9, he quickly became the Merchantmen's tallest player.

The step from Holliday to Hawaii and from Hawaii to Beyer is easy to be made, but what makes their situations in Maassluis so similair? Well, it all relies on their roles on the depth chart. Both Beyer and Holliday will be battling starters from the first Merchantmen game and it won't be easy to accomplish.

In their search for a deep-threat number three wide receiver, the Maassluis Merchantmen tried to acquire free agent Frederick Cabe. The backup plan was easy as the Merchantmen had their eye on a rookie receiver and in the end, the got they guy they wanted all along: Jerry Beyer. And with Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald being called injury prone more often than not, Beyer will have a chance to beat out Monti.

Norman Holliday has an even tougher task as his competition is a former All-IHOF second selection. After the arrival of left tackle Ivan Jacques, it became apparent that long time Merchantmen player Harold Hurtado would move to the right. But with Holliday turning out to be a diamond in the rough, Hurtado and the also acquired Cornelius Rice have to watch over their shoulders.

The Merchantmen selected ten rookies, but only these two are stuck in this tough situation. Aaron Sherrill, Andrew Rasmussen and Shaun Shrioma joined the rotation pass rush, Tyrell Mahoney and Henry Poston backup big names and Alvin Ladner is bound to join Gene Sampson and Terrence Norris as being out of Maassluis after pre-season. Beyer and Holliday can land anywhere from starter to the inactive roster.

For Beyer and Holliday, their pre-season action will detirmine where they end up. At the mid-season point, Beyer ranks eight in the IHOF with 151 receiving yards and is one foot in after the touchdown-connection with Louie Flannery. Holliday so far made 3 key run blocks on 5 attempts, but after allowing 2 sacks, he's further away than hoped. The early sings say "Beyer, yes" and "Holliday, no", but you never know for sure with this team.

[MIJB#19]

The Return In Chesapeake And The Story Of Leonard Lyon
Today, the Maassluis Merchantmen play against the Chesapeake Chitterlings in their third pre-season game of the 2007 season. In Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, about 70,000 fans will be remembered of one of the toughest defeats the Chitterlings ever witnesses at home. The 2006 North American Conference Champions will get an opportunity to avenge that sour loss in 2005. That day, the Merchantmen posted an amazing 17-7 victory, while keeping the Chitterlings scoreless until after the two-minute warning. To date, it's the only home game where the Chitterlings were held below 10 points at home.

That day, Leonard Lyon had a career game. while completing 22 of 40 pass attempts, Lyon tossed for 237 yards and a touchdown, while giving up 1 interception. Amazingly enough, the score was so low as the Merchantmen had no less than 6 red zone visits and allowed only 1, which eventually lead to that sole score for Chespeake. Lyon was honored with MVP honors that day, but the real reason why the Merchantmen won was te first half defensive play. On 5 possession, in 23 plays, the Chitterlings combined for only 4 yards, with the first quarter accounting for a horrible -25 yards in 11 plays. To date, this game ranks as one of the highlights in Merchantmen history.

Sadly for the Chitterlings, of the 13 key players of that 2005 Merchantmen defense, almost nobody will return to Annapolis to repeat the historic victory. Harold Wells plays for Bordeaux, John Bryant for Georgia, Dennis Preciado for Anaheim and Carl O'Hara has retired. And of those still playing for Maassluis, Richard Muller is on injured reserve, while of the remaining eight players, only Desmond Craig and Cody Cluff are going to play. Or maybe lucky, it might easy Ron Lyle and friends in their shot on avengance.

Ron Lyle is expected to quarterback the Chitterlings today, but has yet to see any significant action as the #1 quarterback. Lyle has been sitting behind Jaime Canter on the depth chart, but silently did develop into being the best quarterback of his draft class. Pick them all out and you see why. For illustration, of the three first rounders, 'Super' Mario Hudson was traded this off-season by the Paris Musketeers to the Outer Banks Ospreys, while the afore mentioned Leonard Lyon has a year as the Springfield Isotopes starter on his resume.

Going back to the 2005 draft, the selection of Leonard Lyon made common sense for the Maassluis Merchantmen. The team had gone 1-14 in the previous season with Justin McDavid quarterbacking. McDavid recorded 22 interceptions and a still standing IHOF single season record 13 fumbles. His nickname 'Fumblin Justin' was born and Leonard Lyon was his successor. After a heated pre-season battle, Lyon was the winner, but a groin injury pull McDavid back in and as McDavid posted wins, he got the confidence. Lyon returned for a few games, but needed a season ending injury for McDavid to get back into the lineup.

When Lyon returned as a starter in Maassluis, he posted a 6:5 touchdown-interception ratio, of which were 3 picks in one game. After a nice win over the Brooklyn Fightin' Bums and a close lose to the Rochester Lake Monsters, Lyon posted his season high 237 yards and the win over Chesapeake seemed to have sealed his future in Maassluis. But none of it was true, despite a career threatening injury that would sideline 'Fumblin Justin' all year. In the early rise of the 2006 season, Lyon was traded out of nowhere to the Springfield Isotopes and the IHOF watched in awe.

Right now the 2007 season is two weeks away from starting and Leonard Lyon looks settled as the Isotopes playcaller. Ron Lyle will likely backup Jaime Canter with Chesapeake and the Maassluis Merchantmen have a second year quarterback named Louie Flannery, who they picked at #5 overall in the 2006 draft. The stories of the trade have been long revealed as Lyon was called a consolation prize and trade bait from the moment he was picked.

While Lyon looks secure as the Springfield starter, despite the selection of Louie Boles at #60 overall, Flannery finds himself in the same hot seat as Lyon sat in. 'Fumblin Justin' returned and posted amazing pre-season stats so far. Flannery has serious interception woes and the Merchantmen see McDavid as the safer pick, desite his fumbling habit. If the fan favorite McDavid manages to beat the Chitterlings today, like Lyon in 2005, Flannery might get to see how Lyon felt back at the start of that 2005 season and in 2008 could be in a similair situation as Lyon sits in now, starting in the IHOF, but far away from Maassluis. This game could repeat history.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Lose Pre-Season Game, McDavid Keeps Impressing
The Maassluis Merchantmen return home for the last pre-season game after a loss in the United States. The Chesapeake Chitterlings were victorious 34-24 in a one-sided game. Shane Bower got wild for the Merchantmen in a comeback from a large deficit to a 10-point loss. Justin McDavid looked awesome again at quarterback, while rookie defensive end Aaron Sherrill and wide receiver Devin Henson were the other bright lights.

Even more than in previous pre-season games, the Maassluis Merchantmen tried a couple of things out. Justin McDavid started once again and completed 7 of 9 passes for 89 yards and scored on a 5-yard run. Although he didn't fumble himself, with his return, the fumbling returned to the team and the Merchantmen players recorded 4 fumbles and a single interception. Shane Bower accounted for the interception in the catch-up play.

The Chitterlings took a 34-10 lead after a 24-10 half time score and never looked back. Quarterbacked by an almost perfect Ron Lyle, going 17 on 22 for 238 yards and a score, the home team was on fire and the Merchantmen pass defense came back on earth after two more decent pass defense showings earlier this pre-season. Mister interception, Johnnie Stidham called it: "Some sort of off day. We have to rethink the system a bit, I guess. But today shouldn't really tell what we can do in the regular season."

As stated earlier, Shane Bower was the center of the catch-up passing show. Although the Merchantmen failed, Bower recorded two touchdown passes, with Jerry Beyer and Devin Henson accounting for the points. Beyer also accounted for the reception on a two-point conversion. Henson was some sort of best player as the kickoff return specialist returned 2 kickoffs for a total of 40 yards, but his best stats were the 16 receptions for 97 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, rookie defensive end Aaron Sherrill recorded another sack. With 2.5 sacks in three games, he looks like a lock for a starting role in the regular season. With receiver Beyer, Sherrill has been the rookie surprise so far this pre-season. Defensive tackle Andrew Rasmussen (1.5 sacks) and the running backs Tyrell Mahoney and Henry Poston also showed glimpses of professional football.

The Merchantmen management didn't want to reveal the strategy for the last pre-season game. Last season, Richard Muller suffered a serious concussion in the last pre-season game. That concussion was so serious that doctors diagnosed repetitive concussion syndrome. The injury sidelined Muller for the entire 2006 season and forced the Merchantmen management to put him on injured reserve for the 2007 season as well. That single incident has called for precautions about playing time for expected starters in the game against the Miami Sharks.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Hey everybody!

Well, the pre-season has been interesting so far. A couple of young players made some progress, most notably tight end Arnold Ramirez, center Brant Heinrich, tackle Norman Holliday, kicker Al Bettis and defensive end Omar Gougeon. Tackle Cornelius Rice and linebacker Cody Cluff made big improvements.

We've got one final pre-season game to go, at hime against the Miami Sharks. The game will be crucial to the 53-men roster cut day, which is planned the day after that. Seven player will have to be released, traded or put on injured reserve. Right now, we've identified the thirteen players who will be concidered to be released if nothing serious happens.

QB Mel Atkins
Atkins is the third best passer and the best holder, so why would he have to go? Well, we can't afford to let Justin McDavid walk, while Shane Bower looks like a better #2 option and Louie Flannery is a better holder if we ever have to fake a field goal. Well, releasing him would hurt, but it's how the game is played.

RB Kyle Montoya
He's had a decent pre-season, but if nothing serious happens, Randy Harris will be starting over Rodger Mowery and Tyrell Mahoney. Fullbacks Jamel Rosenberry and Henry Poston look reliable enough to step in when injury occurs.

TE Charlie Martins
Charlie the long snapper? Yep, we acquired a backup center in Christian Reichel who can long snap just as well as Martins. And as with the running backs, the fullbacks Jamel Rosenberry and Henry Poston are good enough to be backup tight ends.

WR David Henkel
The big-play expert, was a good receiver in 2005 for the Vicksburg Vipers but never panned-out in Maassluis. With the arrival of Jerry Beyer and Jules Benedict there is no reason to give Henkel a second chance.

WR Emmanuel Jennings
Wow, another former Vicksburg Vipers player. Jennings was once concidered a top return specialist talent in the IHOF. Jennings still has good potential, but training camp showed that Jennings isn't as hot as he was a year ago. With the arrival of Jerry Beyer and Rodger Mowery, and the expected stay of Desmond Craig, Jennings won't even be the #2 at any of the two returning roles.

WR Matt Offord
So, one day you score one of only six punt return touchdowns of the entire IHOF season and the next season you're close to being released? Indeed, Offord has cometition in Rodger Mowery and Jerry Beyer. But then, after recently siging a new two-year deal, Offord will more than likely stay around as the punt return specialist and as the #6 receiver.

G Alphonse Gale
A guy who started 35 games in his career, including 3 for the 2006 NAC Champions Chesapeake Chitterlings. Gale would be a good guy to keep around, but we've got nine other linemen who all have their roles. Gale simply is #10 and if we release a linemen, Gale will be the casualty.

K Alvin Ladner
Fifth round pick, but he couldn't threaten Cary Coles or Al Bettis enough to make him worth keeping around. We have one team interested in him with a trade, as they offered their 2008 seventh round pick. If nothing serious happens to either Coles or Bettis, Ladner will have a new home before the start of the regular season.

DE Britt Bycroft
Once aquired in a trade, now soon to be released. The departure of Scot Dick and Ian Degrange looked like his rescue, but the acquisition of four new defensive linemen wit better pass rushing technique make him expendable.

SLB Mitch Hoofkin
Sadly for Mitch, he's on the bubble after only being here for pre-season. He looks like a good backup and even a potential starter someday, but we have to get down to 53 men. We're short on linebackers and that might help him survive afterall.

CB Desmond Craig
Despite four interceptions in 2006, Craig saw two new cornerbacks join the team, saw Tai Wayne return from injury and knows that Myron Stevens is close to surpassing him on the depth chart. Craig's kickoff returning ability could save him.

CB Myron Stevens
Yep, despite his heroic interception in 2006, he's close to departure. Stevens is likely our dime back, but Craig can play there too. We've got six conrerbacks signed and need only five under contract.

SS Lamar Singleton
If none of the cornerbacks have to go, safety is the position to concider a release and Singleton is simply the least experienced. Singleton could be a good dime back, but is not experienced enough, yet. Injury to any of the safeties could help him, but his lack of run defense make it unlikely.

FS John Cole
Oh yes, the 2006 starter and starting project sincew the moment we hired him is on the block. Cole was the main reason we stepped on to a zone defense system and now he's on the block. Main reason is his conflict with position leader Winford Endicott, but we also miss either the run stopping ability or interceptions ability that a safety needs to have.

Of these players, Henkel, Jennings, Bycroft and Ladner are the no-brainers, Martins has joined the list after we acquired Reichel, but Reichel is currently hurt. We could have IR-ed Montoya with a bad cold the past weeks, but opted against it so far, to keep Randy Harris and Jamel Rosenberry inactive. It would be a waste to release Montoya, but "c'est la vie". Atkins makes the list as we know that Flannery can be as good as holder. Gale and Singleton fit the system, but would be the numbers game casualties. Hoofkin might have to go, although we want to keep six linebackers this season. Cole, Offord, Craig and Stevens are not likely to go, but are mentioned as trade options.

Tough choices coming up and we're not the type of team that puts backups so easily on injured reserve. In the end, I expect that we can trade Ladner and eventually release four or five players.

I'm so much looking forward to the regular season now. A couple of new players really shined already. Aaron Sherrill recorded 2.5 sacks in 3 games and makes that trade of two fifth rounders worth it. He'll start in the rotation. Jerry Beyer leads the team in receiving yards and together with Devin Henson he ranks in the pre-season top 20 in yards. Beyer scored two touchdowns already. Louie Flannery to Jerry Beyer looks like a very good duo to have.

So far, the new defensive system showed one big weakness: the run defense. Maybe the absence of Charles Gomez has been a big factor, but it's worrying. The thing is, we seem to be able to stop the passing game a bit, but if teams run all over us, they don't have to pass at all. It will come down to the good old score-first strategy to be able to win games.

To be honest, I've taken the avoid-injuries option this pre-season over the see-what-we-can-do option. Sidelining our stars means we have no idea how the new system will work and perhaps it should have been a good idea to play the last game with our expected starters on defense. Well, sadly Mike Kershner and Shaun Shiroma are injured and that makes the whole idea impossible. Oh well, it means more opportunity for the backups to show what they are capable of.

For those who wonder how the positional battles are working out, it's safe to say who will start in 2007 for almost every position. Here's the expected depth chart at the starting spots and important backup roles:

QB#1 Louie Flannery
QB#2 Shane Bower or Justin McDavid
RB#1 Randy Harris
RB#2 Rodger Mowery or Tyrell Mahoney
3DRB Jamel Rosenberry
RcvRB Jamel Rosenberry or Randy Harris
FB#1 Jamel Rosenberry
TE#1 Jim Reiser
TE#2 Arnold Ramirez
FL#1 Gregory Monti or Jerry Beyer
SE#1 Bryce Ewald
WR#3 Jerry Beyer or Jules Benedict
WR#4 Gregory Monti or Jerry Beyer or Jules Benedict
C#1 Brant Heinrich
LG#1 Butch White
RG#1 Timothy Lacy
LT#1 Ivan Jacques
RT#1 Harold Hurtado or Norman Holliday
LT#2 Harold Hurtado
BkG Harold Hurtado or Brian Hammond or Cornelius Rice
BkC Christian Reichel
BkRT Cornelius Rice or Norman Holliday or Harold Hurtado
PR#1 Matt Offord or Rodger Mowery
PR#2 Matt Offord or Rodger Mowery
KR#1 Devin Henson
KR#2 Desmond Craig or Emmanuel Jennings
P#1 Rsocoe Corrales
PK#1 Cary Coles
KO#1 Al Bettis
H#1 Louie Flannery or Mel Atkins
LS#1 Christian Reichel or Charlie Martins
stDE Aaron Sherrill
stDE Omar Gougeon
bkDE Albert Bernardo
bkDE Wally Wilcox
stDT Charles Gomez
rnDT Andy Weliczka or Shaun Shiroma
prDT Shaun Shiroma or Andrew Rasmussen
bkDT Andrew Rasmussen or Andy Weliczka
SLB Mike Kershner or Carl Meier
MLB Cody Cluff or Carl Meier
WLB Ellsworth Thelen or Mike Kershner or Carl Meier
LB#4 Carl Meier or Mike Kershner or Ellsworth Thelen
CB#1 Tai Wayne
CB#2 Winford Endicott or Johnnie Stidham
NickB Johnnie Stidham or Desmond Craig
DimeB Desmond Craig or Myron Stevens
SS#1 Lincoln Gilmore
FS#1 John Cole or Emile William

Okay, enough info for today, the last pre-season game tomorrow will give us another indication where we stand. I hope we'll turnout okay...

[MIJB#19]

Scouting The Competiton: European Division Rivals
The International House Of Football is heading for the start of the 2007 season. Going into the last pre-season games it is a good timing to scout the three division rivals of the Maassluis Merchantmen. The Bordeaux Vineyards, Gothenburg Giants and Paris Musketeers all made interesting moves this off-season to improve their teams for 2007 and the future. So, what happened and what do they look like in 2007?



Bordeaux Vineyards

Schedule:
Week 10 at Maassluis
Week 17 vs. Maassluis

Quarterback:
Joe Johnson will lead the Vineyards offense for the fourth year in a row. Johnson is all around good and developed, except that his timing is bad and he's better in throwing longer that short passes. With only 5 interceptions in the 2006 season, Johnson made a strong case for being the best quarterback in Europe. For the future, the Vineyards drafted Earnest Barlow in the first round of the draft. Barlow has good potential all over and will be third string behind mentor Victor Whyte.

Offensive Weapons:
Bordeaux acquired All IHOF Second Team Running Back Gerald Harris to be the new star in town. Harris posted 1,000 yard seasons in all of the previous three season, although his yards per carry figure dropped to 3.2 in 2006. Harris will also be a great second option in the passing game, behind the retained wide receiver Toby Williams. Williams has the tendency to drop accurate passes and is fumble prone, but his yardage figures are of a great receiver. And you'd almost forget they still have 11,000-yard runner Rashad Burse to backup Harris, even though Burse's prime time (2005) looks decades ago. Burse might even not make the regular season 53-men roster.

Defensive Front:
The most familiar name to Merchantmen fans is defensive end Harold Wells as he played in Maassluis during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Wells has grown into being an elite pass rusher and he's also an excellent supporter for the run defense. Playing side by side is defensive tackle Joey Hammer, who can stop the run and saw his sacks figure increase with the help of Wells. Behind the two linemen, the Vineyards have a bunch of decent linebackers. Jacinto Moore and Calvin Newton are overall very good players and with all-round Chris Ruelas and run stopper Nicholas Seymour on the sides, they should be a good team.

Secondary:
Orlando Gragg and Jared Arteaga are useful cornerbacks, but it's safety Cecil McIver who's the star of the group. McIver is an amazing football player who can do it all, except make the occasional interception. Although, that was a concern of the past seasons, in 2006 he recorded four picks with one returned for a score. Still, if there's one postion where teams should exploit the Vineyards' defense, it's the safety position.

Special Teams:
Scot Guilen is a useful punter, while Paul Fabrizio in talent looks like an awesome kicker. But over time, Fabrizio showed some serious problems with scoring, as he missed 19 of 57 field goals attempts the past two seasons. Toby Williams is a top punt returner, yet he's fumble prone. Bordeaux lacks a stud kickoff returner and, although they've been looking for one, they haven't found one yet. Maybe rookie cornerback Maurice Firsch turns out to be the solution there, if he ever get's the opportunity.



Gothenburg Giants

Schedule:
Week 11 vs. Maassluis
Week 15 at Maassluis

Quarterback:
Duane Davis was the top rated quarterback for the first half of the 2006 season. As soon as Davis' play dropped, the Giants started losing games. Davis still has the problem of not being able to read defenses but makes up with his talent in other areas. With the addition of Lionel Helfrich, the Giants expect to have a backup plan if Davis would get hurt.

Offensive Weapons:
Cecil Maxwell ran for 1,205 yards in 2006, but nevertheless the Giants acquired Nicolas Dutra from Anaheim to take over. Dutra has been backing up 2005 first rounder Kurt Basso for two years and the Giants give him a shot at starting. Maxwell is the more elusive guy, while Dutra has more power and ability to see the holes in the defense. With the hiring of tight end Saul Delgado, the Giants have a legimite star receiver to accompany wide outs Dominick Nemeth and William Walker.

Defensive Front:
Lloyd Pedersen and David Millard form a good duo defensive ends to be good pass rushing sidekicks of big name defensive tackle Chris Nagel. Behind them, a bunch of outstanding linebackers try to stop opposing offenses on every play. Steven Marshall is all-round one of the best linebackers in the league, George Runion is an elite run stopper and Hubert Cox and Andrew McDaniel are super guys to have on the outside. Recent addition Jesse Davis provides a bit of depth.

Secondary:
Wanna see a shutdown cornerback? Don't look further, the Giants' Harley Gowan is one of the best examples. With 19 interceptions in the past two seasons, Gowan also threatens the opposing quarterbacks for bigger problems. Dario Velasco is the decent other corner and Rod Frizzell is the run stopping strong safety. Chris Peterson is another run stopping safety.

Special Teams:
Punter Darell Allen is a decent play, while kicker Damien Deming has a strong but not so accurate leg. With William Walker, the Giants have one of the very best punt returners and with Nicolas Dutra they added a second specialist. Russell Eberhart is the kickoff returner, but he's not an elite returner at all fumbles a bit too easy.



Paris Musketeers

Schedule:
Week 1 at Maassluis
Week 8 vs. Maassluis

Quarterback:
E.G. 'The Great' Lumpkin is the new name. After Fabian Parker, 'Super' Mario Hudson was the second quarterback victimized by Paris. Lumpkin is a bit prone to interceptions, but is otherwise a talented passer. Lawrence Watters is the likely number two, but he lacks experience and the true skills to be reliable in case of injury.

Offensive Weapons:
Maybe he's not the most talented running back, but Joe Boulware ran for almost 1,400 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. With Henry Gayle the have a good #3 wide receiver behind long-gains Myron Sperling and the recently acquired 2005 #1 pick Tyrus Shaye. With Shaye, Paris should make a big move forward with their passing game.

Defensive Front:
As always, Paris' weakness is the defensive line. Former Merchantmen end Scot Dick is the new guyin town to start opposite 2006 first round pick Grady Kramer, if Kramer still has the confidence of the management. Parker Jones is the runs stopping and pass rush supporting defensive tackle that every team could use. At linebacker, Foster Sokol is the big guy, but other than him Paris has no real studs talentwise. But then, both Devin Rodarte and Paul Dunkle posted 100-tackle seasons in the past.

Secondary:
Cornerback Steven Randall is a guy every offense should fear. Randall runs all over the field to cover his man and support the defense where needed. Edward Boatwright and Jason Pink are the very good safeties who can do a bit of it all. Who the second corerback is depends on the system a bit. Michael Truitt is a bump and run expert, but Casey Bush has more potential, especially as an interceptions specialist.

Special Teams:
Keith Horne is the all word punter who should help Paris out for the next ten years. The second year player already developed into being the best player at his position. He can punt both long punts and the in-twenties. Joshua Hunt is the kicker, but rumors are that Horne will do kicking duties as well. Hunt has an accurate leg, but not as powerful as Horne. Myron Sperling is a good return specialist in both punts and kickoffs, Henry Gayle can be a good alternate for kickoffs, Randall Smith is the punt return alternate.



Overall, the Merchantmen management thinks that Bordeaux will be back strong to defend the division title, while Gothenburg and Paris improved a lot the past off-season. As the Merchantmen roster saw little improvement, expectations are that a third place is again realistic, even though the progress of past seasons should call for a longer stay in the race for the playoff tickets in 2007. But with a stronger Paris and Gothenburg, two wins inside the division would, again, be the 'on par' performance. The victory total will have to come on out of division home games and winnable road games, of which there are very few.

[wade moore]

The European Division has vastly improved over the last few years. I think that the rest of the league is really underestimating you guys...

I said it first... there will be a European IHOF Champion within 3 years....

[MIJB#19]

The European Division has vastly improved over the last few years. I think that the rest of the league is really underestimating you guys...

I said it first... there will be a European IHOF Champion within 3 years....Well, just to point out how good we are:
My scout ranks the Bordeaux, Gothenburg and Paris starting QBs all in the top16 in experience (of course my scout is only the best QB scout in the league), while Flannery should clearly be a future star (or so I hope).

Then, the European division has a league high 6 1000yd running backs signed, with the starters all being top10 in experience (Randy Harris is the odd one as top10 potential).

Based on 2006 records, the four European teams rank 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th in toughest schedules, so it'll be a serious test to see how good we are now as a division.

[Kodos]

Of course, the Northeast has the Top 3 passers, and Jackie Williamson is Top 10. :)

[MIJB#19]

Of course, the Northeast has the Top 3 passers, and Jackie Williamson is Top 10. :)I failed to mention that as the Merchantmen will face none of the four this regular season. :)
Not that it's a good sign, Williamson will be replaced by the IHOF single game yardage records breaker Eugene Westcott, he set those records against us last season.

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Release Fumblin Justin!
The International House Of Football addopted a 53-men roster cut day and the teams are making up their minds on who to keep and who to dump. All over the league, names of promiment players are expected to be called and one name in particular is going to fill the headlines. The Maassluis Merchantmen are expected to say good bye to former starting quarterback Fumblin' Justin McDavid.

Well, the move doesn't come alone, as first of all, the Merchantmen made trades with the Chesapeake Chitterlings and the Bordeaux Vineyards. To put things short what happened was some sort of three-way trade: kicker Alvin Ladner moves from Maassluis to Chesapeake, running back Kyle Montoya and defensive end Britt Bycroft go from Maassuis to Bordeaux, linebacker Daniel Ruelas moves from Bordeaux to Maassluis and Bordeaux gets Chesapeake's seventh round pick in 2008.

With those moves, the Merchantmen are still coming short of releases. The Merchantmen had to remove seven players of the roster and these trades only account for two roster spots. The five remaining moves are expected to be four releases and one player put on injured reserve. Wide receiver David Henkel demoted from #3 to #7 this pre-season and with a pulled groin can safely join safety Richard Muller on the injured reserve list.

Now for the releases. With all the positions filled, the four names are expected to fall at quarterback, wide receiver, the offensive line and the secondary. The wide receiver is easy as the Merchantmen have openly question Emmanuel Jennings' ability as return specialist. Second should be guard Alphonse Gale as he's been called the tenth man on a unit that needs only nine players. In the secondary, Myron Stevens is expected to be released, despite an interception in the pre-season. But now, we're saving the best for last.

The Maassluis Merchantmen are expected to part ways with their all-time most popular player: 'Fumblin' Justin McDavid. After knee surgery, McDavid returned in Maassluis and had a decent pre-season performance. McDavid completed 23 of 31 passes (74 percent!) for 257 yards (8.3 per attempt!) and no interceptions. His passer rating of 98.5 is of course phenomenal and even better than his awesome 2005 pre-season rating of 87.9.

The Merchantmen management was unavailble for comment and team sources kept saying that the final decission won't be revealed until the official deadline, but they were willing to let Gossip News know that at least one player with a significant Merchantmen history has been released. We think it's McDavid at he and Mel Atkins were battling out for the #3 position on the depth chart.

If true, the Merchantmen are clearly tossing their philosophy overboard. McDavid was recently called "personification of the Merchantmen" by one other IHOF general manager. McDavid is a role player, like most of the Merchantmen players are. If McDavid doesn't retire a Merchantmen, than the world is up side down, that's something that should never happen. But here are the signals, Fumblin' Justin is out. Let's just hope for the Merchantmen they can keep their fan base...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen End Pre-Season With Loss And Roster Moves
The Maassluis Merchantmen ended pre-season with an expected 10-7 loss to the Miami Sharks at home. The consolation score came with 48 seconds left, yet the Merchantmen management is happy about the outcome of other things. Rookie defensive end Aaron Sherrill recorded his fourth sack in as many games and was called the Merchantmen's best defensive player of the preseason. Injuries to a few key players spoiled part of the party. Linebackers Ellsworth Thelen and Carl Meier, who were both battling for one of the three linebacker starting jobs, spererated a shoulder.

The pre-season has shown some good signs from several players, especially those new and one returning player in particular. Sixth round picks Aaron Sherrill (4 sacks) and Andrew Rasmussen (2.5 sacks) both ranked in the top 25 in sacks, with Sherrill eve nin the top six as the best rookie. Wide receiver Jerry Beyer had 204 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns and makes a push for a starting role. The return of Justin McDavid was most impressive as he completed 23 of 31 passes (74%) for 257 yards (8.3 per attempt), with a quarterback rating of 98.5.

The end of pre-season also means the departure of five players due to the IHOF addopting a 53-men roster rule. To make the Merchantmen roster valid, the management decided to put center/long snapper Christian Reichel, wide receiver David Henkel and cornerback Carlos Mitchem on injured reserve. Running back Kyle Montoya and Britt Bycroft were traded to the Bordeaux Vineyards, kicker Alvin Ladner to the Chesapeake Chitterlings. Return specialists Emmanuel Jennings and Matt Offord were both released.

One player will join the Merchantmen as the team is short on linebacker due to the mentioned injuries of Meier and Thelen. Daniel Ruelas is a run stopping specialist and was a backup player for the the Bordeaux Vineyards. Ruelas never started in the IHOF and has played 24 games so far, 15 with Gothenburg in 2004, 9 with Minnesota in 2005 and 2006.

Of the five departing players, Matt Offord had probably the biggest role for the Merchantmen. In 2006, Offord scored an 88-yard punt return touchdown in an overtime win at the San Luis Obispo Burn. Offord played all 16 games and was the premier punt returner in 2006. Kyle Montoya was a Merchantmen since the 2005 draft, but never played a single down. Britt Bycroft started 5 games in 2006, his only season with the Merchantmen. Alvin Ladner and Emmanuel Jennings were off-season additions, as Ladner was picked in the fifth round of the draft, while Jennings was part of the exchange money in the Wilson Grimaldo trade.

"These were tough decissions," Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. said, "Matt [Offord] was a guy I liked and Kyle [Montoya] could have contributed as a number three back. The decission to put Reichel on injured reserve was a bit unexpected, but it made it easier to keep Alphonse Gale around. If Brant Heinrich for some reason goes out this season, we'll hire a new center and let Gale or one of the backup linebackers walk."

Biggest surprise was the recent rumor that fan favorite Justin McDavid would have to go. M.IJ.B.: "Impossible! Justin is an icon of the team, we'll do anything to keep him around for eternity. Sure, we concidered releasing him, but we expect that the fan base will really hurt and salary cap issues would make it a bad decission as well." With that, the 53-men roster for the regular season is identified and the team will soon present the group of players that will form the Merchantmen in 2007. A roster that hopefully can make the next step into a winning record.

[Kodos]

Wade Moore = Not Happy Camper.

[MIJB#19]

Wade Moore = Not Happy Camper.Maybe I should rename Gossip News to Rolleyes Magazine, maybe that's more obvious about the reliability. :D

FWIW, Wade was the first guy I notified whether or not Fumblin Justin will make the final 53. It should be official news pretty soon now.

(Damn, I'm taking this thing a bit too serious now...)

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Reveal 2007 Roster: The 53-men To Watch In 2007!
The IHOF's roster cut day is here. The Maassluis Merchantmen have made their moves and, before the official announcements, the team wants to present the fans of the team and others interested the 53 men with a goal: have a winning record. We'll run down the 53-men from bottom to top, with the most important players mentioned last. But to tease you all, we start off with a fan favorite.

Justin McDavid
#3 - quarterback - 26yo
role in 2007: When the fans start calling for "Fumblin' Justin", he'll enter Oranje Haven and toss a few autographed balls into the stands, unless one of the quarterbacks is injured.

Richard Muller
#20 - safety - 29yo
role in 2007: Muller will point out the risk of playing football without a helmet in commercials as he's on injured reserve.

Mitch Hoofkin
#91 - linebacker - 24yo
role in 2007: Until our strong-side linebacker returns from injury, Hoofkin will backup the other linebackers.

Daniel Ruelas
#58 - linebacker - 30yo
role in 2007: Until our #2 middle linebacker returns from injury, Ruelas will backup Cody Cluff.

Lamar Singleton
#41 - safety - 23yo
role in 2007: Depending on the number of injuries, Singleton will at times be a backup safety and/or dime back.

Arnold Ramirez
#89 - tight end - 27yo
role in 2007: Ramirez has been hired to be the #2 tight end and will have that role all year.

Alphonse Gale
#64 - guard - 31yo
role in 2007: If one of our guards gets hurt, Gale joins the active roster, but if we need a new center first, and we do, Gale will either move position or fly back to his hometown in the USA.

David Henkel
#81 - wide receiver - 30yo
role in 2007: After not producing as the #3 receiver in 2006, Henkel will be analyzing the offense from as an injured reserve.

Carlos Mitchem
#37 - cornerback - 27yo
role in 2007: While the young cornerbacks play, Mitchem will mentor them from his injured reserve chair.

Brian Hammond
#75 - guard - 29yo
role in 2007: Until he gets hurt, Hammond will backup the young starters at guard and teach them the tricks of the game.

Christian Reichel
#53 - center - 26yo
role in 2007: Hired as the new longsnapper, Reichel picked up turf toe and will have another shot in 2008, coming back from injured reserve.

Desmond Craig
#42 - cornerback - 25yo
role in 2007: Depending on injuries, Craig will have a shot at being nickel or dime back, besides being the backup kickoff returner.

Charlie Martins
#84 - tight end - 26yo
role in 2007: Martins returns for a third season as our long snapper, but won't see much action on offense.

Henry Poston
#34 - fullback - 24yo
role in 2007: Poston will be backing up at fullback and maybe at tight end.

Tyrell Mahoney
#21 - running back - 23yo
role in 2007: With the competition for playing time out, he'll be listening to and looking at the guys in front of him on the depth chart.

Myron Stevens
#32 - cornerback - 23yo
role in 2007: Stevens has made progress and should be the dimeback, just like he was in 2006.

Josh Weisberg
#97 - linebacker - 34yo
role in 2007: The wise man will mentor the young linebackers and step in when they get hurt.

Mel Atkins
#13 - quarterback - 25yo
role in 2007: Atkins will act as the emergency quarterback and take over holding duties if the starting holder gets hurt.

John Cole
#23 - safety - 26yo
role in 2007: After starting last year, Cole will be backing up at free safety this season.

Andy Weliczka
#59 - defensive tackle - 24yo
role in 2007: Especially early in the season, Andy will be the running downs second defensive tackle.

Jules Benedict
#88 - wide receiver - 29yo
role in 2007: As the oldest receiver, Benedict will be the #4 receiver and a reliable backup to our split-end.

Emile William
#43 - safety - 28yo
role in 2007: Depending on opposition, William will be starting at free safety over last year's starter.

Winford Endicott
#33 - cornerback - 30yo
role in 2007: He came out of nowhere to start as our #2 cornerback.

Andrew Rasmussen
#98 - defensive tackle - 23yo
role in 2007: With his rival injured, Rasmussen will have the early nod as backup and pass rush specialist.

Norman Holliday
#60 - offensive tackle - 22yo
role in 2007: Norman will be sent on a holliday until one of the offensive tackles gets injured.

Cornelius Rice
#71 - offensive tackle - 25yo
role in 2007: Despite his experience and talent, Rice will be the #2 option at right tackle.

Devin Henson
#83 - wide receiver - 25yo
role in 2007: While dropping on the receivers depth chart, Henson will once again be the ace kickoff returner.

Timothy Lacy
#65 - guard - 24yo
role in 2007: Unless injured, Tiny Tim will start at right guard.

Shaun Shiroma
#90 - defensive tackle - 23yo
role in 2007: When "My Shirona" get healthy, he'll get a shot at starting on the defensive line.

Shane Bower
#7 - quarterback - 34yo
role in 2007: Despite his 2006 campaign and pre-season being so-so, Bower will act as the backup quarterback.

Al Bettis
#8 - kicker - 24yo
role in 2007: We won't bet the franchise that Bettis will score field goals, but as a kickoff specialist he'll have his role.

Omar Gougeon
#74 - defensive end - 24yo
role in 2007: Moving up on the depth chart, Gougeon will have a shot at showing he can haunt the opposing quarterbacks in the pass rush rotation from the ends.

Aaron Sherrill
#94 - defensive end - 23yo
role in 2007: After a tremendous pre-season, Aaron will be a starter in the defensive ends pass rush rotation.

Brant Heinrich
#54 - center - 25yo
role in 2007: Still looking fragile, Heinrich will be our number one option at center.

Jerry Beyer
#16 - wide receiver - 24yo
role in 2007: "Jelly Belly" had a good pre-season and start as the #3 receiver, but down the road he'll get his playing time as a starter as well.

Gregory Monti
#80 - wide receiver - 26yo
role in 2007: Monti is sketching in as starting receiver, but his tendency to get hurt forced us to draft a guy who will replace him down the road.

Carl Meier
#52 - linebacker - 28yo
role in 2007: Carl had some amazing workouts at home, proved in pre-season he's ready to start, but got hurt in the last test and won't play in the first few games.

Cary Coles
#18 - kicker - 25yo
role in 2007: Maybe the drafting of his replacement finally convinced our all-time leading scorer to be more accurate with field goals.

Rodger Mowery
#39 - running back - 34yo
role in 2007: With his experience, he'll tutor our rookie backs, but as a past 1,000 yard back he'll be change of pace guy and our primairy punt returner.

Lincoln Gilmore
#46 - safety - 26yo
role in 2007: Gilmore is the comeback kid and has proven he shouldn't be a backup, unless he's hurt.

Mike Kershner
#95 - linebacker - 25yo
role in 2007: "The Cherry" is going to play on the strong-side, but we do demand progress in his play over the year to keep the starting job.

Butch White
#79 - guard - 25yo
role in 2007: "Bruce" has emerged into being an excellent run blocker and will anchor the running game from left guard.

Johnnie Stidham
#22 - cornerback - 26yo
role in 2007: "Mister Interception" was awsome in 2006, but at the start of this season he'll be the primairy backup corner and nickel back.

Ellsworth Thelen
#57 - linebacker - 28yo
role in 2007: Thelen is injured at the season start, but will get into the starting, important backups rotation.

Wally Wilcox
#99 - defensive end - 36yo
role in 2007: Injured at the start, but when healthy he'll join the pass rush rotation on the end at will mentor the younger colleges.

Albert Bernardo
#93 - defensive end - 29yo
role in 2007: "Alberto" will be in the pass rush rotation and put the younger members of the fearsome pass rush in their place if they make a mistake.

Roscoe Corrales
#12 - punter - 32yo
role in 2007: The fans love Corrales and the love is big enough that he will be relied on as the punter for the fourth straight season.

Jamel Rosenberry
#49 - fullback - 26yo
role in 2007: After Rosenberry's touchdown figure in 2006, he'll be the situational back and starting fullback again.

Bryce Ewald
#87 - wide receiver - 26yo
role in 2007: Ewald will start for the fourth straigth season as our split-end, despite the various trade offers we received.

Ivan Jacques
#63 - left tackle - 27yo
role in 2007: We rely on Jacques to protect our quarterback as the left tackle.

Harold Hurtado
#68 - left tackle - 33yo
role in 2007: Hurtado's days as starter on the left are over and we decided he'll be the backup on both ends of the offensive line.

Jim Reiser
#86 - tight end - 26yo
role in 2007: Having stepped in the footsteps of all All IHOF first teamer, Jim Reiser will try to copy the reward.

Cody Cluff
#50 - linebacker - 26yo
role in 2007: Our franchise middle linebacker will once again lead our defense and this time he'll try to reach out for 150 tackles.

Randy Harris
#28 - running back - 27yo
role in 2007: "Eye Candy" wil continue to be the main tool to keep the chains moving on the offensive side of the ball as our starting running back.

Tai Wayne
#47 - cornerback - 24yo
role in 2007: Back from injury, Wayne will be asked to show us again why we called him our franchise cornerback since the minute we drafted him at #12 overall in 2005.

Charles Gomez
#78 - defensive tackle - 28yo
role in 2007: Does the best defensive tackle in the IHOF really need introduction, he's our anchorman on the defense.

Louie Flannery
#14 - quarterback - 25yo
role in 2007: "Flan" is our plan, with his throwing the ball, we should be able to score the points required to win games.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Welcome Back Schwartz, Release Gale
After the excitement of roster cut day, the Maassluis Merchantmen made one additional move to bolster the roster. After putting Christian Reichel on injured reserve, the team came short a center and there was only one player fitting for the team. Tom Schwartz was a free agent and he returns to the team he once started 21 games for. To make room, veteran guard Alphonse Gale was released and will become one of the top free agents. To fill the player profiles, here is Schwartz'.

Tom Schwartz
#55 - center - 25yo
role in 2007: If the starting center ever gets tired or hurt, "Tommie" will step in to make way for the running back.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
It's predictions time and the league pundits are selling their thoughts for little out on the internet.

Floyd B. Boudreaux, a long-time IHOF related journalist, has predicted us to go 10-6 and go into the playoffs as #6 seeds. To counter act the hopefuls, I've written my own preview (Yeah, I'm a part-time independant IHOF writer). I put our team at 6-10, giving a realistic starting point and to make a playoff season even more of a surprise. As, of course, the Merchantmen did not get weaker and thus should be aiming for a winning record. I'm secretly thinking our team is now good enough to win the division, despite ranking in the bottom third on the power rankings and 29th of 32 on the roster value charts.

Our big test will be in week one, as we host the improved and re-newed Paris Musketeers. We have to stop our trend to lose the first game of the season, as well as our first home game. With the addition of Jerry Beyer, Jules Benedict, Rodger Mowery, Brian Hammond, Aaron Sherrill, Winford Endicott, Ivan Jacques, Wally Wilcox and the two rookie defensive tackles, I think we have a good shot at the victory in week one.

The injury report is a bit disappointing. Linebackers Carl Meier and Ellsworth Thelen, who were battling for one starting job, both are unavailable. Also a bit black and blue are defensive linemen Wally Wilcox and Shaun Shiroma, who were both expected to have a pretty big role on the line. It just means that all ends will play a bit more downs, while the Andy's Weliczka and Rasmussen will see more action on the inside. How we'll cope with the linebacker injuries is our gameday secret, but don't be surprised if mister interception, Johnnie Stidham, will be a lot on the field.

Okay, that's it for now, wish us luck this season in our hunt for the first winning record season. And a little note on our all-time record: If we go 16-0, we'll move up to 32-32. Yeah, I know, keep dreaming, but you'll never know...

[MIJB#19]

2007 Week One Preview: Maassluis Versus Paris
The fog is fainting away and the team in the International House Of Football have no cover to hide anymore, today the 2007 season starts. In the long list of week one games, the Maassluis versus Paris game is one of many divisional rivalries. Both team had a busy off-season, but where Maassluis pretty much focused on depth, Paris brought in a couple of big names as new starters. Vegas favors the Musketeers to win by two points, but inside the IHOF, the Merchantmen are no longer instant underdogs in any matchup.

Maassluis versus Paris is once again a game in the lower departments of the league. The Merchantmen were 8-8 in the 2006 season, but after a 7-9 campaign a year earlier, the one-win improvement was somewhat disappointing. For 2007, league pundits simply expect the Dutch team to win more than they lose. For Paris that would be a great season after a 4-12 campaign in 2006. The Musketeers improved their team in some key areas, but it remains to be seen whether all their moves made sense.

The Musketeers go into Oranje Haven hoping to end a two-game losing streak in Maassluis. With a new quarterback in E.G. 'The Great' Lumpkin and former #1 pick Tyrus Shaye as their new wide receiver, the Paris passing game will be better than ever before. And with Joe Boulware running from behind Lumpkin, the offense is strong enough to beat any team in the IHOF. On the defense, the biggest newcomer is Scot Dick. Dick was shoved aside by the Merchantmen like he's not worth starting and will be highly motivated.

Ivan Jacques is the Merchantmen's new left tackle and is hired to stop guys like Scot Dick. Jacques joins a group of starting linemen who have worked together in 2006 and will see the same skill position players making plays. Quarterback Louie Flannery is getting older and surely want's to avenge his 3 interceptions performance last season at home against Paris. Running backs Randy Harris, Jamel Rosenberry and new addition Rodger Mowery will keep the chains moving. And with the addition of Jerry Beyer, Jules Benedict and Arnold Ramirez, the team has more depth in the receiving department.

On the defensive side te Merchantmen miss four potential starters in tis first game. Linebackers Carl Meier and Ellsworth Thelen are out, put the slightly injured defensive linemen Wally 'World' Wilcox and Shaun Shiroma know they will sit out the game with the rotation and competition on the line, plus sixth round picks Aaron Sherrill and Andrew Rasmussen proved in pre-season they are ready. But the biggest news is the return from injury of shutdown cornerback Tai Wayne, who has gotten a new partner in Winford Endicott, while Johnnie Sitdham will be forced in as nickelback to record an interception.

As close as this game may sound, the winning team will record an historic feat as neither Maassluis or Paris has ever won on opening weekend. The Merchantmen even never won their first home game. But to date, the Merchantmen won seven of their last nine at home, including two Paris beatings. And with the much feared quarterback Eugene 'Westcoast' Westcott also traded by the Musketeers, the Merchantmen feel comfortable to make it three-in-a-row. After the painful 20-40 loss at Paris last season, in which a league record in offensive yardage was set by the Musketeers, the Merchantmen have some sentiments to take advantage of.

[Chubby]

I thought about betting on you guys but decided I was staying away from your game.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen End Bad Tradition, Beat Paris In Week One
After three seasons of starting the season with a loss, the Maassluis Merchantmen ended the bad streak with a 27-17 victory over their rivals, the Paris Musketeers. Louie Flannery took the player of the game honors with 3 touchdown passes and leading the Merchantmen to being the top offense in the league. A couple of rookies contributed for Maassluis, but in the end the pass defense was a key element in the victory. The only downers were injuries to Jim Reiser and Ivan Jacques.

The suspense is gone, the first real scores are in and the Merchantmen are the upset team of the week. The 27-17 victory wasn't completely unexpected, but the way the offense worked it was pretty amazing. The Merchantmen are once again lowly rated by some league sources, yet with an effective passing and running game, the team made a statement. And with the defense holding Paris off, except two big plays, there's reason to expect good things in 2007.

Louie Flannery had to make something good against Paris. In his previous two outings he tossed 3 interceptions and no touchdown passes. With his best effort in yardage (269), Flannery took his game to a new level as he completed 23 of 31 passes. The single interception was a little downer, but Flannery was happy: "Everything fell together, the we've got some excellent offense here." With 438 total yards, the Merchantmen set a new team record against the team that set the league record late in the 2006 season.

The defense had their moments of fame as well as the team allowed 188 passing yards with 4.8 yards per attempt. The Musketeers were forced to make plays in their running game and lead by Joe Boulware (104 yards), they did manage to record 11 succesful third down conversions. And without forcing a single turnover, you wonder what they did well? Well, te four starting defensive backs allowed only 4 catches all game in 42 passing plays, while combining for 5 defended passes.

Of all the players, the performace of three rookies was mostly advertised. Wide receiver Jerry Beyer had only 1 reception all day, yet his sole catch was 61-yarder for a score, immediately showing why he was picked. other than Beyer, no rookie recorded 20 or more yards receiving. Sixth round picks Aaron Sherrill and Andrew Rasmussen each accounted for half a sack. They were credited together with Andy Weliczka and Omar Gougeon respectively.

Overall, the win was credited a team victory by the management. Even as the passing game was effecitve (74 percent of passes completed), the running game saw Randy Harris rack up 100 yards on just 16 carries for a 6.2 league high average. The five linemen together accounted for 15 key run blocks, with none really being a weak link. Even though left tackle Ivan Jacques left the field injured after only three plays.

The Merchantmen did see some injuries hurt them after the game. As mentioned, Jacques left early after seperating his shoulder. With Jacques out, Harold Hurtado will be moving back to the left, while Cornelius Rice will play his familiar right side. But even more serious could be tight end Jim Reiser's injury. By trading for Arnold Ramirez in the off-season, the team hopes to have addressed the issue premature.

Next up are the Ann Arbor Anachronism, on the road. To take a win there, the Merchantmen will need a bit more to win the game. The defense will have to be more effective on third downs, while the offense really can't afford to lose the turnover battle against the triple A's. Quarterback Donald Woods is still on the top of his game and in his house, Louie Flannery will get a shot at showing what he can in front of the league spotlights. It's hopeful for him Jerry Beyer can come up with such a huge catch as he had against the Musketeers...

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Tough game for Paris, but we take the win as a huge win.

27-17 and a new passing game record, while our defense plays some effective pass defensive play. I think some of our off-season investments pay off very well. Sure, losing Ivan Jacques to injury is tough, but we take the win over it. I think we'll miss Jim Reiser more next week.

I think this win shows we're in good shape and can really compete this season. Being the top ranked offense isn't too special, but a first time 1-0 record is special afterall. And with the Gothenburg Giants beating the Bordeaux Vineyards 26-14, the French teams are both winless for the first time ever. The standings:

1-0 Gothenburg
1-0 Maassluis
0-1 Bordeaux
0-1 Paris

As in the past seasons, I will name my three, four or five players of the game, depending on result. After this first game and te top showings of our offense, I have a few surprises that you wouldn't expect to see credited only knowing the score. The top 5:

5 points - Louie Flannery
4 points - Tai Wayne
3 points - Timothy Lacy
2 points - Randy Harris
1 point - Cary Coles

Coles as our placekicker converted three extra points, but also scored two field goals, including a 57-yard kick with less than four minutes left in the game. Randy Harris ran for 100 yards and also had 5 receptions for a total of 29 yards.Timothy Lacy had 3 key run blocks in 3 opportunities. Tai Wayne recorded only 1 tackle, but that's because he covered his man well enough to not allow a single catch and record 1 defended pass. Louie Flannery had 269 passing yards and going 23 on 31 for 3 touchdowns.

Next up is a tough road game at the Ann Arbor Anachronism. We've played them once, in 2004, and then we lost a nailbiter at home as running back Robert Gordon scored a touchdown with 90 second left to win 20-16. We have something to settle there, altough the strenght of the 2005 champions is not to be underestimate, despite salary cap woes. The Anachronism won 6-3 at home this week and have a tough defense with a scoring offense. The full European schedule:

Gothenburg Giants (1-0) versus Columbus Architects (1-0)
Maassluis Merchantmen (1-0) at Ann Arbor Anachronism (1-0)
Paris Musketeers (0-1) at Minnesota Miners (0-1)
Bordeaux Vineyards (0-1) versus RayCo Raiders (0-1)

[wade moore]

I feel like the Ann Arbor game is going to be a landmark matchup for the Merchantmen. I think that Ann Arbor is open to be beat, and I think Flannery can do it.

I even have money on you covering the absurd 8 point spread ;)

[MIJB#19]

I feel like the Ann Arbor game is going to be a landmark matchup for the Merchantmen. I think that Ann Arbor is open to be beat, and I think Flannery can do it.

I even have money on you covering the absurd 8 point spread ;)This betting stuff is getting out of whack...


Beating Ann Arbor would indeed be a historic feat and I'm hoping we can do it, but the realism inside me calls for tempering expectations and just hope we can be within a single score as time expires. Only if we can keep IHOF legend Donald Woods below 200 yards passing, I give my team a shot at winning. The Anachronism's secondary is incredible, even without it's traded leader Jason Winkle.

I also know my team will be without about 10 players with starter skills. But then, we're in a team sport and individuals don't count (aside from Charles Gomez, Randy Harris and Louie Flannery maybe). If guys like Richard Muller, David Henkel and Carlos Mitchem are on IR, The likes of Emile William, Jerry Beyer and Desmond Craig will have to step up. If Ivan Jacques, Carl Meier and Jim Reiser are injured, we're happy to have Cornelius Rice, Josh Weisberg and Arnold Ramirez around. And so will we cope with the injuries to Ellsworth Thelen, Shaun Shiroma, Wally Wilcox and Johnnie Stidham.

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Bringing Back Jerry Aubrey?
Well, we've all seen it, the Maassluis Merchantmen have started off better than ever before this season, but they saw Jim Reiser end the game with a triceps injury. Expectations are that Reiser won't be fully recovered for about a month and rumors are the management doesn't want to take any chances. Reiser recorded a franchise record number of receptions in 2006 and leads the team again thsi season after one game. Arnold Ramirez and Charlie Martins were called too green and the team doesn't want risking an aggrvtead injury. We know the Merchantmen, they trade and their target is a familiar name: Jerry Aubrey.

The Merchantmen management denied all our assumptions and pointed to the two fullbacks Jamel Rosenberry and Henry Poston, but we should know better. Jerry Aubrey was popular in Maassluis, was their first All IHOF selection in 2004, but got traded to the Futility Bowl rivals of the Rochester Lake Monsters. More recently, sentiments got a bit different as the two teams had their eyes on the same wide receiver and the Lake Monsters won the battle. Another issue was how the Lake Monsters dumped two time All IHOF guard Gene Simmons like trash, while the Merchantmen reserved a 53-men roster spot for Fumblin' Justin McDavid.

Getting Jerry Aubrey to return will be tough as a possible trade will take place after the week two games and week three has an interesting matchup, Futility Bowl IV, in Rochester. Rumors are the Merchantmen already offered a fifth round pick in 2007, but salary cap issues seem to hold a trade of so far. The Lake Monsters reportedly want a good player in return and the masters of trading refuse that offer.

But then, it could be a trick to distract everyone and they might be getting their (temporary) replacement elsewhere. Guys mentioned so far were Anaheim's Mark Whittemore (5 receptions) and Columbus' Brian Peres (6 receptions). The second best option is reportedly Paris' Brian Spradlin, who had 5 catches for 38 yards and a score against Maassluis in week one. But as good as these guys play, the Merchantmen already showed a weak spot for alumni by bringing back 2004 staring center Tom Schwartz on the morning of the first regular season game against Paris. You read it here first, in Gossip News, the Merchantmen are trying to get Jerry Aubrey back.

[Kodos]

Who is the Jerry Aubrey you speak of? ;)

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen At Anachronism Preview
Once every four years, the two most unpronoucable IHOF team will match up in a regular season matchup. Today, the Ann Arbor Anachronism continue their journey to regain the IHOF title in a favorable game in their Weena Eloi Memorial Park, against the Maassluis Merchantmen. Both teams started the season with an impressive week one victory at home. The Anachorism held the Minnesota Miners to three points in an overtime win, the Merchantmen amazingly gained the top spot in offensive total yardage against the Paris Musketeers.

Ann Arbor took the league crown in the 2005 season after an impressive streak of fifteen conscecutive victories after starting out the season 2-3. We're just over a full season further into time and the Anachronism are battling salary cap woes and had to let a few contributing players walk off, most notable their franchise player, safety Jason Winkle. But even without Winkle, a secondary with cornerbacks Lindsey Liles and John Q. Ballhawker, and safeties Benton Harness and Isaac Graham is one of the best in the league. Liles could be seen as the weakest link as he's been diagnosed as severly depressed for some time.

The Merchantmen have acquired two new wiede receivers, a new tight end, new fullback and two new running backs who will all see their roles against that secondary. Maassluis' top receiver tight end Jim Reiser has a triceps muscle injury and is not expected to play. That means that third-year journey man Arnold Ramirez takes his places and the roles of backup wide receivers Jerry Beyer and Jules Benedict are expect to be bigger. Quarterback Louie Flannery looked pleased with having about ten potential players to throw, to record a franchise record 438 total yards on offense.

Pretty crucial will be the turnover battle. The Anachronism have been the IHOF's elite team in forcing turnovers over the past years, while the Merchantmen built a reputation of fumbling in 2004 with Fumblin' Justin McDavid at quarterback. In 2007, the Merchantmen dropped the figure of turnovers significantly and even saw cornerback Johnnie Stidham record in the league's top five with seven interceptions. In cotrast, Ann Arbor's quarterback Donald Woods combined for more interceptions in 16 games 2007 as he had in 2004 and 2005 combined in 30 games.

All trends aside, the Merchantmen are the clear underdogs, and although they like that role and play their best football with it, today calls for little chance on a victory. Three of the Merchantmen's best players (tight end Jim Reiser, left tackle Ivan Jacques and linebacker Carl Meier) are injured, while most starters on the Merchantmen roster would be backups for Ann Arbor. It will require one hell of a game from both the offense and defense to beat the eight-point favorites.

But with the Merchantmen, you never know when they have a good game. Three years ago, it was a touchdown in the two-minute drill that landed the Anachornism a 20-16 victory in Maassluis. And as people might remember, that Merchantmen team ended the year 1-15. The Merchantmen have won 16 of their last 32 games and have found their way to .500 football. Nobody expects them to win, the Anachronism fans won't allow their team to lose. And even at 1-1, it would still tie their best season start.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Shock Ann Arbor And Move To 2-0
With a last second field goal, the Maassluis Merchantmen upset the Ann Arbor Anachronism 18-16 on the road. Cary Coles scored six on six in field goal attempts and took the game honors. Despite a struggling Louie Flannery, the offense kept making big plays at the right moments. Lead by Cody Cluff, the Anachorism offense was stopped a couple of times. The bad news of the game was the injury to the best player of the team, Charles Gomez.

Weena Eloi Memorial Park, home of the Ann Arbor Anachronism. In 53 game before today, the triple A's lost only twice in their own house. In contrast, the Maassluis Merchantmen had won only six of 48 games on the road. There couldn't be a bigger miss-match possible. But the contratry become reality, the Merchantmen wrote an amazing scenario and won the game 18-16. But how?

In the first quarter, the Merchantmen got first possession. Anchored by a nice 10-yard run from Randy Harris and a 19-yard reception by Jerry Beyer, the Merchantmen moved into the red zone and Cary Coles opened the score with a 27-yard field goal. And as the Merchantmen defense forced a punt, the Merchantmen took a 6-0 lead as Louie Flannery spread the ball around and Coles scored a 46-yard field goal.

Going into the second quarter, Ann Arbor took a 1-=point lead as quarterback Donald Woods completed a pass to William Duenas. But in the game of stopping the offense and punting, the Merchantmen won territory. The Anachronism got the ball back, but Donald Woods' problem of last season showed up as his pass got intercepted by linebacker Cody Cluff on Ann Arbor's half. Flannery and his offense failed, but Coles was sharp and converted a 24-yard kick. With a brilliant two-minute drill from Flannery, anchored by two catched by Bryce Ewald, a 51-yard kick was setup and Coles scored.

In the third quarter, the Merchantmen played te stop and punt game not so well and Woods again found Duenas for a score. Being 13-12 up, going for the two-pointer made sense, but Garrett Freitas was stopped by Aaron Sherrill. In the next drive, Louie Flannery tossed an interception to Lindsey Liles, which resulted in a 16-yard field goal from kicker Ann Arbor. The 16-12 lead was there, but the game was far from over.

The Merchantmen offense started making mistakes more than before, yet the team managed to keep punting and the Anachronism broke. Rookie cornerback Chris Zimmerman fumbled a punt return in Merchantmen territory and the Dutch visitors got lucky to get the ball back. A couple of nice catches by, again, Bryce Ewald put the team back in scoring position and Cary Coles sscored a 33-yard kick to shorten the Ann Arbor lead.

The Merchantmen played the punt and defend terrain game well in the last ten minutes and got the ball back at their own 30-yard line with 99 seconds left. An amazing 50-yard bomb to Gregory Monti was called back for a penalty, but Flannery found Bryce Ewald for an amzing fourth down conversion shortly after. Still in their own half, Flannery had to try another bomb and found Ewald again, now for a 36-yard reception. Again, Ewald ran out of bounds and the visitors reached the red zone with half a minute left. Randy Harris shortened the distance, followed by a spiked pass from Flannery. Cary Coles converted the 31-yard kick. Although there was a kickoff, the retuner was tackled by Cody Cluff midway the field to end the game.

For the game, Flannery completed just 19 of 44 passes, but when he was needed, he managed to find the right guy to make a play. Bryce Ewald was clearly the big hero with 8 receptions for 137 yards. But without Jim Reiser, Flannery clearly struggled and the next game could be another tough one. "It's an easy escape, really," Flannery explains, "Jimmy [Reiser] is always open and can be reached for the short gain." In Reiser's absence, Arnold Ramirez had just 2 catches, but made up with 2 key run blocks and a crucial forced fumble.

Charm of the team was Cody Cluff, as always. With 10 tackles and an interception, Cluff made difference. Although, it does mask the furter defensive play as keeping Donald Woods to below 300 yards and a completion percentage of 60. With 3 sacks and no less than 8 defended passes, the defense made plays. Especially Winford Endicott's 3 defended passes jumped out. Shutdown corner Tai Wayne said: "Winford is a winner. He perfectly fits the system and bats down 3 passes per game, he's a cool guy to team up with."

Despite the win, the Merchantmen again took a blow on the injury front. Defensive tackle and star player Charles Gomez left the game in the fourth quarter with a strained deltoid muscle and is ruled out for up to three games. Linebacker Mike Kershner joined the list of injured linebackers with a knee tendonitis. "The defense is taking blow after blow," said head coach Leroy Van Der Woude, "but we'll see Carl Meier back next week. Plus, the secondary is making some progress this season as well."

Sitting at two wins, the expectations in Oranje Haven are getting high. The Merchatmen are one of ten unbeaten teams, but seven of those are from the Atlantic Ocean Conference. "All our rivals won, so we don't make progress, despite beating a top team," said tackle Harold Hurtado "I guess we'll have to win the Futility Bowl again." Hurtado knows what he's talking about, next up is the matchup between the two lowest graded teams in the IHOF.

The Rochester Lake Monsters will host the Merchantmen next week, knowing they lost the matchup in Maassluis last season. And the Monster are 0-2 and can't use another loss in their hunt for a playoff ticket. Quarteback Jackie Williamson is expected to sit out the game not being 100% healthy after reconstrucitve knee surguery. The Lake Monsters acquired quarterback Eugene Westcott to fill in, but in two games he tossed 4 picks and for only 320 yards. But the Merchantmen know this guy, Westcott guided the Paris Musketeers to a league record offensive yardage total aganst Maassluis and he'll remember some of the defense's faces. 2-0 or not, the Merchantmen will be underdogs in Futility Bowl IV.

[Kodos]

You screwed up our chance for the playoffs last year. Maybe we can return the favor in 2007. :)

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Okay, this is getting weird, the Merchantmen 2-0?

We're missing three of our five best players and yet we win on the road at the Ann Arbor Anachronism. The coolest part is that we're the first AOC team to have recorded a win against all past NAC champions (Ann Arbor, Chesapeake and Fairbanks). I think that's quite the performance we've shown in the past three seasons.

Despite our amazing victory, our divisional rivals all recorded bigger wins. The Paris Musketeers saw E.G. Lumpkin pass for four touchdowns to a 34-28 win at and against the Minnesota Miners' strong defense. The Bordeaux Vinyerads overcame trailing 10-0 at home and trashed the RayCo Raiders 31-10. The Gothenburg Giants beat the only team to record a shutout this season, the Columbus Architects, by 14-3. The standings:

2-0 Gothenburg
2-0 Maassluis
1-1 Bordeaux
1-1 Paris

Since we won, I'll have to name five players who were worth rating as our five best of the day. Ny top five of today include Cary Coles, who was six-on-six in field goals. Cody Cluff who recorded 10 tackles and an interception made it. Winford Endicott made it with 3 defended passes and no catches allowed. Bryce Ewald's 8 receptions were a franchise record, as were his 137 yards receiving. Charles Gomez had a normal game with 1 sack, 4 tackles and 2 quarterback hurries.

5 points - Bryce Ewald
4 points - Cody Cluff
3 points - Cary Coles
2 points - Winford Endicott
1 point - Charles Gomez

Our next opponents are the Rochester Lake Monsters. Sure, the past two games were big wins for us and we have beaten the Monsters last time around, but the injuries to four our top five players worry me. Jim Reiser, Charles Gomez, Carl Meier and Ivan Jacques, all are injured. Meier will play, but he;s only replacing the also injured Mike Kershner. And we'll still miss Willy Wilcox, although Shaun Shiroma returns. The full European schedule this week:

Gothenburg Giants (2-0) versus Tucker Tigers (1-1)
Maassluis Merchantmen (2-0) at Rochester Lake Monsters (0-2)
Bordeaux Vineyards (1-1) at North Plainfield Plague (2-0)
Paris Musketeers (1-1) versus Conyers Condors (0-2)

For those wondering how we're faring after two games in stats categories and all, here's the overall stats:
Passing 249 ypg (9th), 56% (18th), 6.6 ypa (20th), 3.5 sk ypg (12th)
Rushing 130 ypg (13th), 4.7 ypc (6th)
Pass Def 227 ypg (21st), 54% (10th), 6.1 ypa (12th) 21.0 sk ypg (4th)
Run Def 104 ypg (6th), 4.1 ypc (21st)

Ind. Rushing: Harris 76 ypg (4.8 ypc), Mowery 33 ydp (5.4 ypc), Rosenberry 20 ypg (4.4 ypc)
Ind. Receiving: Ewald 80 ypg, Beyer 43 ypg, Reiser 33 ypg, Monti 32 ypg

Rodger Mowery ranked 3rd in punt return yardage with 42 yards and a 10.5 average; Devin Henson averages 24.5 yards per kick off return (only 2 touches); Cary Coles leads the league in field goals with 8 and in points with 27; Cody Cluff's 20 tackles rank him sixth overall; Charles Gomez and Omar Gougeon have 1.5 sacks each, which make them rank in the top 20; Winford Endicott leads the league with 6 defended passes; Harold Hurtado had 5 key run blocks, but Timothy Lacy's 4 in 5 opportunities is more impressive.

Rookie watch:
WR Jerry Beyer has recorded 3 catches for 95 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown
DT Shaun Shiroma has been injured, but will play in week three
RB Tyrell Mahoney was active against Ann Arbor
FB Henry Poston so far had 1 reception for 7 yards and recovered an opponent fumble
RT Norman Holliday was active but didn´t play against Ann Arbor
DE Aanron Sherrill had 1.0 sacks and made a crucial tackle in the Ann Arbor win
DT Andrew Rasmussen had 0.5 sacks and 1 tackle so far

[MIJB#19]

You screwed up our chance for the playoffs last year. Maybe we can return the favor in 2007. :)You screwed up your own chances last season by losing to Gothenburg.

I did by losing to Paris and Anaheim in weeks 15 and 12, and still not beating Bordeaux...

[MIJB#19]

Futility Bowl IV Preview, Merchantmen First Time Favorites
It's an old story, but at least the Maassluis Merchantmen love to keep reminding people about the history of this matchup. Any game played against the Rochester Lake Monsters will be called Futility Bowl until the end of days, how good or bad both teams are.

The International House Of Football has three seasons of history and the Maassluis-Rochester match-up is one of few inter-divisional games that have been played in every single season so far. And by the luck of 2006 records, the two teams will meet again.

The name of the rivalry is as old as the league itself. The two teams from Maassluis and Rochester were called the instant favorites in the battle for last place in the IHOF. The Lake Monsters surprized with a 4-2 start and a 6-10 season end, while the Merchantmen fulfilled the prophecy and went a league worst 1-15.

There is a new feature into this sort-of rivalry as Futility Bowl IV is the first edition played at Rochester. The schedule makers planned all previous editions in Maassluis, which means the Lake Monsters' fans finally get to see the Merchentmen in their house.

Last season, the Merchantmen ended the losing streak with a 20-10 victory. Randy Harris ran for 159 yards and Louie Flannery passes for two scores to somewhat make the losses in earlier editions livable. The lake Monsters had won in shockers in 2004 (27-25) and 2005 (15-10).

The Lake Monsters don't have high hopes for their first Futility Bowl at home. Quarterback Jackie Williamson is still not 100% ready after knee surgery. The only hope they have in stand-in quarterback Eugene Westcott is that the Merchantmen fear him after getting written into the record books with a league worst defensive performance against him.

The Merchantmen are 2-0 and could be called favorites on paper, playing an 0-2 team. But the Merchantmen have injury issues themselves, missing star tight end Jim Reiser, All IHOF defensive tackle Charles Gomez, 100 tackles linebacker Ellsworth Thelen and new left tackle Ivan Jacques. Vegas gives the Lake Monsters a four-point handicap.

The entertainment factor in the rivalry has grown big time this past off-season. Both team saw landmark players return from injury. But where Maassluis worked hard to retain quarterback Fumblin' Justin McDavid, the Lake Monsters released guard Gene Simmons. The Merchantmen management called the Monsters' out for this lack of sentiments.

But the Lake Monsters quickly returned the favor. They snagged up free agent receiver Frederick Cabe and called rumors about trading tight end Jerry Aubrey back to Maassluis non-sense. And with reason, the Merchantmen traded Aubrey like a stack of old paper, trying to make sure they get at least something in return for the former All IHOF selection.

With a recent trade, the rivalry heated up even more as the Lake Monsters received left tackle Darrin Olive in trade. This was pretty ironic as Olive came to Maassluis in a trade that cost them left tackle Edgar Dunkin. Dunkin was acquired from Rochester in 2006. And then we fail to mention Harold Hurtado, which left tackle was traded from Rochester to Maassluis in 2004.

In the end, it's easy to point out the alumni on the other team's rosters. It seems the Merchantmen and Lake Monsters' managements have always had their eyes on the same players. This last draft, sentiments were back again as the Merchantmen traded up in the draft to take wide receiver Travis Joseph. Of course, they traded him for Jerry Beyer, but the Lake Monsters were not happy.

The latest story in the long list of incidents has been around another player. The IHOF has a tradition of nicknames, hence Justin McDavid being called Fumblin' Justin. The Merchantmen drafted Shaun Shiroma, why was issued by the Lake Monsters' management as should be nicknamed "My Sharona". The Merchantmen refused and the Lake Monsters have made comments about it recently.

For both teams this game could be a season make-or-break game. The Lake Monsters have never started worse than 4-2 and they would be 0-3 with a loss. The Merchantmen were 2-1 the past two seasons, but never won three games going into their open weekend. In the end, both teams aim for a playoff ticket and last season the Lake Monsters came one win short and still blame it on Futilty Bowl III...

[Kodos]

You're going down!!!

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Remain Unbeaten, Win At Rochester
In an exciting game, the Maassluis Merchantmen set another step in their impressive season start. With a 21-19 victory at the Rochester Lake Monsters, the Dutch team are three out of three and already tie their 2006 win total on the road. Louie Flannery trashed the the single game passing yards franchise record, despite struggles. The offense again set a new total yards high. The young defensive line impressed once again, while wide receiver Jerry Beyer had another big play.

The final score was perhaps close at 21-19, but the Merchantmen for the second time this season dominated a game of football. With an impressive passing game on offense and big plays when needed on defense, the Merchantmen allowed only one offensive touchdown and won the game basically on a fumble return by wide receiver Bryce Ewald from 13 yards out after fullback Jamel Rosenberry fumbled on a 14-yard run. Rochester's punter Michael Helgeson's four field goals kept the game closer than the stats show. Even a touchdown pass from the feared Euguene Westcott to the much desired Frederick Cabe didn't upset the Merchantmen.

With 381 passing yards on 24 of 31 completed passes, Louie Flannery finally came into the record books as the franchise record holder. Flannery outdid the previous single game best, set by Justin McDavid at 294 yards with a big margin. Flannery's two interceptions were nullified with a touchdown pass and forgiven by the overall performance. The passing yardage accounted for the lionshare to break the recently set total yards franchise record again. The new mark was set at 457 yards, 19 more as in week one against the divisional rivals from Paris.

Flannery spread the ball around and made connections with nine different players. Bryce Ewald (6 catches for 98 yards) and Gregory Monti (6 catches for 88 yards) took the load of the yardage and proved they have rightfully been around for so long. Rookie Jerry Beyer showed his potential again with a single 46-yard reception, while newcomer Jules Benedict had his best game in Maassluis with 4 catches for 42 yards. The yardage was necessary as star running back Randy Harris was held to only 47 yards from scrimmage all day.

After the game, the Merchantmen management especially praised the defensive line of the team. With 8 of 28 broken passing plays, the pressure was on the Rochester quarterback all game long. Veteran Albert Bernardo was the biggest player on the line with 1.5 sacks in only limited action as a backup. The management prefers to play youngesters Omar Gougeon and Aaron Sherrill so far. And next week Wally 'World' Wilcox will make his first appearance for the Merchantmen. And in the meantime, the young defensive tackles Andy Welickza and Andrew Rasmussen made the absence of Charles Gomez go by unmentioned on the pass rush.

Although, without Charles Gomez active, the run defense really suffered. In the shadows of the defensive line, linebacker Cody Cluff moved up to first place in the IHOF with 32 tackles. The key player on defense made 12 tackles and defended a pass against Rochester, but couldn't avoid the home team to rack up 154 yards on the ground. Cluff is more and more living up to expectations after taking the Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2004. With 32 tackles, 1 interception and 3 defended passes, Cluff is getting a lot of looks by the defensive football fans.

Next up for Maassluis is a home game, the second of the season. The San Antonio Volunteers are coming overseas and want to extend their winning streak to four, just like the Merchantmen. San Antonio quarterback John McMasters ranks second in the IHOF with 902 passing yards, just before number three Louie Flannery (878 yards) and behind the number one Joey Allen (939 yards). Whether the Merchantmen can win this game or not, a 3-1 start would be the best in franchise history. Going into the open weekend 4-0 would be just a bonus.

[Kodos]

Nice win, Merchantmen. My pass defense is pathetic this year, and we've yet to record a sack. :(

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
And then we were 3-0.
3-0...
3-0, baby!

Can you believe that? We go into Rochester without Jim Reiser, Charles Gomez and Ivan Jacques, but we still manage to win 21-19. And the best thing is perhaps how we outscored them in yardage, with 457-290 total offense. I can't understand what's going on here, but I assume we're doing something right and that Flannery brings out the best in all of our receivers.

Sadly for us, our divisional rivals also keep winning. The Gothenburg Giants won their third gome game in a row, this time edging past the Tucker Tigers, 27-17. The Paris Musketeers played their first home game and saw punter Keith Horne score a game winning 54-yard field goal in overtime for a 26-23 win over the Conyers Condors. Only the Bordeaux Vineyards had a tough time, asthey had little options to make points at the North Plainfield Plague, going down 6-21. Thats keeps us in second in the division as one of seven 3-0 teams in the Atlantic Ocean Conference.

3-0 Gothenburg
3-0 Maassluis
2-1 Paris
1-2 Bordeaux

After another victory, I will give 5 points to our best player of the game. Who are my top five stars this week? Andy Weliczka made 4 tackles and 1 sack, while also forcing a fumble. Albert Bernardo saw limited time, but yet make 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Bryce Ewald had 98 yards receiving and returned a fumble 13 yards for a score. Cody Cluff had 12 tackles and defended 1 pass. Louie Flannery passed for 381 yards and a score, but also 2 interceptions.

5 points - Cody Cluff
4 points - Louie Flannery
3 points - Bryce Ewald
2 points - Albert Bernardo
1 point - Andy Weliczka

Overall standings:
9 points - Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery
8 points - Bryce Ewald
4 points - Cary Coles, Tai Wayne
3 points - Timothy Lacy
2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott, Randy Harris
1 point - Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka

And our next hurdle in the race to go 16-0 are the also 3-0 San Antonio Volunteers. We're still without Charles Gomez and I really expect us to go down big at home. Maybe the debut of Wally Wilcox and return of Ivan Jacques will help, but I'm not fully convinced we can win. The full European schedule this week:

Maassluis Merchantmen (3-0) versus San Antonio Volunteers (3-0)
Gothenburg Giants (3-0) at Telluride Outlaws (0-3)
Paris Musketeers (2-1) versus Fort Worth Fury (0-3)
Bordeaux Vineyards (1-2) has an open weekend

And here's an update on the team stats:
Passing 293 ypg (3rd), 62% (7th), 8.3 ypa (2nd), 5.7 sk ypg (7th)
Rushing 112 ypg (20th), 4.3 ypc (11th)
Pass Def 203 ypg (14th), 56% (11th), 6.1 ypa (9th), 19.7 sk ypg (3rd)
Run Def 121 ypg (22nd), 4.4 ypc (25th)

Ind. Rushing: Harris 65 ypg (4.0 ypc), Mowery 27 ypg (5.0 ypc), Rosenberry 20 ypg (5.3 ypc)
Ind. Receiving: Ewald 86 ypg, Monti 51 ypg, Beyer 47 ypg, Reiser 66 ypg (1 gp)

Rodger Mowery ranks 4th in punt return yardage with 48 yards and a 9.6 average; Devin Henson averages 19.2 yards per kick off return (4 touches); Cary Coles leads the league in field goals with 8 and is second with 30 points; Cody Cluff's 32 tackles rank him first overall; Albert Bernardo rankes tied for second with 2.5 sacks; Winford Endicott ranks tied for second with 6 defended passes; Harold Hurtado has 6 key run blocks, but Timothy Lacy's 4 in 7 opportunities is more impressive.

Rookie watch:
WR Jerry Beyer has recorded 4 catches for 141 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown
DT Shaun Shiroma has 2 hurries and 1 blocked pass after 1 game
RB Tyrell Mahoney has yet to see significant playing time
FB Henry Poston so far had 1 reception for 7 yards and recovered an opponent fumble
RT Norman Holliday has yet to see significant playing time
DE Aaron Sherrill has 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles and 4 assists
DT Andrew Rasmussen has 0.5 sacks and 5 tackles so far

[MIJB#19]

Nice win, Merchantmen. My pass defense is pathetic this year, and we've yet to record a sack. :(Thanks. I think the the score was closer due to the two interceptions, a team worst game in penalties and the Merchantmen D doing it's job in avoiding touchdowns. That is not mentioning the 46 and 48 yard receptions our #3 and #5 receivers Jerry Beyer and Devin Henson.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Versus Volunteers Preview
The world looks bright as the Maassluis Merchantmen are 3-0 and play game four of te regular season at home. Those should be the perfect ingredients to head into their bye week in week 5 with a 4-0 record. Afterall, a team that won 6 of 8 games at home last season should be favored to win. Unless, of course, one of the conference's best teams in league history comes to tugboat city. The San Antonio Volunteers were AOC runners' up in 2006 and, like Maassluis, have won all of their first three games in the new season.

The Merchantmen's success is still some sort of mystery, but the passing game has been openly called the key factor. Louie Flannery passes enough yardage to his quintet of wide receivers to make his team rank third in the IHOF in passing yardage with 293 yards per game. And with a duo of 1,000-yard backs running from behind him, Flannery has nothing to fear. His offensive line protects him well, only 14 of 109 passing plays were wasted by the pass rush. And he learned to live with his interceptions.

On the defensive side, the Merchantmen haven't been bad either. The team managed to stuff the Ann Arbor Anachronism and defend the pass in all three games well. The pass defense is anchored by the excellent pass rush support, provided by young players, but they might have a set back later in the season. The secondary and linebackers play well, especially Cody Cluff (32 tackles) and Winfort Endicott (6 passes defended) jump out.

The San Antonio Volunteers haven't been exactly doing bad either. John McMasters rankes second in passing yards (301 per game) and has 7 touchdowns versus 1 interception, making him look much better than Flannery. His new target Eldon Batts takes the pressure off other receivers, while the 1,000-yard tandem of Bud Pitts and Michael Fau keeps the chains moving. The Volunteers defense is anchored by a strong secondary and can't be underestimated.

The Merchantmen will have to play their best football to have a shot at beating San Antonio, but then, last season they did go 6-2 at home, including wins over the playoff bound Orlando Knights, Fairbanks Northstars, Gothenburg Giants and the 10-6 Rochester Lake Monsters. But San Antonio has gone 8-2 in 2006 and this season combined. Bottom line, the winner will be 4-0 and .500 football away from the playoffs. For San Antonio it would fullfill expectations, for the Merchantmen it would make a dream come true. Watch the game this Thursday and find out who it will be.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Winning Streak Ended, Lose To Volunteers
The Maassluis Merchantmen players, staff and fans knew the streak would end someday, but seing it stopped at home was a bit disappointing. With a 24-17 victory, the San Antonio Volunteers brought everybody back on earth. Louie Flannery felt as the loser of the day, seeing an interception returned for touchdown. The pass rush failed, while Randy Harris and the running game recovered. Rookie Jerry Beyer amazed with his second touchdown in Oranje Haven. Winford Endicott got hurt and will miss some time.

The 3-0 start was awesome, but the home game against the highly touted, and also 3-0, San Antonio Volunteers was the big test of the season. Despite a pretty much turnover free game, one single interception was returned for 50 yards and pretty much sealed the Voluteers win going to a 24-10 lead. Louie Flannery tried to save the day with a touchdown pass to Jerry Beyer, but after the onside kick, the game was over. San Antonio quarterback John McMasters kept he chains moving and lead his men to another victory.

"A close game, but we have proven we can be competitive against a top team," headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said, "If only we could have forced a single turnover, we might have turned it all around." Van Der Woude has a point as the Merchantmen offense kept pace with the Volunteers all day. With 334 versus 329 yards, the offensive power was pretty equal and might make you think that the single interception return was the reason for loss.

But none of that is true as the Merchantmen failed in one other area. To force turnovers, a team has to pressure the quarterback. Special for this game, the Merchantmen benched youngsters Aaron Sherrill and Omar Gougeon in favor of Albert Bernardo and Wally "World" Wilcox. At the end of the game, Bernardo and Wilcox combined for 1 blocked pass and 1 hurried pass. The secondary had to make plays and did only occasionally. But allowing only 202 yards passing, the defense did a good job against a 300 yards per game passing offense.

In the heat of the battle, both starting cornerbacks, Tai Wayne and Winford Endicott, got hurt. Wayne returned quickly and got out of the game without serious injuries. But Winford Endicott hyperextended his knee and is diagnoses to miss the next two games. Luckily last year's starter Johnnie Stidham has recovered from a knee injury and is ready to bring his interception skills (7 in 2006) back into the mix. Tai Wayne even said: "Johnnie is the guy who can force turnovers, together with Charles Gomez. We missed these guys and a strong team like San Antonio will punish you."

Running back Randy Harris looked not so happy either, but at least he had good stats to show for. Harris ran for 92 yards against the #1 defense in the IHOF, as he averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored only his first rushing touchdown of the season. Harris explains: "The management told us to run more than usual and I think we picked it up well." Especially center Brant Heinrich found his way through the San Antonio front seven and supported Harris and Rodger Mowery (34 yards) with 6 key run blocks. Butch White (3 blocks), Timothy Lacy and Ivan Jacques (2 blocks each) also had their share.

The other brigh light on the Merchantmen offense was rookie wide receiver Jerry Beyer. Sitting behind Gregory Monti (5 catches for 81 yards) and Bryce Ewald (3 catches for 39 yards) on the depth chart, Beyer had a 12-yard catch and a 16-yard touchdown reception. With 6 catches for 169 yards (28.1 per catch) and 2 scores, Beyer is making a case for being the best receiving rookie in the IHOF. It's also pretty interesting that Beyer's scores both came in Maassluis' stadium and that the two starters combined for just one score. It's only a matter of time until Beyer will move up in the depth chart.

Despite the loss, the Merchantmen are still one of a dozen teams involved in the early playoff spots race. The Merchantmen have held a wild card spot since week one and, despite the loss, have defended it so far. But it will be tough to keep that position for the rest of the season. The European Division is stronger than ever, as the four teams combined for 9-2 in inter-divisional games. The amazing part is that three time European champion Bordeaux was handed 2 losses, with their out of division loss being at the IHOF defending champions, the North Plainfield Plague.

Next up for Maassluis is a week of licking wounds, as tight end Jim Reiser and defensive tackle Charles Gomez have been inactive the past two games. Reiser should return in week six against the Vicksburg Vipers, as should 2006 starting cornerback Johnnie Stidham. Linebacker Ellsworth Thelen is also expected to return against the Vipers. Left tackle Ivan Jacques returned against San Antonio and looked good in his first fulltime start for the Merchantmen. Let's hope others will do the same when they return in the coming weeks.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Okay, so we won't go 16-0, but at least we have set a new winning streak record, 4 wins in a row, baby!

The loss was a bit disappointing as I let my offense implent a game plan which was more oriented to running, given the relative weakness in the San Antonio run defense. Relative as the were the #1 ranked defense in the IHOF before the game. Racking up 334 yards against that is damn good.

As last week, sadly for us, our divisional rivals also keep winning. The Gothenburg Giants won their fourth gome game in a row, this time winning 27-10 at the Telluride Outlaws. The Outlwas are now 0-4 and look light years away from being the 2004 conference champions. The Giants did lose their best cornerback for the year though. The Paris Musketeers won their third game in a row, beating the Fort Worth Fury 20-17 with a last second 30-yard touchdown pass from E.G. Lumpkin to Tyrus Shaye. Both were off-season acquisitions. The Bordeaux Vineyards watched in awe, seeing their divisional foes extended the lead.

4-0 Gothenburg
3-1 Maassluis
3-1 Paris
1-2 Bordeaux

Due to the loss, only the top three players will get points for their performance. Tai Wayne made 5 tackles and defended 1 pass, while allowing 2 catches. Wide receiver Gregory Monti had 5 receptions for 81 yards. Lincoln Gilmore had 7 tackles and 4 assists, but also defended 2 passes. Randy Harris ran for 92 yards and a score, making him our offensive MVP. But not after mentioning how our center Brant Heinrich made 6 key run blocks and didn't account for a sack.


3 points - Brant Heinrich
2 points - Randy Harris
1 point - Lincoln Gilmore
0 points - Gregory Monti
0 points - Tai Wayne

Overall standings:
9 points - Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery
8 points - Bryce Ewald
4 points - Cary Coles, Randy Harris, Tai Wayne
3 points - Brant Heinrich, Timothy Lacy
2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott
1 point - Lincoln Gilmore, Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka

No opposition next week, as we prepare for a game against the Vicksburg Vipers in week six. The full European schedule this week:

Maassluis Merchantmen (3-1) has an open weekend
Gothenburg Giants (4-0) at Fort Worth Fury (0-4)
Paris Musketeers (3-1) at San Antonio Volunteers (4-0)
Bordeaux Vineyards (1-2) at Vicksburg Vipers (3-0)

And here's an update on the team stats:
Passing 271 ypg (5th), 60% (13th), 7.8 ypa (5th), 6.3 sk ypg (5th)
Rushing 118 ypg (18th), 4.4 ypc (9th)
Pass Def 203 ypg (12th), 58% (15th), 6.0 ypa (7th), 14.8 sk ypg (8th)
Run Def 122 ypg (20th), 4.3 ypc (25th)
Turnovers: give 1.5 pg, take 0.5 pg

Ind. Rushing: Harris 72 ypg (4.1 ypc), Mowery 29 ypg (5.7 ypc)
Ind. Receiving: Ewald 74 ypg, Monti 58 ypg, Beyer 42 ypg, Reiser 66 ypg (1 gp)

Louie Flannery ranks 5th in passing yards with 271 yards per game and 8th witn 7.8 yards per attempt; Rodger Mowery ranks 5th in punt return yardage with 48 yards and a 9.6 average; Devin Henson averages 19.8 yards per kick off return (7 touches); Cary Coles leads the league in field goals with 9 out of 9 and is 6th with 35 points; Cody Cluff's 37 tackles rank him 5th overall; Albert Bernardo rankes tied for 8th with 2.5 sacks; Winford Endicott ranks tied for 2nd with 7 defended passes; Tai Wayne and Lincoln Gilmore have 4 defended passes each; Brant Heinrich has 11 key run blocks on 22 attempts, Butch White has 7 key run blocks and Timothy Lacy has 6 blocks on 10 opportunities to rank 5th with 60%.

Rookie watch:
WR Jerry Beyer has recorded 6 catches for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 61-yarder
DT Shaun Shiroma has 2 hurries and 1 blocked pass after 2 games
RB Tyrell Mahoney has yet to see significant playing time
FB Henry Poston so far had 1 reception for 7 yards and recovered an opponent fumble
RT Norman Holliday has yet to see significant playing time
DE Aaron Sherrill has 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles and 4 assists
DT Andrew Rasmussen has 0.5 sacks and 8 tackles so far

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen In Special Training Camp During Bye Week
After the disappointing close loss to the San Antonio Volunteers, the Maassluis Merchantmen management sent the whole roster and coaching staff on a field trip. Despite the loss, the Merchantmen are 3-1 and saw a franchise best winning streak getting snapped at four. The players seemed devastated by the loss at home, but the journey of the 2007 IHOF season is only at a quarter of the regular season and still 16 weeks away from the ultimate goal: IHOF Bowl IV.

To get the players into shape again, the ownership spent a lot of money to set up a special one week training camp in Drenthe, the Netherlands' quitest province. General manager M.IJ.B. explained: "In my youth, I had a fun time on family trips to Drenthe. I thought the players and staff would enjoy a week in the Dutch pre-historic province, riding on a bike, away from the most poluted air in the world, which surrounds Maassluis."

Long time Merchantmen player, offensive leader and offensive tackle Harold Hurtado called it a good decission: "The team made a marque achievement in beating Ann Arbor on the road and beating our two biggest rivals Paris and Rochester. The loss to San Antonio was sour, but we have to get our minds focused on the next 12 games. It'll be a tough schedule." Hurtado's role makes him the big mentor of the group and teammates have started to shorted his first name from Harold to Old.

A couple of players miss the trip to Drenthe due to injuries. Jim Reiser, Tyrel Mahoney and Ellsworth Thelen were brought along, as their injuries are expected to be healed before the Vipers come to Maassluis. Five other players were left at home. Defensive tackle Charles Gomez, who suffered a straned deltoid muscle, is the most prominent player to miss the trip. The two time All IHOF selection wants to be fit for the road game at the Paris Musketeers in week 8. The same count with two other defensive starters in cornerback Winford Endicott and linebacker Mike Kershner. Long snapper Christian Reichel was sent to a special clinic in Switzerland to nurse turf toe, while safety Richard Muller is recovering in Florida from repetitive concussion syndrome.

Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said he enjoys the relaxed atmosphere in Drenthe, but also points out that the team must not forget how much pressure comes around in the urban area of the Rijnmond, where Maassluis is the center of. Van der Woude said: "The players have all gotten the hang of sleeping in a place where ships come and go all 24 hours a day. None are kept awake overnights anymore, but the hang-over after trips to the States remain exhausting. Having two home games and a bye week in between will help to bring all focus back on the important games in the second half of the season against Gothenburg and Bordeaux."

What is scheduled for the seven days in Drenthe remains to be a secret, but the management already revealed a few plans. The 52 players who are in this special camp will have a 30 miles cycling tour in the woods. For more comeptition elements the team will have a special Merchantmen chess championship and a rock-paper-scissors tournament. And to get the players better with their role as being in the Netherlands, there will be a special game being invented, including trade negotiations, but also physical elements like korfball and wooden shoes dancing.

The players and staff on the special training camp will return in Oranje Haven five days before the game against Vicksburg. Especially defensive end Albert Bernardo looks forward to that game as Wilson Grimaldo will return in Oranje Haven once again. Bernardo and Grimaldo always had heated strides during practise. Grimaldo is expected to have hard feelings towards Maassluis, beaing treated as old rubbish. Let's hope the relaxed atmosphere in Drenthe can get the team focussed again.

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Still Working Phone Lines
The masters of trading, as they call themselves, are trying to live up their names once again. There are rumors that Maassluis is seeking to trade quarterback/holder Mel Atkins to acquire a new player. But which player they will be seeking to acquire is unknown. Our sources claim that the Merchantmen could use upgrades in the secondary with the injury to Winford Endicott.

The name of Jerry Aubrey seems to be off the list. The tight end is no longer useful as backup Arnold Ramirez made his mark with a touchdown against the Rochester Lake Monsters and decent run blocking against the San Antonio Volunteers. Plus, star Jim Reiser is expected to return all healthy after the bye week.

More serious have been the issues at the linebacker position. Rumors are that the Merchantmen are seeking for a linebacker with very good zone defense skills and the most likely fit would be Boulder Blizzard's rookie Terrence Rose. Ironically, the Merchantmen tried to acquire the #26 overall with which Rose was taken in the 2007 draft, as they hoped to get wide receiver Travis Joseph there. Of course, with Jerry Beyer leading the team in touchdowns, there's no reason to complain anymore.

In the secodary there are also still ongoing issues. The starters Tai Wayne, Winford Endicott, Lincoln Gilmore and Emile William have showed great pass defense, but lack the hands to make interceptions. Johnnie Stidham and Desmond Craig, who combined for 11 interceptions in 2006 have been demoted in their role to #3 and #5 cornerback, while free safety John Cole, who has a nose for picks, also got demoted.

Last but not least, the Merchantmen can't be overly optimistic about the backup quarterback situation. Shane Bower hasn't impressed and Justin McDavid, of course, isn't the player he used to be. Even his amazing pre-season 2007 can't help out. But who they would be able to get, with just about 1.5 million dollars in cap space, providing they ship Mel Atkins, it's a tough market.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
The Merchantmen have a week off and guess what happens? The Euro's start losing again...

Gothenburg did what they had to do, beating Fort Worth Fury 25-23. Bordeaux was run over by Vicksburg Vipers' Ronnie Kemp (170 yards) and lost big: 17-31. Paris got beaten big by the San Antonio Volunteers on the road: 13-27. Well, in a way, that's a good thing. With the competition losing, the chances for us to reach the playoffs, or even the division title will be bigger. The bad news is that the group of competitors is still eight teams big, not counting the slow starting Bordeaux Vineyards. In the Northeast division, the North Plainfield Plague are 5-0 now, while the Syracuse Mohawks are 4-1. In the Deep South San Antonio keeps winning (5-0) as does Vicksburg (4-0). In the Southeast, Tucker Tigers (3-2) beat Georgia Gridlock (3-2) this weekend. European division standings:

5-0 Gothenburg
3-1 Maassluis
3-2 Paris
1-3 Bordeaux

Next up in the division are three games, including a divisional rivalry. The full European schedule this week:

Gothenburg Giants (5-0) versus Paris Musketeers (3-2)
Maassluis Merchantmen (3-1) versus Vicksburg Vipers (4-0)
Bordeaux Vineyards (1-3) at Fort Worth Fury (0-5)

With us not playing, I don't see a reason to update the stats of the team and players.

Outside of that, there is big news in the IHOF. The ownership of the Astoria Heroes has changed. The new chief in charge is a guy well known to the Merchantmen organization. The president of the Fumblin' Justin Fan Club, Wade Moore, has been added to the list of owners. I guess that will help to continue our rivalry with Astoria being a serious one.

[Kodos]

Maybe Wade can trade for Fumblin' Justin. :)

[MIJB#19]

Press Release: Merchantmen Deny Fumblin' Justin Trade Rumors
The Maassluis Merchantmen management strongly denies recent rumors about quarterback Fumblin' Justin McDavid being traded after the 2007 season. The season has only begun and the mentioned new team for McDavid hasn't shown any interest in him. Any further rumors about trades are also false as the timing of rumors can only cause harm to team chemistry at this point.

The Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. wants to address the issue: "Fumblin' Justin McDavid is not up for trade. Justin is a charter member of the Merchantmen and has become a fan favorite. Our fan base has been big and we hope to keep it big in the coming years. Whether McDavid will have a role in that is for the future, but right now we din't see him leave before he's end of contract in 2010 season."

The Merchantmen understand that the rumors are based on recent movement in ownerships in the IHOF, but the managament want to ensure there are no on-going negotiations. M.IJ.B.: "We haven't talked with the new Astoria Heroes management, besides the trade deadline for 2007 has passed two days ago. Surely, we have our eyes open for the 2008 off-season, but it's too early to start trade talks for players. McDavid's knee injury in 2005 is one example of why we would like to wait."

The team wants to make clear that all other recent trade talk rumors are false and that the team has had only one short coversation with other managements, which were fruitless. The management asks the media to stay away from the Merchantmen players and stop spreading rumors during a time when the team is preparing for a big matchup against the unbeaten Vicksburg Vipers, who bring along former Merchantmen star Wilson Grimaldo, while the Merchantmen miss their own star player Charles Gomez.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Versus Vicksburg Vipers Preview
The Merchantmen have returned back home from a trip in the ancient woods of the Netherlands and get ready for one of the biggest games of week 6 of the 2007 IHOF season. Opponent are the Vicksburg Vipers who, at 4-0, currently hold a wild card spot as the number two of the Deep South division, behind the 5-0 San Antonio Volunteers. Those Volunteers were the last Merchantmen opponent as the Volunteers won 21-14 in Oranje Haven to hand the Merchantmen their first loss of the 2007 season. Maassluis is second in the AOC Europe, Vicksburg ranks number two in the AOC Deep South.

The Vipers have been a somewhat surprise team, being unbeaten after four weeks. Their story so far has been one of beating weak teams. The Vipers management still talk the team down, but fact is there are only five unbeaten teams left in the IHOF. The Vipers are joined by four 5-0 teams. Besides the mentioned San Antonio Volunteers those are the European leaders Gothenburg Giants, the first IHOF champions in Fairbanks NorthStars and the defending champions North Plainfield Plagues. In the four games the Vipers won, their opponents have combined for a 3-14 record. Last week, they beat the Bordeaux Vineyards 31-17 to give them their biggest win of the season to date.

So far, the Vipers have been winning on the legs of last season's offensive rookie of the year, runningback Ronnie Kemp. With 175 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, he really lived up the hype again against the Bordeaux Vineyards in week 5. But Kemp is not alone in it, he only accounts for 478 of the team's 781 yards. Backup Mike Marcano enmassed 194 yards on the ground as well, making him the most productive backup running back with almost 50 yards per game.

Key player in the running game could be the this off-season added offensive tackle Wilson Grimaldo. With 10 key run blocks, he's not the team's leader, but some think he was the missing piece on the offensive line for the Vipers. Grimaldo was getting old, so was the opinion of the Merchantmen manegement and they traded him away. Grimaldo teams up with Eric Church on the right side of the line and they form a super duo. They combined for 29 key run blocks so far and didn't allow their quarterback to be sacked.

The Vicksburg Vipers claim to not be happy going into Maassluis today. Granted, they'll miss their best player against the Vipers, as defensive tackle Charles Gomez is still out with a strained deltoid muscle. Linebackers Cody Cluff, Carl Meier and Ellsworth Thelen are top fit again and safety Lincoln Gilmore made his mark against the Volunteers in week four. But the young defensive line could be a minor problem, meaning Vipers' Ronnie Kemp might be gaining a lot of yards again.

Lucky for the Merchantmen, they have been providing a decent defense so far, ranking eight overall. Their trait so far has been a tight zone defense that kept known star quarterbacks like Donald Woods and John McMasters to lower passing yards totals than they are used to. The Merchantmen secondary is making plays, but only lack the interceptions so far. Cornerback Winford Endicott is sadly out, but the team expect that the available players will live up to their team's lead in the league of least yards per completion allowed. Crucial is probably whether the Merchantmen can provide a pass rush to pressure Vipers passer Gabe Macalusco.

The charm of the Merchantmen has so far been their offense. Quarterback Louie Flannery has thrown 5 interceptions in 4 games, but it couldn't overcome him from averiging 270 yards passing per game. The Merchantmen offense ranks third overall in total yards per game and the offensive line has helped out big time with run blocking and allowing a only 1 sack per game so far. Running back Randy Harris has been in the shadows of the passing game so far, especially rookie Jerry Beyer, who leads the team in touchdown, despite only 6 receptions in 4 games.

It won't be an easy task, however, as the Vipers are currently the top ranked defense in the IHOF. The Vipers allow only 180 passing yards per game and have averages almost 4 sacks per game. And with only slightly over 100 rushing yards per game allowed, the Vipers stop the run as well. By adding defensive tackle Donald Bonner recently, they even bolstered the defensive line, although it cost them their star cornerback Kendall Thibodeaux. It might force the Vipers to play second year pro, safety Kerry Horner at cornerback. Of course, Horner is concidered one of the hottest defensive backs in the entire league a nd the #4 pick of the 2006 draft has his eye on the #5 of the same draft, Louie Flannery.

Two over performing teams or not, Maassluis versus Vicksburg is one of the top games of the week. Clearly the Faribanks NorthStarts (5-0) versus the Miami Sharks (4-1) is the top game, but the game between the Merchantmen and Vipers can easily rank second. The other two games with two winning teams will be crucial for both AOC teams in hunt of a playoff ticket as well as the European number one (Gothenburg Giants) and three (Paris Musketeers) face-off in Sweden, while the numbers two in the other two AOC divisions, the Syracuse Mohawks (4-1, Northeast) play against the Georgia Gridlock (3-2, Southeast). Combined with those two AOC top games, it'll be an interesting day for the playoffs race, especially for the Merchantmen.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Ran Over By Vipers' Ronnie Kemp
The Maassluis Merchantmen were 3-1 and had hopes, but the unbeaten Vicksburg Vipers came to Oranje Haven and sailed away victorious. With a 20-10 win, anchored by running back Ronnie Kemp, the Vipers won with ease. The Merchantmen looked ball all over and may wish to forget this game as soon as possible. With the Vipers 250 yards rushing, the Merchantmen defense set a new franchise low.

Charles Gomez wasn't there and it struck fear in the Merchantmen's front seven. The young linemen and capable linebackers looked hopeless and running back Ronnie Kemp ran all over them. With 182 yards on 30 runs and a score, Kemp sliced through the Merchantmen defense and set a new personal best. With 660 yards on 150 carries in 5 games, Kemp has moved up to first place in the IHOF on the rushing leaderboard.

Some in the Merchantmen organization think it was avoidable, but others claim it wasn't. Linebacker Cody Cluff said "We could have seen Kemp coming and gambled on the run all day." Running back Randy Harris (16 yards on 11 runs) disagreed: "We got stuffed on offense and couldn't have saved the defense, if if they had stopped the run." Cornerback Tai Wayne (pass defense allowed a 12 for 13 game) said: "Without Gomez, we have no pass rush and no pass rush means no time to cover the receivers." Quarterback Louie Flannery (2 interceptions, 16 for 35): "240 yards passing in such a big loss..." Flannery racked up 240 yards, but only because he had 99 on a two-minute offense drive to a touchdown.

Most of the Merchantmen players and staff members clearly wantto forget the game as soon as possible and the team is already looking forward to a set of three road games. Charles Gomez is expected to be able to play, being listed as probable, but Andy Weliczka will be missing, meaning all relies on the two rookies Shaun Shiroma and Andrew Rasmussen. Add Aaron Sherrill at the left end you'll have three starting rookies. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said: "Paris and Telluride are waiting, but first we have to beat the Fort Worth Fury. We did it before, but in our current shape, it'll be tough to even beat a winless team."

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Ugh, that was horrible:
* 3 pass rush wasted plays on defense
* 24 yards rushing on offese
* 250 yars rushing allowed
* allowed a no-name quarterback to complete 12 of 13 passes
* another game where we don't force a turnover
* no big plays by the special teams unit, except Cary Coles' 48-yard field goal

The biggest thing is that the rest of the division keeps winning. The Bordeaux Vineyards bounced back after a 1-3 start and had an easy game, steam rolling 24-9 over the Forth Worth Fury. The Paris Musketeers pulled the upset, beating an injury-plague Gothenburg Giants team 31-21 on the road as E.G. 'The Great' Lumpkin passed for 3 touchdowns and 267 yards. Going to the standings, it's interesting to note that we still are the winningest division in the league and all five losses outside of the division were handed by the three unbeaten teams in our conference. The European division standings:

5-1 Gothenburg
4-2 Paris
3-2 Maassluis
2-3 Bordeaux

Next up in the division are only two games. Paris and especially Gothenburg can use the week off. The Bordeaux Vineyards will take on the San Antonio Volunteers (6-0) while we will play at the Fort Worth Fury (0-6).

It was tough to name stars of the game, but in the end, going by the rules, three players were rewarded for their effort of the following five players. Kicker Cary Coles scored a 48-yard field goal and an extra point. Defensive tackle Linebackers Carl Meier had 11 big plays on defense as he recorded 11 tackles, 1 assists and 1 hurried pass. Guard Butch White made 1 of 2 key run blocks and wasn't responsible for the only sack allowed by the line. Shaun Shiroma recorded 1 sack and 8 total tackles. Linebacker Cody Cluff made 9 tackles and 5 assists, of which 7 were big plays.

Overall standings:
10 points - Cody Cluff
9 points - Louie Flannery
8 points - Bryce Ewald
6 points - Cary Coles
4 points - Randy Harris, Tai Wayne
3 points - Brant Heinrich, Timothy Lacy, Carl Meier
2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott
1 point - Lincoln Gilmore, Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka

Were do we stand now on offense and defense overall? We did rank 3rd on offense and 8th on defense in total yards per game. We now rank 7th with 358 total yards per game on offense and 10th on defense with 322 yards per game allowed. At least we managed to kick Vicksburg from first to second on the defensive charts thanks to our last drive of the game, but what's that worth?

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Locker Room Riots In Maassluis
The disappointing streak of two lost games in Oranje Haven has caused a big riot in the Merchantmen locker rooms. It seems that after the 10-20 loss against the Vicksburg Vipers players have been pointing to other players to shove off their own mistakes. Especially the rookie defensive linemen, running back Randy Harris and cornerback Johnnie Stidham were the center piece of criticism. Star player Charles Gomez' absence seems to have caused a big rambling of players claiming they are the leader of the team.

"The defensive line sucks big time. Charles is unavailable and the little kids stop making plays." Those are the words of one anonymus linebacker. In the meantime, the veteran defensive ends Albert Bernardo and Wally 'World' Wilcox are complaining about playing time, sitting behind no-names on the depth chart. In the secondary a couple of big role players of the 2006 season are not happy either. John Cole was demoted to a backup role, while Johnnie Stidham and Desmond Craig plummetted on the cornerbacks chart with the addition of Winford Endicott and return of Tai Wayne.

But the biggest trouble maker so far has been veteran guard Brian Hammond. Hammond was signed to backup youngsters Butch White and 'Tiny Tim' Lacy, but wants a bigger role. Hammond was reported saying: "The kids play well, I'm unlucky to sit on a team with two super performing guards." But we know better. Word is that Hammond wants playing time and since the Merchantmen need to win in week eight, there are signs they will play with backups in week seven.

Even more than Hammond, center Tom Schwartz is openly critizing the Merchantmen management. Schwartz was hired as a free agent to return to his old home. Schwartz was a fulltime starter in Maassluis in 2004 and started a few games with playoff reaching Astoria in 2006. But coming back in Maassluis, Schwartz finds himself digged in as fourth option at center, behind veterans Brian Hammond and Harold Hurtado.

Some football experts claim that the locker room troubles have been caused by the special training camp in Drenthe. One experts said: "Why on earth would you send adrenaline-driven athletes into the dullest part of the country to play chess on a bike? And wooden shoes dancing, what on earth were they thinking!" Wooden shoes dancing. Imagine Louie Flannery handing off to Randy Harris on wooden shoes. What's next in typical Dutch stuff: extasy and exotic dancers? The ex-factor is going to take over from the so hyped y-factor. Shaun Shiroma, Andrew Rasmussen, Aaron Sherrill and Omar Gougeon do not have the y-factor? These guys just plain suck!

Looking ahead, three of the next six games of the Merchantmen are against winless teams. The other three are divisional games, with one against each rival. They want to go 4-2 or even 5-1 in that stretch, but with all these locker room troubles 3-3 would be a longshot. There migt be only two hands ful of initial Merchantmen left, but the image of the first team to go 1-15 in the IHOF will always remain and haunt the Dutch team.

Randy Harris running on wooden shoes, no wonder he was held to 16 yards...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen At Forth Worth Fury Preview
After a good start of the season, the Maassluis Merchantmen have had a minor setback and lost two straight home games for the first time since the horrendous 1-15 season in 2004. Coming up is a series of three road games, with two games in the States seperated by an all-important game at the Paris Musketeers. But as noted, first comes a different game, a game at the Fort Worth Fury. The Merchanten are 2-0 on the road so far, while the Fury have an 0-6 overall record. The Merchantmen even lead the head-to-head series 2-0 and yet there's still doubt on success. But why?

The why part is easy, the Merchantmen have a few injuries going on. Granted, the whole league is getting plagued by sore knees and influenza epidemics all the time, but the Merchantmen have only one, maybe two, irreplecable player: Charles Gomez. Gomez is the hearth of the defense, he breaks through the opposing offensive line to either stuff the running back or sack the quarterback. And if he doesn't makie the play, at least he keeps two or three linemen busy, givinf teammates room to make a play. Gomez has a sore shoulder and could play with some injections, but the all-important game might make the team sit him.

No Gomez, no glory. But not for the Fury. In Fort Worth, people are getting used to losing and this season with a new quarterback making plays, it isn't looking like it will be their first winning record season. Shawn Jahn may be a second year player, but he was so green as a rookie, the Fury didn't dare to put him on the field. And now in his second season, the former #17 overall pick is so far winless. With a completion percentage of just over 50, less than 200 yards per game and a 1-4 touchdown-interception ratio in five games, Jahr hasn't set the world on fire at all.

Much different is the story of a fellow first round pick second year quarterback. Louie Flannery has been showing great things for the Merchantmen so far. The fans and staff would be in love with 'Flan', if it wasn't for his on going struggles to avoid interceptions. With 7 of 174 pass attempts intercepted, Flannery sees his quarterback rating butchered to just below 76, despite completing 7.6 yards per attempt and having a touchdown pass per game. But this Monday, 'Flan' has a land mark game. He's going to tie the infamous 'Fumblin Justin' in games started for the Merchantmen. Flannery needs three touchdowns and no interceptions to tie the fourth stringer's all-time stats. Otherwise he'll only be out-doing him in yards (about 10 yards per game) and completion percentage (about 57 versus 51 percent).

But despite Flannery's minor struggles, the bigger question in Maassluis' offense so far is why Randy Harris has dropped his production. Harris has a career low yards per game average (60 yards) and scored only one rushing touchdown in five games.Of course, the total of 16 yards in the last game against the Vicksburg Vipers didn't help. And the more aggressive passing game doesn't help Harris to get the carries needed to rack up 100 yards in a game. Not to mention he's sharing time with Rodger Mowery, the team's off-season acquired 1,000-yard back.

This week, it won't be an easy game for 'Flan' and Harris. With 2005 All IHOF'er Ellis Mier, Jeffrey Lund and former #9 pick Joel Woodcock, the Fury have a strong defensive line. Their only hope is to see the offensive line play as good as they have been so far, above expectations well. If that happenes, Harris and the group of receivers can try to exploit the relative weak linebackers corps and the injury plagued secondary. The Fury's top two defensive backs, James King and Wyatt Harness are listed as injured, but could play, if needed.

On offense, the Fury provide Shawn Jahr with running back William 'Chunder' Wood, who racked up 4.8 yards per game so far. With ex-Merchantmen fullback Mark Burger paving the way, Wood seems to have a career year in an off-year for the whole team. But sadly for Wood and Jahr, offensive tackle James Jones is out with an lebow injury, while the other tackle Andre Brookshire is questionable with an abdominal strain. Maybe rookie wide receiver Jonathan Adams can live up to expectations. So far the two-times traded rookie has had 7 receptions for 64 yards in 5 games. Playing versus a relative good Merchantmen secondary, it won't be likely for Adams to have his break-out game yet.

Going into tonight's game, the Fury are clearly the underdogs being winless and never having beaten the Merchantmen before. But the Merchantmen have struggled lately and the two home losses were both pretty much sealed going into the tow-minute warning. But on the other hand, the Merchantmen could be detirmined to set things right and get back into the form that made them 3-0 starters. The orange-white-and-blue are ready for their first big win of the season and want to make it reality against a team that lost four of six games by a combined nine points. But of all people, 'Fumblin Justin' put it in the best perspective: "The 1-15 Merchantmen of 2004 lost eight times by one score. The only ticket to a winning record is winning the close games. We're 6-4 with Flannery in close games, Louie will tie my stats and lead us to 4-2 and back into the division title race." We can only hope so...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Remain Unbeaten In USA Beating Fury
In the previous meetings in Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Fury and Maassluis Merchantmen kept it close, but both times the Dutch team took the victory home. In the third game in the series, history repeated as an almost perfect Louie Flannery passed his team to a 24-17 victory. The defense had their share of the win, making the turnover battle go their way, despite being outgained in yardage. Randy Harris got injured and might not start for the Merchantmen in franchise history.

Louie Flannery was the player of the game in Texas today. The defense set it all up, but Flannery took full advantage all game long. The second year quarterback completed 21 of 26 passes (81%) for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sure, his yardage went down a bit, but that is to be expected when his wide receivers are covered and only tight end Jim Reiser (9 receptions) and running back Randy Harris (5 receptions) can get open to make the scores. Reiser set a franchise record with his number and helped Flannery to avoid interceptions for the first time this season.

On the other end of the ball, interceptions were crucial to stop the Fury's quarterback Shawn Jahr. Cornerbacks Myron Stevens and Johnnie Stidham have to prove the management they are worth starting opposite shutdown corner Tai Wayne as Winford Endicott will return from injury and accounted for one pick each. And just like the duo of cornerbacks, linebacker Carl Meier had his role on the line with a returning Mike Kershner, thus decided to make a big play and make the third interception. With that, the Merchantmen won the turnover battle 3-1 and helped out. Amazingly enough, the whole Merchantmen defense had made only one interception in the previous five games.

Variety of big plays can also help. The mentioned duo Stevens and Stidham made their mark on other fronts as well. Johnnie Stidham blocked a punt near the Fury's endzone. Safety Lincoln Gilmore recovered the ball in the pile of players and made the score tied 7-7 as the Fury had taken the lead earlier on a run from William Wood. Myron Stevens became the first Merchantmen player to record an interception and a sack in the same game since linebacker Ellsworth Thelen had a career game in week 17 of the 2006 season against the Gothenburg Giants. But unlike Thelen, who made 12 tackles, Stevens made only one tackle.

Ellsworth Thelen saw his playing time on the line as well and paid back with a sack as well. Add sacks from Albert Bernardo and Andrew Rasmussen and you see 4 sacks for the game to pressure Shawn Jahr into struggling. Jahr eventually had a decent game for a second year quarterback, but his 18 or 33 completed for 261 yards didn't look as good as Louie Flannery's numbers. The draft day decission by the Dutch team to trade up and take Flannery at #5 rather than Jahr at #12 looked like a good one today.

Looking back, the game was pretty much dominated by the Merchantmen defense and they allowed 331 total yards because they could allow then and they compensated with big plays. The Merchantmen offense did well on the short field and took the win well. After the game, headcoach Leroy Van der Woude couldn't be happier: "Team effort is the key. We missed Charles Gomez again, but the defense stepped up and everybody showed they deserve playing time. It'll be tough to put up 11 starters next week."

Les Musketeers are awaiting for the Merchantmen in week 8. The team from Paris is detirmened to win for the fourth year in a row at home against the Dutch team. With both Paris and Maassluis at 4-2, it will be crucial for Paris to be able to win tiebreakers, since Maassluis took the win at home. For Maassluis, Randy Harris might for the first time not start as he pulled a groin. It would be a bad timing as fullback Jamel Flannery is also still banged up. In return, the Merchantmen see three defensive starters return to the active roster (Charles Gomez, Winford Endicott and Mike Kerhsner) meaning there will be tough decissions made on who plays and who doesn't.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
It's unbelievable, we're 4-2 and not even sitting in a wild card spot, I think I'm having flashbacks.

Like last year, we're having one heck of a season start and yet are caught in one of the toughest divisions in the entire IHOF. Being on their bye week, Gothenburg Giants kept the lead at 5-1, while we surpassed the Paris Musketeers at 4-2 each as we are 1-0 up head-to-head. The Bordeaux Vineyards are still in last place, despite being te first team to beat the San Antonio Volunteers. The Vineyars are 3-3, meaning all teams in our division have a better record than the leader in the AOC Southeast division.

On the schedule for week eight is the all-important game between us and Paris. Who wins goes to 5-2 and stays close in the race for the wild cards. The loser drops back a little, especially if it's Paris. The Gothenburg Giants play at home against the San Antonio Volunteers and one of them will see their second loss of the season. The Bordeaux Vineyards also play at home as they host the 1-5 Telluride Outlaws. For what it's worth, the now 1-5 Outlaws upset the now 5-1 Vicksburg Vipers this week.

Victory was ours and that means I'm going to credit five players with points this week. Butch White made 4 key run blocks (45%) and was not credited for 1 of the 3 sacks the line allowed. Louie Flannery competed 81% of his passes for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jim Reiser had a franchise record 9 receptions for 95 yards and 1 touchdown. Carl Meier made 8 tackles, 3 assists, 1 interception and defended 1 pass. Tai Wayne defended 3 passes and made 4 tackles. And desite 1 sack, 1 interception and 0 catches allowed, Myron Stevens goes without points this week.

Entering the points of this week to the overall standings, we'll get:
14 points - Louie Flannery
10 points - Cody Cluff
8 points - Bryce Ewald, Tai Wayne
6 points - Cary Coles, Carl Meier
4 points - Randy Harris
3 points - Brant Heinrich, Timothy Lacy
2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott, Jim Reiser
1 point - Lincoln Gilmore, Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka, Butch White

Loooking at the team statistics, we've dropped a few spots on both offense and defense. We're down to 99 yards rushing, 256 yards passing and 8 yards lost by sacks per game. 347 total yards per game is still very good, but the lack of a ground game is costing us opportunity to vary and keep the chains moving when needed. On defense we allow 140 yards rushing per game, which is too much, but it's butchered by Ronnie Kemp's wild game in week six. We're one of the better pass defense as we allow 201 yards per game and rank third in yardage won through sacks (17 per game). With 324 total yards, we're still in the upper half of the IHOF.

Last but not least, we're looking forward to the next game and we know that winning at Paris will be crucial. Beat them now and we can afford to lose one game more te rest of the season due to our head-to-head sweep (2-0). Lose and we're going to need to beat either Gothenburg or Bordeaux twice, which looks impossible as of now. But to be honest, I think our team should be motivated, remembering the 20-40 and 3-31 scores the past two seasons. Our defense is as healthy as it could be (except nose tackle Andy Weliczka), meaning we should be able to give the Paris offense a good beating. I hope we can do it and make it the second win in a new franchise record winning streak of five. Now that would be really great to see happen...

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Admit They Rested Starters
It's uncalled for, unsportmanship like or simply "not done." The Maassluis Merchantmen management has admitted they rested a couple of starters for the road game aganst the Fort Worth Fury. The upcoming road game at the Paris Musketeers is apparantly too important to try to win a road game outside of the European division. Charles Gomez, Jamel Flannery, Mike Kerhsner and Winford Endicott didn't play, despite being fit enough to play a couple of downs. Instead, no-names like Henry Poston, Myron Stevens, Andrew Rasmussen and Josh Weisberg were playing.

"Losing wasn't an option," said defensive end Aaron Sherrill, "the Fury were too bad to not be beaten." Confidence was clearly there and the Merchantmen took a couple of gambles. The gamble to give interception master Johnnie Stidham a starting role paid off as the man of 7 interceptions in 2006 made his first of the 2007 season. Stidham also blocked a punt, which lead to the Merchantmen's first touchdown, but he didn't protect his receiver like Winford Endicott can make a one invisible all day.

On the offensive side of the ball, Randy Harris was held to below 3 yards per carry and that was mostly because his buddy Jamel Rosenberry wasn't playing. "Henry played well," Harris said, but he was clearly not happy with his new bodyguard. Everything backfired as Harris picked up a groin injury in the game and might not start in a Merchantmen game for the first time ever. Harris is the only player who started in all 54 previous regular season games. With Rosenberry still bruised, the team might have to look to either pass heavy or give rookie Tyrell Mahoney the ball, as Rodger Mowery lacks the endurace to run the ball all day long.

Victory in a road game in divisional play is the reason the Merchantmen rested their stars. In the previous three seasons, the Merchantmen were beaten by the Bordeaux Vineyards, Gothenburg Giants and Paris Musketeers in every single road game they played. In total, the Merchantmen are 0-9 on the road in Europe. But coming off their third straight win on the road, the curse might be broken. But after the way the Merchantmen handled the Musketeers in Oranje Haven, the Parisians are hoping on sweet revange. And looking to the last two games, they totalled 71 points versus Maassluis' 23.

"Europe is conquering the IHOF this season and the Merchantmen are not taking it serious." One anonymous league source has complained about the way the Merchantmen rest their injured stars. "The fans pay a lot of money to see all the stars. Resting a guy like Charles Gomez because he's only 99% fit is an insult."

Looking back, the game was won and the risk the Merchantmen took paid off, but it was close afterall. The Merchantmen leaned on three interceptions and saw Louie Flannery not throw one for the first time this season. A blocked punt that got recovered in the endzone accounted for the Merchantmen's first 7 points of the game and they are extremly lucky placekicker Cary Coles has not missed a kick in 2007 yet. It's only amatter of time before luck will run out and the team will lose again.

Like it or not, the Merchantmen are 4-2 and will play in one of te big games of the week. Two 4-2 teams in a divisional rivalry is a great matchup and having Charles Gomez in-game can make a difference. If anything, Gossip News will try to stir up things to make the Merchantmen lose, but last time it failed big time when we wrote about the locker room troubles. But the bad end of the resting starters means the Merchantmen have about 20 players who want to start in Paris. Try keeping all those hot heads happy now!

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen At Musketeers Preview
In a few years time, things can change quickly in the football world. Tomorrow, the Maassluis Merchantmen and Paris Musketeers will battle it out for one team to sit 5-2 and in pursuit of the division title, even leading if the Gothenburg Giants lose. The loser will be 4-3 and looking over their shoulder to the Bordeaux Vineyards, who are expected to move to 4-3. But why is this so special?

Looking at the history of both franchises, the best they ever did was going 8-8. That's right, 8 wins in one season, the infamous .500 land. The Paris Musketeers were 2-14 two years ago, the Maassluis Merchantmen even 1-15 three seasons ago. But with a new quarterback (the second new one, to be precise) both teams are aiming for a winning season and potentially a playoff ticket. And in a tight division, it ain't impossible for either of the two to get there. Paris and Maassluis can make the jump up in a game that is called an even battle by the experts from Vegas.

Old results are no guarantee for success, but the Muskteers have the early each, leading the head-to-head series 4-3, including beain unbeaten in Paris. It's been said more often than not, the Merchantmen have allowed a combined 71 points in the last two at Paris. The Musketeers would have sufficient confidence had they not been pretty much kept out of competing in the week 1 game at Oranje Haven. Quarterback Louie Flannery showed he's the better quarterback head-to-head with E.G. 'The Great' Lumpkin, despite Lumpkin having the better to-date stats this season.

Vicious sacks and tackles for a loss. That's what the Merchantmen's defensive front is prommising Lumpkin and running back Joe Boulware. With everybody back from injury, except 2006 seventh round pick Andy Weliczka, there are enough players available to make it happen. Especially the return of Charles Gomez is expected to strike fear to the Paris backfield. Supported by the excellent linebacking quartertet Cody Cluff, Carl Meier, Ellsowrth Thelen and Mike Kershner, it will be running towards the sidelines rather than the opposing endzone all day for the Parisians. Especially after stud tackle Howard Bingham went out for the season with an injury.

Even if Lumpkin thinks he can avoid the sack, the Merchantmen defense has shown in their last game they still can force turnovers. With three interceptions, good times seem back and the return of cornerback Winford Endicott has been called "very good news". Star cornerback Tai Wayne explains: "Winford is a winner. He's one of the best defenders in the league in zone defense and with him we can make sure the receivers won't get open." Wayne and Endicott both defended 7 passes so far, which are good totals for a cornerback, especially when they allow a total of 2.4 receptions per game.

Looking to the other side of the ball, the Merchantmen are not top fit. Running back Randy Harris has pulled his groin for the second time in three months time, while his fullback Jamel Flannery is still recovering from knee tendinitis. It means the Merchantmen will be needing great run blocking from the offensive line to help the backups Rodger Mowery and Tyrell Mahoney to make plays. Mowery so far had 27 carries for 5.3 yards per carry, but he's also recorded 3 fumbles in 6 games. And Mahoney hasn't had a ball touch yet. Lucky for them, the Merchantmen line, especially the guards, are pass blocking experts.

Looking back to week one and the expected lineups, there can be only conclussion: The Merchantmen will finally win a European game on the road. Granted, Paris has won all previous meetings at home, but the personnel they will provide is missing stars compared to week one, while the Merchantmen only face a problem with a limited running back. But seeing how the Merchantmen beat Fort Worth and Rochester on the road without Charles Gomez active, the should be no doubt they can find a winning way with their all time rushing leader present. Besides, Rodger Mowery is no rookie, he's a former 1,000-yard back! Go Merchantmen!

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Europe's Best After Beating Paris
It took three and a half seasons to happen, but at last the Maassluis Merchantmen have reached the European top spot. With a historical 14-6 win at the Paris Musketeers, the Merchantmen did their share to reach first place. Charles Gomez returned to lead his defense to a day of haunting the Paris quarterback. Injuries took out three potential starters, but not long term.

The Merchantmen were doing a good job so far this season, but going into Paris, the team was seaking for something new. The orange-white-and-blue sailors never won a road game in Europe, but had won three in a row on the road this season. Beating Paris would have been a major achievement and the team made it happen. But looking back, it only came on some well timed big plays on defense.

Charles Gomez. The Merchantmen looked ost on defense without him, but with their inspiring leader back, the pass rush made big plays all game long. At the end of the day the total score was seven sacks, but more importantly was the timing of the sacks. Most came on crucial third downs and the final Paris drive was especially crucial. 14-6 down at the Merchantmen two-yard line, Paris were in a position to score. But a false start and a big run stop from Cody Cluff later, the Meerchantmen pass rushers made two big plays to end the game pretty much with four and a half minutes left, Paris never got the ball back.

Defense or not, Louie Flannery looked deep into the mirror once again. Flannery once again made the big plays, with touchdown passes to Gregory Monti and rookie Jerry Beyer, but with also two interceptions, he made it a difficult game for the defense. Flannery said: "I got to quit doing that, the defense shows up every game, but one interception less would really easy their minds."

Randy Harris finally ran wild again and kept the chains moving when needed. With 78 rushing yards on 14 carries, the running back showed up bit time and didn't look injured at all. Wit left tackle Ivan Jacques blocking away, Harris was able to make plays and finally contribute again after games of 2.7 and 1.4 yards per carry. But Harris was the last person to say the offense made the game.

Charles Gomez was back and everybody was going to know it. With 6 tackles, 3 hurries and 1.5 sacks, he anchored a strong defense. Cody Cluff (8 tackle, 1 interception), Tai Wayne (1 sack, 1 defended pass), Albert Bernardo (1.5 sacks), Aaron Sherrill (1.5 sacks), Myron Stevens (1 forced fumble), they all tried to contribute. Some call it a team performance, but with Gomez back, things are working out better on key plays.

With a loss from the Gothenburg Giants at home against the San Antonio Volunteers, the Merchantmen moved up to first place in the European Division with a 5-2 record, holding divisional tiebreakers over the Giants. It marks the first time ever the Dutchmen take the lead in what seems to be the strongest division in the International House Of Football in 2007. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude tried to temper the positive thoughts: "Remember, we were 5-2 last season and this year were only two losses away from last place in the division. Let's enjoy the momentum and see where we can get."

Coming up is a road game at the Telluride Outlaws. The 2004 Atlantic Oceam Conference champions have serious injury woes in their secondary and have given up on quarterback Norm Rizzo, the oldest player in the league, as they are 1-6 now. Winning there would be great and some even already expect it to happen, but the eyes mainly go to the big game in Bordeaux, where the Bordeaux Vineyars host the Gothenburg Giants in a game that could help all four European teams sit 5-3 at mid-season. Wouldn't that be something?

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Sorry Paris, but we like the win.

Awesome, people, awesome. 5-2 is familiar, but last season we were hopeless in divisional play. At this point we already have clinched our best divisional record ever. And with Gothenburg losing 17-19 to San Antonio, while Bordeaux beat Telluride 28-3 at home, we're in one heck of a division. I think as a group of owners, we Europeans are proud on our progress. In 2004 we combined for 24-40, at this point we're a combined 18-10 and are the only division with all teams having a winning record. For what it's worth, the AOC Southeast division leading Tucker Tigers are 4-4...

Standings:
5-2 Maassluis (2-0 divisional)
5-2 Gothenburg (1-1 divisional)
4-3 Paris (2-1 divisional)
4-3 Bordeaux (1-0 divisional)

Next up:
Bordeaux (4-3) vs Gothenburg (5-2)
Maassluis (5-2) at Telluride (1-7)
Paris (4-3) at Vicksburg (5-2)

Looking to the top five players of the game, the first name is easy, the rest follows as they did a decent job. Charles Gomez recorded 6 tackles, 2 assists, 1 sack and 3 hurries. Cody Cluff recorded 8 tackles and 1 interception. Left tackle Ivan Jacques had 4 key run blocks and protected the quarterback excelently. Albert Bernardo made 1.5 sacks in the final Paris drive. Rookie Jerry Beyer had 3 receptions for 25 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown.

Standings
14 points - Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery
8 points - Bryce Ewald, Tai Wayne
6 points - Cary Coles, Charles Gomez, Carl Meier
4 points - Albert Bernardo, Randy Harris
3 points - Brant Heinrich, Ivan Jacques, Timothy Lacy
2 points - Winford Endicott, Jim Reiser
1 point - Jerry Beyer, Lincoln Gilmore, Andy Weliczka, Butch White

Overall statistics after 7 games:
Louie Flannery is completing 60% of his passes for 250 yards/game, with 10 td vs 9 int. Randy Harris has ran for 65 yards/game and 1 td. Rodger Mowery is a good change of pace back with 24 yards/game (5.3 yard/carry) and 1 td. In the receiving yards per game list the top three are Monti 54 yd, Ewald 55 yd and Reiser 55 yd (4 games). Kicker Cary Coles is still the #1 kicker in the IHOF with 11/11 FGs and the longest kick at 57 yd. Key run blocks leaders are Heinrich with 14, White 13, Lacy 9, Jacques 7, Hurtado 6 and Rice with 5. Rodger Mowery sadly recorded no less than 4 fumbles in 42 ball touches, despite his punt returning.

Cody Cluff ranks 3rd in the IHOF with 64 tackles, second in tackles per game. Albert Bernardo ties for 2nd in the IHOF with 5.5 sacks (in only 78 pass plays!) Other sack numbers: Gomez 3.0, Sherrill 3.0, Rasmussen 2.5, Thelen 1.5, Gougeon 1.5, Weliczka 1.5. In pass defense, Cody Cluff has 2 interceptions so far this season. Johnnie Stidham, Carl Meier and Myron Stevens each had 1 interception. Tai Wayne had 8 defended passes, Winford Endicott has 7 in 5 games, Lincoln Gilmore 4.

Team Stats?
Off Total Yards: 11th with 342 yd/game
Rushing Offense: 27th with 101 yd/game
Passing Offense: 9th with 250 yd/game
Pass Protection: 11th with 8 yd/game
Def Total Yards: 13th with 324 yd/game
Rushing Defense: 26th with 138 yd/game
Passing Defense: 10th with 206 yd/game
Pass Rush Yards: 1st with 22 yd/game
Turnover Margin: 12 give aways, 6 take aways

It's obvious, our key to success is the pass rush so far and we do it with rookies starting, while veterans rotate in from the bench surrounding the arguably best defensive tackle in the IHOF. Success or not, I'm still stunned how we can be 5-2. We beat Paris (4-3) twice and won at three of the biggest disappointing teams of the season in Ann Arbor (2-5), Rochester (2-5) and Fort Worth (1-7), while we lost to Vicksburg (5-2) and San Antonio (7-1). All the signs are there we're still stuck in .500 land. Oh well, enjoy the momentum and who knows where we'll end up at season's end?

Oh, I forgot something, how are the rookies doing?
On offense, RB Tyrell Mahoney (5.02) has been active in 5 games, but didn't contribute yet. FB Henry Poston (5.03), started in 1 of 6 games he was active and so far contributed with a 7-yard reception and a fumble recovery. WR Jerry Beyer (2.03), in 6 starts made 14 receptions for 241 yards and 3 scores make him by far the #1 receiving rookie in the IHOF. OT Norman Holliday (5.04) has not been active yet.

On defense DE Aaron Sherrill (6.04) recorded 3 sacks (#1 rookie in the IHOF), 14 tackles, 6 assists and 4 hurries in 6 starts. DT Andrew Rasmussen (6.05) recorded 2.5 sacks (#2 rookie in the IHOF), 17 tackles, 5 assists and 2 hurries in 7 games. DT Shaun Shiroma (2.16) played 5 games, recording 15 tackles, 8 assists, 1 sack, 2 blocked passes and 2 hurries.

[MIJB#19]

Irregular Interviews: Louie Flannery Centerpiece Of The Hype
Louie Flannery is the new all-time leading Maassluis Merchantmen quarterback. In the win against the Paris Musketeers, Flannery lead the Dutch team to the lead in Europe for the first time ever. Coincidentally Flannery surpassed Justin McDavid in pass attepts, passing touchdowns and in starts to make Flannery all-time leader in attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns and starts at quarterback for the Merchantmen. With Justin McDavid on roster, he can technically still get past Flannery, but being a fourth stringer, it's unlikely. Who is Flannery and how has he addepted to living away from the States for most of the year? And what's his own take on his image as being interceptions prone?

Q (Questioner): Thanks for joining us Louie Flannery, how's life in the Netherlands?
LF (Louie Flannery): Well, it's different, but I've gotten used to living here.

Q: Are there special traits, traditions or anything here that you like in special?
LF: I dunno... The fans ain't crazy people and just let you do your shopping in the malls. We have a big fan base but people just don't recognize us. We're still pretty anonymous in the Netherlands.

Q: Shouldn't you have taken the "Life Of Louie" real life soap idea more serious and help spread the image of the Merchantmen in the country?
LF: It wasn't my decission, (Merchantmen owner) M.IJ.B. didn't like the people who came with the plans. Besides, I hear people can read all about the Merchantmen through the internet.

Q: How's the atmosphere after taking first place in the division mid-way the season?
LF: We're not there yet, the season is still nine games long. Granted, being in first is a major achievement for a team that was known as the league's laughing stock, but we're still two or three losses away from last place in the division.

Q: Of course, but 5-2 and going to Telluride, we're looking to an all-time best situation.
LF: Perhaps, but after the Outlaws game we play the all-important games against Bordeaux and at Gothenburg. Two match-ups the Merchantmen never won before.

Q: I see, the rendez-vous from last season, the drop from 5-2 to 5-6 has tempered expectations.
LF: Exactly.

Q: Is that all?
LF: Well yeah, we're realistic. We're 5-2 like last season, but this time all three divisional rivals are just one win away. We might witness a unique all-5-3 division come Monday.

Q: Okay, we know you guys are doing well, but you're personally doing well too. You just broke the franchise records Justin McDavid set in Maassluis.
LF: Yes, I know. Justin is a popular player and he's been helping me to learn the system. Justin is intelligent and knows all about the offense. Afterall, the system was built around him.

Q: But you kicked him out of the record books, there's no animosity?
LF: Not at all. We're a team, that's the big key in the Merchantmen organization. Everybody can play and everybody can be replaced.

Q: Except you.
LF: Well, I don't know whether that's true. If anybody would be irreplacable, it would be Charles Gomez. Just watch how the sacks production was with him and without him, the pass rush pressure doubles with him around.

Q: But then, who can run this offense when you're gone? Mel Atkins isn't ready, Shane Bower clearly failed when he was given opportunity and Justin McDavid is still 'Fumblin Justin' and not quite the quarterback he was in 2004, 2005.
LF: Nah, you're underestimating the team. The offensive line is doing a great job protecting me. The receivers group is deep in talent, Devin Henson is only fifth on the chart. And then you're even failing to mention Randy (Harris), Jamel (Rosenberry) and Jim Reiser.

Q: How's Jerry Beyer looking so far? The team gave up a lot to get him.
LF: Well, if you've seen his stats you should know. We connected for 3 touchdowns so far and averages 19 yards per catch, I can't complain. Jerry is still lacking the experience to get open more often, but when he's open, he'll make the catch and rack up the yardage.

Q: Will Beyer replace Gregory Monti over time?
LF: I dunno, Jerry and Greg (Gregory Monti) are different kinds of players. Greg gets open a lot and makes the catch. He's not the guy who runs over the cornerback to gain more yards. I think Jerry is more like Bryce Ewald, who's making a play time after time, if he can get open.

Q: How's the connection with Jim Reiser going?
LF: Well, I think he's very important. When the receivers can't get open, Jim is always open. But I really mean always. I don't think any other player in the league can do it like Jim. I think it says enough he's averaging 5 receptions per game.

Q: Okay, you've got the receivers, an offensive line that protects you. What can still improve on offense?
LF: Well, I think it's been clear that the running game isn't doing what it did last season. Perhaps the new offense is partial to it, but the loss of Wilson Grimaldo did hurt. I mean, Cornelius Rice and Ivan Jacques are great tackles, but not the run blockers Grimaldo is.

Q: As we can see with Vicksburg, Grimaldo is now blocking for Ronnie Kemp, the IHOF's most productive running back.
LF: Yeah, Kemp is amazing. He's from the same draft class as me and been maybe the best guy from te entire class. I mean, Seth Dwight is a great quarterback, but Ronnie is Ronnie. He's phenomenal.

Q: And there's Louie Flannery, who, when healthy, passes the laughing stock of the IHOF to win after win.
LF: I'll be modest and say it's still a team effort. Everybody is doing his share. Cary Coles is kicking like an eilte placekicker, Cody Cluff makes tackles, the defensive line, and I mean everybody, is haunting the other quarterback. And I'm confident Randy (Harris) will rack up the 100-yard games again soon.

Q: If you don't know something to work on, I do. What's with the turnovers on offense? Justin McDavid had his fumbles, you are tossing interceptions like a rookie.
LF: I was a rookie last season. I don't know whether 32 interceptions in 23 games is bad. It looks bad, but I don't get demoralized about it anymore.

Q: You learned to live with it?
LF: Yes. Big time. Maybe it helps to have such a great defense, they believe in me and every one of those guys wants to set it right for me and the rest of the offense so we can make a play on our next possession and get us on the score board.

Q: One last thing, what's your take on the complaint about you not being a mobile quarterback?
LF: I'm no Justin McDavid. First, he played with a weaker offensive line, he had to run and he's got the speed. He can give you 20 yards rushing per game, I can't. Maybe that doesn't make me a typical Merchantmen quarterback, I hear they want a guy who can run. But with the offensive line surround me, I don't have to run. They protect me and I can pick my receiver.

Q: What team would you fit in then?
LF: That's a nasty question, especially when we're playing the Telluride Outlaws on Monday. I know they are a team of tradition and it will be an honour to play against the league's most experienced quarterback, Norm Rizzo.

Q: Rumors are Rizzo won't play.
LF: I highly doubt it. I heard the Outlaws owner demands his team to beat us and I even heard they rested Rizzo to be able to play against us. Something about the owners wanting to beat each other desperatly. Go ahead, be competitive. The thing is, we have two important games after that and this game is ideal to boost our confidence. With or without Norm Rizzo.

Q: Okay, the plane is leaving in an hour or two, what's your take on flying back to the States time after time?
LF: It's exhausting, but we gained confidence in playing in the States. We won three games on the road there and only have one left at Columbus after this one. We've won four on the road this season, it should prove that flying a lot won't keep you away from winning.

Q: Okay, final question: when are we going to see that fake field goal pass you guys have been training on?
LF (with rolleyes look): We don't do that stuff. Seriously, Cary Coles is already called "Icecube" since he's been so cool, being perfect on kicks all-season. I'm just happy to help as the holder, as is Charlies (Martins) as the long snapper. Cary will make the points and the three points are currently safer than the seven or nothing gamble.

Q: Okay, Louie. Thanks for your time and have a good game at the Outlaws.
LF: You're welcome. I'll bring you a Norm Rizzo autograph. That is, if he's willing to do two for me. I just got to keep one for my own collection of memorablia...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen At Outlaws Preview
"Finally!" That was the one word Maassluis Merchantmen owner M.IJ.B. was heard saying when he saw the schedule for the 2007 season. It was related to seeing the Telluride Outlaws on the program. The response from the Telluride Outlaws owner Buccaneer was propehtical, despite not knowing Norm Rizzo would return for another stint with the Outlaws, as he said: "MIJB, next season will not be a good time (competitive-wise) to be playing Telluride." And see there, the Merchantmen lead their division at 5-2, the Outlaws are already far behind in their's at 1-6.

Norm Rizzo, the oldest player in the IHOF, is the quarterback in Telluride. With him at the helmet, the Outlaws were 31-15 the previous three seasons, including playoff games and games played as the Stillwater Dynamite. But the Outlwas are rebuilding this season and seem to want Rizzo to retire as a winning quarterback and to be remembered from the conference championship. Wayne Christopherson has been given the call and is trying to copy his 2004 statistics, when he was concidered one of the best in the IHOF.

Merchantmen quarterback Louie Flannery is looking forward to playing against Telluride. "Every quarterback in the game wants to play against Rizzo at some point," Flannery said, "he's been one of my idols since I started watching football as a six year old." Flannery is currently doing a great job as the Merchantmen quarterback, the only thing keeping him from stardom is his interceptions figure.

Playing the Outlaws secondary, there's little to fear for the Merchantmen. Their secondary is bascially cornerback Gene Dalessandro and a couple of mediocre players. Slowly the injured safeties are returning, but not Hugh Jackson, who has been placed on injured reserve with a severe hamstring pull. Still, the Outlaws defense isn't one to underestimate, they rank eleventh in the IHOF in yardage. With a strong group of linebackers and a decent defensive line, they can make plays and stop most offenses.

The Merchantmen offense has been one of yardage and little scores. Ranking eleventh in yards and nineteenthin scoring, it's clear where the problem sits. Especially the production from Randy Harris in both rushing yards and total touchdowns is lacking this season. With the return to healthiness of fullback Jamel Rosenberry it might come back, but the interception proneness of Louie Flannery is breaking up the offense more often than not. And the change of pace back Roger Mowery has taken up fumblitis since he joined the team of Fumblin' Justin.

The Merchantmen defense has been one to fear recently. The defense is leading the league in pass rush pressure with sacking quarterbacks for a loss of 22 yards per game. That includes the four games star defensive tackle Charles Gomez missed due to injury. The Merchantmen are especially doing a good job keeping teams from scoring, as they ranked nineth overall with 17 points per game. Especially the secondary that seems to lack talent is making themselves shown by keeping opposing receivers from long gains.

The Outlaws offense is possibly without Norm Rizzo this Monday, but they're still no weak offense without him. Wide receiver Seymour Barber was an All IHOF selection the past two seasons. Granted, Barber failed to score a touchdown this season, but with 37 receptions it's only a matter of time he'll break out for a long catch and score some points. The offensive line is decent and could help Robbie Meader to have a 100-yard game at home, which would be his first since early 2005 in a home game.

All in all, the Merchantmen are still no giants in the IHOF, despite being tipped as the #5 team in the latest K-Ratings and RPI Rankings. Headcaoch Leroy Van Der Woude said: "The Outlaws are still a good team and waiting to break out for a big win. We've got to stay focussed and try to win this one. We should not look over this game to the important games against Bordeaux and Gothenburg, because it will guarantee a loss here." Let's help hoping the Merchantmen to stay focussed and win this thing. Last season they dropped from 5-2 to 5-6, they don't want to repeat history...

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Training With Norm Rizzo Dummies
Once again there's some unsportsmanship reported from the Maassluis Merchantmen training facilities. Our reporters have broken into the facilities after the Merchantmen left for the road game at the Telluride Outlaws. What we found was aweful and showed of little respect to the oldest player in the IHOF. The Merchantmen have painted tackle dummies in Outlaws jerseys, all with a big 4 and the letters R-I-Z-Z-O written on the back.

Rumors are it was the idea of Wally 'World' Wilcox. The veteran defensive end once recorded 3 sacks in one game against the Telluride Outlaws. Okay, it was back in 2004 and the team was still named the Stillwater Dynamite, but the sentiments are there as Norm Rizzo chickened out of the game after one single play. Wilcox is reported to be willing to set a few things straight and is inspiring the rookie defensive linemen to join him in the team's effort to record to break the single-game sack record, set by the Outlaws at 11 two seasons ago.

Surely, it's a funny trick to play, to paint the tackle dummies in some opposing quarterback's jersey colors. The Merchantmen have done it in the past as they had special Duane Davis dummies, 'Super Mario' dummies and Seth Dwight dummies. The team's leader in sacks, Albert Bernardo (5.5 sacks in 78 plays) said "It's just an innocent habbit. It's our way to get focussed on the next game."

Norm Rizzo was quoted to be "Not impressed." The popular quarterback, arguably the most popular in the Atlantic Ocean Conference, has been riding the bench and might be sitting out the game. Af that is true, the sacks record could indeed be in trouble. Rizzo is known as a passer who stays in the pocket, but has the speed to throw the ball away in time to avoid the loss of yards. Replacement Wayne Christopherson is a scrambler and has the reputation to be a sissy when he's about to be sacked.

Pretty crucial today are the injuries to three Outlaws' offensive linemen. Center Marvin Goforth is doubtful with an abdominal strain and not expected to play. Left guard Adrian Rainwater, hired to boost the pass protection, is out with an hyperextended elbow. Left tackle Carl Ryan is plagued by knee tendinitis, but should be able to play with some injections. In all cases, ex-Merchantmen starting tackle Russell Malave is not expected to be starting. Malave is still shocked he got traded during the 2006 season, knowing the team would be refreshing at the tackle position in the 2007 off-season.

Just for the sake of it, Gossip News has filed complaints about taunting from the Merchantmen towards the Outlaws in advance. We can't say who said what, but when players are heard saying: "I'm gonna hit Rizzo's spleen", "He's gonna play his last game this weekend" and "Expect a couple of unexpected late hits on the old man today." Only linebacker Ellsworth Thelen, who's living tried to talk the trash talks down: "Rizzo is from New England, he's the pride of our state, I got to be careful with what I do or say. I want to be able to get home after the season..."

Controversial or not, the Merchantmen are going into Telluride after a game where they made a franchise record seven sacks. After the seven sacks, the Merchantmen have moved into first place at the sacks charts and they seem to be proud on the achievement, one season after dumping their expensive star defensive ends Harold Wells and Deon Chapa. Wells is currently disappointing with 2 sacks in 7 games for Bordeaux, Chapa made 3.5 for Rochester. Maybe the Merchantmen did make a good call there for a change, but thinking they can record a sacks record versus a good pass protection as Telluride's, which allows 2 sacks per game, that's a bit too much to ask.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Keep Winning On The Road, Beat Outlaws
The Maassluis Merchantmen keep upsetting the IHOF. With a 20-16 victory at the Telluride Outlaws, the Dutch team extended their winning streak on the road to five wins. It didn't come easy as the Merchantmen recorded 4 interceptions and 4 fumble. With a defensive good performance, the Merchantmen sneaked away with a win. A perfect Cary Coles and with Randy Harris recording a 100-yard game, the offense managed to make a couple of plays.

"It just wasn't my day," Louie Flannery admitted after the game, "I wished i could have done better against Norm Rizzo." Asx expected, the Telluride Outlaws had spared 'the old man' for the game against Maassluis and Flannery failed against his idol. With four interceptions and a fumble, Flannery couldn't control his nerves, but lucky for him none of those turnovers were major and counted as bad punts in the end. It appeared Flannery couldn't handle the pass rush pressure as he was sacked 4 times and saw 10 of 42 plays getting wasted.

Lucky for Flannery, the Merchantmen defensive line returned the favor. With defensive tackle leading the show, the fearsome pass rush accounted for 3 sacks, 5 blocked passes and 11 quarterback hurries in 56 passing plays. Norm Rizzo had a hard time, but eventually did pass for a touchdown and managed to pass for 225 yards versus Flannery's 212. But an interception from safety Lincoln Gilmore helped Merchantmen into good field position.

With the number of interceptions, it didn't look like the Merchantmen would win this game. Going into the last ten minutes of the game, the Outlaws were leading 16-6 with the touchdown pass from Rizzo and three field goals from Dwayne Calfee versus two field goals from Cary Coles. Coles with that kept his season perfect in kicks. At that point the game looked over as Calfee kicked off to give the Merchantmen the ball back after he converted a 46-yarder. Devin Henson fumbled the ball on the rutern, but a keen Myron Stevens picked up the ball and returned it for 66 yards for the score and to keep the game close.

So far so good for the Outlaws, Norm Rizzo figured he could connect withhis star receiver Seymour Barber to seal the victory. But a blitz from safety Emile William and a defended pass from Carl Meier ended their possession and the Merchantmen got the ball back. Flannery got his offense going, but the team was suddenly facing third and fifth at the Outlaws 19-yard line. The Merchantmen faked the pass and Jamel Rosenberry ran the counterplay in for a touchdown, putting the visitors 20-16 up with four minutes left.

Randy Harris ran for 101 and was called upon to seal the win in the following Merchantmen drive. The Merchantmen defensive ends rushed Norm Rizzo enough to give them the ball back and Harris ran out the clock until there was one minute left. Rizzo connected to his favorite target, with 12 and 42 yard receptions Seymour Barber made the big plays. With one play left from the 22-yard line, Rizzo got the opportunity for an heroic win, but his pass was underthrown and the game was over.

After the game, the Merchantmen headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude had a familiar speech in the press conference: "The offense kept giving the ball away, the defense made the plays and saved their but. Flannery is a great leader, but he can't afford to throw four interceptions another time." The defense showed up and managed to stop the one-dimenssional Outlaws offense. Allowing only 28 yards rushing, pass rushing 19 of 56 pass plays and recording 9 defended passes. Excluding the last drive, the Merchantmen defense allowed just 167 passing yards in 49 attempts.

Robbed win or not, the defense stepped up and Louie Flannery's teammates saved him by immediately tackling the interception makers, while three out of four times the Merchantmen recovered their own fumbles. Looking at the total yards on offense, time of possession, and third down efficiency, the victory was well deserved. But there are some concerns about the upcoming games against the Bordeaux Vineyards and at the Gothenburg Giants. Those two games will be the ultimate test whether the Merchantmen are legimate playoff contenders, or just a fluke. We hope the first, but fear the last. Will be continued...

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
And then we were 6-2. Six and two. The Merchantmen. Can you believe this?

I'm amazed and wonder whether the newly addopted zone defense shouldn't have been implented in our defense a season earlier. The pass rush is helping two, with Ellsworth Thelen and the defensive line, we're haunting the opposing quarterbacks and force him into bad throws, while our secondary records defended passes too. And now, we're looking over our shoulder as we're still the number one in Europe. Especially after Gothenburg won 24-20 at Bordeaux and Paris lost 24-27 in overtime at the Vickburg Vipers.

Standings:
6-2 Maassluis (2-0 divisional)
6-2 Gothenburg (2-1 divisional)
4-4 Paris (2-1 divisional)
4-4 Bordeaux (0-2 divisional)

Next up:
Maassluis (6-2) vs Bordeaux (4-4)
Gothenburg (6-2) vs Vicksburg (6-2)
Paris (4-4) vs Telluride (1-7)

Once again it's time to name the top five players of the game and again it's a tough choice but doable.

With 101 yards rushing and 5 yards receiving, Randy Harris was the main reason the chains kept moving on offense. With 5 tackles, 2 assists and 1 interception, Lincoln Gilmore was on of the stars on defense. With 5 quarterback hurries and 1 tackle, Charles Gomez contributed more mentally than statistically. Omar Gougeon made 1 sack, blocked 2 passes and had 2 quarterback hurries to help in the pass rush. With 3 defended passes, 1 quarterback hurry and 5 tackles, Emilie William contributed in his own way.

Standings
14 points - Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery
10 points - Charles Gomez
9 points - Randy Harris
8 points - Bryce Ewald, Tai Wayne
6 points - Cary Coles, Carl Meier
4 points - Albert Bernardo, Lincoln Gilmore
3 points - Brant Heinrich, Ivan Jacques, Timothy Lacy
2 points - Winford Endicott, Omar Gougeon, Jim Reiser
1 point - Jerry Beyer, Andy Weliczka, Butch White, Emile William


It's mid-season and time to give a closer look at our statistics. We start with the passing game. QB Louie Flannery completed 58% of his passes for 245 yards, 1.25 touchdowns and 1.63 interceptions per game. Flannery was sacked 1.75 times per game, with center Brant Heirich clearly being the weakest link with 5 sacks allowed. Only the yards per game figure ranks him in the top ten. The receivers are multiple and none really jump out. WR Bryce Ewald has 28 catches for 421 yards and 1 score. WR Gregory Monti has 26 catches for 399 yards and 2 scores. TE Jim Reiser has 25 catches for 253 yards and 1 score. FB Jamel Rosenberry has 19 catches for 135 yards. RB Randy Harris has 17 catches for 112 yards and 2 scores. WR Jules Benedict has 16 catches for 220 yards. Rookie WR Jerry Beyer has 15 catches for 256 yards and a team high 3 touchdowns. TE Arnold Ramirez also scored a touchdown. Rookie FB henry Poston had 1 catch for 7 yards.

The running game has been nothing more than supportive. RB Randy Harris is on pace for another 1,000-yard season with 555 yards. His yards per carry average is low at 3.7 and his 1 touchdown is also disappointing. RB Rodger Mowery has been doing well as change of pace back with 171 yards, 5.3 per carry and 1 score. FB Jamel Rosenberry adds 100 yards with also 5.3 per carry and 1 score. Rookie RB Tyrell Mahoney added 9 yards. The run blocking is a bit lacking on the outside, but good on the inside. C Brant Heinrich has 17 key run blocks (36%). G Butch White has 14 key run blocks (34%). G Timothy Lacy has 12 key run blocks (43%). LT Harold Hurtado (8, 35%), LT Ivan Jacques (7, 33%) and RT Cornelius Rice (5, 25%) are mostly supportive. Rookie RT Norman Holliday has yet to see significant playing time.

In the pass rush charts, the Merchantmen are doing a marvelous job. Backup DE Albert Bernardo is #1 in the IHOF with 6.5 sacks. Following are DT Charles Gomez (3 sacks in 4 games), rookie DE Aaron Sherrill (3 sacks), WLB Ellsworth Thelen (2.5 sacks in 4 games), DE Omar Gougeon (2.5 sacks) and rookie DT Andrew Rasmussen (2.5 sacks). Especially Gougeon (10.5 plays), Sherrill (10 plays) and Gomez (14 plays) are the big hunters on the team.

In the pass defense area, the team is lacking in interceptions, but makes up with avoiding long gains by defending passes and marking the receivers tight. CB Winford Endicott defended 9 passes in 6 games, CB Tai Wayne has also defended 9 passes. FS Emile William (5 defended), MLB Cody Cluff (2 ints, 4 defended), SS Lincoln Gilmore (1 int, 4 defended), LB Carl Meier (1 int, 3 defended) and LB Mike Kershner (2 defended in 3 games) are all helping out. CB Johnnie Stidham and CB Myron Stevens had 1 interception each, but have no defended passes yet.

In the tackles department, MLB Cody Cluff jumps out big time. With 67 tackles and 18 assists he's in the mix for being the best inside linebacker in the IHOF. SS Lincoln Gilmore (35 tackles, 14 assists), LB Carl Meier (31 tackles, 11 assists) and CB Tai Wayne (30 tackles, 12 assists) are next in line.

Team Stats?
Off Total Yards: 13th with 340 yd/game
Rushing Offense: 27th with 105 yd/game
Passing Offense: 11th with 245 yd/game
Pass Protection: 13th with 10 yd/game
Def Total Yards: 10th with 312 yd/game
Rushing Defense: 22nd with 125 yd/game
Passing Defense: 10th with 209 yd/game
Pass Rush Yards: 1st with 21 yd/game
Turnover Margin: 17 give aways, 7 take aways

For those wondering how injuries are hurting us, at the moment we're in the lucky position to be relative injury free. RB Harris, TE Reiser, DT Gomez, LT Jacques and CB Endicott are a couple of players who missed a few games. Especially the absence of Gomez makes it hard to determine how good we are as he missed both the lost games. For the next game, the main injuries are right guard Timothy Lacy (can be replaced by mentor/backup Brain Hammond, who is disgruntled), nickelback Johnnie Stidham (will be replaced by Myron Stevens with Desmond Craig being dimeback) while RB Rodger Mowery, LT Ivan Jacques and LB Mke Kershner could be used versus Bordeaux with little risk, I think.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: The Do-Or-Die Phase
Okay readers, here we go, next Thursday we'll start the second half of the 2007 regular season with a stretch of games we never won before. Just look at the schedule an our all-time records in the matchups:

wk10 Bordeaux (4-4) - all-time 0-3 versus Bordeaux
wk11 at Gothenburg (6-2) - all-time 0-3 at the Giants
wk12 RayCo (0-8) - all-time 0-1, lost at home in week 17 of 2004
wk13 Georgia (4-4) - all-time 0-1, we lost in OT at them in 2005
wk14 Minnesota (2-6) - lost at them 13-33 in 2004
wk15 Gothenburg (6-2) - we're 2-1 all-time at home, but 2-4 overall
wk16 at Columbus (6-2) - we lost 3-13 to them in 2004
wk17 at Bordeaux (4-4) - Ehr, 0-6 all-time vs Bordeaux ain't pretty

Okay, we're 6-2, we can't be pretenders anymore, can we? The two losses we faced were a 50-50 game versus San Antonio and a game where Ronnie Kemp ran over us as we were: A not prepared, and B missed Charles Gomez.

So, what's up now, how are we going to beat Bordeaux at home and/or win at Gothenburg? Well, we'll play our own game. the Game plan we used in 6 of 8 games this season gave us 6 wins, 0 losses. But what's the plan?

Defense: Gomez and one of the linebackers will blitz so they stop the runner or help support the pass rushing youngesters. They'll stuff the runner or will force 1 of every 3 passing plays as no-gain. If the quarterback is going to throw afterall, we'll let the linebackers and defensive backs line up a zone defense in which especially the defensive backs all are regarded specialists. Wayne, Endicott, Gilmore and William will bat the ball down in 1/3rd of the remaining balls, giving the opposing quarterback a completion percentage of roughly 50%. That should do it, no? And if the receiver gets open and makes the catch, our defenders will jump on top of them before they can gain some extra yards. Most importantly, our backups are good enough to step in fresh in the fourth quarter to avoid a fourth quarter comeback.

Next is special teams. Our return specialist and kickoff/punting units are good enough to win the territory battle, if needed. I mean, Devin Henson hasn't broken through for a score yet and it is bound to happen in an upcoming important game.

On offense, the problem has been turnovers, but I doubt we'll copy the 4 int's, 4 fumbles game we had versus Telluride. It's Flannery's call, but starters our offense is balanced so the defense can't gamble and will have to be focussed all day long. Flannery has about 7 guys to throw to, while the offensive line has decent enough pass blockers to allow him to choose. And if we run, Harris and Rosenberry are a nice tandem to take advantage of the big blocks our OL will make.

That said, Bordeaux is only beatable because they miss their star defensive tackle Joey Hammer. Seeing how we did without Gomez (2 losses, 2 marginal wins) I can understand why they're struggling. But on further review, Gothenburg is 6-2 with a more shocking list of injured players. Especially at offensive tackle they're vulnerable and our pass rushers might take advantage and extend our lead in the sacks charts.

Still, looking to the schedule, with 5 games at home and just 3 versus teams with a winning record, I still think 9-7 should be our goal. It was at the season start and it still is now. Of course, sitting 6-2 and on top of the division, we can't sell that to the world. We need to win one game versus Bordeaux, one versus Gothenburg and at least two of the three winnable home games to get into 10 or more wins. I hope we can do it, but I've seen my team fall from 5-2 to 5-6 last season. Today we're winning with this team, but we could be a Flannery injury away from mediocrity. And this time Fumblin' Justin won't be the guy who can save our butts...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Versus Bordeaux Vineyards Preview
Okay, it's been a fun ride for the Maassluis Merchantmen, but tomorrow it's time to wake the lovable losers up. Being 6-2 and division leaders is quite the achievement, but the Bordeaux Vineyards are coming to town. The Vineyards are 4-4 and have been sitting in last place for most of the season now. The feelings of the three time European champions have been hurt and they're detirmined to leave Oranje Haven victorious. And they have condifence, the Vineyards did it in all of the previous Maassluis-Bordeaux games. Since 2004, the Vienyards swept the Merchantmen.

"If we're ever going to get a shot at beating Bordeaux, now is the time." Merchantmen star defensive tackle Charles Gomez stirs up the sentiments. "The Vineyards are missing Joey Hammer and are missing their guy in the middle of the defensive line." The Merchantmen lost Gomez for four games this season and went 2-2 in that period. The Merchantmen defense got ran over by Vicksburg's Ronnie Kemp. And now the Merchantmen's Randy Harris hopes to return the favor against Bordeaux. But some fear Randy Harris will be out ran by Gerald Harris, who's the tailback in Bordeaux.

"Not gonna happen," linebacker Cody Cluff said, "Gerald Harris is a wide receiver playing at running back. Besides, we are preparing for rookie Zach Sakurai." In Maassluis they already call him 'The Samurai' and the defense is preparing for him. Cluff adds: "Mike (Kershner), Carl (Meier), Ellsworth (Thelen) and I are ready for them. And with Charles playing in front of us, no way they'll have a 100-yard runner."

The passing game could be more of an issue, as Joe Johnson is a familiar face to the Merchantmen defense. In te past six meetings, Johnson completed 131 of 192 passes (68%) for 237 yards per game, 7 touchdowns and no interceptions. Tai Wayne and Winford Endicott look like a great cornerback duo, but they're no interception makers. Endicott has made 1 in 39 games, Wayne is without interceptions after 25 games. The Merchantmen have one interception specialist in Johnnie Sitdham, but he's going to miss the game with another knee injury.

Once again, key in the game will be the Merchantmen pass rush. The Vineyards allow 2 sacks per game and with a few linemen nursing minor injuries they might be fulnerable. And with the Merchantmen being the #1 pass rush in the entire league with 25 sacks and 169 yards in 8 games. The league single-season record is 55 sacks and 369 yards. But those records are a non-issue at this point. Wally 'World' Wilcox, part of the 2004 Leesburg Generals unit that set 49 sacks said: "If we keep haunting quarterbacks, we'll break those records without even noticing."

On the other end of the ball, there also some concern. Left tackle Ivan Jacques is not 100% fit, while right guard Timothy Lacy is expected to be replaced by veteran Brian Hammond. Not a great timing as ex-Merchantmen defensive end Harold Wells is returning in Oranje Haven. Left tackle Harold Hurtado said: "We know Harold (Wells). His production has been down a bit so far, but he's a two time All-IHOF selection with reason."

But if the offensive line can't protect Louie Flannery, the turnover mess from last game could return. Flannery threw 4 interceptions and fumbled 1 ball as he was sacked a season high 4 times. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude admits: "Flannery is still vulnerable when he's pressured. I think it will be another thing to look at for next season, we can't allow our passer to get afraid and make bad calls. Times like these, the fans might start wanting Justin McDavid back. Justin is a cool guy, but he's not the guy he once was. The knee injury limits his balance, it makes him pass less accurately."

Flannery good or not, the Merchantmen have been spreading the word they used three game plans this season and one of those three was used in all six of their wins. With five wins on the road, a franchise single-season record, and a win over Paris, they are 6-0 with the game plan. And with Bordeaux being 6-0 all-time verus Maassluis, after thursday's game either of the two will be 7-0 while the other drop to 6-1. After their first road win in a divisional game, the Merchantmen have set new standards for themselves and they have the confidence to make it four wins in a row. Let's hope so!

[MIJB#19]

Maassluis By Bike,s With Myron Stevens
A new feature, which might comeback later on, is the Maassluis By Bike interveiw. Every once in a while your Merchantmen reporters will take a player, coach or other important person in the Merchantmen organization on a bike ride through the city. In today's ride it's second year cornerback Myron Stevens. Stevens returned a fumble for a touchdown in the 20-16 win at the Telluride Outlaws and is slowly becoming a popular player by the coaching staff and team management. Let's see what he's got to say.

Q (Questioner): Good afternoon. Myron, thanks for joining us in today's bike ride. Is there one place in particular you want to visit?
MS (Myron Stevens): Well, I hear the owner was born on the same day the first stone was placed for the local Sports Acoomodation. I'm wondering what it looks like.

Q: Okay, Myron, lets start riding there now. We'll hop on at the Maassluis West train station and start riding towards the Nieuwe Waterweg (New Waterway).
MS: Sounds good to me.

The interviewing crew and Myron Stevens start riding and reached the bicycle road located at the shores of the Nieuwe Waterweg, located very close to the train station.

Q: While we're riding alongside the water that's representing the Merchantmen element, tell us what happened on that touchdown you scored?
MS: Okay, cool. Well, what happened? That Outlaws' guy kicked off, I looked over my shoulder and saw Devin catch the ball. I started running to make a block and in no-time we're piling up around our own 30, I think. I see Devin fumble the ball and, in the confusion, I grabbed the ball and decided to run it back. To the amazement of all, it was no dead ball and I made my second career touchdown. The guys come running to me and I'm like: "Yes, we're back in the game!"

Q: It was an important play and to be honest, people around the league wonder what this kid Myron is doing on the Merchantmen roster.
MS: Why?

Q: You were picked up after the 2006 draft and were brought to camp as an undrafted rookie. Scouts around the league wonder what this kid Stevens would be able to do in Maassluis. How did you addept to the system?
MS: I got lucky I guess. In college, at Colorado, we played a lot of zone defense. I think I've got a sense for interceptions and my stamina helps too. I hear they like my type of defensive backs.

Q: But at 5'6" and 180 pounds, you're a featherweight and the smallest player on the team. Was it the adorable little guy admiration?
MS: I dunno. The Merchantmen have a good organization. I don't think they let starters like Wiley McGhee and Dennis Preciado go (Both got traded in the 2006 off-season) and keep me around if they don't have a little bit of faith. It would have been easy to dump me, I was an undrafted rookie.

Q: Okay, Myron, we're going heading right here. Little sprint who's on top of the hill first?
MS: Okay, get it on!

...

Q: Wow, you're fast.
MS: Hey, I did some cycling in my college period. This "hill" as you called it is nothing compared to what Colorado has to give you.

Q: Look, that roof top, that's the "Wethouder Smithal".
MS (laughing): Boy, that looks ugly...

The interviewing crew and Myron Stevens arrive at the Weth. Smithal and puts their bikes in the special bike holders. The enter the bar that is located adjacent the sport facility.

Q: Okay Myron, we're in "'t Smitje", what do you think?
MS: It's dark in here and smells like smoke. What's so special about this place?

Q: It's more about the the hall itself. Here, follow me, there's some memorial thingy around here.
MS: Show me, please.

...

Q: Myron?
MS: Wow, indeed. February 19th, 1981. I think you're right, the owner is like 26 and I remember him having his birthday around mid February.

Q: Let's see what sport their playing here tonight.
MS: Cool.

...

Q: Well, what do we have here?
MS: Volleyball? I guess this was all set up or something?

Q: Looks like it. I think M.IJ.B. (Merchantmen owner) is here too.
MS: They keep telling he can fly. Now I can finally get to see that happen with my own eyes!

The interviewing crew and Myron Stevens start watching the training, but since they're not attacking, no luck at seeing the owner fly.

Q: Okay Myron, we here you're going to be a starter next season if you continue to develop. Winford Endicott will be a free agent after the season and Johnnie Stidham's knee injuries are worrying.
MS: Yeah, Johnnie's got some bad streak of knee injuries this season. I'm not sure about Winford though, I've picked up the team will try to franchise him, or otherwise will try to trade for a cornerback who's having a backup role elsewhere.

Q: But, you might be ready for a starting role next season, wouldn't that be cool?
MS: Well, yeah, of course. I think I can still learn a lot and I hope to be a starter at some point. But I think I'll have to make a few more plays when I'm on. So far I'm just...

Q: Myron?
MS: Damn, that girl is hot!

Q: Myron!
MS: Sorry. I think I like women's volleyball even more now.

Q: You said you have to improve your play?
MS: Yes, I do. I've got about 47 catches attached to my name and only 7 defended passes and 2 interceptions. That's not a good average.

Q: Okay, so if you improve your play, you'll be a starter in 2008?
MS: I think that's up to the management and coaching staff.

As the interview goes on, all of a sudden a tall looking man climbs up the stands.

Q: Hello. Joining the interview is Maassluis Merchantmen owner M.IJ.B.
MB (M.IJ.B.): No, no, I just wanted to say hi to Myron. Don't forget to write about the game at Fort Worth. Myron saved the say there!

Q: Myron?
MS: Oh, heh. Yeah. That was a freaky game indeed. I managed to record a sack, make an interception and I didn't get a reception attached to my name.

Q: Awesome! That's the kind of play they want you to do and which will make you the starter next season.
MS: Let's wait and see. We're preparing for Bordeaux...
MB: Bordeaux is going down!

Owner M.IJ.B. jumps off the stands, almost twisting his ankle, to continue his training.

Q: You were saying?
MS: We're preparing for Bordeaux. Joe Johnson is a great quarterback and with guys like Gerald Harris, Josh Whitehurst and Toby Williams, he's always got two or three guys open. We'll have to play them tight and hope the defensive line can pressure him enough.

Q: Will we see you make another big play against Bordeaux that will win you guys the game?
MS: Well, we're brainwashed it's all team effort that makes us win and I'll stick with what I'm taugh. Play like a team, and we can win. If we're all focussed, we can make it happen.

Q: Alright then, thanks for joining us.
MS: Well it was cool, I think.

Q: Do you need a ride back to the train station?
MS: Nah, I'll think I'll be able to find it. I think I'm going to watch a bit more of this volleyball stuff. women's volleyball is cool and I haven't seen the owner fly yet. I'm starting to think it's one of those made up stories, like those people who write about their computer games on the internet and do fake interviews with their players...

[Kodos]

Congratulations to Maassluis on their excellent season so far. We're pulling for you!

[MIJB#19]

Congratulations to Maassluis on their excellent season so far. We're pulling for you!Thanks.
Sweeping Boston and beating Syracuse could be helpful down the road, so please do so. :)

Time for the recap from the Bordeaux game...

[3ric]

Alone at the top of the European division, congrats Matthijs... I'll do my best to make sure you get company up there after next week though!

[MIJB#19]

Alone at the top of the European division, congrats Matthijs... I'll do my best to make sure you get company up there after next week though!Thanks, Christian.
I'll do my best to keep you away from the top, though.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Finally Beat Bordeaux
It was the seventh game in their all-time series and it required a couple of miracles in the final minutes, but the Maassluis Merchantmen recorded a historical win. The Bordeaux Vineyards were beaten 17-13 in Oranje Haven. The win strengthens the Merchantmen's lead in the European Division. Louie Flannery took the game MVP honors, as the defense struggled for most of the game, while Randy Harris for the first time had a second consecutive 100-yard game.

One third down conversion in 11 attempts, 399 yards allowed and only zero defended passes. The Maassluis Merchantmen didn't show the best statistics, but they made plays when it needed to happen. With no turnovers, 2 interceptions and a couple of lucky mistakes by the Vineyards players, a historical victory took place. And no particular player took the credits. Louie Flannery got the game ball, but called it a team performance: "We're a team. Every game a couple of guys seem to have an off-day, but everytime the rest of the team steps up to make plays. The ride is fun and right now it keeps going."

Despite the not so good looking statistics, the Merchantmen were in control for most of the game. For most of the time, the home team was leading on the scoreboard and had nothing to fear. On their first possession, the Merchantmen finished a great drive with a 4-yard run by Randy Harris and the game was getting going. And after Cary Coles scored his 14th field goal in as many attempts mid-way the second, the win looked secure.

But not for long. Bordeaux got back in the game as Joe Johnson connected with Martin Mathias for a touchdown pass and they came short to get into field goal range heading towards half time. In the second half, Bordeaux forced the Merchantmen to turn the ball over on downs and punished after a long drive with a game tying field goal from Paul Fabrizio. Joe Johnson looked his normal self as he managed to work with the heavy pass rush, 14 of 45 passing pays were nullified by the pass rush.

The Merchantmen gave up possession on their next drive, but a huge interception from Emile William, his second in the game, gave the home team the ball back. On the next drive, the offensive machine got going and Louie Flannery connected with Gregory Monti on a huge 46-yard pass for a touchdown to get back in the lead. Being up 17-10, it was all up to the defense to secure the victory.

Bordeaux got the ball back and Joe Johnson kept making big plays. it resulted in another field goal and the Vineyards got closer in the game. With 92 seconds left, they got the ball back and got into Merchantmen territory. On fourth and ten at the Merchantmen 33-yard line, the Vineyards decided to go for it. Joe Johnson saw all his targets covered and started to run. As he reached the down marker, Merchantmen linebacker Cody Cluff ran up to the passer and stopped him inches short of the first down.

The game looked over, but the Vineyards had all their time-outs left to get the ball back with 33 seconds left. That came after almost losing the ball on the punt return as Toby Williams fumbled, but was saved by a teammate. Stting at their own 30-yard line, Bordeaux had to go for it. The Merchantmen had a flashback to last week as Norm Rizzo then had a long gain and failed on the pass after the spiked pass to stop the clock. Today, Joe Johnson copied the conclusion of action as he connected to Martin Mathias on a 51-yard pass, but saw Mathias drop the ball on the play following the clock stopping spiked ball.

Head coach Leroy Van Der Woude was pleased with the third consecutive nailbiter victory: "I almost got a heart attack on tha big play, but we got lucky again. Sitting 7-2, we're in charge now and probably only need 3 more wins to take the division, especially if we beat the Gothenburg Giants once or twice." With the action at other fields, Gothenburg has lost track abit, but can recovered in their own house as the Merchantmen are visiting the Giants. The Merchantmen should feel comfortable going there, sitting on a 4-game winning streak, beaing 5-0 on the road this season and having won the last game versus Gothenburg.

[MIJB#19]

Editor's Note
By some mistake, the original post here was lost and since it wans't backed up, I'm not sure what it read. I do know it told about the historical first win versus Bordeaux, about Gothenburg losing to Vicksburg and Paris losing to Telluride to make the standings:

Division Standings:
7-2 Maassluis (3-0 div)
6-3 Gothenburg (2-1 div)
4-5 Paris (1-2 div)
4-5 Bordeaux (0-3 div)