[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: The cruelness of pre-season
Or: When all-time greats return to human life forms.

As I'm writing this, I'm struggling with how the immersify what the randomness of the day between the second and third pre-season games does to the players in the IHOF. It's quite simply impossible. It's just a known fact: random things happen, players will be redefined, change night and deal. Deal with it.

Well, pre-season wasn't kind to our star players, that's a fact. Kirk Hitchcock and Butch Pearson got it really bad, but Theodore Bondy, Jackie Richardson, Michael Szott, Gene Kondovski and A.J. Ritt all had their worst day of their careers. It hasn't resulted in a departure from Oranje Haven for them, they're still better than the guys behind them on the depth chart, although Hitchcock's position as the CB2 is very iffy.

Six players have been shown the door after the first couple of pre-season games: long snapper Johnny Terrell, center Brady Burke, running back Patrick Joseph, defensive end Lewis Shanks, defensive tackle Cole Gunn and fullback Kelly Sinclair. We'll have to make one more cut to get to the 53-men opening day roster, it will most likely be a running back (we're still carrying 5 on roster).

Our roster situation now:
QB: Sheldon (40/40), Farley (35/35), kick holder Marek (15/25)
RB: Patter (55/55), Thongchanh (35/35), Beyer (40/45), Moore (30/35), special teamer Ford (15/15)
FB: Brosseau (40/40)
TE: Gore (50/50), Gaynor (55/55), Blake (35/35), Crawford (30/30)
WR: Bondy (60/60), Lyle (30/50), Stuckey (40/45), Sandlin (40/40), Wilkerson (40/40), kick off returner Messenger (30/30), punt returner Mark Perkins (20/25)
C: Pearson (50/50), Azzolini (25/40)
G: Szott (65/65), Watson (45/45), Gaylor (35/45)
OT: RT Humphrey (70/70), LT Hadinger (60/60), LT Springer (40/40)
P: Guynes (50/50)
K: Giles (75/75)
DE: Kondovski (50/50), Exner (45/45), Whiting (30/30), Donovan (25/35)
DT: Fletcher (60/60), Mojica (55/55), Ackermann (30/30), Ritt (25/25)
LB: Brady (75/75), Espino (55/55), Jackson (50/50), special teamer Rayborn (40/40), special teamer Prescott (20/30), special teamer Palmer (20/20)
CB: Richardson (65/65), Hitchcock (50/50), Frias (45/45), Harmon (35/40), McNeil (35/35)
S: Farrell (55/65), Murray (40/40), Brotzman (30/30), Newsome (25/25)
LS: Karney (20/20)

Yeah, not sure what to make of this situation.

What we have done is signing Butch Pearson to a new two-year contract, despite his drop in skills, giving us the little bit of cap space required to lock up Darien Fletcher. And what's left after that could be used to try to extend other contracts, if I feel the need to. It won't be sufficient to extend Moe Sheldon's contract. Our quarterback is going to be exposed to free agency next off-season, it looks inevitable.

But that's 2093, let's feel ready for the 2092 season. Two more pre-season games and then it'll be the real action. My expectations have been tempered, but maybe, just maybe, these guys are still very much worth their hefty paychecks.