[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: The 53 of 2106

Just before opening day, we had our last opportunities to lock up players that are scheduled to be out of contract after the upcoming season. LB Gus Coleman was the top priority, he's now, together with DT Gabriel Morris, signed through the 2110 season. It didn't leave enough cap room to extend the contract of CB Otis Hane and RB Broderick Levine, but we did manage to lock up QB Drake Bishop, FB Randy Julian, DE Aiden Preston, DE Deon Rosas, DE Robbie Dobreski, LB Tony Burks and CB Wesley Cabrera. We should have just enough to extend the deals of RB Bennett Holmes and WR Rick Emerson.

There won't be any last minute signings and releases. Our opening day roster is set.

40/40 QB Evan Drake
35/35 QB/KH Drake Bishop
15/40 QB Monty Truitt (rookie)
We live or die with Drake, no discussion about it. Truitt will be stuck as our QB3 due to Bishop's overall scouted rating being so high for a kick holder/mentor. We'll need to keep Truitt active as much as possible to make progress.

50/50 RB Broderick Levine
40/40 RB Bennett Holmes
35/35 FB Randy Julian
25/25 RB Van Goodwin
Holmes and Levine will continue to share the carries, while Julian will be on the field in 2-back formations and special teams. Goodwin hangs around as a special teamer and as a cohesive back.

60/60 TE Garrett Alcala
45/55 TE Nicholas Heath
45/45 TE Wesley Martin
30/30 TE Darnell McKie
Alcala is an elite tight end, but Martin is good enough to act like our new WR3 of sorts on 1st and 2nd down situations. Heath is a solid blocker, we're quite set at this position. McKie's sad decline wasn't there in his special teams skills and he'll usually float around the 46th active slot this season.

80/80 WR Calvin Maxwell
60/60 WR Vinny Buysse
30/40 WR Teddy Butler
25/45 WR Alfredo Samuels (rookie)
30/30 WR Rick Emerson
20/30 WR Herman Jeffries
Maxwell is the best in business. Buysse's route running is on the decline, but there's no replacement ready. Butler will be our risk/reward WR3, Emerson a special teamer/emergency receiver and Jeffries is one of our best special teamers without any receiving skills whatsoever. Samuels is a bust, but in potential still our 3rd best receiver. He'll be active, playing special teams and learning from Buysse.

75/75 RT Ivan Dole
65/65 G Brett Stickney
45/60 C Zane Chaplain (rookie)
40/60 G Andres Uwaezuoke (rookie)
45/45 C Lincoln Stonge
45/45 LT Carson McCormick
45/45 LT Harold Gruenwalder
40/40 G Nathaniel Robbins (fa acquisition)
Dole is undisputed as an elite run blocker at RT. Gruenwalder won me over again to play LT, ahead of McCormick. Stickney and Uwaezuoke will be our guards. Stonge will be the center for his cohesion value, ahead of Chaplain. Robbins will be inactive and mentor Uwaezuoke.

75/75 P Jimmy Summers (fa acquisition)
90/90 K Oscar Harrington
20/20 LS Bennett Brock
These guys are the best in business. Summers is arguably 3rd best in the league, the others the very best. Combined with the best kick holder in business, there's no room for excuses. None.

70/70 DT Gabriel Morris
55/55 DT Ben Courcy
55/55 DE Darien Fletcher
45/45 DE Andres Harmon
40/40 DT Mitch Potchynok
40/40 DE Robbie Dobreskie
30/45 DE Aiden Preston
35/35 DE Deon Rosas
20/20 LB Stephen Rhodes
Morris and Courcy are the locks in the middle. Their endurance is declining, which will require us to be creative in putting Potchynok more often on the field, which he's good enough to be on passing downs. Harmon is still our best run stopper on the end. Fletcher, Rosas, Dobrieski, Preston and Rhodes are all suitable pass rushers on the end.

75/75 LB Gus Coleman
55/55 LB Abraham Desimone
50/50 LB Tony Burks
30/30 LB Mo Fausel
30/30 LB Cody Ross
Three quality linebackers and two solid special teamers. Coleman is elite. Desimone and Burks are good enough to support him. I listed Rhodes at our DL group, he's just not going to play at LB for us.

55/55 CB Otis Hane
55/55 CB Logan Wallace
45/45 S Daniel Shapiro
45/45 CB Sherman Barnes (fa signing)
40/50 CB Joel Delgado (rookie)
45/45 S Craig Clancy
40/40 CB Wesley Cabrera
40/40 CB Eduardo Cowdrick
35/40 S Lincoln Taylor
30/45 CB Dennis Finley
25/40 S John Aponte (rookie)
This group is solid. Hane, Wallace and Delgado are shutdown corners, with the rookie starting the season inactive. Shapiro, Clancy and Aponte, the latter in potential) are elite zone defenders. Cabrera and Cowdrick are decent nickel and dime backs. Finley is our new punt returner and nothing else. Taylor is a bust, but if injuries run havoc, he'll be activated to jump in. Barnes is a peace keeper and decent enough to jump in for injuries. A huge group in quantity, but despite their from a distance so-so overall ability, one by one they are very good in what we expect them to do.


All in all, this is a solid team, it's on paper the best in the division. The Gothenburg Giants pass rush unit is perhaps the most impressive unit in this division, they're the most fearsome in the league and quite possibly one of the best ever assembled. But everywhere else, we should be considered on par or better. Bordeaux and Paris are rebuilding. There are no excuses, this teams has to step it up and play up to their ability of being 10-6 at minimum and make the playoffs. So, team, prove it.