[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...