[MIJB#19]

General Manager notes: rising, rising, and then dropping hard...
Two games back, we thought we had finally arrived where we thought we could be, but two home choke jobs later, we're back on earth after falling flat on our face.

With our first home victory of the season (20-13 vs Bordeaux) and a much deserved, yet surprisingly easy win (30-25 at Orlando), we had improved into the race for the top 2 seeds. But a couple of choke jobs later, both at home, we'll have to look over our shoulder again for the amazingly revived Gothenburg Giants, currently the conference's hottest team with 4 straight victories.

Europe
1. Maassluis 6-5
2. Gothenburg 5-5-1
3. Bordeaux 4-7
4. Paris 4-7

I honestly have no clue what we (I) have done wrong to see another pair of choke jobs in our own Oranje Haven. Against Gothenburg, we were driving for a hard-fought victory, but instead saw a pick six in the final minute turn our 454 yards of offense turn into a 9-17 disgrace. The home game against the pretty much playoffs eliminated Oakland Black Panthers saw the defense allow 454 yards, with 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, to lose 28-27 on a touchdown pass with 36 seconds to go.

Yes, this too is football, but we were on the other side of the coin against Bordeaux (goal line stand to salvage victory) and overcame late game turnovers that almost destroyed the solid performance at Orlando. As if we just don't want to show the rest of the world we're a 13-3/12-4 caliber team. No, we need to make things difficult on us, choke game after game, needing coin flips to get the W's.

Sadly, I'm out of ideas how to pinpoint what we're doing wrong. All the time spent in the video room feels like a waste of time, as we're playing like a .500 land team for the fourth straight season, despite that loaded roster.

Our window of opportunity is quickly shutting, Ellis McAlister is getting up there in age, the cap situation is getting very tight, including the $14M of cap space gone to waste this season because some stupid player agent feels like undervaluing the past safety in the league: "Nah, we don't want more money, we want less money, or else he'll sign elsewhere next off-season." Sigh.

So, 5 more games to get things right, with some luck get a slightly more favorable playoffs route as the #2 seeds and then hope to get lucky ones we're there. But really, does a team much better than .500, yet performing no better than that .500 deserve to dream?

One game at a time, one game at a time. That's where we stand.

Glen Brewer is out for the rest of the regular season, defensive end Tony Whiting, inactive for the first 11 games, will be moved back to outside linebacker and subsequently activated to fulfill the silliness called roster requirements.

I'm still hopeful we'll regroup and do well in the next 9 weeks of the season, but it's getting way ahead of things once again. Week 13, hosting Houston. Yes, a team we've rarely beaten when we were favorites, like we are this season. In fact, Vegas gives us only the home field advantage points this time around, which in our current form actually feels like a disadvantage, we've already secured having a worse record at home than on the road this season (1-4 vs 5-1).

So, guys, what will it be? Let another season go to waste, or will we step it up and after this long time of underperforming right the ship and start a long winning streak of 8 or 9 games? Y'all have the talent for it, now prove that y'all can do it.

Go Merchantmen!