[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: More picks, more scoring, more winning
Our annual bye week came early as per usual. We didn't really need it yet, we're on a three game winning streak. Mind you, we've got a hilariously imbalanced schedule, we're playing 4 straight at home, continuing this in week 6.

So yeah, we won three straight, thus two more since my previous writing. We beat the teams from North Plainfield and San Antonio. Ellis McAlister has gotten his picks throwing trend a bit under control, Jimmie Feffer continues to run for 100 yards (or come one short) and Theodore Bondy has established himself as our top receiver with 7 catches in each of the last two games. We've averaged 402 yards per game, not something to feel bad about. But then, playing at home three times, the numbers are inflated.

The defense, well... Meh? Okay, that's a bit too harsh. We dismantled the Plague's running game and kept the Tidal Force's passing game in check. It's only 4 games, but apparently we're a top5 run defense. In contrast, we're allowing the fourth best passer rating, a very disappointing figure, given how much we invested in our pass rush, linebackers and secondary in recent drafts. More importantly, we're really struggling to force turnovers, we rank last in that statistic.

The special teams unit is not to be proud about either. Rookie Ross Willbrandt has been underwhelming and makes me consider to give the kick return duties back to Artie Blazewicz. Chance Arnold has missed just 1 kick so far, that's not too bad, while Tito Hornsby is having a slightly below average standard. We've given up the most kick return yardage, per return that is, but with only 7 returns allowed, it doesn't amount for too much. The field position battle has been up and down: -6 yards, +8 yards, -9 yards and +6 yards. Obviously way below Merchantmen standards, especially with home field advantage, but at least it's just about par.

By the way, Ellis McAlister is playing through a sprained lateral knee ligament. A risky injury, but quite simply, we have no alternatives. We've already given our kick holder (he's really nothing more than a kick holder, coach!) 12 pass attempts, how stupid is that? We're going to activate our project Kelly Blalock for week 6, but I highly doubt my staff will even remotely pick up on the idea of putting Blalock out there if - football gods forbid - McAlister gets hurt. We'll likely be stuck with the kick holder getting undesired snaps on the offense... Ugh.

All the grumping aside, we're 3-1, sitting in a wild card spot and theoretically can still tie Paris at 15-1 each if we win the last 12 games. We could still fall behind a 15-0-1 Tucker Tigers team for the #1 seed, or even lose the tie-breakers to Paris, but that's a luxury issue. We haven't made the playoffs in the last two seasons, remember? A 4-0 start and 9-4 going into the last three games was insufficient, copying our trend to lose the last 3 games of the regular season from the season before. Are most recent 'normal' season was 2078. Oh, Bennett Morris, where have you gone...

Ellis, who the fuck is Ellis? Well, Ellis McAlister, our current quarterback. The guy that threatened to hold out, then threatened to leave us in free agency and then came back after all, when he finally getting starter money in his 9th season in the league, playing once again for the only team that ever believed in him: the Maassluis Merchantmen.

Bondy is making good progress, at this pace he'll get close to his potential and be a scouted as a top 5 receiver by the end of the season, perhaps even becoming the best receiver before the playoffs start. Wouldn't that be something?