[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: The rollercoaster continues
We're still in the mix, with 5 games to go.

Division standings:
1. Paris 7-4
2. Gothenburg 7-4
3. Maassluis 6-4-1
4. Bordeaux 2-9

How did we get here from my previous update? We played atrocious football in Orlando (28-6 loss) with our worst running performance since the Patter-Thong' tandem was installed, saw our defense pretend like they missed the plane to Gothenburg (35-28 loss), but Rickey Lyle played his best Theo Bondy impersonation to save our face, followed up with a 30-3 victory at home against the Capital City Blues.

Bondy has been upgraded to 'probable', but the injury is severe enough to not going to risk playing him, it screams for tearing his calf muscle and being out for the rest of the season and then some. We'll wait until he's back to 100%, as great and important as he is. Our passing game is falling apart when Bondy is on the field equally well. Moe Sheldon has gone from one end to the other on his performance scale, with 2091 apparently being the best he can do and 2092 turning into the worst he can do. Well, there's no Brandon Bell anymore to threaten him with, maybe that's what's been motivating him? Francisco Farley won't get the keys, that's for sure.

More worrisome is the defense not living up to their form of last season. It could be the same thing as with Sheldon, but I'm unwilling to believe that. This group of players is highly skilled, they are quite simply not living up to their ability. I'm seriously considering to break up the offense and go even heavier on brining an elite defense together in the next off-season or two. But cap management, you know? Even a half-decent wide receiver or running back will demand a lot of money after one season of system based good fortune.

Still, we're 5 games away from the end of the regular season, with 4 of them to be played at home and two of them against rivals for the playoffs (7-4 Houston in week 13 and 7-4 Paris in week 17), with week 16 also a big test against the Atlantic Coast division leading 7-4 Moontown. In between we'll visit 3-8 Texas and host 2-9 Bordeaux. I'm not counting on it, but a 10-5-1 record like last season should be the goal, nothing less, anything below that would be a disgrace to what we've accomplished last season with this same bunch of players.

So, show it to me, team. Play like you did last season, prove y'all are worth that crazy truckload of money the fans are coughing up for y'all. Not next season, this season.