View Single Post
Old 02-26-2022, 09:16 PM   #651
MIJB#19
Coordinator
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
100 Years of the Merchantmen: The 10 biggest busts

With the 100th season of the IHOF behind us, thus of the Maassluis Merchantmen as well, it's interesting to look back on some interesting moments, players, or what not. This off-season the 100th amateur draft in the history of the IHOF finished. Today, we take a look at a list of players that didn't quite live up to the hype of being a highly picked rookie prospect.

Ask the Merchantmen owner and he'll claim he's an underrated drafter. He can back it up with the selection of several Hall of Fame worthy wide receivers, having found the right spot to trade up and grab that one guy that's overlooked by others. Recently the likes of Calvin Maxwell and Vinny Buysse joined the tradition, which was just a follow up on the likes of Theodore Bondy, J.R. Mills, Riddick Stanley, Terry Haskell and Gabe Springer. And who can't forget the Class of 2064, which formed the extraordinary support cast, if not backbone, of that 2066 IHOF Bowl victory? Masters of trading, sure, but they stand out in making these kind of moves during the draft to pick top talent and win with home grown elite players, joined by the many hidden gems that were picked in later rounds.

But, to put the Merchantmen management back on their feet every now and then, it's good to remind everybody that drafting isn't risk free. We're going to take a look at the 10 most prolific rookies that never panned out. The science behind this list was far from rocket science. Every player taken with a pick in the top100 was taken into consideration and the number of games played for the Merchantmen was the only other factor. The result is a list of 46 players that by this definition could be considered busts. In this story, we'll take a look at the top 10 of them.

Spoiler alert: running backs Walt Blair (12th) and Ken "The Lost Cause" Torphy (14th) barely missed out. The same applies to punter Doug James, who's career was cut short after just 18 games, but being the 59th overall pick of his class, he ranked 21st on the bust list. Last, but not least, defensive end Jorge Marone, a 87th overall pick that never played for the Merchantmen, yet has had a fine career with the Chesapeake Chitterlings, complete with a championship ring. For the Merchantmen franchise, Marone was a bust. So much for a teaser of good stories. Or are they yet to come?



Number 10: RB Scottie Buckner (2058 pick 64)
The Merchantmen were still hungover from the 34-27 IHOF Bowl loss by the hands of the Williamsburg Colonials. It became apparent that their management spent less time on their draft preparations than usual and was still living in 2057, kind of. The Merchantmen actually had a very viable running duo in speedy RB Fernando Scott and power runner FB Zach Galloway. Both would end up running for over 1,000 yards in the 2058 season.

But what about Buckner? THe Merchantmen thought they had found a worth RB2 option and spent their second of back-to-back second round picks on Buckner. With excellent hole recognition and kickoff return skills, Buckner fit the RB2 picture extremely well.

And then he reported for training camp and Buckner was quickly downgraded to being worse than veterans Deron Cobb and Dakota Giles, as well as all three fullbacks on roster. The management was ruthless, there was no roster spot for Buckner in Maassluis. Already half way through pre-season the decision was made to release Buckner before ever playing a down for the Merchantmen in an official game. Or any other team in the IHOF, he never got a chance anywhere else and retired disillusioned before a second chance in the 2059 off-season.


The kind of ruthlessness with Buckner's situation has been rare, but not unique. 14 players taken in the first three rounds never played in a game for the Merchantmen. The next player did play, but never in the intended role.


Number 9: LT Geoff Vaughn (2055 pick 49)
Back in the early '50s, the Merchantmen had acquired eventual all-time great RB Norbert Talley. To make him become the all-time IHOF leader in rushing attempts, he needed a good offensive line to help him make plays. The Merchantmen back then were exceptionally well in taking linemen with a 4th, 5th and 7th round picks starting for them, next to a couple of 2nd round picks.

In 2055, Vaughn was taken with very good promise as a pass blocking left tackle, in hopes to make him the successor to 32-year old Scott Null. In his rookie season, Vaughn was obviously not going to play, being fourth in line at that moment, but that wasn't unusual in the Merchantmen philosophy to groom linemen for a season or two by only putting them on special teams duties.

During Vaughn's second training camp it became apparent that the promise of becoming an elite pass blocker wasn't quite there in the eyes of the Merchantmen staff. Stuck behind no less than 7 quality linemen and a couple of much appreciated mentors, the Merchantmen decided that Vaughn wasn't the left tackle of the future. His hopes to ever block for Talley had already vanished because of Talley's retirement. Vaughn didn't survive mid-pre-season cuts and a second chance didn't come elsewhere either.


From here on this list will get more lopsided into two particular position groups. Quarterback in particular is a position where IHOF franchises spend a high pick in a flash in the pan more often than they wish to admit. The Merchantmen have made their fair share of them and we'll dive into one of them.


Number 8: QB Josh Webb (2009 pick 53)
Back in the early days, draft classes weren't graded and unraveled the way they are scouted nowadays. During the 2009 draft, there actually was no good reason for the Merchantmen to even worry about looking for a new franchise quarterback as Louie Flannery was coming off back-to-back division titles. But back then a 2nd round pick was considered a luxury as the Merchantmen back in those days were swapping and trading their draft picks left and right. The 53rd overall pick was their highest pick that draft.

And then they selected Josh Webb, putting a kid in an impossible situation. Webb was asked to fend off the two-time division champion or find at minimum a way to improve enough to become a viable QB2 ahead of a couple of cult figures in Thad Pilkington and Fumblin' Justin McDavid.

Webb never stood a chance. Well, not entirely, in his second season he was given some playing time in a blowout loss, but completing 5 of 13 passes for 35 yards and a pick were quite underwhelming. It was mind of a miracle he got to play as Flannery, Pilkington and McDavid were all better, plain and simple. In 2011 Pilkington retired, but the arrival of veteran Richard Bell and 5th round pick Harvey Nimmons demoted Webb to 5th best and an obvious release for the 53-men roster cut day.


Bell... Bell... Haven't we heard of a quarterback named Bell more recently?


Number 7: QB Brandon Bell (2089 pick 13)
Cap hell broke loose during the 2088 off-season in Maassluis and quarterback Ellis "Who the fuck is Ellis" McAlister was sadly victimized. Journeyman Moe Sheldon was signed during the opening weekend and became the starter in week 5. But the 6-7 campaign wasn't convincing and the Merchantmen clearly felt the need to make a bold move and go grab a rookie in the next draft.

They may have landed him in the second round, but after already having grabbed their new franchise defensive tackle in Darien Fletcher, they felt that they could afford a gamble. The staff was extremely positive about Brandon Bell, calling him "very underrated". There was a lot to like too as Bell was scouted to be great in sensing the rush, with the legs to make plays and a strong arm to hit receivers downfield.

The first reports from camp were underwhelming, but Merchantmen management learned from the McAlister fairytale and made clear that Bell would get at least throughout his rookie contract worth of training camps.

Bell had a tremendous start to his career, showing a 6-2 win-loss record and 12 touchdowns vs 3 interceptions. Moe Sheldon had to step in for a couple of games and after returning, Bell's stats somewhat dropped. Still, there was no reason to write him off, Bell posted a winning record with a 2:1 touchdown:interception ratio.

But in 2090, Merchantmen management was won over by Moe Sheldon, whilst Bell must have felt little to no love, despite his promising statistics. Management kept hoping for a recovery in potential, but it didn't come. Bell's story wasn't going to be a repeat of McAlister. Bell got 5 more starts in the next two seasons, but was basically demoted to kick holder slash QB2. He played that role in two playoffs games in 2091, shortly before he was cut at the start of the 2092 off-season, never to visit an IHOF training facility as a player again.


Okay, enough quarterback failures, let's move on to a player that almost was a teammate of Bell. If only he hung around a little bit longer in Maassluis.


Number 6: S Renaldo Upshaw (2087 pick 58)
When the Merchantmen let the name of Renaldo Upshaw get called, they were convinced they got a steal in the late second round by grabbing their new elite safety. Or did they? 4 picks earlier they had grabbed cornerback Marc Armstrong and quickly traded him for future picks.

Fact was, the Merchantmen were battling cap hell and didn't want to afford the second round pick salaries. Upshaw was considered to be a best player available pick and as such not much of a risk if he was forced to stick with the team. And that's what happened.

Upshaw underwhelmed in training camp and pre-season. The Merchantmen felt giving up on a rookie was too much, but Upshaw was not going to see any action that rookie season. In his second season, the lack of progress shown in training camp and pre-season, combined with a salary higher than the rookie minimum, made Upshaw one of many cap casualties. But even in better times, he would have not made the 2088 roster.


Marc Armstrong also turned out to be an overrated rookie, but for him the decline didn't become so visible until after a couple of seasons. He played 6 seasons with the Capital City Blues, mostly as their third cornerback, and a little bit after with the Rochester Razorbacks. Speaking of overrated cornerbacks...


Number 5: CB Kendrick Stewart (2064 pick 44)
Okay, here's one of those stories that are easily forgotten. Was Kendrick Stewart part of the Class of 2064? Yes, he was. Although technically selected as a safety, the Merchantmen saw enough promise to switch Stewart to a cornerback role.

But stories of young promising players that look so great in training camp and then fall flat during pre-season are too common to claim they never happen. Stewart was one of those stories. The Merchantmen felt they still had to commit to him and he was active in 13 games as a rookie, including the late season winning streak that showed the first glimpses of the rise of the Class of 2064.

But Stewart was not destined to be one of them. Midway through pre-season 2065, Stewart was released. The Bordeaux Vineyards threw him a lifeline during the 2065 playoffs, signing him with the idea of getting dibs on him during the 2066 off-season. He made it through training camp in Bordeaux, but pre-season was once again the end of things. Days after the Class of 2064 guided the Merchantmen to their (so far) only IHOF Bowl victory, Stewart signed his retirement papers.


Short-lived stints in Maassluis are of all ages. The very first IHOF rookie draft saw the very first highly picked rookie that was diminished after just one season in Maassluis.


Number 4: QB Leonard Lyon (2005 pick 31)
We're coming time short to wade through all the trades that the Merchantmen made during the 2005 draft, but the gust of things: they began it with the #1 overall and ended it with 4 1st round picks.

The selection of Leonard Lyon came as a bit of a surprise. First of all, the Merchantmen were perceived to have fallen just enough in love with quarterback Fumblin' Justin McDavid to see no need to push him aside in his second season. Second of all, many felt that the draft class was lacking franchise quarterback material. The #18 overall pick Ron Lyle proved those wrong, but #31 overall Lyon did not.

The Merchantmen were not unconvinced about Lyon, but struggled with the decision between McDavid and Lyon. Eventually injuries made the decision easy as Lyon got hurt in his first start, while McDavid suffered a career altering knee injury at mid-season that would sideline him through the 2007 season.

But Lyon wasn't around to see McDavid's return to the field at all, as his stint in Maassluis ended after that rookie campaign. The Merchantmen traded Lyon to the Springfield Isotopes for Mel Atkins and soon after made their big trade to select Louie Flannery as their franchise quarterback.

Lyon started for the Isotopes in 2006, lost his job in 2007, but returned to being a starter in 2008. In 2009 he was moved along to the Williamsburg Colonials, but he never became their starter. In 2016 he played his final and shockingly best season as he won 8 straight games with the Vicksburg Vipers en route to a 12-4 record and being 2nd seeds in the playoffs. He retired shortly after their overwhelming 41-17 loss in the divisional round.


And we'll quickly move on to another quarterback story.


Number 3: QB Ernest Andrews (2085 pick 40)
It hasn't been that long ago, but I bet a lot of people have already forgotten about Ernest Andrews. Not being a first round pick might be a big factor here, but back then the Merchantmen were convinced they had scooped up their successor to Ellis McAlister.

But as with many rookie quarterbacks, the story of Andrews is yet another of promising stories that are downgraded in training camp and hopes shattered midway through pre-season. What remained was an image of a quarterback with very good sens rush ability, scramble frequency and the ability to hit receivers on screen routes, but nothing further downfield.

Then, in week 16 of the regular season, Andrews got his chance. With McAlister nursing a minor knee injury and the division title locked up after a week 15 win over the Gothenburg Giants, it was Andrews' time. And he made the best of it, completing 22 of 36 passes for 265 yards, 1 touchdown and despite 2 interceptions, a victory.

In season two it was back to the bench, stuck behind kick holder and disputed QB2 Karsten Muchnick. Playing time he didn't get. So when Andrews was inevitably cut during the 2087 pre-season, his stay in Maassluis ended after 2 seasons, with just 1 active game. A victorious one.


Okay, two more to go and you may have got enough of the quarterback failures already, but there's one more that deserves to make this top 10.


Number 2: QB Robbie Howe (2071 pick 19)
Oh boy, oh boy, was the 2071 off-season a hefty one in Maassluis. It all started with the loss of quarterback Robbie Rhoades, who had guided the Merchantmen to an 11-5 record and a silly 19-16 loss in the wild card round. And soon after followed up by the signing of quarterback Alfred Hickman to a five-year deal, returning the passer of the 2066 IHOF Bowl victory.

And then the Merchantmen did something we've talked about earlier, but here in 2071 might have been the most excessive one. Shortly after spending the #14 overall pick on eventual Hall of Fame offensive tackle Oscar Meadows, the Merchantmen felt they had the luxury to take a gamble on a future franchise quarterback project.

And a future project it became as Howe spend his first two season on the sidelines. His first season saw some decline in scouted potential, but his second season saw no decline, albeit no progress either. In 2073 Hickman was shown the door over contract disputes once again, but rather than giving Howe the keys, the Merchantmen traded for veteran Winston Buckner of the Oakland Black Panthers.

Buckner turned out to be a one-year rental, making 2074 Howe's opportunity to win the job. And for weeks, he was holding on to it, despite the high number of interceptions, he kept connecting with J.R. Mills. But in a winner takes the wild card game at home against the Paris Musketeers, Howe's worst nightmare came true. Howe completed just 5 of 23 passes for 51 yards and a humiliating 3.4 passer rating. Despite all that, the Merchantmen lost by just 4 points, but it was enough to miss the playoffs.

The 2075 off-season turned into a disaster. Howe's player agent decided that it was payday time, whilst the Merchantmen were not impressed. Howe missed training camp and pre-season, eventually resulting in the Merchantmen cutting Howe right before opening day.

Against all odds, Howe got another chance in Maassluis in 2076 after having spent all of 2075 without a team. Except that this time it was much shorter, ending during the pre-season cut wave. The first ever Merchantmen player to wear the #19 jersey and to be picked at the #19 slot saw his career end after, you guessed it, 19 games for the Merchantmen.


Which brings us to the end of the list, the biggest bust in the history of the Maassluis Merchantmen. Okay, a little caveat is in place, players taken in the last 5 drafts were excluded, because it's too early to tell whether they will end up not playing enough games to not make this list. But that seems very unlikely, so this list is likely going to be complete. For the first 100 drafts that is.

Enough already! Who's number one?



Number 1: CB Dylan Small (2075 pick 15)
Dylan who? Indeed. Dylan Small. Given that Small was taken in the 2075 draft, he flew under the radar easily as that was the off-season where the #2 of this list Robbie Howe held out for a better contract and failed in his efforts. That combined with that the Merchantmen acquired defensive tackle Glen Stiegler, accidentally taken at #16 overall by the Rochester Razorbacks, in exchange for the #20 overall pick.

But what happened to Small to make him the biggest bust? Upon arrival at the Oranje Haven training facilities, Small looked like an okay defensive back, but somewhat lacking the man-to-man skills to play CB1 and to be the successor to Class of 2064 legend Peter Tucker. The hopes were there to make him a zone defending CB2 or CB3, but that vanished after the staff saw him in action during pre-season.

Stuck in a crowded unit and lacking special teams skills, Small had to spent the 2075 season inactive. But in the 2076 training camp and early pre-season action, Small showed no clear signs of progress. Even the retirement of Peter Tucker was too little for Small to win a roster spot.

Dylan Small may have deserved a second chance, but, just like most of the names on this list, second chances are rare for draft busts. The end result being that Dylan Small has achieved something unique in Maassluis Merchantmen history: be picked in the first round of the draft (and not be traded before the draft was over), yet to never play a game for them. And the dubious honor of being the biggest bust in 100 seasons of drafting.
__________________
* 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen
* Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

Last edited by MIJB#19 : 03-01-2022 at 06:17 PM. Reason: just some cleanup of spelling mistakes
MIJB#19 is offline   Reply With Quote