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MIJB#19 · 07-24-2020, 04:14 PM

General Manager Notes: Game of the season in week 11?
It sounds weird, but that's close to how it was.

Gothenburg Giants, on the road. It has become a returning matchup in our schedules to play there in week 11 of the season. Week 17 of 2087 was the last time we won in their place, while week 1 of 2089 was the last time we beat them at home. At the same time, the last time we were 7-1-1 or better going into week 11 was before we won our first IHOF Bowl: in 2065 we started the season with an 11-1 record, then chocked not just the #1 seed, but even missed a bye at 12-4 and crashed out in Houston in the conference semi finals. A season later we made it all okay with our first and so far only IHOF Bowl victory. That was in 2066, we also played in Gothenburg in week 11 and after a 28-23 victory there we were feeling quite good about our 7-2-1 record. Today, we had a chance to do even better than that.

For a game of the season, it would be neat to go over all that happened, but looking over how the game evolved, it wasn't a barnburner, it was a defensive struggle, or a festivity if you like. We held them to a 39-yard field goal on their first drive, to a 52-yard field goal on their second drive and before the first quarter was over they had driven for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead. At that point, our defense woke up and started playing like how they have all season long, matching the stingy defense that Gothenburg was putting on the field.

19 minutes into the game, we finally got on the scoreboard on a 34-yard field goal after starting the drive at the Giants' 47-yard line. They responded with a 40-yard field goal and on our next drive a 34-yard pass from Moe Sheldon to Clarence Gore (this kid deserves to be in the talks for rookie of the year) was the key play on our touchdown drive to a 16-9 deficit, the extra point was missed.

The second half was even more defense heavy. The first drive, ours', ended in a 48-yard field goal (so, we do at times follow instructions!) and made it 16-12. Shortly before the end of the third quarter, Gothenburg reached our red zone, saw Archie Exner make a crucial sack and the 29-yard field goal made it 19-12 for them.

The fourth quarter was a rough start for us as we got pinned as deep as you can be: at our own 1-yard line. Moe Sheldon used his receivers well: 13 yards to Theodore Bondy, 10 yards to Branden Sandlin (yes, back in action!), 13 yards to George Stuckey and 12 yards to Sandlin to reach midfield, at which point Bondy dropped a third down pass that forced us to punt after all. We had hoped to be winning the field position battle, but Sheldon took a sack on third down as our green left guard failed to hold ground. The Giants orchestrated a strong time and time outs draining drive, giving us little chance to do anything in the final minute to do about the unavoidable 19-12 loss. And so it went, somehow we fucked up with a 2-yard gain on what was supposed to be a long throw and when we had time left for two more plays, Moe Sheldon went for a scramble, didn't go out of bounds, leaving no time left for a hail mary.

On the day, we gave up 330 total yards, Jack Crane once again ran for 100 yards on us. In return, Moe Sheldon threw for only 147 yards, Theo Bondy gained only 48 yards, Clarence Gore 47, Branden Sandlin 38. Reggie Thongchanh lead our running game missing in action with 56 yards. The punters had a fun game though. Our pass rush was to our standards, disrupting 15 of 41 pass plays, while the secondary and Clayton Jackson defended 6 passes.

Standings:
1. Maassluis 7-2-1
2. Gothenburg 6-4
3. Paris 4-6
4. Bordeaux 3-7

Our season continues with no less than 4 straight home games, three of these opponents are currently 6-4, one of them is 2-8. If we don't do anything remotely stupid, week 15 will be a rematch with the Giants in Oranje Haven and a win should secure the division title and most likely the #2 seed. But yeah, that's getting way, way, way ahead of things. We should take it game by game. The Chicago Norsemen are up next. It seems the current management has finally fixed their former #2 overall pick quarterback Brady Ladner, while their running game is somewhat starting to look like what people were used to see from that franchise. Their defense is solid, this is no cakewalk, no matter what Vegas says: Maassluis by 8, seriously!?

Well, we'll find out this weekend whether we can rebound quickly and continue what so far has been a strong season. Keep it up, Merchantmen!

07-24-2020, 04:14 PM	#337
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	General Manager Notes: Game of the season in week 11? It sounds weird, but that's close to how it was. Gothenburg Giants, on the road. It has become a returning matchup in our schedules to play there in week 11 of the season. Week 17 of 2087 was the last time we won in their place, while week 1 of 2089 was the last time we beat them at home. At the same time, the last time we were 7-1-1 or better going into week 11 was before we won our first IHOF Bowl: in 2065 we started the season with an 11-1 record, then chocked not just the #1 seed, but even missed a bye at 12-4 and crashed out in Houston in the conference semi finals. A season later we made it all okay with our first and so far only IHOF Bowl victory. That was in 2066, we also played in Gothenburg in week 11 and after a 28-23 victory there we were feeling quite good about our 7-2-1 record. Today, we had a chance to do even better than that. For a game of the season, it would be neat to go over all that happened, but looking over how the game evolved, it wasn't a barnburner, it was a defensive struggle, or a festivity if you like. We held them to a 39-yard field goal on their first drive, to a 52-yard field goal on their second drive and before the first quarter was over they had driven for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead. At that point, our defense woke up and started playing like how they have all season long, matching the stingy defense that Gothenburg was putting on the field. 19 minutes into the game, we finally got on the scoreboard on a 34-yard field goal after starting the drive at the Giants' 47-yard line. They responded with a 40-yard field goal and on our next drive a 34-yard pass from Moe Sheldon to Clarence Gore (this kid deserves to be in the talks for rookie of the year) was the key play on our touchdown drive to a 16-9 deficit, the extra point was missed. The second half was even more defense heavy. The first drive, ours', ended in a 48-yard field goal (so, we do at times follow instructions!) and made it 16-12. Shortly before the end of the third quarter, Gothenburg reached our red zone, saw Archie Exner make a crucial sack and the 29-yard field goal made it 19-12 for them. The fourth quarter was a rough start for us as we got pinned as deep as you can be: at our own 1-yard line. Moe Sheldon used his receivers well: 13 yards to Theodore Bondy, 10 yards to Branden Sandlin (yes, back in action!), 13 yards to George Stuckey and 12 yards to Sandlin to reach midfield, at which point Bondy dropped a third down pass that forced us to punt after all. We had hoped to be winning the field position battle, but Sheldon took a sack on third down as our green left guard failed to hold ground. The Giants orchestrated a strong time and time outs draining drive, giving us little chance to do anything in the final minute to do about the unavoidable 19-12 loss. And so it went, somehow we fucked up with a 2-yard gain on what was supposed to be a long throw and when we had time left for two more plays, Moe Sheldon went for a scramble, didn't go out of bounds, leaving no time left for a hail mary. On the day, we gave up 330 total yards, Jack Crane once again ran for 100 yards on us. In return, Moe Sheldon threw for only 147 yards, Theo Bondy gained only 48 yards, Clarence Gore 47, Branden Sandlin 38. Reggie Thongchanh lead our running game missing in action with 56 yards. The punters had a fun game though. Our pass rush was to our standards, disrupting 15 of 41 pass plays, while the secondary and Clayton Jackson defended 6 passes. Standings: 1. Maassluis 7-2-1 2. Gothenburg 6-4 3. Paris 4-6 4. Bordeaux 3-7 Our season continues with no less than 4 straight home games, three of these opponents are currently 6-4, one of them is 2-8. If we don't do anything remotely stupid, week 15 will be a rematch with the Giants in Oranje Haven and a win should secure the division title and most likely the #2 seed. But yeah, that's getting way, way, way ahead of things. We should take it game by game. The Chicago Norsemen are up next. It seems the current management has finally fixed their former #2 overall pick quarterback Brady Ladner, while their running game is somewhat starting to look like what people were used to see from that franchise. Their defense is solid, this is no cakewalk, no matter what Vegas says: Maassluis by 8, seriously!? Well, we'll find out this weekend whether we can rebound quickly and continue what so far has been a strong season. Keep it up, Merchantmen! __________________ * 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 : 07-24-2020 at 04:14 PM.