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MIJB#19 · 08-14-2022, 02:02 PM

2094 - 2103 The Earnest Ashley fiasco

A new era began with the 2094 draft where the Merchantmen thought to have found their new franchise quarterback in second round pick Earnest Ashley. The same draft saw the Merchantmen select stud offensive tackle duo Isaac Delgado and Johnnie Houston. Moe Sheldon hung around to mentor Ashley, as the new kid was made the starter from day one. Ashley posted the first 4,000-yard season for a Merchantmen quarterback since Ellis McAlister in 2086.

Ashley struggled to get north of completing 50% of his passes in the Merchantmen game plan. It soon after dubbed him Mr. 50-50 and Coinflip amongst skeptics and the overall team performance was quite similar. Season after season, the Merchantmen came 1 or 2 wins short of even a wild card. The likes of 2095 rookies cornerback Ernie Grant and defensive end Richie Piotte boosted the defense. The offensive line got completed with a couple of new offensive guards as well in the 2096 and 2097 drafts.

Wide receiver Theodore Bondy hung around through the 2096 season, but never sniffed at 1,000 yards in his seasons with Ashley in command. His pupil Ed Schulz turned out to be a never fulfilling prophecy, his triplet of 1,000-yard seasons came all early in his career. In 2097 running back Bert Ta'Amu was acquired through trade, but he appeared to be way past his 1,600-yard shape and stuck around for just 2 seasons.

The no more excuses period began in 2099. With the arrival of 2098 #7 overall pick wide receiver Vinny Buysse, followed by the selection of wide receiver Calvin Maxwell #3 overall in 2099 and running back Ken Torphy at #6 in 2099, the talent to go places was there. But despite being surrounded by without a doubt the best skill players in football and ever to be assembled by the Merchantmen, Earnest Ashley continued to struggle.

As the team continued to go downhill season by season, it became harder and harder to keep the team together. In the 2102 off-season, cap hell broke loose, worse than ever before. Merchantmen management decided to gamble on hanging onto the core pieces on offense, but at the same time said goodbye to elite cornerback Ernie Grant and defensive end Richie Piotte, whilst all 5 starting offensive linemen were released. The Merchantmen ended up going into the new season with almost half their roster consisting of rookies.

2102 became another disaster season, although this time somewhat to be expected with the gigantic overhaul. More bad news was Ken Torphy's unwillingness to sign a very generous contract as his player agent kept demanding less money. Torphy walked away a free agent in the 2103 off-season and was subsequently nicknamed the Lost Cause.

The 2103 off-season also saw a reboot. The Merchantmen acquired Augusta Greenjackets legendary quarterback Winford England through trade and it became clear that Ashley's reign was over. Ashley's last pass attempt came in a blowout win in 2103 and he sat the entire 2104 season on the bench, retiring in the 2105 off-season after 9 seasons as the face of a sublimely talented team that played mediocre football, without a single trip to the playoffs.

Winfred England's stint as the Merchantmen quarterback lasted for just a single season. Despite a tremendous display of passing skills (4,335 yards and 29 touchdowns), which also saw the improvement of Calvin Maxwell towards his first 1,500-yard and double digit touchdown season, whilst Vinny Buysse reached what turned out to be his career high of 1,297 yards (far too low for a player with his level of talent). 2102 second round pick Tight end Garrett Alcala improved to being a serviceable option, but was still far away from his yet undiscovered ability to be a league leader at his position.

But even with a future hall of famer quarterback around, the playoffs were far way for the Merchantmen and England retired after just one season in orange, white and blue. He did get a chance to welcome the rookie class of 2103, which included defensive tackle Gabriel Morris, linebacker Gus Coleman and running back Bennett Holmes, as well as the signing of veteran defensive tackle Ben Courcy.

2094 8-8 (8th)
2095 7-9 (10th)
2096 8-8 (8th)
2097 10-6 (7th)
2098 4-11-1 (15th)
2099 8-8 (9th)
2100 6-10 (13th)
2101 5-11 (14th)
2102 4-12 (14th)
2103 7-8-1 (11th)

08-14-2022, 02:02 PM	#713
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	2094 - 2103 The Earnest Ashley fiasco A new era began with the 2094 draft where the Merchantmen thought to have found their new franchise quarterback in second round pick Earnest Ashley. The same draft saw the Merchantmen select stud offensive tackle duo Isaac Delgado and Johnnie Houston. Moe Sheldon hung around to mentor Ashley, as the new kid was made the starter from day one. Ashley posted the first 4,000-yard season for a Merchantmen quarterback since Ellis McAlister in 2086. Ashley struggled to get north of completing 50% of his passes in the Merchantmen game plan. It soon after dubbed him Mr. 50-50 and Coinflip amongst skeptics and the overall team performance was quite similar. Season after season, the Merchantmen came 1 or 2 wins short of even a wild card. The likes of 2095 rookies cornerback Ernie Grant and defensive end Richie Piotte boosted the defense. The offensive line got completed with a couple of new offensive guards as well in the 2096 and 2097 drafts. Wide receiver Theodore Bondy hung around through the 2096 season, but never sniffed at 1,000 yards in his seasons with Ashley in command. His pupil Ed Schulz turned out to be a never fulfilling prophecy, his triplet of 1,000-yard seasons came all early in his career. In 2097 running back Bert Ta'Amu was acquired through trade, but he appeared to be way past his 1,600-yard shape and stuck around for just 2 seasons. The no more excuses period began in 2099. With the arrival of 2098 #7 overall pick wide receiver Vinny Buysse, followed by the selection of wide receiver Calvin Maxwell #3 overall in 2099 and running back Ken Torphy at #6 in 2099, the talent to go places was there. But despite being surrounded by without a doubt the best skill players in football and ever to be assembled by the Merchantmen, Earnest Ashley continued to struggle. As the team continued to go downhill season by season, it became harder and harder to keep the team together. In the 2102 off-season, cap hell broke loose, worse than ever before. Merchantmen management decided to gamble on hanging onto the core pieces on offense, but at the same time said goodbye to elite cornerback Ernie Grant and defensive end Richie Piotte, whilst all 5 starting offensive linemen were released. The Merchantmen ended up going into the new season with almost half their roster consisting of rookies. 2102 became another disaster season, although this time somewhat to be expected with the gigantic overhaul. More bad news was Ken Torphy's unwillingness to sign a very generous contract as his player agent kept demanding less money. Torphy walked away a free agent in the 2103 off-season and was subsequently nicknamed the Lost Cause. The 2103 off-season also saw a reboot. The Merchantmen acquired Augusta Greenjackets legendary quarterback Winford England through trade and it became clear that Ashley's reign was over. Ashley's last pass attempt came in a blowout win in 2103 and he sat the entire 2104 season on the bench, retiring in the 2105 off-season after 9 seasons as the face of a sublimely talented team that played mediocre football, without a single trip to the playoffs. Winfred England's stint as the Merchantmen quarterback lasted for just a single season. Despite a tremendous display of passing skills (4,335 yards and 29 touchdowns), which also saw the improvement of Calvin Maxwell towards his first 1,500-yard and double digit touchdown season, whilst Vinny Buysse reached what turned out to be his career high of 1,297 yards (far too low for a player with his level of talent). 2102 second round pick Tight end Garrett Alcala improved to being a serviceable option, but was still far away from his yet undiscovered ability to be a league leader at his position. But even with a future hall of famer quarterback around, the playoffs were far way for the Merchantmen and England retired after just one season in orange, white and blue. He did get a chance to welcome the rookie class of 2103, which included defensive tackle Gabriel Morris, linebacker Gus Coleman and running back Bennett Holmes, as well as the signing of veteran defensive tackle Ben Courcy. 2094 8-8 (8th) 2095 7-9 (10th) 2096 8-8 (8th) 2097 10-6 (7th) 2098 4-11-1 (15th) 2099 8-8 (9th) 2100 6-10 (13th) 2101 5-11 (14th) 2102 4-12 (14th) 2103 7-8-1 (11th) __________________ * 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 : 08-14-2022 at 02:04 PM.