[MIJB#19]

General Manager notes: Pre-season 2080 done, bring on the real action!
So, Dennis Nadell.
I suspect the fans will quickly forget about J.R. Mills, because our leading receiver from last season was amazing in the pre-season. Brody Stevens appears to be on the decline, but Nadell should be capable of being more than a double coverage magnet from here on. Walt Blair is still, well, Walt Blair. He didn't jump out in pre-season, but I'm confident he'll get the job done, lead the league in carries and average 100 yards per game. The rest of the offense will be unchanged, although Darien Latschaw seems to have surpassed our All-IHOF fullback Gilbert Taliancich. Monty Elliott continues to be an elite tight end, awesome blocker and good enough for roughly 50 yards per game. The line is still going strong, with very promising Butch Pearson eager to jump in if an injury occurs.

The defense saw some overhaul, but has mostly remained. We'll try to get linebacker Craig McCorkle into the mix, but I'm not sure yet how. We might use linebacker Glenn Brewer on the defensive line here or there, we might put linebacker Antonio Battle in the dime or nickel slot. Alonzo Hitchcock and Maurice Harkleroad continue to be the key features on the secondary.

Cornerback Amari Lavelli has been trade blocked. We've told other owners they have until the weekend to make an offer, after that, we'll fly with Lavelli on the last year of contract, because we can't afford the extension that he's seeking. We have no cap room to hire a replacement (heck, we actually released his understudy in the off-season), so it has to be an offer that blows me away.

If Lavelli stays, we'll go with the 53 guys we have now.

oh yeah, we're heading into 2080 with 4 quarterbacks. Ellis McAlister was underwhelming in pre-season, but, who cares? He had a very good first season as a starter, we're confident the 5-pick disaster in the one-and-done playoffs (goodness, don't remind me of going through that kind of nonsense for the zillionth time) was a rarity. Sammy Erickson will be the backup guy for another season, Josiah Lyle will most likely never be active and Karsten Muchnick is our kick holder.

Is that Lyle kid anything good? Uhm, not right now, but what rookie quarterback is from the get go? Wait a sec, didn't he just have a tremendous pre-season while having to play without Dennis Nadell, Walt Blair, Monty Elliott and Nicky Sherman? This kid's stats are not to be underestimated!