[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Bring on the regular season!
Yes, it's time.

We finished the pre-season with a 2-2 record, winning the final home game 40-3 over the Fairbanks Northstars and losing 34-9 at the Arizona Miners. Ernest Ashley finished it with a 9/12 for 86 yards and a 13/23 for 161 yards with 1 interception. Yes, these last two games the young guns played as much as my staff thought they should play (they're always, always, always pulling the rookies that need that time to play and keep the veterans that need the time off to not get tired on the field; why would we want our backup guard and center to play at offensive tackle when they are much better suited to play their own position!?).

Our running game was dramatic, IHOF unworthy in Arizona, while it was pedestrian against Fairbanks. So much for letting our staff handle the game planning, I suppose? Moe Sheldon took the cake for cheesiest performance, completing 2 of 3 passes for 1 yard.

More important was the contract extension for no less than 16 players. The most important one, Devon Farrell, had to be rejected due to lack of cap room. Say what now? Apparently I miscalculated by about $5M and now we don't have the cap room to make him even a half decent offer. So, one of those 16 will walk away with a new signing bonus and not see the 3 additional seasons on contract come true: defensive end Trenton Donovan will be sacrificed to salvage Farrell. A stupid mistake, completely unnecessary. At the same time, one D-Lineman had to be cut anyway, 8 is plenty enough and Donovan was the worst pass rusher last season anyway. It does mean the enigmatic rookie Harold Gough will make the team.

The other two cuts have also been finalized. Kickoff returner Santiago Messenger won't make the team. For whatever reason, he showed up out of shape after pre-season game 2 and went from an elite kickoff returner to a very good one. We have Rickey Lyle to step into that role now, with rookie Keegan Cosby getting a chance to prove he's the right guy for the backup role. Veteran special teams linebacker Alec Palmer was also released. Second-year Jose Meadows will be moved to WLB to keep the number of OLB players on roster at 3. It might come back to bite us in our special teams' cohesion...

Speaking of cohesion, apparently we're once again sky high at the top of the league in that area. Players on roster are roughly 1 1/2 years longer on team than the median in the league, or somewhere along that line. With Palmer cut, 19 players have been us since the '80s. Only Chesapeake and Oakland are in the same realm, while Kansas is nearby, the rest of the league has a much fresher roster. It does show that we're in good company, they were the top3 in the NAC last season, with Chesapeake winning the bowl game, eventually.

Now, what to expect of the upcoming 2094 season? My guess is just as good as yours, we're switching to a rookie quarterback, with a second-year wide receiver and a rookie left tackle. That reeks of beginner mistakes, with lots of ups and downs. The defense has lost Kirk Hitchcock, it's all up to an over the hill Jackie Richardson, Devon Farrell and the emerging zone defenders Harmon, Brotzman and rookie Weisz to save the day. Brandon Brady is clearly the leader of this gang, despite that Farrell might think he's main figure.

Is the 53 men list final? Never say never...