[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Back to the drawing board
We played, we lost.

Okay, the core number suggest we actually played along with the Tucker Tigers. But in reality, we gave up touchdowns way too early in the game and our answers were two field goals and a blocked one. I sat it out, almost, as I stopped watching te game when the coaching staff decided to pull Moe Sheldon in the middle of our now or never drive. Inexcusable decision, regardless of Francisco Farley guiding the team into the end zone for a touchdown. End result a 28-13 deficit in our own place.

I'm not really sure what to make from this game. Our defense was depressingly bad, we allowed 255 yards passing before the third quarter was over and had no answer to the Tigers' running game either. Pass defense: terrible. Run defense, horrible. Passing game: underwhelming. Running game: Thong' did well, but we didn't convert the crucial downs when we needed to. Special teams: "meh".

Standings within the division:
1. Gothenburg 4-1
2. Paris 3-1
3. Maassluis 2-1-1
4. Bordeaux 1-4

Yeah, just like that, we dropped from undefeated division leaders to virtually outside the playoffs, providing we'll finish this season with 12 teams in the playoffs.

In an attempt to fix our game plan, several attempts even, I hope to see some result of those tweaks in our next game on the road at the 2-3 Augusta Greenjackets. Mind you, their record isn't representative of how good they are. Neither does the fact that they've allowed the most points per game so far, we're perfectly capable of making a joke of ourselves and return home with only 10 points scored. I mean, I don't hope we do, shouldn't expect us to do even, but optimism has dropped hard after today's loss.

But it was only just one game, we actually didn't completely suck. And we've got some reasons to think twice about some of our play calling decisions. I still feel like a dimwit, almost as terrible as an AI that randomly draws up a game plan, but I think I'm going to want to spend some time on taking a deep look at our offensive game plan in the upcoming days. We should be able to get more out of this team, which last season was our most talented roster ever assembled and despite the decline of Bondy and Hitchcock, I still feel confident we can beat everybody. Yes, on a luckier day (or a day where the dice roll slightly less lucky for the opponent), we can even avenge the Tigers come playoffs time. If we get there...