General Manager Notes: When the big test turns into a bigger challenge
Or: what to expect when a key player goes down with an injury?
Lunch in hand, screen all ready to watch our game of the season, a clash at home against the Gothenburg Giants, one game behind our unexpected strong 8-1 start of the season. The first quarter went from a tremendous 45-yard deep pass from Earnest Ashley to Ed Schulz to a 83-yard pick six to put us 7-0 down, then this happened on the third play of our second possession:
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Originally Posted by Play-by-play
3-4-MAA31 (1Q: 12:34) Earnest Ashley pass completed to WR Ed Schulz for 32 yards. Tackled by CB Rodolfo Torres. Schulz gained 23 yards after the catch. Maassluis's Earnest Ashley was hurt on the play.
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*sigh*
I forgot about the game, our franchise quarterback was injured and ruled out for the rest of the day, I had to know how bad it is first. The verdict a calf injury, expected to miss 4 more games after today. We might as well be 8-6 by then and eliminated from the playoffs. Goodness, what a sad moment for this season.
The game actually continued, obviously, but more turnovers hurt our chances: a rare occurance of a lost fumble from both our kickoff returner and punt returner, followed by a strip sack of QB2 Efrain Batcheck and a silly late game interception in our last huzzah opportunity. We outgained Gothenburg, but losing the turnover battle 5-1 is almost always a one way ticket to the L-column.
European Division:
1. Gothenburg 8-2
2. Maassluis 8-2
3. Bordeaux 2-8
4. Paris 2-8
Tie-breakers already make it that so the two French teams will finish 3rd and 4th, the division title is officially a two-horse race now.
No time to cry over the Ashley injury though, we signed Batcheck last season for the moment this would or could happen. The big test turned into a test of what we'll look like without our franchise quarterback and we know now: we can still gain yardage, Batcheck completed 19 of 34 passes for 290 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. The bad news is that our next two home games will see us host two 7-2-1 teams. Our Asstoria Heroes like cupcake schedule ended with today's game.
Time to take a deep breath, regroup and move on. We're still in a good position to go places. We'll have to find ways to win without Ashley, maybe the solid defense can return to their solid play of the first 5 games, that would help tremendously. So, Merchantmen, go to the film room, what how the 2023 regular season went as Rusty Harrison got hurt and backup Patrick McDonnell played to to par in his place, which to this day is still a disappointment that there are no co-MVP titles as they combined for 4,555 yards, 46 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. We'll have to rely on Batcheck to be the 2097 version of Patrick McDonnell. Back then we also had just traded for the best running back in the league in HOF'er Stanley Givens, who played well, but struggled to get to 4.0 yards per carry. And we all know the Merchantmen were also about defense back in the '20s, although that 2023 team lead the league with 507 points scored. That 500-point barrier is still attainable this season. So, Merchantmen of 2097: repeat history, at least for the regular season. Bar the week 17 choke and similar wild card round loss. That team was #1 seed material and so has this team been. Get it together and make it happen!