IHOF: Maassluis Merchantmen

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Sign All Ten Rookies On One Day
The Maassluis Merchantmen have done it. Without much hassling, they managed to get all ten of their draft picks to sign their rookie contracts far before training camp starts. The cherries on the pie, wide receiver Jerry Beyer and defensive tackle Shaun Shiroma, together account for almost ten million dollars over the next four seasons. The eight other selections, taken in the fifth, sixth or seventh round together account for about ten and a half million over three years.

As the players reported for their first minicamps, the defensive tackles Shaun Shiroma and Andrew Rasmussen looked good. Charles Gomez, the star defensive tackle on the Merchantmen team was positive about both guys: "These guys are steals. Rasmussen in the sixth, this guy could be a great starter anywhere int the IHOF. And Shaun is Shaun. First round talent and already as good as departed John Bryant was."

Meanwhile the offensive line is getting revamped all over again. Long time starter Harold Hurtado fears for his job: "The arrival of Ivan Jacques made sense after the trade of Grimaldo. Cornelius Rice looks good to take over from me someday. But now, this Norman Holliday kid, he's far from ready, but he's got so much potential. It's scary. And the kid is 6-9, Flannery will love to hide behind him."

Running backs Tyrell Mahoney and Harold Poston also made a splash enterance. Randy Harris, the Merchantmen's three-time 1,000-yard rusher feels good about them: "Poston looks like a younger version of Jamel [Rosenberry]. Not as good a blocker, but he could be a great receiver type back. And Tyrell, well, what's to say? He's not a stand-out guy in anything, but he seems to do everything right a bit."

In the other backfield, Gene Sampson arrives as a hot prospect and his team mates are looking forward to him to get playing time. Tai Wayne, the Merchantmen's 2005 top draft selection, called him "spectacular". The long time Merchantmen player, safety Lincoln Gilmore, was more specific: "With Gene, we'll be able to go back to more coverage schemes. We can stick with the zone defense, but can also add some more man to man coverage."

Seventh round pick Terrence Norris got less kudos all over. Carl Meier, who Norris was said to be calling his mentor, was not so fond: "Terror [Norris' nickname] will have a hard time to make the 53-men roster. The staff said they wanted a great run defender, but sofar he's not looking a good fit with the team." Especially Norris' zone defense skills are a concern, but Meier added: "Ellsworth [Thelen] is not a zone defender either, yet he manages to make plays anyway."

In front of the linebackers, Aaron Sherrill is expected to be at least a rotating backup with 2006 fourth round pick Omar Gougeon and veteran Albert Bernardo. The 'Big Al' seems Sherrill as a future starter: "He's more like Harold Wells than we thought. Aaron will be a pass rush threat, but also will be supporting the run defense. Omar and Aaron will battle it out, but I can't say I'm safe of being a starter myself."

Alvin Ladner, the new kicker in town, will have a hard time to make the 53-men regular season roster. Punter Roscoe Corrales was skeptic: "With Cary [Coles] we already had a guy who makes the points and Al Bettis is an excellent kickoff specialist. Sadly for Alvin, I don't see him make the roster. Still, Ike Settles went to the IHOF Bowl and I rank Alvin much higher, he'll get picked up somewhere. And you never know when injuries hit."

Last, but not least, wide receiver Jerry Beyer signed his contract. In early mini camps the management was excited to see they got the guy they wanted. General manager M.IJ.B. explained: "We felt there was a need for a guy with the ability to get downfield and make big plays there. David Henkel failed to do that. Henkel played well when he had the ball, but Flannery struggled to connect with Henkel. Monti can't get downfield and Ewald doesn't get open enough. We hope that Jerry will make up for the things we lacked."

Then new rookies and all signed. Although the Merchantmen already reported that Ladner and Norris will have a hard time making the final 53-men roster, even if eight players make it, it'll be the biggest new rookie group drafted. In 2006, undrafted guys like punt returner Matt Offord, kickoff guy Al Bettis and the interceptor Myron Stevens, but this year undrafted rookies won't make the roster at all. The team already has 22 new faces and the management expect to have at least 15 of them survive the two roster cut days.

Despite the promissing looks, the earlier draft classes are getting less and less attention. Of the class of 2006, quarterback Louie Flannery and defensive end Omar Gougeon are expected to start, but nose tackle Andy Weliczka is bound to drop to #4 on the depth chart, while center Ernie Taylor and safety Lamar Singleton around bound to follow Reggie Nelson to being released before finishing the rookie contract. In contrast, of the class of 2005 only quarterback Leonard Lyon left so far and he was traded to be a starter in Springfield.

With these new faces, the Merchantmen expect to be revamping more and more, but the core of the offense and defense stay the same. Of all the rookies, none are expected to be full time starters. Jerry Beyer will likely begin as the #3 guy, while Shaun Shiroma should start over Andrew Rasmussen and will be rotating with Andy Weliczka. Tackle Norman Holliday might get a chance and so could it happen to Gene Sampson and Aaron Sherrill.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Alright!

All ten rookies signed and according to the general consensus, two of our ten rookies joined the ranks of "booms". Fifth round OT Norman Holliday could use a bump as he was rated no higher than 6 out of 100 in experience. But then, he's got a potential of 73 in pass blocking. I mean, "wow!". That said, he's scouted at 1 out of 100 and 2 out of 100 in experience for run blocking and pass protection. It will be tough to find playing time for him in 2007.

On a similair case, DT Andrew Rasmussen bumped up too and threatens second round pick Shaun Shiroma for the starter role next to Charles Gomez. Shiroma's in the "Fair" region of all things, Rasmussen is scouted around 7 out of 100. But in potential, Shiroma only slightly has the edge, as should have been expected with the so similair scouting combine scores the two had. Meanwhilst, Andy Weliczka still has the edge on being the starter on running downs, but the pass rush abilityof Shiroma and potential of Rasmussen are giving us four good looking tackles.

Also, I've published a list of 18 players who are available for trade as soon as possible. Sure, we don't need to go down to 61 names yet, Richard Muller included, but the earlier we get trades worked out, the better. The list?
RB Cedric Rubio - he's good, but it's a numbers game, it's him or Montoya
RB Kyle Montoya - he's a cool guy, self drafted, but he's never got a shot
FB Greg Berk - It's Berk or Poston and rookie Poston looks better to be the backup
TE Charles Burley - Numbers game, Martins is the long snapper, Ramirez better as backup
WR David Henkel - Beyer in, Henkel out, he never lived up to expectations
C Ernie Taylor - Sadly for him, we picked up Bubba Kerney mid-way 2006
G Eric Dietrich - Sadly for him, we hied 2 new guards and 4 new tackles
K Alvin Ladner - Coles or Ladner, tough choice, but Ladner lacks the power
DE Duane Shank - Tough one, he's good enough to backup but it's him or Bycroft
DE Britt Bycroft - It's him or Shank, I like Shank's pass rush technique better
DT Johnny Meadows - Never really had a chance, unless we hadn't drafted a DT
DT Stanley Jacke - the guy made the roster in (bad) luck before, so you never know
LB Terrence Norris - drafted for his run defense talent, and he doesn't have it enough
CB Danny Person - well, maybe we won't dump him, but me might
CB Desmond Craig - I like his interception skills, but he's no man2man defender at all
CB Myron Stevens - the zone defense prospect who became our nickel back
SS Lamar Singleton - more potential than Steves, less experience



Maybe I'm a sucker for role players, but some of these guys I'd actually wish to keep around. The guys who really hove no future in Maassluis are Dietrich, Meadows, Burley, Berk, Jacke and Ladner. Even though, I liked the pick of Ladner, the guy lacks the power in his leg to get past Cary Coles as the placekicker. Wasted pick? Probably, but with eight lower round picks (investment of ten fifth round picks) you can't hit the jackpot ten out of ten times. Holliday, Rasmussen, Sherrill, Poston and Sampson make up for it.

Talking of Sampson, with him and Danny Person, we can move to a more varried pass defense. Sadly, free safety John Cole is a zone defense specialist, like the 2006 rookies Stevens and Singelton, but most of the others also can do man to man defense. Yes, our linebackers won't help much more out there, but things can't get much worse there anyway. Sampson and Person can do the man to man and guys like Tai Wayne, Johnnie Stidham and Lincoln Gilmore can do it too.

The pass rush should be the big winner in 2007. John Bryant wasn't a big rusher and we get three promising rushers in return. Rasmussen could be worth a position change to defensive end and help out there. Bottom line, if we can get a 4.31 pick (Omar Gougeon), and a 6.4 (Aaron Sherrill) to combine for 15 to 20 sacks, we've made wise investments, I'd say. Add Andrew Rasmussen (6.5 pick) and Andy Weliczka (7.1 pick), you'd even wonder why on earth we invested so much to get Shaun Shiroma...

Oh, by the way, from this place, I'd (again) want to thank Wade Moore, the substitute general manager for his role to the Merchantmen. As expected, Wade made our fifth round picks and we can't say he made the wrong choices. Sadly, Alvin Ladner might have to go after pre-season, but he was high on our list and it's not Wade's fault that Ladner seems to not work out. And with guys like Tyrell Mahoney, Harold Poston, Gene Sampson and Norman Holliday picked by him, we've got a couple of talented guys added to our roster.

See ya all back after training camp, or earlier if there's big news.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Safety Richard Muller Misses Another Season
The Maassluis Merchantmen could have done it before but just shortly before training camp they made the decission, Richard Muller won't play for the Merchantmen in the 2007 season. Muller was placed on injured reserve with repetitive concussion syndrome, after missing the entire 2006 season with it. The management called it a tough decission but there was no other way to go.

Medical advisors of the Maassluis Merchantmen said that Muller could be ready for football again for the last two games of the season at the Columbus Architects and Gothenburg Giants. Muller might have even returned earlier, but the team is not sure how Muller fits into future plans, especially after he's not been able to play football for 15 months the moment he returns. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said: "Muller had a great role on the team in 2005, was part of the turnaround, but like last year, it's unwise to let some player return late in the season and take over from a guywho started all year."

Muller was disappointed at first, but he seems to have no grievance towards the management as of yet. But if the team will be going into the playoffs and needing a healthy safety in the post-season, that might change. "The headaches are still a big problem, my memory is not all back to normal," Muller said, "I should be thinking of football at this point."

In his time with the Merchantmen, Muller played and started 16 games in the 2005 season. Muller recorded 67 tackles that year, ranking him fourth on the team, lead the team with 3 interceptions and was third with 10 defended passes. Muller signed with the Merchantmen as a free agent after being a backup for the Leesburg Generals (renamed to Miami Sharks in 2005), where he made 24 tackles and 1 interception, but never started.

To have an easier time to recover, the team decided to give Muller freedom to recover in his home town, Riviera Beach in Florida.

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Offer Five Guys For One Pick
The Maassluis Merchantmen are getting out of control now. The management announced a list of 18 names of players available for trade and apparantly they offered to trade five of hem for just one draft pick to an undisclosed team. The management was unavailable for comment, but it should be clear that they are desperate. Or is general manager M.IJ.B.'s trading addiction coming up again?

The rumored five players or no no-knows. Running back Cedric Rubio, wide receiver David Henkel, left tackle Darrin Olive, linebacker Carl Meier and cornerback Danny Person are reported to be all offered for one single first round pick. Our IHOF trades analyst Stu Pitt explains: "Rubio ran for 843 yards. Henkel had 888 yards. Olive has three European titles under his belt. Meier started in the strong Northeast division. And Person guided Outer Banks to 14-7 with him starting. It should be obvious they are all worth a number two. If they can get just a single one, they are stupid."

In other news, we here the Chesapeake Chitterlings rang the Merchantmen for one of their kickers following the Ike Settles drama in the 2006 IHOF Bowl. Settles missed three field goals and got released at the start of the 2007 off-season. The Chitterlings were without a kicker until after the draft. But it might be false alarm as the Chitterlings signed free agent rookie Winfred Ward today. We hear the Merchantmen were not willing to give up Cary Coles up straight for a sixth round pick.

The latest rumors in Merchantmen land are they are trying to snag up a free agent linebacker and will let defensive tackle Johnny Meadows go before training camp starts. Meadows was signed early in the pre-draft free agency. The name of the linebacker is undisclosed, but we got a tip from the office of player agent Harvey Blades. Going by their resume, it has to be either Jermaine Gibson, rookie Zack Connell or Cornell Terrell.

[MIJB#19]

Roscoe Corrales Is The Sure Thing In Maassluis
It's summer 2007. The teams in the IHOF are preparing for training camp. Most of the teams have filled out the 53 roster spots and 7 pre-season additional slots. For training camp, teams may hire another 10 players. Usually it means there will be exciting positional battles. The Maassluis Merchantmen already hired 70 men and have a lot of these battles set up. But one player has no reason to fear for his job. Roscoe Corrales is the one sure thing for 2007.

Roscoe Corrales? I see you watching in amazement, have the Merchantmen traded in a new player? No, not at all, Corrales is the Merchantmen's all-time punter. The Merchantmen even opted to draft or sign a new punter, but the fans seem to love Corrales. In a recent poll, Corrales was a top ten name for most popular Merchantmen football player. And then we haven't even looked at his stats.

86 punts, 3,411 yards. That's an average of 39.6 per punt in 2007. The expert sees these are not the most overwhelming stats, but Corrales' trade isn't the length of his kick or the precission of kicks (Corrales had 28 In20 kicks.) Corrales used to have the best hang time in the IHOF and it paid of in the 2007 season. Of the 86 punts, only 22 were returned for a total of 122 yards. In 12 of 16 games, the Merchantmen allowed less than 10 yards returned.

Cody Cluff, the Merchantmen's middle linebacker and gunner, praises Corrales: "It's easy with Roscoe. You see the snap, Roscoe gets the ball, he kicks and the ball vanishes from sight. When the returner finally gets the ball, Mike [Kershner] and I can pile up on the returner." Long snapper Charlie Martins adds: "Roscoe is so good, even if the snap goes wrong, Roscoe saves the day with a big punt."

In recent history, the Merchantmen have taken more and more time to build a good special teams unit. Just take a look at the 2006 roster, quarterback Mel Atkins, tight end Charlies Martins, wide receiver Matt Offord and kicker Al Bettis wouldn't have the roster at their own positions. Atkins is an excellent holder, Martins provides outstanding lonsnapping, Offord returns punts and Bettis is one of the best kickoff kickers in the league. Some people in the Merchantmen organization even claim that the 8-8 record in 2006 was based on good special teams.

"It's a sign, the offense and defense can rank in the bottom third of the league, in both passing and running, but the overall performance was one of an average team," Corrales himself is proud on the movement. "In Maassluis, special teams are a real part of the team. Maybe the drafting of Alvin Ladner hurt the confidence in Cary [Coles], but at least they show they care. And look at the addition of Jerry Beyer and Emanuel Jennings, it seems the team learned from the mistake to release Lonnie O'Reilley last season."

Lonnie O'Reilley, remember that name? During the amazing 2005 campaign, O'Reilley was the number three receiver, punt returner and reserve kickoff returner. He had 30 receptions for 357 yards and even started in 4 games. But then, just before the 2006 regular season, the Merchantmen played the numbers game wrong and made Lonnie O'Reilley their last casualty. General manager M.IJ.B. called it the toughest decission in his career in the IHOF. O'Reilley was bitter, but didn't sign anywhere else and is sadly out of football.

"We tried to stay in touch with Lonnie," Corrales says, "but he was too bitter to even return phone calles. Granted, the management had been advertising as the second coming of Mouse Tail Perry [Famous undrafted Fort Worth wide receiver], but out of nowhere he's without a job." Punt returner Matt Offord was mostly affected by it. The fans called him out for being O'Reilley's replacement. Lucky for him, Offord returned one of his punt for 88 yards and the touchdown in the second game of the season.

In 2007 the Merchantmen will again rely on the duties of the special teams players. Mel Atkins will return as holder, Charlie Martins does the long snapping, Al Bettis makes the kickoffs, but Matt Offord isn't even safe to make it. Rookie Jerry Beyer is said to be a punt return specialist himself and another newby, Emanuel Jennings can return both punts and kickoffs. With Devin Henson for kickoffs and the placekickers Alvin Ladner and Cary Coles battling it out.

The special teams unit is improved, again. There should be more good things coming from the once worst team of the league. With the addition of Ivan Jacques, the non-departure of Tai Wayne, the amaizing draft class and the improvement for Louie Flannery, a winning record isn't impossible at all. But you've got to be careful what you say. There's still only one sure thing in Maassluis: Roscoe Corrales will be punting.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Make A Splash, Sign Wally World Wilcox
On the last day before training camp, the Maassluis Merchantmen make their biggest free agent acquisition in team history. Wally 'World' Wilcox was recently released by the Miami Sharks and the Merchantmen came out with the biggest offer. For two million dollars on a one-year contract, Wilcox will join an already good looking defensive line.

It's been a while ago, but in the 2004 season Wilcox recorded no less than 15.0 sacks for the Leesburg Generals. Playing together with Armand Woolfson, they formed one of the biggest defensive end duos in the IHOF. But after the team changed to the Miami Sharks, Wilcox only recorded 9.0 sacks in 31 games, of which only 3.5 in 2006. Those stats make him just a marginal sack machine for league standards.

"The past seasons don't count," defensive coordinator Bennie Hicks explains, "we see Wilcox as one of te guys who should be able to make the pass rush one of the strongest in the league." The Merchantmen already have Albert Bernardo around, will likely retain Omar Gougeon and they drafted Aaron Sherrill. Hicks: "Plenty room to rotate, we'll be having fit pass rushes all day." Add All IHOF tackle Charles Gomez and rookie Shaun Shiroma and it will indeed be tough to protect the quarterback against Maassluis.

On the reason behind the one-year contract, the Merchantmen management explained: "Wilcox is, like Bernardo, a mentor guy. We hope they can teach Gougeon and Sherrill the traits to make them big names in two years. Plus, we expect Wilcox to retire after the season. And if he doesn't, we can always try to franchise him." Apparantly Wilcox liked it too and will be seeing some action in Maassluis' rotation system.

To make room for Wilcox, the Merchantmen had reached the IHOF limit of 70 players under contract, the team released Johnny Meadows. The young defensive tackle was only recently hired as a free agent before the draft, but the selections of Shaun Shiroma and Andrew Rasmussen made Meadows chances to survive training camp very small. This move also means that the team will more than likely let Britt Bycroft and Duane Shank, another recent free agent signing, go after training camp or pre-season.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Have Mixed Feelings On Draft
With training camp ended, the Merchantmen management want to let their fans know what the take is on the 2007 rookie class. The Merchantmen eventually traded up and in to get ten selections in the entire draft. We'll run down the names and give an updated on their expected roles for the team in 2007.

WR Jerry Beyer - second round (#35 overall)
Beyer was acquired to be the new deep threat connection for quarterback Louie Flannery. His training camp wasn't impressive at all, but the management still thinks Beyer can be a very good #3 wide receiver. With his punt returning skills, he'll be a nice backup to Matt Offord on special teams. With Monti and Ewald often absent in the past, Beyer will see enough opportunity to start games. With a good pre-season, Beyer might even threaten long time starter Gregory Monti.

DT Shaun Shiroma - second round (#48 overall)
'My' Shiroma didn't impress much in camp and saw Rasmussen reach the same potentials as him. Still, with his experience, Shiroma is one-leg into a starting role over Andy Welizcka and Andrew Rasmussen, next to Charles Gomez. Shiroma will get enough playing time for the enitre season to improve his skills.

RB Tyrell Mahoney - fifth round (#130 overall)
Mahoney looks like a decent running back, but will have to make a splashing pre-season showing to end up on the active roster. With Randy Harris, Jonathan Smith, Cedric Rubio and Kyle Montoya, we have four better runners and only Mahoney's receiving skills give him the edge over Montoya. As of now, Mahoney is out in te open anywhere from #3 runner to being released on 53-men cut day.

FB Harold Preston - fifth round (#131 overall)
Poston is ranked as a steal of the draft by the Merchantmen. Poston looks like a very good receiver type fullback someday and will be the much needed backup for Jamel Rosenberry we lacked in 2006. Poston can run and has the potential to be a run blocker as well someday. He's definately going to be on the active roster for the 2007 season.

OT Norman Holliday - fifth round (#132 overall)
Holliday is still very 'green' and needs time to develop, but if he does, he's good a great future in Maassluis. Holliday will get plenty of playing time in pre-season, but after that he'll be having a hard time to see action behing Ivan Jacques, Harold Hurtado, Cornelius Rice and possible Darrin Olive. That said, Holliday is a lock to make the 53-man regular season roster.

CB Gene Sampson - fifth round (#133 overall)
Sampson didn't impress us in training camp, but the scouting staff still thinks Sampson has great potential. Especially as a run defender, Sampson can be a good starter in the IHOF some day. The management has faith in Sampson, but in 2007 he won't see much action, besides in the pre-season.

K Alvin Ladner - fifth round (#134 overall)
Ladner looks like a good pick and after training camp he looks like a good kicker in potential. Sadly for him, we have Cary Coles as a placekicker and Ladner doesn't look like he'll be the better guy there. And with kickoff specialist Al Bettis also signed, Ladner will only make the 53-men regular season roster if Coles or Bettis gets injured.

DE Aaron Sherrill - sixth round (#164 overall)
Sherrill will be on a good group for the 2007 season. With Wally 'World' Wilcox and Albert Bernardo we have aged veteren ends, while 2006 draft pick Omar Gougeon has great potential. Sherrill will see a lot of pre-season action and after that will be one of the four guys in the rotation.

DT Andrew Rasmussen - sixth round (#165 overall)
Rasmussen had a great training camp. He still lacks the experience to be a full time starter, but his potential looks amazing. Behind Charles Gomez, Rasmussen will be battling with second round pick Shaun Shiroma and 2006 draft pick Andy Weliczka. And in the rotation system, after playing a lot in pre-season, Rasmussen will see a lot of playing time anyway.

LB Terrence Norris - seventh round (#203 overall)
Norris was drafted as a project pick and, as could have been expected, after training camp he's looking like a clear cut post training camp casualty. The team already received a trade offer for Norris and he will either be traded or released before the first pre-season game.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Yikes, that training camp was nasty. Some of our rookies lost a lot of potential, mainly our two second round picks WR Beyer and DT Shiroma. (Sigh.) Let's take a glance at the post trainig camp roster. Given are rounded scouting figures.

Quarterbacks
QB 45/65 Louie Flannery - This is our #1 guy; his weakness is still avoiding interceptions.
QB 30/45 Shane Bower - Well, he's no real #2, but too good to be a #3; does he fit the system?
QB 25/40 Mel Atkins - The elite holder, will make the roster.
QB 20/30 'Fumblin' Justin McDavid - The fans' choice, I give him pre-season to show still can do it.

Running Backs
RB 55/60 Randy Harris - This is our #1 RB, plain and simple.
FB 60/70 Jamel Rosenberry - If he scores another 8 touchdowns we'll be very happy.
RB 40/45 Jonathan Smith - And yet another season as our #2 RB for John Smith.
FB 20/45 Harold Poston - So green, but so hot as a receiver; is ready to run a bit.
RB 30/40 Tyrell Mahoney - No specialties; only weakness is power inside, dark horse to make the 53-men.
RB 30/40 Cedric Rubio - Is only a bit better than Mahoney and was a bigger investment, so...
RB 25/35 Kyle Montoya - Result of an obscure trade; still only an elusiveness expert.
FB 20/40 Greg Berk - He's still around, but not for long.

Tight Ends
TE 80/80 Jim Reiser - C'mon, he doesn't need any introduction, it's our top receiver!
TE 35/45 Arnold Ramirez - He can block on running plays and catch some balls too.
TE 25/30 Charlie Martins - Long snapper; amazingly, he might even be a good receiver.
TE 20/40 Charles Burley - The guy looks like a good receiver; had he had blocking skills he'd stay.

Wide Receivers
SE 55/55 Bryce Ewald - And again Ewald is our top wide receiver, despite almost trading him, twice.
FL 45/50 Gregory Monti - We draft a replacement, but he busts a bit; he'll start again.
FL 20/45 Jerry Beyer - Our top pick; He'll be our #3 guy; I hope he reaches his potential really fast.
SE 25/30 Devin Henson - His kick returning is great but also masks his decent role as backup.
SE 15/25 Matt Offord - Matt will be our punt returner again.
FL 30/30 David Henkel - The big play guy that didn't work out in 2006; I doubt we'll keep him.
FL 20/20 Emmanuel Jennings - Return specialist, but nothing else; might stay, might.

Offensive Linemen
LT 70/70 Ivan Jacques - Welcome our new pass protection anchorman.
LG 50/50 Butch White - With him and Lacy we have awesome run blocking.
C. 50/60 Brant Heinrich - Will be our starter another year; will we ever 'love' him?
RG 45/55 Timothy Lacy - With him and White we have awesome run blocking.
LT 40/40 Harold Hurtado - Still a starter, for now; is still a great run blocker.
C. 35/55 Bubba Kerney - Will again be the backup center; If only the guy had stamina.
RT 40/50 Cornelius Rice - He's alround good; will start if either Jacques or Hurtado is injured.
RG 35/35 Brian Hammond - Mentor; will be our backup guard, inactive guy at least.
RT 15/50 Norman Holliday - Green project; He'll likely sit on inactive all year.
RG 35/40 Alphonse Gale - Looks great, but might have to go; the guy's resume looks good.
LT 40/40 Darrin Olive - Was a starter in Bordeaux, but here is a long shot to make the 53-men roster.
RG 25/40 Eric Dietrich - Disgruntled; looks good, but we've got better options.
C. 15/40 Ernie Taylor - Disgruntled; he won't be here much longer.

Punters
P. 55/55 Roscoe Corrales - The hang time specialist will stick around for another year.

Kickers
K. 20/40 Al Bettis - He's slowly turning into one of the very best kickoff kickers.
K. 50/55 Cary Coles - We drafted a replacement, but only injury will cost him the job.
K. 35/55 Alvin Ladner - He's looking good, but not good enough to take over from Coles.

Defensive Linemen
LT 85/85 Charles Gomez - He's back to anchor the line.
LE 45/50 Wally Wilcox - Say "hi!" to the oldest member of the 2007 fearsome four.
LE 45/45 Albert Bernardo - Say "hi!" to the most loyal member of the 2007 fearsome four.
LE 20/40 Aaron Sherrill - Say "hi!" to the youngest member of the 2007 fearsome four.
RE 20/40 Omar Gougeon - Say "hi!" to the tallest member of the 2007 fearsome four.
RT 25/45 Shaun Shiroma - He lost some potential, but he'll be starting in 2007.
NT 30/45 Andy Weliczka - The run defense specialist might lose his starting role.
LT 15/45 Andrew Rasmussen - He's green but might play at times, if not all the time.
LE 35/45 Britt Bycroft - He's been supportive in 2006, but in 2007 he's out of here.
LT 25/40 Stanley Jacke - The bets have started what injury will keep him around this year.
LE 25/30 Duane Shank - The guy looked around and should know he's gone soon.

Linebackers
SO 50/50 Ellsworth Thelen - A guy who can make 100 takes should always return.
MI 60/70 Cody Cluff - He's looking over his shoulder, but right now he's our guy.
WO 50/65 Mike Kershner - We've hired a coordinator and mentor to teach him, get developed!
WI 60/70 Carl Meier - He's so good now and yet we'll make him the primiary backup all over.
WO 40/40 Josh Weisberg - Mainly Kershner's mentor; can make a play when he plays.
WO 20/35 Terrence Norris - He's still here, but won't be for too much longer.

Defensive Backs
LC 50/65 Tai Wayne - Our best defensive back ever has returned, "Hallelujah!"
RC 25/40 Johnnie Stidham - Undeveloped, so what, the guy was a top5 guy in interceptions.
SS 45/55 Lincoln Gilmore - He's still the best safety we have, he'll start again.
SS 35/50 Emile William - It looks like he's better than Cole, making him a starter.
LC 40/45 Carlos Mitchem - Mentor; can be a good starter whenn others are out.
LC 25/35 Desmond Craig - Was a great nickelback, can still be; might have to go.
FS 30/40 John Cole - Still a good safety with zone defnese and interception skills.
RC 15/20 Myron Stevens - If we go to 100% zone defense, he'll be a great dimeback.
SS 15/30 Lamar Singelton - Another zone defense specialist, we need to run a 100% zone defense.
RC 15/40 Gene Sampson - He's so green and so promising; if only he had interception skills.
LC 40/40 Danny Person - I've got a trade set up for him; if he stays he'll be our #5.
SS 20/35 Darnell Majors - This guy could be a great guyin another system.
FS 40/45 Richard Muller - He's a good player, but will sit out the 2007 season on injured reserve.


I'm having a hard time to make the final decission to get from 70 signed to 60 players active or inactive. The zone defense plan we set up might work out afterall, but I'm not all too confident after the lost game at Boulder in 2006. Granted, it was the coldest game in IHOF history, but the blizzard can't be used as an excuse, can it?

The list of 18 names as given earlier will be the guide line, however a few changes were made. Right now 20 names are on the trading block and I'm still tossing around. One thing is for sure, CB Danny Person will likely go. We found a new team for him, but have to wait for them to make cap room for his contract (that means there are only about 10 candidates for him.)

Down the road, the real issue will be how we can get the defense working. With Wayne, Stidham, Gilmore, William, Cole, Stevens and Singleton we can run the zone defense, but we need to find a role for our linebackers in that defense. Meier, Cluff and Kershner can play it, Thelen and Weisberg can't. Interesting issue, to say the least...

Right now, I'm still torn on who to keep or release, but the 60-men limit will be a problem soon enough. Tough decissions will come soon and I won't like it, but that's how the game works. I just hope I make the right choices...

[MIJB#19]

Youngsters Bring Back Fearsome Pass Rush Memories
The Maassluis Merchantmen have a history of being loaded with a strong defensive line. Remember the league draft in 2004, the team spent six of their top seven picks on defensive linemen. A quick look to their roster tells you only one guy is still around, being the first round pick and All World defensive tackle Charles Gomez. In the meantime, the Merchantmen have worked hard and spent five second day draft picks in the last two drafts on defensive linemen. Team philosophy? Maybe, but trading away developed linemen and getting rookies in return doesn't make sense, or does it?

Let's refresh memory. In the 2005 season Harold Wells and Charles Gomez earned All IHOF Second Team honors with 13 and 6.5 sacks respectively. With John Bryant racking up 7 sacks and Albert Bernardo recording 6 sacks, the team had four guys in the top 64. That unit was called one of the reasons why the Merchantmen went fron 1-15 to 7-9, but yet the team decided to dump defensive linemen.

Robert Duong was the first to go. Before the 2004 even started, Duong moved to the Fairbanks Northstars in a trade and eventually was part of the first IHOF Champions. Next up was Cecil Doney in a trade to the Astoria Heroes with the 1.6 pick of the 2005 draft for future picks. Deon Chapa followed in the 2006 off-season to the Rochester Lake Monsters as did Harold Wells to the Bordeaux Vineyards. This off-season John Bryant became the fifth traded top pick with a move to the Georgia Gridlock.

Albert Bernardo, who arrived as a free agent in 2005 has been the centre of the moves so far. "Well, that's what people say," Bernardo says, "but I don't buy it, the management makes the moves." Bernardo has been mentoring young linemen since his arrival and people claim that Harold Wells and Charles Gomez are the best in the game because of their work with Bernardo. Well, we've got news for him, he's got more work to do.

Time to check out the new generation of linemen in Maassluis. Omar Gougeon was selected #123 overall in 2006. Andy Weliczka was picked #193 overall in 2006. Shaun Shiroma was taken #48 overall in 2007. Aaron Sherrill and Andrew Rasmussen were the #164 and #165 overall in the 2007 draft. That's five young players to tutor, good luck Albert. Well, not much, the Merchantmen hired Wally 'World' Wilcox after the draft to help out and share the teaching hours with Bernardo.

"We've got a fine class of you and promissing pass rushers," Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. says with confidence. "Weliczka is a run stopper, but the others should be hot prospects for the future. See here the new sack machines of 2009." 2009? That's far away, but the Merchantmen are happy and think they can make a fist today with Gomez, Bernardo and Wilcox still in the mix. M.IJ.B.: "We've always been rotating guys around, it worked well with Wells and Chapa, we think it also will with the new generation and the older stars."

Clearly the defensive line of 2007 in Maassluis is not much worse that those of the past and with the great potential Gougeon, Sherrill, Shiroma and Rasmussen show, this quarter could be dominant in 2009. For now, they'll cycle and have to pressure the quarterback enough to make sure the other defenders and make plays. The return of Tai Wayne at cornerback and expected progress of Cody Cluff and Mike Kershner into elite linebackers should make this season fun to watch from the defensive perspective.

Coming off a season as the worst defense in league history, with 360 yards per game allowed, there has to be done something. The promissed zone defense will likely be implented and force recently acquired man-to-man export Danny Person out. But then, the retained defensive backs all know the system and the linebackers problems are worked on. Carl Meier made progress and there are talks that strong backer Ellsworth Thelen and weak backer Mike Kershner will switch duties. And down the road, things can't go much worse than in 2006 on defense anyway, can they?

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
I'm disappointed. We've listed a few players up for trade, knowing they are not in touch with my desire of our system, but yet they would be top free agents after release in either experience or potential. Maybe I lost the trait of advertising (if I ever had that), but it is not fun to be in a situation where I have to release nine players, knowing they could make the 53-men roster elsewhere and have a bonus free long-term contract there.

Oh well, we've published the nine names that will be off the Merchantmen roster pretty soon:
CB Danny Person in a trade
FB Greg Berk in release, would potentially be a top fullback FA
TE Charles Burley in release, would be a top receiving FA
C Ernie Taylor in release
G Eric Dietrich in release, would be top guard FA
DE Duane Shank in release
DT Stanley Jack in release, 'green' and yet a decent FA signing
WLB Terrence Norris in release after a bounced trade for a 2010 7th round pick
SS Darnell Majors in release, who could fit in a man-to-man defense

Oh well, c'est la vie...

[wade moore]

MIJB,

I have to wonder if some of this is people getting more savvy on MP... At first I think we all reacted that no one would release good players, so we had to trade... I think it is getting more 'realistic' in that some of us are having to release good players because we cannot get the value we want out of them...

The Torpedoes may have to do the same...

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by wade moore

MIJB,

I have to wonder if some of this is people getting more savvy on MP... At first I think we all reacted that no one would release good players, so we had to trade... I think it is getting more 'realistic' in that some of us are having to release good players because we cannot get the value we want out of them...

The Torpedoes may have to do the same...

I think you have a point there.

I might have the best FAs when released, but others might think so too.

What makes me puzzled is that I got stupid to add up to 70 names I liked and now I got to give up on a few, including 5th round picks. And, although I expected to have to cut a guy or three from those 5th round picks, I don't like seeing the value getting lost.

I never understood why NFL teams would release guys all the time and not try to give them a job elsewhere and get some value in return. Now, I see it's a simple case of people all liking the guys they have and only if the guy available is a big upgrade, they will take him.

Right now, I actaully think I can see why and I think I should feel lucky to be able to trade guys for even a 7th rounder.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Give Veterans New Homes
With the announcement of two trades, the Maassluis Merchantmen have given two veteran IHOF players new homes before playing a single game for them. Cornerback Danny Person goes to the Anaheim Matterhorns, left tackle Darrin Olive to the ROchester Lake Monsters. In return, the Merchantmen receive linebacker Mitch Hoofkin, Anaheim's 2009 fourth round pick and Anaheim's 2010 sixth round pick.

Person is said to be one of the best man to man defenders in the IHOF and being a cornerback, what else could one ask? Well, there were issues. First of all, Person had a conflict with Merchantmen star player Tai Wayne. The team wanted to resolve it before the season start. Second, the Merchantmen will hold on to the zone oriented pass defense. Person simply doesn't fit that scheme as well as a couple of younger players who were on team in 2006.

The Olive trade is even more amazing than it seems. Maassluis acquired Olive recently in a trade from the Bordeaux Vineyards for younger left tackle Edgar Dunkin. Dunkin himself arrived from the Rochester Lake Monsters in trade during the 2006 off-season. Are you still following? Olive had a shot at making the Merchantmen 53-men roster, until the team drafted tackle Norman Holliday in the fifth round of the draft and that guy looks like the real deal.

Mitch Hoofkin will give the Merchantmen some extra depth at linebacker. The team drafted Terrence 'Terror' Norris in the seventh round, but the guy didn't do much good in training camp and is on the list to be released before the first pre-season game. Hoofkin played only one game for Rochester in 2006 after playing the previous two seasons for the Brooklyn Fightin' Bums. Hoofkins started 11 games for the Bums and has a single game tackles high of 5, which he tied in a road game at Maassluis in the 2005 season.

Despite these moves, the Merchantmen still have to say goodbye to eight players before their first pre-season game in week two of the exhibition season against the Frederick Red Menace. The management announced that today fullback Greg Berk, tight end Charles Burley, center Ernie Taylor, defensive end Duane Shank and linebacker 'Terror' Norris will be out of a job in Maassluis. Shank and Norris were recent acquisitions, Berk was signed mid-way the 2006 season, Burley acquired by trade in 2006 and Taylor was drafted in 2006.

Also, the management has sent out a message that linebacker Carl Meier is on the ctrading block, as is backup quaterback Mel Atkins. Both are new to the list. Atkins could be a numbers game casualty as the team rather wants to have three quarterbacks during the regular season. Meier will be a fine backup in Maassluis, but the management said they want to explore the market and see what other teams will offer for Meier. But chances are very slim Meier is going anywhere soon...

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Yes!

You wonder why I'm so happy? Well, we acquired free agent cornerback Winford Endicott. Not that he's a big name player, but the guy is an excellent zone defender and with the zone defense being or main scheme, he will be a welcome addition. He'll be taking over Johnnie Stidham's spot a s starter, making Stidham the nickelback in 2007 and the dimeback position out in the open between Myron Stevens and Desmond Craig. For secondary leader Carlos Mitchem, chances on playing time keep getting slimmer and slimmer.

Today we're getting ready for the first pre-season game against the Frederick Red Menace. Although we announced our expected starting line-ups for the regular season, we'll be playing with different names, probably.

We still need to say goodbye to 5 players and 4 of those names are know. Cornerback Danny Person will be traded to the Anaheim Matterhorns, sooner or later, but salary cap woes could make it a tricky situation. Of the other names of casualties, one will be safety Darnell Majors, a man to man expert and run defender, but sadly not enough zone defense skills to stay around. Also listed as soon to be gone is guard Eric Dietrich, who we acquired through trade in the 2006 off-season and who could be a starter somewhere in the future. Dietrich was perfect in the 2 games he saw action last season, though.

Most prominent casualty will be defensive tackle Stanley Jacke. Jacke hasn't played a game since the 2004 season, but he's still got the potential to be a good backup in the IHOF someday. He made the 2005 and 2006 rosters with luck and injury. But after drafting Shaun Shiroma and Andrew Rasmussen, Jacke's roster spot is no longer, we say goodbye to a loyal guy, who never caused problems. We wish we could have given him a new home, but had no such luck...

Doing the math, that leaves us with one last player to deal. Well, we're working the phones to trade a running back soon. It's not Randy Harris, but the others are all open for trade, in my opinion. We hope to give one a new home before the first pre-season game, so this trade will account for our last post camp release.

Oh, for the numbers geeks around, we currently have no less than 20.36M of dead cap space for 2007 and 11.35M lost cap room for 2008, projecting us 11M over the cap in 2008. For 2009, we are projected to be 3M over the cap, with no lost cap room. Go us...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Make Quick Trades Just Before Pre-Season
The management worked around the clock, but in the end it paid off. The Maassluis Merchantmen had to release or trade five players before the first pre-season game and with four deals they made that happen. Leaving town are Eric Dietrich, Stanley Jacke, Bubba Kearney, Darnell Majors, Cedric Rubio and the earlier announced departing Danny Person. Coming in is Christian Reichel.

First of all, Person was traded to Anaheim, but with salary cap issues, the Matterhorns couldn't acquire Person immediately. Just before the first exhibition game of both teams, Person got traded from Maassluis to Anaheim for a fourth and sixth round pick in future drafts.

Second trade was Cedric Rubio to the Conyers Condors. The Condors give up a sixth round pick in 2008 and get good value for it. Rubio joint Maassluis in the 2006 off-season for a fourth rounder from the Bordeaux Vineyards, but never got out of being the #3 back. And with the drafting of Tyrell Mahoney and Henry Poston, Rubio's role would be more limited.

Next was a trade where Bubba Kearney left the Merchantmen for the Georgia Gridlock, where he has a better shot at a starting role. In return, the Merchantmen get a new backup in Christian Reichel, who is also an expert long snapper. In 2006 it showed that during the absence of the usual long snapper, Charlie Martins, the kicking units struggle. The Merchantmen also get a third round pick for a fifth and a seventh in the trade.

The three other players, Dietrich, Jacke and Majors, were traded to the Paris Musketeers for a seventh round pick in 2010. The Merchantmen were readyto release the three players, but the Musketeers had only 57 players signed and the Merchantmen management offered the three for the low pick. All three could have a shot at making Paris' 53-men regular season roster, but they have to show their best effort in pre-season.

With these moves, the Merchantmen can go to the next level, being the pre-season games. The Merchantmen haven't announced their lineup for the first game at home against the Frederick Red Menace, but tradition says they will start most, if not all of their starters. The most interesting things to watch will be the return of Tai Wayne, the first passes from Louie Flannery towards Jerry Beyer, the first snaps of Ivan Jacques at left tackle and the revival of the fearsome pass rush from the defensive line. At least the Merchantmen players, coaching staff and management is thrilled to see how things will go...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Pre-Season Roster
Listed below are the 60 players signed by the Maassluis Merchantmen roster for the 2007 pre-season. Listed are position, jersey number, name, age (as of September 1st 2007) and previous years of service in Maassluis, where gp and gs stand for games played and games started respectively.

Active Roster & Inactive Roster
QB - 03 - "Fumblin" Justin McDavid - 30 - 2004-2006 (22 gp, 22 gs)
QB - 07 - Shane Bower - 26 - 2006 (2 gp, 0 gs)
QB/H - 13 - Mel Atkins - 25 - 2006 (16 gp, 0 gs)
QB/H - 14 - Louie Flannery - 25 - 2006 (16 gs, 0 gs)
RB - 28 - Randy Harris - 27 - 2004-2006 (48 gp, 48 gs)
RB - 40 - Jonathan Smith - 26 - 2004-2006 (44 gp)
RB - 44 - Kyle Montoya - 22 - 2005-2006 (0 gp)
RB - 21 - Tyrell Mahoney - 23 - *new*
FB - 49 - Jamel Rosenberry - 26 - 2006 (16 gp, 11 gs)
FB - 34 - Henry Poston - 24 - *new*
TE - 86 - Jim Reiser - 26 - 2004-2006 (46 gp, 26 gs)
TE - 89 - Arnold Ramirez - 27 - *new*
TE/LS - 84 - Charlie Martins - 26 - 2005-2006 (31 gp, 2 gs)
WR - 81 - David Henkel - 30 - 2006 (16 gp, 8 gs)
WR - 80 - Gregory Monti - 26 - 2004-2006 (42 gp, 39 gs)
WR/KR/PR - 85 - Emmanuel Jennings - 24 - *new*
WR/PR - 16 - Jerry "Jelly Belly" Beyer - 24 - *new*
WR - 87 - Bryce Ewald - 26 - 2004-2006 (42 gp, 39 gs)
WR/KR - 83 - Devin Henson - 25 - 2005-2006 (32 gp, 4 gs)
WR/PR - 02 - Matt Offord - 24 - 2006 (16 gp)
C/LS - 53 - Christian Reichel - 26 - *new*
C - 54 - Brant Heinrich - 25 - 2005-2006 (25 gp, 25 gs)
G - 79 - Butch White - 25 - 2005-2006 (30 gp, 30 gs)
G - 64 - Alphonse Gale - 31 - *new*
G - 65 - Timothy Lacy - 24 - 2006 (16 gp, 16 gs)
G - 75 - Brian Hammond - 29 - *new*
LT - 63 - Ivan Jacques - 27 - *new*
LT - 68 - Harold Hurtado - 33 - 2004-2006 (44 gp, 43 gs)
OT - 71 - Cornelius Rice - 25 - *new*
OT - 60 - Norman Holliday - 22 - *new*
P - 12 - Roscoe Corrales - 32 - 2004-2006 (48 gp)
K - 18 - Cary Coles - 25 - 2004-2006 (47 gp)
K - 08 - Al Bettis - 24 - 2006 (16 gp)
K - 11 - Alvin Ladner - 23 - *new*
DE - 93 - Albert Bernardo - 29 - 2005-2006 (29 gp, 24 gs)
DE - 99 - Wally "World" Wilcox - 36 - *new*
DE - 92 - Britt Bycroft - 26 - 2006 (13 gp, 5 gs)
DE - 94 - Aaron Sherrill - 23 - *new*
DE - 74 - Omar Gougeon - 24 - 2006 (13 gp, 1 gs)
DT - 78 - Charles Gomez - 28 - 2004-2006 (48 gp, 47 gs)
DT - 98 - Andrew Rasmussen - 23 - *new*
DT - 90 - Shaun "My" Shiroma - 23 - *new*
DT - 59 - Andy Weliczka - 24 - 2006 (16 gp, 11 gs)
LB - 52 - Carl Meier - 28 - 2006 (16 gp, 0 gs)
LB - 50 - Cody Cluff - 26 - 2004-2006 (48 gp, 44 gs)
LB - 57 - Ellsworth Thelen - 28 - 2005-2006 (32 gp, 32 gs)
LB - 91 - Mitch Hoofkin - 24 - *new*
LB - 97 - Josh Weisberg - 34 - 2006 (16 gp, 0 gs)
LB - 95 - Mike Kershner - 25 - 2004-2006 (46 gp, 34 gs)
CB - 37 - Carlos Mitchem - 27 - *new*
CB - 47 - Tai Wayne - 24 - 2005-2006 (17 gp, 17 gs)
CB/KR - 42 - Desmond Craig - 25 - 2005-2006 (31 gp, 9 gs)
CB - 33 - Winford Endicott - 30 - *new*
CB - 22 - Johnnie Stidham - 25 - 2006 (16 gp, 15 gs)
CB - 32 - Myron Stevens - 23 - 2006 (16 gp, 3 gs)
CB - 26 - Gene Sampson - 23 - *new*
SS - 43 - Emile William - 28 - 2006 (16 gp, 4 gs)
SS - 46 - Lincoln Gilmore - 26 - 2004-2006 (43 gp, 34 gs)
SS - 41 - Lamar Singleton - 23 - 2006 (10 gp, 1 gs)
FS - 23 - John Cole - 26 - 2005-2006 (17 gp, 14 gs)
On Injured Reserve
FS - 20 - Richard Muller - 29 - 2005-2006 (16 gp, 16 gs)

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Eyeing 1,000-Yard Rusher
The Maassluis Merchantmen are never done trading and other teams have figured that out. The recent rumors in Maassluis are that they are going to bring in a 1,000-yard rusher, who's on the block elsewhere. We have no names, but seeing the list of 1,000-yard rushers and those who are backups or on cap strapped teams, the list is pretty short.

But why on earth would they want a new running back? The Merchantmen have Randy Harris and Jamel Rosenberry in the backfield, while Jonathan Smith is pormising and the team has two young guys waiting in the fridge with Tyrell Mahoney and Kyle Montoya. On the other hand, they did ship out Cedric Rubio, but the lost a lot in that trade, going from a fourth round pick to having just a sixth round pick. And then we haven't even mentioned the new backup fullback, Henry Poston.

Sure, the other European teams are piling up on good runners. The Paris Musketeers have Joe Boulware (1,509 yd in 2004, 1,398 yd in 2006), the Bordeaux Vineyards have Gerald Harris (3,945 yd in 3 years, all 1,000 yarders) and Rashad Burse (1,270 yd in 2005), while the Gothenburg Giants recently acquired Nicolas Dutra (1,946 yd in 3 season with 2 as a backup) and Cecil Maxwell (1,205 yd in 2006). Maassluis can't stay behind after trading Rubio (843 yd in 2004) away.

Well, we narroiwed down the list of candidates and it has to be a guy with a big payroll, but not too big to be acquirable for Maassluis. Joseph 'Joe the Shoe' Schoen from the Georgia Gridlock has been rumored to be looking for a new team. Bud Pitts is backing up Michael Fau with the San Antonio Volunteers and could be a cap casualty. Rodger Mowery is ice ages old and might be done for the RayCo Raiders. And then there's Edward Stelly from the San Luis Obispo Burn, who could be running less than before having a running quarterback like Everett 'Aces' Glenn around.

Bottom line, the Merchantmen are trade-a-holics and take almost every ofer that comes in. Don't be surprized if all of a sudden they have dealt away wide receiver Bryce Ewald for a first round pick in 2010, have dealt cornerback Tai Wayne for a first rounder in 2008 and have shipped Jim Reiser for a third round pick and a soon to be released linebacker. And yet they try to sell their best backup, linebacker Carl Meier for cheap. These things only happen with the Merchantmen...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Acquire 1,000-yarder Mowery, WR Benedict
The Maassluis Merchantmen are thrilled to announce the acquisition of running back Rodger Mowery and wide receiver Jules Benedict. Both players are coming in from the RayCo Raiders. Going the other way are running back Jonathan Smith and Gene Sampson, who have a better spot on the Depth Chart back in the States. Additionally, the Merchantmen got a future fourth round pick for four picks in the sixth and seventh rounds.

Rodger Mowery played three season with the RayCo Raiders, but with the retirement of quarterback Brian Hartsock it became apparent the Raiders needed to hand the reigns to second year journeyman Neal Aguillard. They drafted Adrian McCaughey to challenge him. With Mowery not getting younger either, the Raiders could use a new starter and the Merchantmen approached by offering Jonathan Smith or the to Conyers traded Cedric Rubio. Mowery posted two 1,000-yard seasons with the Raiders in 2004 and 2006, while scoring 21 total touchdowns in 41 games, including one on a punt return. Mowery is expected to do punt return duties and mentor the younger backs on team.

Jules Benedict was the victim of being in a strong receivers unit. The Merchantmen clearly could use another receiver with the oft injured Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald, while rookie Jerry Beyer doesn't look ready for the pro level football. It also means that the return specialists Devin Henson and Matt Offord will be even more restricted to special teams duties. Benedict posted 84 receptions for 1,163 yards and 9 scores in three season with the Raiders. With his skills, Benedict might even challenge the long term starters for a bigger role.

Gene Sampson saw only little action with the Merchantmen, being a rookie selected in the top of the fifth round. Samson didn't show the experience nor potential to fit in with the zone defense the Merchantmen are addopting and would have been a 53-men roster cut day casualty otherwise. The Raiders have only 9 defensive backs signed and Sampson wil have a decent shot at making the active roster.

Jonathan Smith had been the number two running back in Maassluis the past three seasons. Smith was a good backup to Randy Harris and ran for 511 yards in 44 games. In a record 14-40 loss at the eventual 2006 champions, the North Planfield Plague, Smith scored his first and so far only touchdown in the IHOF.

With the last-minute nature of the trade, Mowery and Benedict won't be able to compete in the first pre-season game for the Merchantmen against the Frederick Red Menace. The same is true for Smith and Sampson as both have pakced their bags and fly back to the States as soon as possible.

Just to ease the minds of the Merchantmen fans, there will be no more trades of players, except if any of the seven listed potential post pre-season roster cuts can be trades. Listed at this moment are quarterback Mel Atkins, running back Kyle Montoya, wide receivers David Henkel and Emmanuel Jennings, guard Alphonse Gale, defensive end Britt Bycroft and kicker Alvin Ladner. Of course, if injuries require it, some of these might stay around longer than planned, as could happen with them getting injured themselves.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Okay, that was the last trade, honestly.
...
Nah...

Man, that was some spooky stuff.
The RayCo Raiders were looking for a RB and while we were in negotiations to trade Smith for WR Benedict with the Raiders, the Conyers Condors came in with an offer for RB Cedric Rubio. Clearly, knowing Rubio could be a post pre-season cut, I dealt him first, but then we needed a new #2 RB and I offered to provided CB Gene Sampson. I dropped the RB names I liked in RayCo and they came back by offering Mowery. Well, to be honest you don't turn down to get a 1000-yard back to backup another 100-yard back, do you?

Benedict is a bit like Ewald and Beyer, but more experienced than Beyer and with his very good route running and big-play ability, with good hands, he should be a nice receiver.

Mowery has a bit of the traits as Randy Harris, but sadly is a bit of a fumbler and is not good in runs over the middle. Mowery can help with punt returning and be the backup (starter over?) Matt Offord until Beyer is more developed.

Why did I trade Sampson? Well, it's a two headed monster, really. No, not referring to Sampson. First, I thought that going with both M2M and Zone defense could work, having the excellent M2M marker Danny Person on team, as well as Tai Wayne, Johnnie Stidham and Carlos Mitchem who can do it both. Sampson can too, but is still very 'green'. But when I got a good deal worked out with Anaheim for Person, I took it and decided to go zone defense heavy afterall. Byebye Sampson and welcome back Desmond Craig and Myron Stevens as zone defense & interception specialists.

Smith has been good, but I've always tried to get a better backup over him. Mowery is a short term solution, but at least he can help the new backup Tyrell Mahoney or Kyle Montoya to develop as a mentor. And maybe Harris can learn a thing or two too?

Bottom line, looking at who we dumped and who we acquired this off-season, you can't honestly think we are not better than last season. Wilson Grimaldo is the only player with a significant role who left, with secod place for CB Gus Stoffers. Next are John Bryant and Jonathan Smith, while David Henkel will leave soon too. In return we saw Fumblin Justin and Tai Wayne return from injury, upgraded the backup jobs at fullback, tight end, guard, got three young tackles, got a bunch of young defensive linemen with great potential, added two backup receivers and we added good veterans with RB Mowery, DE Wilcox and CB Endicott should be as good, if not better than Stoffers. And I'm not even mentioning the break-out we saw happen to LB Carl Meier, from a good to a very good player, to be a tremendous backup player to our team.

Whether it's all enough to have a good season, we'll find out after the pre-season. In the first game a lot of young potential starters will see action, but after that it'll be backups, inactive roster players and soon-to-be-IRed-or-released guys. And you never know when a tough injury like Richard Muller's, Justin McDavid's or Tai Wayne's will haunt your team. Therefor, I'm happy to have decent backups all over the place now. 2007 should be the next step in the IHOF after 7-9 and 8-8 seasons. Afterall, we went from 31st best to 29th best roster already this off-season!

[wade moore]

wow... i'm shocked at how much last-minute trading you were able to get done...

These aren't your 2004 Merchantmen, that's for sure. I'm very interested to see how Flannery performs and if the running game can take enough weight off of his shoulders.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by wade moore

wow... i'm shocked at how much last-minute trading you were able to get done...

These aren't your 2004 Merchantmen, that's for sure. I'm very interested to see how Flannery performs and if the running game can take enough weight off of his shoulders.

Left from the 2004 roster are only few players and with reason as about 30 of the 53 guys were simple roster fillers and about 15 guys at a position where I had plenty of talent or couldn't use too many expensive players.

Still going strong since the start are:
QB 'Fumblin' Justin McDavid
RB Randy Harris
TE Jim Reiser
WR Gregory Monti
WR Bryce Ewald
LT Harold Hurtado (although he was a trade acquisition during pre-season)
P Roscoe Corrales
K Cary Coles
DT Charles Gomez
MLB Cody Cluff
WLB Mike Kershner
SS Lincoln Gilmore

As you can see, besided injury-challenged McDavid, maybe Hurtado and maybe one of the WRs, all are clear cut starters.

Just look at some of the players that have left: Smith (going from #2 to #1 RB), Rubio (from #3 to #2 RB), Dick (from #5 to #1 DE), Kearney (from #2 to #1 C), Bryant (from #5 to #2 DT), Person (from #7 to #3 CB) and Sampson (#8 to #4 CB) all have a bigger role where they are now. Even 'Terror' Norris got picked up recently in training camp.

Sure, in potentials we only got 1 player listed as excellent, 9 others as very good, but we also have 34 good (1 on IR) and 17 fair players. Of the fair players, I rank almost none as not being worth the tag of 'good':
RB Mahoney - good breakaway speed, good hole recognition, good receiver
DE Gougeon - very good rush technique, good diagnosis, fair run defense
QB Atkins - is a problem with 3rd down and 2-minute, but is an elite holder
G Hammond - mentor and prototype Merchantmen G with very good run blocking
WLB Weisberg - mentor and prtotype Merchantmen WLB with almost very good run defense
CB Winford Endicott - excellent zone defender
RB Montoya - at least fair in anything, excellent elusiveness
RB Mowery - mentor, very good outside speed, very good punt returner, good hole recognition
CB Craig - very good interceptions guy, good potential in run defense and zone defense
WR Henson - very good kickoff returner, good in getting downfield
WR Henkel - excellent big-play guy
SS Singleton - very good zone defense potential, good interceptions guy
QB McDavid - fan favorite, mentally a good quarterback
TE Martins - good receiver at best, but an excellent long snapper
WR Offord - very good punt return potential
WR Jennings - good return specialist
CB Stevens - very good zone defender and very good interceptions potential

[wade moore]

I can definately see why the turnover, but I would still think yours is higher than most of the league?

[wade moore]

Also..

why must you tease me with the QB controversy on the IHOF boards? I might have to pull out my Fan signs here real soon...

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I can definately see why the turnover, but I would still think yours is higher than most of the league?

True, the turnover margin in players is big, one of the biggest in the league.
Still, most of my trades have been to get or drop overpaid backups, I rank cohesion high and thus don't mess too much with starters. Of 30 Off/Def potential starters, 9 are 2004 originals, 6 joined in 2005, 9 in 2006 and 7 in 2007. I think the Merchantmen are top 5 in backfied cohesion and still have mid-to-high cohesion in the offensive line and defensive front. Only the secondary is relatively low.

Research from Astoria's Hell Atlantic to put me in my place with the highest turnorver rated proved that my team ranks second on that list behind... Astoria.

Still, with the state of the offensive line and secondary I got out of the reference draft, there was no way around a big turnover to get a team that pleases me. QB McDavid was not starting material, 9 out of 10 OL players were nothing better than roster fillers. By the start of 2006, 9 of 10 were released, I got nothing in return. I had a few promising safeties, but all the cornerbacks sucked big time too and have been released as well. Except for Cluff and Kershner, all original linebackers are retired. All I had were expensive defensive ends (I dealt them all), wide receivers (dealt 3 of 5) and fullbacks (dealt both after making sure to get Rosenberry in 2006).

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Also..

why must you tease me with the QB controversy on the IHOF boards? I might have to pull out my Fan signs here real soon...

Hey, McDavid is popular and we need the fans to return after losing 10,000 last season. Flannery is the clear #1, but with Fumblin' Justin, you never know what happens.

[wade moore]

Well, Despite Astoria's mascot, you're still my FOF GM Hero

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Well, Despite Astoria's mascot, you're still my FOF GM Hero

LOL

Thanks.

For what it's worth, besides 5 players, all Merchantmen players are signed throughout the 2008 season, so I might be able to return all 2007 players in that season. Well, that is if we can resign both DE Wilcox and CB Endicott, who are on 1-year deals. I expect to see Wilcox retire, meaning we could franchise and sign Endicott to some obscure contract. (Plus, we mortgaged the 2008 draft, having only 4 5th rounders, so drafting won't be our thing that season. )

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Please Fans, Win First Pre-Season Game
The Maassluis Merchantmen have improved condidence for the 2007 season in their first pre-season game. In a 17-7 victory over the Frederick Red Menace, the passing game and pass defense looked good. The run oriented halves of the offense and defense need some focussing. Louie Flannery and Jerry Beyer clicked in their first game together. Carl Meier hauled in MVP honors with his play after his amazing off-season.

The action is back and the Merchantmen have done it. For the first time ever they managed to win the first pre-season game. Sure, they won five of six previous exhibition games at home the past three seasons, but they never won the first test before. Granted, the Frederick Red Menace didn't play with many starters, but the Merchantmen spared most of them as well.

The passing game looked good, although Louie Flannery saw two of his passes getting intercepted in the second half. But besides these mistakes, Flannery completed 16 of 24 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Combined with the returned Justin McDavid, the two accounted for 217 passing yards, were sacked twice and connected wit no less than eleven different receivers. After McDavid's quarterbacking, the Merchantmen went into halftime trailing 3-7. Flannery set things right and guided his offense to two touchdown drives and the 17-7 victory.

The pass defense had a big part in the victory two, as the defense recorded 3 interceptions in the second half of the game. Linebacker Mike Kershner accounted for two of those and made a strong case for moving to the strong-side in 2007. The defensive front made a fist with their pass rush, wasting nine of 28 passing plays. Helped by the pressure, Frederick's Jim McNown completed only 8 of 24 passes for a only 45 passing yards netto, being an average of just 1.6 yards per passing play.

In contrast, the Merchantmen defense allowed the Menace enough freedom to rack up 148 yards and a 5.4 yards per carry average on the ground. Usually one long gain can accout for such numbers, but even after substracting Daryl Layman's 37-yard run, the defense still allowed over 100 yards and more than four yards per carry. But as the sole scoring drive was the only one where the visitors had an opportunity to score, the Merchantmen defense kept all under control.

The Merchantmen ground game was not to good either. With 93 yards on 31 carries, it clearly was all just change of pace in the passing efforts. Kyle Montoya showed glimpses of being reading to finally move to #2 or #3 on the depth chart, racking up 57 yards and scoring on an 18-yard run. But then, with a 3.1 yards per carry average, he's still not in second or third, as rookie Tyrell Mahoney will get his shot and 1,000-yard back Rodger Mowery will join the team for the next game.

On the offensive side of the ball, the highlight of the game was probably the play where Louie Flannery connected with top rookie Jerry Beyer on a touchdown pass from one yard out on second and one. Beyer accounted for 5 receptions, of which four were Flannery's passes. Beyer racked up just 20 yards on those plays, but it's to easy to ignore that the score was a 1-yard pass and another one was for a first down. In the end, the staff should be happy to see that Flannery can find his new target. It will be interesting to see whether Beyer showed enough to be at least the #3 guy with the recent addition of proven veteran Jules Benedict.

With all the talk on how good things looked, the one player that really stood out was Carl Meier. The Merchantmen management and staff had been reporting how much Meier improved in the off-season, but nobody really beleived it until seeing Meier's effort in this pre-season game. After recording 6 tackles, 1 assist and 1 sack, Meier was the popular choice for game MVP, despite the two interceptions from his fellow linebacker Mike Kershner. Cody Cluff and Ellsworth Thelen should start wondering whether they still will both be starting in 2007, desite their 100-tackles seasons.

In the upcoming three pre-season games, the Merchantmen will likely sit out the best players, like Louie Flannery, Randy Harris and Charles Gomez. In fact, Gomez wasn't dressed for this pre-season game and Randy Harris was limited to only 2 carries for 7 yards and a 7-yard reception. The team wants to give the younger players time to mature. Especially the defensive linemen and offensive rookies Jerry Beyer, Tyrell Mahoney and Henry Poston can use the extra playing time. And to please the fans, Justin McDavid will be given the opportunity to win back his role on the team, to show he can still be a reliable passer when Flannery is down. It should be an interesting pre-season the rest of the way...

[wade moore]

Rumor has it there were some familiar faces in the stands wearing Fumblin' Justin T-Shirts underneath Louie Flannery Jerseys....

We'll have to keep a close eye out in the rest of the pre-season games...

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Rumor has it there were some familiar faces in the stands wearing Fumblin' Justin T-Shirts underneath Louie Flannery Jerseys....

We'll have to keep a close eye out in the rest of the pre-season games...

I'll post the second pre-season game review pretty soon, that game was a Fumblin' Justin classic: 100+ passer rating and, of course, a lost fumble.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Lose Second Pre-Season Game
The Maassluis Merchantmen have lost their second pre-season game in their warm-up sessions to the 2007 season. The Asheville Axemen were victorious in their own dome with 17-7. The passing game looked great and the running game good. The run defense was aweful again and will need more patching the upcoming weeks.

The score has to be taken with a grain of salt as both teams rested most of their stars, but the signals of this second game didn't look good. The Merchantmen were pinned down to their own turf for most of the game and the only points came on te last drive of the game, resulting in a pass from Mel Atkins to Charlie Martins with 29 seconds left. The holder connected with the long snapper to make the final score 7-17.

Good signs came from the passing game. Even though the offensive line allowed 7 sacks all game, the quarterbacks combined for 245 yards. Especially Justin McDavid looked amazing while completing 8 of 10 passes for 86 yards and Mel Atkins added 159 yards and a score. On the receivers end, rookie Jerry Beyer excellend with 108 yards on 5 receptions to deserve a starting role this season. Recent signing Jules Benedict had 2 catches for 42 yards.

With the game being a catch up for most of the 60 minutes, the ground game never looked very good. With 102 yards on 25 carries, the 4.0 average was good, but with the top runner Tyrell Mahoney only racking up 47 yards on 12 touches, there were not many happy faces.

The run defense in contrast looked aweful all day. Boosted by a big 42-yard burst and a 30-yard touchdown run, the Axemen collected 214 yards on 37 carries, giving the Merchantmen more to worry about, especially as 6 of 7 defensive front starters were starting in this game.

The pass defense made up with a decent showing, although the 126 yards were pretty normal for the run-oriented Axemen offense. It should be noted that when the defense can force only 9 third down plays, with 5 yards to go on average, they never managed to stop the chains from moving.

Again the sixth round draft picks Aaron Sherrill and Andrew Rasmussen paid the managements confidence back. After a joint sack last week, they accounted for one each against the Axemen. But for the real play of the game, one has to look at punter Roscoe Corrales, who punted the ball out of bounds at the opponents 1-yard line.

Last but not least, Justin McDavid's old habbit showed up again and he was sacked early in the game at the 0-0 score. McDavid fumbled the ball and possession was lost. The Axemen scored on the following drive and never looked back. Add a missed 41-yard field goal from Al Bettis just before the half and the loss is easily explained.

In the upcoming two games, the young players will again get time to get experienced, however there are signals that the management might force in the regular starters in the last pre-season game at home. The game at the Chesapeake Chitterlings will be a backup show. But against the Miami Sharks, Charles Gomez, Jim Reiser and Tai Wayne might see action this pre-season afterall...

[MIJB#19]

The Y-Factor Determining Merchantmen's Season
The Maassluis Merchantmen are one of few IHOF teams that improved each of the past seasons in wins. So far, the credits went to decent draft day decissions and a massive amount of trades. But after further research, it shows the team is aiming for some different factor in 2007. That factor is the Y-Factor.

The Y-Factor, what in the world is that? Well, research shows that the Merchantmen are suckers for players with an "y" in their name. Just think of it, with their general manager being proud about the "Dutch IJ" in his middle name, maybe it's just another of his strange habbits? But how big is this quirck?

It all starts with Louie Flannery. The quarterback's last name has the "y" and after that it only gets more and more in the name. Long-time running back Randy Harris has the "y" in his first name and his sidekick Jamel Rosenberry, like Flannery, sees his last name end with the "y". And so the whole offense is loaded, watch and observe.

The offense will be loaded with it: Louie Flannery, Randy Harris, Kyle Montoya, Tyrell Mahoney, Roger Mowery, Henry Poston, Jamel Rosenberry, Gregory Monti, Bryce Ewald, Jerry Beyer, Timothy Lacy and Norman Holliday. Seeing all the running backs listed, stop wondering why Jonathan Smith and Cedric Rubio had to leave, it was all in their names.

On defense, the team relies on: Wally Wilcox, Andy Weliczka, Cody Cluff, Tai Wayne and Myron Stevens. No wonder the defense was the worst one the IHOF ever saw in 2006. The Y-Factor was missing. Good thing placekicker Cary Coles has it, otherwise the field goal unit would be entering the field for nothing time after time.

Well, the key to success is exposed, but the team could still try and do better. Gothenburg Giants stud center Rocky Schramm, Paris guard Tony Kuehn, Brooklyn tackle Albert Creasy, Orlando defensive end Marty Stoffel and Columbus linebacker Cory Whaley should be the obvious 2008 additions to complete the team.

But then, to really get things worked out, the management has a lot of work to do. Of the coaching and scouting staff, only headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude has it. There's still a lot of work to be done to further exploit the Y-Factor to the fullest. Only one burning question remains, how to get the team name fixed...

[MIJB#19]

Jerry Beyer And Norman Holliday: The Hawaiian And The Tall Guy
The 2007 IHOF draft has been over for some time now, but the effects of that selection procedure are only now coming in place. As the Maassluis Merchantmen eventually used ten selections, the team has tried to be impacted big time with eight picks in the fifth and later rounds. The two names that jump out the most so far are a wide receiver and an offensive tackle.

How the Merchantmen acquired wide receiver Jerry Beyer has been covered enough, but we still don't know who that 'Jelly Belly' is. Jerry was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii and still resides there in the summer break. To get some education, Beyer attended Mississippi, but he'll never forget his roots. But with Maassluis being 8500 miles away, how does one do that?

Lucky for Beyer, he was picked up by the best player agent in the IHOF. Cory Schiavi represents 223 players in the league and a record nine are playing for the Merchantmen. His fellow receiver, the two years older Bryce Ewald, is also represented by Schiavi and has taken Beyer under his wings for now. And after Jules Benedict's arrival recently, the Schiavi agency represents three of the top four Merchantmen receivers.

The relative small agency of Wes Sonnanstine represents only two players in Maassluis. Ellsworth Thelen has been a starter for two years, but rookie Norman Holliday arrived only recently as one of five draft picks in the fifth round. Holliday is the Benjamin of the team, yet with his 6 feet 9, he quickly became the Merchantmen's tallest player.

The step from Holliday to Hawaii and from Hawaii to Beyer is easy to be made, but what makes their situations in Maassluis so similair? Well, it all relies on their roles on the depth chart. Both Beyer and Holliday will be battling starters from the first Merchantmen game and it won't be easy to accomplish.

In their search for a deep-threat number three wide receiver, the Maassluis Merchantmen tried to acquire free agent Frederick Cabe. The backup plan was easy as the Merchantmen had their eye on a rookie receiver and in the end, the got they guy they wanted all along: Jerry Beyer. And with Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald being called injury prone more often than not, Beyer will have a chance to beat out Monti.

Norman Holliday has an even tougher task as his competition is a former All-IHOF second selection. After the arrival of left tackle Ivan Jacques, it became apparent that long time Merchantmen player Harold Hurtado would move to the right. But with Holliday turning out to be a diamond in the rough, Hurtado and the also acquired Cornelius Rice have to watch over their shoulders.

The Merchantmen selected ten rookies, but only these two are stuck in this tough situation. Aaron Sherrill, Andrew Rasmussen and Shaun Shrioma joined the rotation pass rush, Tyrell Mahoney and Henry Poston backup big names and Alvin Ladner is bound to join Gene Sampson and Terrence Norris as being out of Maassluis after pre-season. Beyer and Holliday can land anywhere from starter to the inactive roster.

For Beyer and Holliday, their pre-season action will detirmine where they end up. At the mid-season point, Beyer ranks eight in the IHOF with 151 receiving yards and is one foot in after the touchdown-connection with Louie Flannery. Holliday so far made 3 key run blocks on 5 attempts, but after allowing 2 sacks, he's further away than hoped. The early sings say "Beyer, yes" and "Holliday, no", but you never know for sure with this team.

[MIJB#19]

The Return In Chesapeake And The Story Of Leonard Lyon
Today, the Maassluis Merchantmen play against the Chesapeake Chitterlings in their third pre-season game of the 2007 season. In Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, about 70,000 fans will be remembered of one of the toughest defeats the Chitterlings ever witnesses at home. The 2006 North American Conference Champions will get an opportunity to avenge that sour loss in 2005. That day, the Merchantmen posted an amazing 17-7 victory, while keeping the Chitterlings scoreless until after the two-minute warning. To date, it's the only home game where the Chitterlings were held below 10 points at home.

That day, Leonard Lyon had a career game. while completing 22 of 40 pass attempts, Lyon tossed for 237 yards and a touchdown, while giving up 1 interception. Amazingly enough, the score was so low as the Merchantmen had no less than 6 red zone visits and allowed only 1, which eventually lead to that sole score for Chespeake. Lyon was honored with MVP honors that day, but the real reason why the Merchantmen won was te first half defensive play. On 5 possession, in 23 plays, the Chitterlings combined for only 4 yards, with the first quarter accounting for a horrible -25 yards in 11 plays. To date, this game ranks as one of the highlights in Merchantmen history.

Sadly for the Chitterlings, of the 13 key players of that 2005 Merchantmen defense, almost nobody will return to Annapolis to repeat the historic victory. Harold Wells plays for Bordeaux, John Bryant for Georgia, Dennis Preciado for Anaheim and Carl O'Hara has retired. And of those still playing for Maassluis, Richard Muller is on injured reserve, while of the remaining eight players, only Desmond Craig and Cody Cluff are going to play. Or maybe lucky, it might easy Ron Lyle and friends in their shot on avengance.

Ron Lyle is expected to quarterback the Chitterlings today, but has yet to see any significant action as the #1 quarterback. Lyle has been sitting behind Jaime Canter on the depth chart, but silently did develop into being the best quarterback of his draft class. Pick them all out and you see why. For illustration, of the three first rounders, 'Super' Mario Hudson was traded this off-season by the Paris Musketeers to the Outer Banks Ospreys, while the afore mentioned Leonard Lyon has a year as the Springfield Isotopes starter on his resume.

Going back to the 2005 draft, the selection of Leonard Lyon made common sense for the Maassluis Merchantmen. The team had gone 1-14 in the previous season with Justin McDavid quarterbacking. McDavid recorded 22 interceptions and a still standing IHOF single season record 13 fumbles. His nickname 'Fumblin Justin' was born and Leonard Lyon was his successor. After a heated pre-season battle, Lyon was the winner, but a groin injury pull McDavid back in and as McDavid posted wins, he got the confidence. Lyon returned for a few games, but needed a season ending injury for McDavid to get back into the lineup.

When Lyon returned as a starter in Maassluis, he posted a 6:5 touchdown-interception ratio, of which were 3 picks in one game. After a nice win over the Brooklyn Fightin' Bums and a close lose to the Rochester Lake Monsters, Lyon posted his season high 237 yards and the win over Chesapeake seemed to have sealed his future in Maassluis. But none of it was true, despite a career threatening injury that would sideline 'Fumblin Justin' all year. In the early rise of the 2006 season, Lyon was traded out of nowhere to the Springfield Isotopes and the IHOF watched in awe.

Right now the 2007 season is two weeks away from starting and Leonard Lyon looks settled as the Isotopes playcaller. Ron Lyle will likely backup Jaime Canter with Chesapeake and the Maassluis Merchantmen have a second year quarterback named Louie Flannery, who they picked at #5 overall in the 2006 draft. The stories of the trade have been long revealed as Lyon was called a consolation prize and trade bait from the moment he was picked.

While Lyon looks secure as the Springfield starter, despite the selection of Louie Boles at #60 overall, Flannery finds himself in the same hot seat as Lyon sat in. 'Fumblin Justin' returned and posted amazing pre-season stats so far. Flannery has serious interception woes and the Merchantmen see McDavid as the safer pick, desite his fumbling habit. If the fan favorite McDavid manages to beat the Chitterlings today, like Lyon in 2005, Flannery might get to see how Lyon felt back at the start of that 2005 season and in 2008 could be in a similair situation as Lyon sits in now, starting in the IHOF, but far away from Maassluis. This game could repeat history.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Lose Pre-Season Game, McDavid Keeps Impressing
The Maassluis Merchantmen return home for the last pre-season game after a loss in the United States. The Chesapeake Chitterlings were victorious 34-24 in a one-sided game. Shane Bower got wild for the Merchantmen in a comeback from a large deficit to a 10-point loss. Justin McDavid looked awesome again at quarterback, while rookie defensive end Aaron Sherrill and wide receiver Devin Henson were the other bright lights.

Even more than in previous pre-season games, the Maassluis Merchantmen tried a couple of things out. Justin McDavid started once again and completed 7 of 9 passes for 89 yards and scored on a 5-yard run. Although he didn't fumble himself, with his return, the fumbling returned to the team and the Merchantmen players recorded 4 fumbles and a single interception. Shane Bower accounted for the interception in the catch-up play.

The Chitterlings took a 34-10 lead after a 24-10 half time score and never looked back. Quarterbacked by an almost perfect Ron Lyle, going 17 on 22 for 238 yards and a score, the home team was on fire and the Merchantmen pass defense came back on earth after two more decent pass defense showings earlier this pre-season. Mister interception, Johnnie Stidham called it: "Some sort of off day. We have to rethink the system a bit, I guess. But today shouldn't really tell what we can do in the regular season."

As stated earlier, Shane Bower was the center of the catch-up passing show. Although the Merchantmen failed, Bower recorded two touchdown passes, with Jerry Beyer and Devin Henson accounting for the points. Beyer also accounted for the reception on a two-point conversion. Henson was some sort of best player as the kickoff return specialist returned 2 kickoffs for a total of 40 yards, but his best stats were the 16 receptions for 97 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, rookie defensive end Aaron Sherrill recorded another sack. With 2.5 sacks in three games, he looks like a lock for a starting role in the regular season. With receiver Beyer, Sherrill has been the rookie surprise so far this pre-season. Defensive tackle Andrew Rasmussen (1.5 sacks) and the running backs Tyrell Mahoney and Henry Poston also showed glimpses of professional football.

The Merchantmen management didn't want to reveal the strategy for the last pre-season game. Last season, Richard Muller suffered a serious concussion in the last pre-season game. That concussion was so serious that doctors diagnosed repetitive concussion syndrome. The injury sidelined Muller for the entire 2006 season and forced the Merchantmen management to put him on injured reserve for the 2007 season as well. That single incident has called for precautions about playing time for expected starters in the game against the Miami Sharks.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Hey everybody!

Well, the pre-season has been interesting so far. A couple of young players made some progress, most notably tight end Arnold Ramirez, center Brant Heinrich, tackle Norman Holliday, kicker Al Bettis and defensive end Omar Gougeon. Tackle Cornelius Rice and linebacker Cody Cluff made big improvements.

We've got one final pre-season game to go, at hime against the Miami Sharks. The game will be crucial to the 53-men roster cut day, which is planned the day after that. Seven player will have to be released, traded or put on injured reserve. Right now, we've identified the thirteen players who will be concidered to be released if nothing serious happens.

QB Mel Atkins
Atkins is the third best passer and the best holder, so why would he have to go? Well, we can't afford to let Justin McDavid walk, while Shane Bower looks like a better #2 option and Louie Flannery is a better holder if we ever have to fake a field goal. Well, releasing him would hurt, but it's how the game is played.

RB Kyle Montoya
He's had a decent pre-season, but if nothing serious happens, Randy Harris will be starting over Rodger Mowery and Tyrell Mahoney. Fullbacks Jamel Rosenberry and Henry Poston look reliable enough to step in when injury occurs.

TE Charlie Martins
Charlie the long snapper? Yep, we acquired a backup center in Christian Reichel who can long snap just as well as Martins. And as with the running backs, the fullbacks Jamel Rosenberry and Henry Poston are good enough to be backup tight ends.

WR David Henkel
The big-play expert, was a good receiver in 2005 for the Vicksburg Vipers but never panned-out in Maassluis. With the arrival of Jerry Beyer and Jules Benedict there is no reason to give Henkel a second chance.

WR Emmanuel Jennings
Wow, another former Vicksburg Vipers player. Jennings was once concidered a top return specialist talent in the IHOF. Jennings still has good potential, but training camp showed that Jennings isn't as hot as he was a year ago. With the arrival of Jerry Beyer and Rodger Mowery, and the expected stay of Desmond Craig, Jennings won't even be the #2 at any of the two returning roles.

WR Matt Offord
So, one day you score one of only six punt return touchdowns of the entire IHOF season and the next season you're close to being released? Indeed, Offord has cometition in Rodger Mowery and Jerry Beyer. But then, after recently siging a new two-year deal, Offord will more than likely stay around as the punt return specialist and as the #6 receiver.

G Alphonse Gale
A guy who started 35 games in his career, including 3 for the 2006 NAC Champions Chesapeake Chitterlings. Gale would be a good guy to keep around, but we've got nine other linemen who all have their roles. Gale simply is #10 and if we release a linemen, Gale will be the casualty.

K Alvin Ladner
Fifth round pick, but he couldn't threaten Cary Coles or Al Bettis enough to make him worth keeping around. We have one team interested in him with a trade, as they offered their 2008 seventh round pick. If nothing serious happens to either Coles or Bettis, Ladner will have a new home before the start of the regular season.

DE Britt Bycroft
Once aquired in a trade, now soon to be released. The departure of Scot Dick and Ian Degrange looked like his rescue, but the acquisition of four new defensive linemen wit better pass rushing technique make him expendable.

SLB Mitch Hoofkin
Sadly for Mitch, he's on the bubble after only being here for pre-season. He looks like a good backup and even a potential starter someday, but we have to get down to 53 men. We're short on linebackers and that might help him survive afterall.

CB Desmond Craig
Despite four interceptions in 2006, Craig saw two new cornerbacks join the team, saw Tai Wayne return from injury and knows that Myron Stevens is close to surpassing him on the depth chart. Craig's kickoff returning ability could save him.

CB Myron Stevens
Yep, despite his heroic interception in 2006, he's close to departure. Stevens is likely our dime back, but Craig can play there too. We've got six conrerbacks signed and need only five under contract.

SS Lamar Singleton
If none of the cornerbacks have to go, safety is the position to concider a release and Singleton is simply the least experienced. Singleton could be a good dime back, but is not experienced enough, yet. Injury to any of the safeties could help him, but his lack of run defense make it unlikely.

FS John Cole
Oh yes, the 2006 starter and starting project sincew the moment we hired him is on the block. Cole was the main reason we stepped on to a zone defense system and now he's on the block. Main reason is his conflict with position leader Winford Endicott, but we also miss either the run stopping ability or interceptions ability that a safety needs to have.

Of these players, Henkel, Jennings, Bycroft and Ladner are the no-brainers, Martins has joined the list after we acquired Reichel, but Reichel is currently hurt. We could have IR-ed Montoya with a bad cold the past weeks, but opted against it so far, to keep Randy Harris and Jamel Rosenberry inactive. It would be a waste to release Montoya, but "c'est la vie". Atkins makes the list as we know that Flannery can be as good as holder. Gale and Singleton fit the system, but would be the numbers game casualties. Hoofkin might have to go, although we want to keep six linebackers this season. Cole, Offord, Craig and Stevens are not likely to go, but are mentioned as trade options.

Tough choices coming up and we're not the type of team that puts backups so easily on injured reserve. In the end, I expect that we can trade Ladner and eventually release four or five players.

I'm so much looking forward to the regular season now. A couple of new players really shined already. Aaron Sherrill recorded 2.5 sacks in 3 games and makes that trade of two fifth rounders worth it. He'll start in the rotation. Jerry Beyer leads the team in receiving yards and together with Devin Henson he ranks in the pre-season top 20 in yards. Beyer scored two touchdowns already. Louie Flannery to Jerry Beyer looks like a very good duo to have.

So far, the new defensive system showed one big weakness: the run defense. Maybe the absence of Charles Gomez has been a big factor, but it's worrying. The thing is, we seem to be able to stop the passing game a bit, but if teams run all over us, they don't have to pass at all. It will come down to the good old score-first strategy to be able to win games.

To be honest, I've taken the avoid-injuries option this pre-season over the see-what-we-can-do option. Sidelining our stars means we have no idea how the new system will work and perhaps it should have been a good idea to play the last game with our expected starters on defense. Well, sadly Mike Kershner and Shaun Shiroma are injured and that makes the whole idea impossible. Oh well, it means more opportunity for the backups to show what they are capable of.

For those who wonder how the positional battles are working out, it's safe to say who will start in 2007 for almost every position. Here's the expected depth chart at the starting spots and important backup roles:

QB#1 Louie Flannery
QB#2 Shane Bower or Justin McDavid
RB#1 Randy Harris
RB#2 Rodger Mowery or Tyrell Mahoney
3DRB Jamel Rosenberry
RcvRB Jamel Rosenberry or Randy Harris
FB#1 Jamel Rosenberry
TE#1 Jim Reiser
TE#2 Arnold Ramirez
FL#1 Gregory Monti or Jerry Beyer
SE#1 Bryce Ewald
WR#3 Jerry Beyer or Jules Benedict
WR#4 Gregory Monti or Jerry Beyer or Jules Benedict
C#1 Brant Heinrich
LG#1 Butch White
RG#1 Timothy Lacy
LT#1 Ivan Jacques
RT#1 Harold Hurtado or Norman Holliday
LT#2 Harold Hurtado
BkG Harold Hurtado or Brian Hammond or Cornelius Rice
BkC Christian Reichel
BkRT Cornelius Rice or Norman Holliday or Harold Hurtado
PR#1 Matt Offord or Rodger Mowery
PR#2 Matt Offord or Rodger Mowery
KR#1 Devin Henson
KR#2 Desmond Craig or Emmanuel Jennings
P#1 Rsocoe Corrales
PK#1 Cary Coles
KO#1 Al Bettis
H#1 Louie Flannery or Mel Atkins
LS#1 Christian Reichel or Charlie Martins
stDE Aaron Sherrill
stDE Omar Gougeon
bkDE Albert Bernardo
bkDE Wally Wilcox
stDT Charles Gomez
rnDT Andy Weliczka or Shaun Shiroma
prDT Shaun Shiroma or Andrew Rasmussen
bkDT Andrew Rasmussen or Andy Weliczka
SLB Mike Kershner or Carl Meier
MLB Cody Cluff or Carl Meier
WLB Ellsworth Thelen or Mike Kershner or Carl Meier
LB#4 Carl Meier or Mike Kershner or Ellsworth Thelen
CB#1 Tai Wayne
CB#2 Winford Endicott or Johnnie Stidham
NickB Johnnie Stidham or Desmond Craig
DimeB Desmond Craig or Myron Stevens
SS#1 Lincoln Gilmore
FS#1 John Cole or Emile William

Okay, enough info for today, the last pre-season game tomorrow will give us another indication where we stand. I hope we'll turnout okay...

[MIJB#19]

Scouting The Competiton: European Division Rivals
The International House Of Football is heading for the start of the 2007 season. Going into the last pre-season games it is a good timing to scout the three division rivals of the Maassluis Merchantmen. The Bordeaux Vineyards, Gothenburg Giants and Paris Musketeers all made interesting moves this off-season to improve their teams for 2007 and the future. So, what happened and what do they look like in 2007?



Bordeaux Vineyards

Schedule:
Week 10 at Maassluis
Week 17 vs. Maassluis

Quarterback:
Joe Johnson will lead the Vineyards offense for the fourth year in a row. Johnson is all around good and developed, except that his timing is bad and he's better in throwing longer that short passes. With only 5 interceptions in the 2006 season, Johnson made a strong case for being the best quarterback in Europe. For the future, the Vineyards drafted Earnest Barlow in the first round of the draft. Barlow has good potential all over and will be third string behind mentor Victor Whyte.

Offensive Weapons:
Bordeaux acquired All IHOF Second Team Running Back Gerald Harris to be the new star in town. Harris posted 1,000 yard seasons in all of the previous three season, although his yards per carry figure dropped to 3.2 in 2006. Harris will also be a great second option in the passing game, behind the retained wide receiver Toby Williams. Williams has the tendency to drop accurate passes and is fumble prone, but his yardage figures are of a great receiver. And you'd almost forget they still have 11,000-yard runner Rashad Burse to backup Harris, even though Burse's prime time (2005) looks decades ago. Burse might even not make the regular season 53-men roster.

Defensive Front:
The most familiar name to Merchantmen fans is defensive end Harold Wells as he played in Maassluis during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Wells has grown into being an elite pass rusher and he's also an excellent supporter for the run defense. Playing side by side is defensive tackle Joey Hammer, who can stop the run and saw his sacks figure increase with the help of Wells. Behind the two linemen, the Vineyards have a bunch of decent linebackers. Jacinto Moore and Calvin Newton are overall very good players and with all-round Chris Ruelas and run stopper Nicholas Seymour on the sides, they should be a good team.

Secondary:
Orlando Gragg and Jared Arteaga are useful cornerbacks, but it's safety Cecil McIver who's the star of the group. McIver is an amazing football player who can do it all, except make the occasional interception. Although, that was a concern of the past seasons, in 2006 he recorded four picks with one returned for a score. Still, if there's one postion where teams should exploit the Vineyards' defense, it's the safety position.

Special Teams:
Scot Guilen is a useful punter, while Paul Fabrizio in talent looks like an awesome kicker. But over time, Fabrizio showed some serious problems with scoring, as he missed 19 of 57 field goals attempts the past two seasons. Toby Williams is a top punt returner, yet he's fumble prone. Bordeaux lacks a stud kickoff returner and, although they've been looking for one, they haven't found one yet. Maybe rookie cornerback Maurice Firsch turns out to be the solution there, if he ever get's the opportunity.



Gothenburg Giants

Schedule:
Week 11 vs. Maassluis
Week 15 at Maassluis

Quarterback:
Duane Davis was the top rated quarterback for the first half of the 2006 season. As soon as Davis' play dropped, the Giants started losing games. Davis still has the problem of not being able to read defenses but makes up with his talent in other areas. With the addition of Lionel Helfrich, the Giants expect to have a backup plan if Davis would get hurt.

Offensive Weapons:
Cecil Maxwell ran for 1,205 yards in 2006, but nevertheless the Giants acquired Nicolas Dutra from Anaheim to take over. Dutra has been backing up 2005 first rounder Kurt Basso for two years and the Giants give him a shot at starting. Maxwell is the more elusive guy, while Dutra has more power and ability to see the holes in the defense. With the hiring of tight end Saul Delgado, the Giants have a legimite star receiver to accompany wide outs Dominick Nemeth and William Walker.

Defensive Front:
Lloyd Pedersen and David Millard form a good duo defensive ends to be good pass rushing sidekicks of big name defensive tackle Chris Nagel. Behind them, a bunch of outstanding linebackers try to stop opposing offenses on every play. Steven Marshall is all-round one of the best linebackers in the league, George Runion is an elite run stopper and Hubert Cox and Andrew McDaniel are super guys to have on the outside. Recent addition Jesse Davis provides a bit of depth.

Secondary:
Wanna see a shutdown cornerback? Don't look further, the Giants' Harley Gowan is one of the best examples. With 19 interceptions in the past two seasons, Gowan also threatens the opposing quarterbacks for bigger problems. Dario Velasco is the decent other corner and Rod Frizzell is the run stopping strong safety. Chris Peterson is another run stopping safety.

Special Teams:
Punter Darell Allen is a decent play, while kicker Damien Deming has a strong but not so accurate leg. With William Walker, the Giants have one of the very best punt returners and with Nicolas Dutra they added a second specialist. Russell Eberhart is the kickoff returner, but he's not an elite returner at all fumbles a bit too easy.



Paris Musketeers

Schedule:
Week 1 at Maassluis
Week 8 vs. Maassluis

Quarterback:
E.G. 'The Great' Lumpkin is the new name. After Fabian Parker, 'Super' Mario Hudson was the second quarterback victimized by Paris. Lumpkin is a bit prone to interceptions, but is otherwise a talented passer. Lawrence Watters is the likely number two, but he lacks experience and the true skills to be reliable in case of injury.

Offensive Weapons:
Maybe he's not the most talented running back, but Joe Boulware ran for almost 1,400 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. With Henry Gayle the have a good #3 wide receiver behind long-gains Myron Sperling and the recently acquired 2005 #1 pick Tyrus Shaye. With Shaye, Paris should make a big move forward with their passing game.

Defensive Front:
As always, Paris' weakness is the defensive line. Former Merchantmen end Scot Dick is the new guyin town to start opposite 2006 first round pick Grady Kramer, if Kramer still has the confidence of the management. Parker Jones is the runs stopping and pass rush supporting defensive tackle that every team could use. At linebacker, Foster Sokol is the big guy, but other than him Paris has no real studs talentwise. But then, both Devin Rodarte and Paul Dunkle posted 100-tackle seasons in the past.

Secondary:
Cornerback Steven Randall is a guy every offense should fear. Randall runs all over the field to cover his man and support the defense where needed. Edward Boatwright and Jason Pink are the very good safeties who can do a bit of it all. Who the second corerback is depends on the system a bit. Michael Truitt is a bump and run expert, but Casey Bush has more potential, especially as an interceptions specialist.

Special Teams:
Keith Horne is the all word punter who should help Paris out for the next ten years. The second year player already developed into being the best player at his position. He can punt both long punts and the in-twenties. Joshua Hunt is the kicker, but rumors are that Horne will do kicking duties as well. Hunt has an accurate leg, but not as powerful as Horne. Myron Sperling is a good return specialist in both punts and kickoffs, Henry Gayle can be a good alternate for kickoffs, Randall Smith is the punt return alternate.



Overall, the Merchantmen management thinks that Bordeaux will be back strong to defend the division title, while Gothenburg and Paris improved a lot the past off-season. As the Merchantmen roster saw little improvement, expectations are that a third place is again realistic, even though the progress of past seasons should call for a longer stay in the race for the playoff tickets in 2007. But with a stronger Paris and Gothenburg, two wins inside the division would, again, be the 'on par' performance. The victory total will have to come on out of division home games and winnable road games, of which there are very few.

[wade moore]

The European Division has vastly improved over the last few years. I think that the rest of the league is really underestimating you guys...

I said it first... there will be a European IHOF Champion within 3 years....

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by wade moore

The European Division has vastly improved over the last few years. I think that the rest of the league is really underestimating you guys...

I said it first... there will be a European IHOF Champion within 3 years....

Well, just to point out how good we are:
My scout ranks the Bordeaux, Gothenburg and Paris starting QBs all in the top16 in experience (of course my scout is only the best QB scout in the league), while Flannery should clearly be a future star (or so I hope).

Then, the European division has a league high 6 1000yd running backs signed, with the starters all being top10 in experience (Randy Harris is the odd one as top10 potential).

Based on 2006 records, the four European teams rank 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th in toughest schedules, so it'll be a serious test to see how good we are now as a division.

[Kodos]

Of course, the Northeast has the Top 3 passers, and Jackie Williamson is Top 10.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Of course, the Northeast has the Top 3 passers, and Jackie Williamson is Top 10.

I failed to mention that as the Merchantmen will face none of the four this regular season.
Not that it's a good sign, Williamson will be replaced by the IHOF single game yardage records breaker Eugene Westcott, he set those records against us last season.

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen Release Fumblin Justin!
The International House Of Football addopted a 53-men roster cut day and the teams are making up their minds on who to keep and who to dump. All over the league, names of promiment players are expected to be called and one name in particular is going to fill the headlines. The Maassluis Merchantmen are expected to say good bye to former starting quarterback Fumblin' Justin McDavid.

Well, the move doesn't come alone, as first of all, the Merchantmen made trades with the Chesapeake Chitterlings and the Bordeaux Vineyards. To put things short what happened was some sort of three-way trade: kicker Alvin Ladner moves from Maassluis to Chesapeake, running back Kyle Montoya and defensive end Britt Bycroft go from Maassuis to Bordeaux, linebacker Daniel Ruelas moves from Bordeaux to Maassluis and Bordeaux gets Chesapeake's seventh round pick in 2008.

With those moves, the Merchantmen are still coming short of releases. The Merchantmen had to remove seven players of the roster and these trades only account for two roster spots. The five remaining moves are expected to be four releases and one player put on injured reserve. Wide receiver David Henkel demoted from #3 to #7 this pre-season and with a pulled groin can safely join safety Richard Muller on the injured reserve list.

Now for the releases. With all the positions filled, the four names are expected to fall at quarterback, wide receiver, the offensive line and the secondary. The wide receiver is easy as the Merchantmen have openly question Emmanuel Jennings' ability as return specialist. Second should be guard Alphonse Gale as he's been called the tenth man on a unit that needs only nine players. In the secondary, Myron Stevens is expected to be released, despite an interception in the pre-season. But now, we're saving the best for last.

The Maassluis Merchantmen are expected to part ways with their all-time most popular player: 'Fumblin' Justin McDavid. After knee surgery, McDavid returned in Maassluis and had a decent pre-season performance. McDavid completed 23 of 31 passes (74 percent!) for 257 yards (8.3 per attempt!) and no interceptions. His passer rating of 98.5 is of course phenomenal and even better than his awesome 2005 pre-season rating of 87.9.

The Merchantmen management was unavailble for comment and team sources kept saying that the final decission won't be revealed until the official deadline, but they were willing to let Gossip News know that at least one player with a significant Merchantmen history has been released. We think it's McDavid at he and Mel Atkins were battling out for the #3 position on the depth chart.

If true, the Merchantmen are clearly tossing their philosophy overboard. McDavid was recently called "personification of the Merchantmen" by one other IHOF general manager. McDavid is a role player, like most of the Merchantmen players are. If McDavid doesn't retire a Merchantmen, than the world is up side down, that's something that should never happen. But here are the signals, Fumblin' Justin is out. Let's just hope for the Merchantmen they can keep their fan base...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen End Pre-Season With Loss And Roster Moves
The Maassluis Merchantmen ended pre-season with an expected 10-7 loss to the Miami Sharks at home. The consolation score came with 48 seconds left, yet the Merchantmen management is happy about the outcome of other things. Rookie defensive end Aaron Sherrill recorded his fourth sack in as many games and was called the Merchantmen's best defensive player of the preseason. Injuries to a few key players spoiled part of the party. Linebackers Ellsworth Thelen and Carl Meier, who were both battling for one of the three linebacker starting jobs, spererated a shoulder.

The pre-season has shown some good signs from several players, especially those new and one returning player in particular. Sixth round picks Aaron Sherrill (4 sacks) and Andrew Rasmussen (2.5 sacks) both ranked in the top 25 in sacks, with Sherrill eve nin the top six as the best rookie. Wide receiver Jerry Beyer had 204 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns and makes a push for a starting role. The return of Justin McDavid was most impressive as he completed 23 of 31 passes (74%) for 257 yards (8.3 per attempt), with a quarterback rating of 98.5.

The end of pre-season also means the departure of five players due to the IHOF addopting a 53-men roster rule. To make the Merchantmen roster valid, the management decided to put center/long snapper Christian Reichel, wide receiver David Henkel and cornerback Carlos Mitchem on injured reserve. Running back Kyle Montoya and Britt Bycroft were traded to the Bordeaux Vineyards, kicker Alvin Ladner to the Chesapeake Chitterlings. Return specialists Emmanuel Jennings and Matt Offord were both released.

One player will join the Merchantmen as the team is short on linebacker due to the mentioned injuries of Meier and Thelen. Daniel Ruelas is a run stopping specialist and was a backup player for the the Bordeaux Vineyards. Ruelas never started in the IHOF and has played 24 games so far, 15 with Gothenburg in 2004, 9 with Minnesota in 2005 and 2006.

Of the five departing players, Matt Offord had probably the biggest role for the Merchantmen. In 2006, Offord scored an 88-yard punt return touchdown in an overtime win at the San Luis Obispo Burn. Offord played all 16 games and was the premier punt returner in 2006. Kyle Montoya was a Merchantmen since the 2005 draft, but never played a single down. Britt Bycroft started 5 games in 2006, his only season with the Merchantmen. Alvin Ladner and Emmanuel Jennings were off-season additions, as Ladner was picked in the fifth round of the draft, while Jennings was part of the exchange money in the Wilson Grimaldo trade.

"These were tough decissions," Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. said, "Matt [Offord] was a guy I liked and Kyle [Montoya] could have contributed as a number three back. The decission to put Reichel on injured reserve was a bit unexpected, but it made it easier to keep Alphonse Gale around. If Brant Heinrich for some reason goes out this season, we'll hire a new center and let Gale or one of the backup linebackers walk."

Biggest surprise was the recent rumor that fan favorite Justin McDavid would have to go. M.IJ.B.: "Impossible! Justin is an icon of the team, we'll do anything to keep him around for eternity. Sure, we concidered releasing him, but we expect that the fan base will really hurt and salary cap issues would make it a bad decission as well." With that, the 53-men roster for the regular season is identified and the team will soon present the group of players that will form the Merchantmen in 2007. A roster that hopefully can make the next step into a winning record.

[Kodos]

Wade Moore = Not Happy Camper.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Wade Moore = Not Happy Camper.

Maybe I should rename Gossip News to Rolleyes Magazine, maybe that's more obvious about the reliability.

FWIW, Wade was the first guy I notified whether or not Fumblin Justin will make the final 53. It should be official news pretty soon now.

(Damn, I'm taking this thing a bit too serious now...)

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Reveal 2007 Roster: The 53-men To Watch In 2007!
The IHOF's roster cut day is here. The Maassluis Merchantmen have made their moves and, before the official announcements, the team wants to present the fans of the team and others interested the 53 men with a goal: have a winning record. We'll run down the 53-men from bottom to top, with the most important players mentioned last. But to tease you all, we start off with a fan favorite.

Justin McDavid
#3 - quarterback - 26yo
role in 2007: When the fans start calling for "Fumblin' Justin", he'll enter Oranje Haven and toss a few autographed balls into the stands, unless one of the quarterbacks is injured.

Richard Muller
#20 - safety - 29yo
role in 2007: Muller will point out the risk of playing football without a helmet in commercials as he's on injured reserve.

Mitch Hoofkin
#91 - linebacker - 24yo
role in 2007: Until our strong-side linebacker returns from injury, Hoofkin will backup the other linebackers.

Daniel Ruelas
#58 - linebacker - 30yo
role in 2007: Until our #2 middle linebacker returns from injury, Ruelas will backup Cody Cluff.

Lamar Singleton
#41 - safety - 23yo
role in 2007: Depending on the number of injuries, Singleton will at times be a backup safety and/or dime back.

Arnold Ramirez
#89 - tight end - 27yo
role in 2007: Ramirez has been hired to be the #2 tight end and will have that role all year.

Alphonse Gale
#64 - guard - 31yo
role in 2007: If one of our guards gets hurt, Gale joins the active roster, but if we need a new center first, and we do, Gale will either move position or fly back to his hometown in the USA.

David Henkel
#81 - wide receiver - 30yo
role in 2007: After not producing as the #3 receiver in 2006, Henkel will be analyzing the offense from as an injured reserve.

Carlos Mitchem
#37 - cornerback - 27yo
role in 2007: While the young cornerbacks play, Mitchem will mentor them from his injured reserve chair.

Brian Hammond
#75 - guard - 29yo
role in 2007: Until he gets hurt, Hammond will backup the young starters at guard and teach them the tricks of the game.

Christian Reichel
#53 - center - 26yo
role in 2007: Hired as the new longsnapper, Reichel picked up turf toe and will have another shot in 2008, coming back from injured reserve.

Desmond Craig
#42 - cornerback - 25yo
role in 2007: Depending on injuries, Craig will have a shot at being nickel or dime back, besides being the backup kickoff returner.

Charlie Martins
#84 - tight end - 26yo
role in 2007: Martins returns for a third season as our long snapper, but won't see much action on offense.

Henry Poston
#34 - fullback - 24yo
role in 2007: Poston will be backing up at fullback and maybe at tight end.

Tyrell Mahoney
#21 - running back - 23yo
role in 2007: With the competition for playing time out, he'll be listening to and looking at the guys in front of him on the depth chart.

Myron Stevens
#32 - cornerback - 23yo
role in 2007: Stevens has made progress and should be the dimeback, just like he was in 2006.

Josh Weisberg
#97 - linebacker - 34yo
role in 2007: The wise man will mentor the young linebackers and step in when they get hurt.

Mel Atkins
#13 - quarterback - 25yo
role in 2007: Atkins will act as the emergency quarterback and take over holding duties if the starting holder gets hurt.

John Cole
#23 - safety - 26yo
role in 2007: After starting last year, Cole will be backing up at free safety this season.

Andy Weliczka
#59 - defensive tackle - 24yo
role in 2007: Especially early in the season, Andy will be the running downs second defensive tackle.

Jules Benedict
#88 - wide receiver - 29yo
role in 2007: As the oldest receiver, Benedict will be the #4 receiver and a reliable backup to our split-end.

Emile William
#43 - safety - 28yo
role in 2007: Depending on opposition, William will be starting at free safety over last year's starter.

Winford Endicott
#33 - cornerback - 30yo
role in 2007: He came out of nowhere to start as our #2 cornerback.

Andrew Rasmussen
#98 - defensive tackle - 23yo
role in 2007: With his rival injured, Rasmussen will have the early nod as backup and pass rush specialist.

Norman Holliday
#60 - offensive tackle - 22yo
role in 2007: Norman will be sent on a holliday until one of the offensive tackles gets injured.

Cornelius Rice
#71 - offensive tackle - 25yo
role in 2007: Despite his experience and talent, Rice will be the #2 option at right tackle.

Devin Henson
#83 - wide receiver - 25yo
role in 2007: While dropping on the receivers depth chart, Henson will once again be the ace kickoff returner.

Timothy Lacy
#65 - guard - 24yo
role in 2007: Unless injured, Tiny Tim will start at right guard.

Shaun Shiroma
#90 - defensive tackle - 23yo
role in 2007: When "My Shirona" get healthy, he'll get a shot at starting on the defensive line.

Shane Bower
#7 - quarterback - 34yo
role in 2007: Despite his 2006 campaign and pre-season being so-so, Bower will act as the backup quarterback.

Al Bettis
#8 - kicker - 24yo
role in 2007: We won't bet the franchise that Bettis will score field goals, but as a kickoff specialist he'll have his role.

Omar Gougeon
#74 - defensive end - 24yo
role in 2007: Moving up on the depth chart, Gougeon will have a shot at showing he can haunt the opposing quarterbacks in the pass rush rotation from the ends.

Aaron Sherrill
#94 - defensive end - 23yo
role in 2007: After a tremendous pre-season, Aaron will be a starter in the defensive ends pass rush rotation.

Brant Heinrich
#54 - center - 25yo
role in 2007: Still looking fragile, Heinrich will be our number one option at center.

Jerry Beyer
#16 - wide receiver - 24yo
role in 2007: "Jelly Belly" had a good pre-season and start as the #3 receiver, but down the road he'll get his playing time as a starter as well.

Gregory Monti
#80 - wide receiver - 26yo
role in 2007: Monti is sketching in as starting receiver, but his tendency to get hurt forced us to draft a guy who will replace him down the road.

Carl Meier
#52 - linebacker - 28yo
role in 2007: Carl had some amazing workouts at home, proved in pre-season he's ready to start, but got hurt in the last test and won't play in the first few games.

Cary Coles
#18 - kicker - 25yo
role in 2007: Maybe the drafting of his replacement finally convinced our all-time leading scorer to be more accurate with field goals.

Rodger Mowery
#39 - running back - 34yo
role in 2007: With his experience, he'll tutor our rookie backs, but as a past 1,000 yard back he'll be change of pace guy and our primairy punt returner.

Lincoln Gilmore
#46 - safety - 26yo
role in 2007: Gilmore is the comeback kid and has proven he shouldn't be a backup, unless he's hurt.

Mike Kershner
#95 - linebacker - 25yo
role in 2007: "The Cherry" is going to play on the strong-side, but we do demand progress in his play over the year to keep the starting job.

Butch White
#79 - guard - 25yo
role in 2007: "Bruce" has emerged into being an excellent run blocker and will anchor the running game from left guard.

Johnnie Stidham
#22 - cornerback - 26yo
role in 2007: "Mister Interception" was awsome in 2006, but at the start of this season he'll be the primairy backup corner and nickel back.

Ellsworth Thelen
#57 - linebacker - 28yo
role in 2007: Thelen is injured at the season start, but will get into the starting, important backups rotation.

Wally Wilcox
#99 - defensive end - 36yo
role in 2007: Injured at the start, but when healthy he'll join the pass rush rotation on the end at will mentor the younger colleges.

Albert Bernardo
#93 - defensive end - 29yo
role in 2007: "Alberto" will be in the pass rush rotation and put the younger members of the fearsome pass rush in their place if they make a mistake.

Roscoe Corrales
#12 - punter - 32yo
role in 2007: The fans love Corrales and the love is big enough that he will be relied on as the punter for the fourth straight season.

Jamel Rosenberry
#49 - fullback - 26yo
role in 2007: After Rosenberry's touchdown figure in 2006, he'll be the situational back and starting fullback again.

Bryce Ewald
#87 - wide receiver - 26yo
role in 2007: Ewald will start for the fourth straigth season as our split-end, despite the various trade offers we received.

Ivan Jacques
#63 - left tackle - 27yo
role in 2007: We rely on Jacques to protect our quarterback as the left tackle.

Harold Hurtado
#68 - left tackle - 33yo
role in 2007: Hurtado's days as starter on the left are over and we decided he'll be the backup on both ends of the offensive line.

Jim Reiser
#86 - tight end - 26yo
role in 2007: Having stepped in the footsteps of all All IHOF first teamer, Jim Reiser will try to copy the reward.

Cody Cluff
#50 - linebacker - 26yo
role in 2007: Our franchise middle linebacker will once again lead our defense and this time he'll try to reach out for 150 tackles.

Randy Harris
#28 - running back - 27yo
role in 2007: "Eye Candy" wil continue to be the main tool to keep the chains moving on the offensive side of the ball as our starting running back.

Tai Wayne
#47 - cornerback - 24yo
role in 2007: Back from injury, Wayne will be asked to show us again why we called him our franchise cornerback since the minute we drafted him at #12 overall in 2005.

Charles Gomez
#78 - defensive tackle - 28yo
role in 2007: Does the best defensive tackle in the IHOF really need introduction, he's our anchorman on the defense.

Louie Flannery
#14 - quarterback - 25yo
role in 2007: "Flan" is our plan, with his throwing the ball, we should be able to score the points required to win games.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Welcome Back Schwartz, Release Gale
After the excitement of roster cut day, the Maassluis Merchantmen made one additional move to bolster the roster. After putting Christian Reichel on injured reserve, the team came short a center and there was only one player fitting for the team. Tom Schwartz was a free agent and he returns to the team he once started 21 games for. To make room, veteran guard Alphonse Gale was released and will become one of the top free agents. To fill the player profiles, here is Schwartz'.

Tom Schwartz
#55 - center - 25yo
role in 2007: If the starting center ever gets tired or hurt, "Tommie" will step in to make way for the running back.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
It's predictions time and the league pundits are selling their thoughts for little out on the internet.

Floyd B. Boudreaux, a long-time IHOF related journalist, has predicted us to go 10-6 and go into the playoffs as #6 seeds. To counter act the hopefuls, I've written my own preview (Yeah, I'm a part-time independant IHOF writer). I put our team at 6-10, giving a realistic starting point and to make a playoff season even more of a surprise. As, of course, the Merchantmen did not get weaker and thus should be aiming for a winning record. I'm secretly thinking our team is now good enough to win the division, despite ranking in the bottom third on the power rankings and 29th of 32 on the roster value charts.

Our big test will be in week one, as we host the improved and re-newed Paris Musketeers. We have to stop our trend to lose the first game of the season, as well as our first home game. With the addition of Jerry Beyer, Jules Benedict, Rodger Mowery, Brian Hammond, Aaron Sherrill, Winford Endicott, Ivan Jacques, Wally Wilcox and the two rookie defensive tackles, I think we have a good shot at the victory in week one.

The injury report is a bit disappointing. Linebackers Carl Meier and Ellsworth Thelen, who were battling for one starting job, both are unavailable. Also a bit black and blue are defensive linemen Wally Wilcox and Shaun Shiroma, who were both expected to have a pretty big role on the line. It just means that all ends will play a bit more downs, while the Andy's Weliczka and Rasmussen will see more action on the inside. How we'll cope with the linebacker injuries is our gameday secret, but don't be surprised if mister interception, Johnnie Stidham, will be a lot on the field.

Okay, that's it for now, wish us luck this season in our hunt for the first winning record season. And a little note on our all-time record: If we go 16-0, we'll move up to 32-32. Yeah, I know, keep dreaming, but you'll never know...

[MIJB#19]

2007 Week One Preview: Maassluis Versus Paris
The fog is fainting away and the team in the International House Of Football have no cover to hide anymore, today the 2007 season starts. In the long list of week one games, the Maassluis versus Paris game is one of many divisional rivalries. Both team had a busy off-season, but where Maassluis pretty much focused on depth, Paris brought in a couple of big names as new starters. Vegas favors the Musketeers to win by two points, but inside the IHOF, the Merchantmen are no longer instant underdogs in any matchup.

Maassluis versus Paris is once again a game in the lower departments of the league. The Merchantmen were 8-8 in the 2006 season, but after a 7-9 campaign a year earlier, the one-win improvement was somewhat disappointing. For 2007, league pundits simply expect the Dutch team to win more than they lose. For Paris that would be a great season after a 4-12 campaign in 2006. The Musketeers improved their team in some key areas, but it remains to be seen whether all their moves made sense.

The Musketeers go into Oranje Haven hoping to end a two-game losing streak in Maassluis. With a new quarterback in E.G. 'The Great' Lumpkin and former #1 pick Tyrus Shaye as their new wide receiver, the Paris passing game will be better than ever before. And with Joe Boulware running from behind Lumpkin, the offense is strong enough to beat any team in the IHOF. On the defense, the biggest newcomer is Scot Dick. Dick was shoved aside by the Merchantmen like he's not worth starting and will be highly motivated.

Ivan Jacques is the Merchantmen's new left tackle and is hired to stop guys like Scot Dick. Jacques joins a group of starting linemen who have worked together in 2006 and will see the same skill position players making plays. Quarterback Louie Flannery is getting older and surely want's to avenge his 3 interceptions performance last season at home against Paris. Running backs Randy Harris, Jamel Rosenberry and new addition Rodger Mowery will keep the chains moving. And with the addition of Jerry Beyer, Jules Benedict and Arnold Ramirez, the team has more depth in the receiving department.

On the defensive side te Merchantmen miss four potential starters in tis first game. Linebackers Carl Meier and Ellsworth Thelen are out, put the slightly injured defensive linemen Wally 'World' Wilcox and Shaun Shiroma know they will sit out the game with the rotation and competition on the line, plus sixth round picks Aaron Sherrill and Andrew Rasmussen proved in pre-season they are ready. But the biggest news is the return from injury of shutdown cornerback Tai Wayne, who has gotten a new partner in Winford Endicott, while Johnnie Sitdham will be forced in as nickelback to record an interception.

As close as this game may sound, the winning team will record an historic feat as neither Maassluis or Paris has ever won on opening weekend. The Merchantmen even never won their first home game. But to date, the Merchantmen won seven of their last nine at home, including two Paris beatings. And with the much feared quarterback Eugene 'Westcoast' Westcott also traded by the Musketeers, the Merchantmen feel comfortable to make it three-in-a-row. After the painful 20-40 loss at Paris last season, in which a league record in offensive yardage was set by the Musketeers, the Merchantmen have some sentiments to take advantage of.

[Chubby]

I thought about betting on you guys but decided I was staying away from your game.