IHOF: Maassluis Merchantmen

[MIJB#19]

Week 12 Recap: Fumblin' Justin Victorious In His Comeback!
The Maassluis Merchantmen regained the lead in the European Division in a surprize win over the Asheville Axemen. With a 19-10 victory, the Merchantmen took advantage of a loss from the Gothenburg Giants to be tops in a three-way tie with Gothenburg and the Bordeaux Vineyards at 6-5. Hero of the game was Justin McDavid, who had his first snaps in an official game since mid 2005 season, when McDavid went out for one and a half season with a knee injury. McDavid replaced injured Louie Flannery and got the nod over former Asheville quarterback Thad Pilkington.

When the starting lineup was announced in Oranje Haven, with McDavid running on te field as the last player, the crowd burst into the biggest applaus the stadium ever witnessed. Tackle Harold Hurtado said: "I whiped a tear from my cheek, the atmosphere was awesome. There was no way we were going to lose this game now." Defensive tackle Charles Gomez said: "Everybody was amazed by the decission, but we all know Justin, he's proven it in the last two pre-seasons. This comeback was awesome."

McDavid himself was over the top after the win: "I love this team, this stadium, the fans. I never expected to have such a comeback." When Louie Flannery got hurt at Gothenburg last week, McDavid got some flashbacks: "I remember being carried of the field in that same stadium. it wasn't pretty then and I feared for Flannery's career for a second." Out of precaution, Flannery was moved back to number three and the management had the tough decission to either start McDavid or Thad Pilkington.

The early signals pointed to Thad. Headcoach leroy Van Der Woude explains: "McDavid knows this team so well, we needed to see whether Thad was ready to lead this offense. In limited action this season, he could't get it done and we needed to test him." After the training sessions, the staff came up with a strategy that has been used by two other teams in the league: one quarterback per half. Van Der Woude: "We decided to go with Thad for the second half and let McDavid show what he can in the first half, but with the 16-0 lead at halftime, we decided to stick with Justin."

The rest is history. McDavid completed 14 of 23 passes for just 130 yards, but with 2 touchdown passes he was decisive in the win. The fans and staff could even live with an interception in Asheville territory and a traditional fumble after being sacked. Long time friend Harold Hurtado recovered the fumble and saved McDavid there.

Boosted by McDavid's return was running back Randy Harris. Harris quietly became the most popular player with the fans in McDavid's absence, yet was having a terrible season so far. But with McDavid back, the team needed to rely on the run a bit more and Harris had his best game of the season with 88 yards and a 6.2 average.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Wow, thank you Fumblin' Justin!

Okay, we're back at the top now and it was unexpected to say the least. I calculated in a win versus Gothenburg, but after that loss I expected a loss against Asheville. I'm amazed by the win and especially since I decided to put McDavid in charge. It's been so long since he played in an official game and he comes back with such a great performance. Sure 130 yards ain't much, but it was a typical McDavid game: complete passed when he needs to and taking advantage of the turnovers the defense forced. We won the turnover battle 4-1 afterall.

Gothenburg beat us, but lost at Springfield (4-7 now) in a 25-27 loss by a field goal with 3 seconds to go. "Thank you very much Leonard Lyon!" Lyon's Springfield's starting quarterback. Bordeaux is back at at after wins over Paris and Outer Banks at their own house. Paris lost to Bordeaux and at home to Miami (7-9 loss with a field goal in the last minute).

Standings
6-5 Maassluis
6-5 Bordeaux
6-5 Gothenburg
3-8 Paris
* Maassluis holds tie-breakers on head-to-head-to-head record (2-1 vs 1-1 vs 1-2)
* Bordeaux holds tie-breakers on head-to-head-to-head record (1-0 vs 0-1)

Next up is a round of intra-conference games. Maassluis plays at home against the San Antonio Volunteers (7-4). Last season the Volunteers won at Maassluis in the regular season, but the Merchantmen returned the favor in the playoffs with a huge win in their first playoff game ever. Gothenburg visists Syracuse (5-6), while Bordeaux hosts Telluride (5-6). Paris is out of the race it seems and plays for the honor at Rochester (7-4).

Player of the year race
The top three versus Gothenburg were:
* Jim Reiser, who had 4 catches for 84 yards, including a score
* Charles Gomez, who made 1.5 sacks, forced 2 hurried passes, made 3 tackles and 6 assists
* Erwin Baranowski, who made 1.5 sacks, blocked a pass, hurried a pass and added 4 tackles and 1 assist

The top five versus Asheville were:
* Tai Wayne, who recovered 1 fumble, made 1 interception, defended 1 pass and allowed only 1 catch
* Randy Harris, who ran for 88 yards with a 6.2 average
* Justin McDavid, who completed 14 of 23 passes for 130 yards and 2 scores
* Cody Cluff, who made 5 tackles, 3 assists and 1 defended pass
* Charles Gomez blocked 2 passes, forced a hurried pass and made 3 tackles
No points go to Bernie Surry and Lincoln, who each recorded their 4th interception of the season, but also allowed 4 catches.

Standings:
15 points - Louie Flannery, Charles Gomez
13 points - Bernie Surry
12 points - Lincoln Gilmore
9 points - Devin Henson
7 points - Cody Cluff, Tai Wayne
6 points - Xavier Clyburn
5 points - Omar Gougeon, Broderick Schultz
4 points - Cary Coles, Randy Harris, Ivan Jacques
3 points - Bryce Ewald, Justin McDavid, Jim Reiser
2 points - Gregory Monti
1 point - Erwin Baranowski, Winford Endicott, Mike Kershner


Also we've got good news about injuries, four important players return from injury next game. Joseph Schoen and Timothy Lacy saw their 'unknown' status end, while left tackle Ivan Jacques and receiver Gregory Monti are also back to full health. Cornelius Rice, Tai Wayne, Butch White and Louie Flannery all have injuries that require precaution, so we'll probably not let them start or even play next game.

[MIJB#19]

Press Release: No Quarterback Controversy In Maassluis
The Maassluis Merchantmen management is pleased with the 19-10 victory over the Asheville Axemen, but is unwilling to call for a quarterback controversy. The ongoing chants for Justin McDavid after the win in Oranje haven were heart warming, but will have no effect on the decission who will be starting the next game.

"Louie Flannery is still our man," owner/general manager M.IJ.B. said, "there's no question about it. Justin McDavid is an important member of the team, but the days of controversy are behind us. As soon as Flannery is fully recovered, his back in charge. Flannery has brought us all the way to the AOC championship game last season, I guess the fans forgot about that a bit in their emotion."

The status on Flannery's knee injury and him playing is a game time decission. M.IJ.B.: "Flannery's knee isn't as swollen as it was, but it's still risky to let Flannery play. We're analyzing our options, but I can't deny that it's good to know we have two good quarterbacks in the stables. Still, we have yet to decide whether Louie Flannery, Justin McDavid or Thad Pilkington will be starting next week. Yes, Thad hasn't lived up to the hype yet, but we still believe he's a quality quarterback and he's in the mix."

The Maassluis Merchantmen ask their fans to be patient and to be willing to accept any decission on who will start. The upcoming game is important for not just the race for the divison, but also for the seeding or if we win the division. With a win we can move up to third seed in the AOC.

[3ric]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

Next up is a round of intra-conference games. Maassluis plays at home against the San Antonio Volunteers (7-4). Last season the Volunteers won at Maassluis in the regular season, but the Merchantmen returned the favor in the playoffs with a huge win in their first playoff game ever. Gothenburg visists Syracuse (5-6), while Bordeaux hosts Telluride (5-6). Paris is out of the race it seems and plays for the honor at Rochester (7-4).

Tough games coming up for the entire division. Syracuse is having injury issues, and Telluride has Nick Lincoln questionable. Rochester is also limping a bit, but San Antonio has only one player out.

[MIJB#19]

Maassluis Versus San Antiono Preview
The IHOF season is moving forward and today two teams with hopes on getting deep into the playoffs can spoil each others' hopes. The San Antonio Volunteers had a quick 5-1 start but have won only two games the last six games. Their division lead is still two games, but more losses can bring the lead in jeopardy. But the home playing Maassluis Merchantmen are not going to be an easy win. The Merchantmen regained the lead in the European Division last week and are determined to show their 2007 season wasn't a fluke.

Going back to the 2007 season, the Merchantmen and Volunteers played two games in Oranje Haven. In week four it was John McMasters who took profit of the absence of Maassluis' best player, defensive tackle Charles Gomez, and guided his man to a 24-17 win in a close game that was decided by a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown by Kasey Dowell. Later on, te two teams played again for a ticket to the AOC Championship game. The Merchantmen were in superb shape coming of a 10-1 streak and won in another close game.

The history is there and the two teams know the weakness of eachother a bit by now. The Maassluis Merchantmen could be in the biggest trouble as five usual starters are injured and expected not to play. Offensive linemen Butch White and Cornelius Rice have been inactive for most of the season, but recently defensive backs Brody Schultz and Tai Wayne joined the list. Buyt more importantly, quarterback Louie Flannery, the motor of the playoff bound Merchantmen, is struck with a knee injury and sat out the last game.

Last week, the Merchantmen made a statement by beating the NAC Atlantic Division leading Asheville Axemen in a dominating fashion. Popular quarterback Justin McDavid silences his critics once again with a good performance in an emotion-loaded win in his first start since the career threatening knee injury. The management is ready to start Thad Pilkington today, as the team has been planning to alter the game plan to Thad's strenghts, but the good showing by McDavid might change the management's mind. And they might even give the start to their true star Louie Flannery.

In San Antonio, the team looks tip-top in superb shape. Two time All IHOF selection guard Charles Trout is ruled out with ACL damage to his knee, but the rest of the team looks ready to go. Granted, four starters are a bit black and blue, or have picked up a bad cold, but they should be able to play. The worries are more on the season John McMasters is having. With 11 interceptions in as many games, McMasters is already out doing his 2006 and 2007 totals, in which seasons he combined for 13 interceptions. McMasters is less mistake-free than everybody is used to and it could be crucial in a game where he faces the league leading defense in interceptions and forcing turnovers.

In shape or not, both teams are trying to defend or extend their division lead and it's apparent this game can have a major effect on the playoff seedings if both teams win their division. The winner today is going to hold the tie-breakers over the loser and may be on pace to secure the #3 seed in the AOC. Granted, it doesn't give a bye week, but you never know with the current #2 seeded Georgia Gridlock, who are infamous for their late season collapses. Georgia never was beter than 2-4 in their last six games and with five games to go, the #2 seed could be up for grabs of today's winner.

[MIJB#19]

Volunteers Beat Merchantmen In Defensive Showdown
The Maassluis Merchantmen have fumbled the lead in the European Divison away. In a defense dominated game, the Merchantmen were beaten 13-3 by the San Antonio Volunteers. The Merchantmen collapsed in the fourth quarter, which they went into leading 3-0. The crowd of 74,000 saw the home playing Justin McDavid struggle in the game after his amazing comeback. After wins by division rivals Gothenburg and Bordeaux, repeating the European title is still possible, but no longer in their Dutch hands.

Last season the Volunteers and Merchantmen played a great game of football and saw their good season result in a playoff matchup in Oranje Haven. That day Louie Flannery guided his Merchantmen to a narrow victory over John McMasters and his Volunteers. With Flannery absent, but Fumblin' Justin McDavid coming off a nice victory, the fans were getting ready for a game of offensive minded football.

After the game it was obviou this game was nothing about offensive football. The Maassluis Merchantmen scored only once on 16 possessions, while the Volunteers scored twice on 17 possessions. The two punters of the teams combined for 810 yards on 21 punts, which pretty much tells the story of the game. That and the quarterback ratings of the both playcallers. Both McMasters and McDavid ended up below the 50.0 mark.

In the first quarter, the San Antonio Volunteers expected to draw first blood. After Merchantmen wide receiver Gregory Monti had fumbled the ball in his own territory, the Volunteers managed to move forward from the 33-yard line to the 25-yard line for a field goal attempt. But as Neal McKeown missed the 42-yard kick, the Merchantmen forced the Volunteers back to their own 7-yard line and forced their punter into a mishit for just 26 yards. Four plays later, Merchantmen kicker Cary Coles converted his own 42-yard attempt and set the 3-0 score that nobody expected to last for a period of time.

Going into the second quarter, the two teams played the territory game. The defenses did their job to stop the opponents, while the special teams units worked hard to make the defensive play count. Going into the second quarter, neither side managed to score and players and fans got a bit frustrated. San Antonio safety Jared Dalessio couldn't control himself and threw his helmet to an opponent. Dalessio was sent off the field and had to watch the remainder of the game on a television in the locker room. For the remainder of the second quarter was a punting game to end the first half.

In the third quarter things didn't change at all. For 12 and a half minutes of playing time, the fans saw dominant defenses and punter doing their trick. Then, out of the blue, San Antonio's quarterback John McMasters made a mistake. On third and eleven he went for a medium to long pass and saw Merchantmen linebacker Cody Cluff intercept the ball at the middle of the field. Forced back by an illegal use of the hands penalty, the Merchantmen couldn't take advantage and the third quarter pretty much ended on San Antonio's next possession after a nice 22-yard pass from McMasters to Garth Sowers.

As the fourth quarter started, the Merchantmen defense looked exhausted, while the Volunteers offense looked sharp and ready to finally get on the score board. John McMasters completed six consecutive passes and set up a 27-yard field goal attempt. This time, Neal McKeown was sharp and converted the kick to tie the score 3-3 with just over 10 minutes of playing time left in the game.

The Merchantmen got the ball back, but forced back by a holding penalty and Justin McDavid being sacked for a loss of 9 yards, the Volunteers were ready to take the lead. John McMasters was sacked by the Merchantmen defensive tackles Charles Gomez and Shaun Shiroma on the first play, but on the second play, McMasters handed off to Dan Mobley, who then ran all over the Merchantmen defense for a 40-yard gain. The Merchantmen defense looked shocked for a while and allowed the Volunteers to run in the remaining 16 yards towards the endzone. Dan Mobley scored the touchdown for the 10-3 lead with less than five minutes left.

Another holding penalty ruined the next possession and the Merchantmen defense had to step up once again. They seemed to have done the trick by only allowing San Antinio into a fourth and five at the 39-yard line. But Neal McKeown didn't mind and scored a 56-yard field goal to pretty much secure the victory. On the next possession, the Merchantm offense failed again and turned the ball over on downs at the San Antonio 38-yard line. But as the defense stepped up again, helped by time-outs and a season-first sack by Cody Cluff, the Merchantmen got the ball back with a minute left.

Justin McDavid hoped to set a couple of things straight, but just like the rest of the game he was unable to shine like he did a week earlier. His first pass fell incomplete for no apparant reason. On second down, McDavid was sacked by Harold Staple and his old habits turned up again. McDavid fumbled the ball, Staple picked up the loose ball and the Volunteers let McMasters end the game with two knee-drops.

After the game, the players and fans all left the stadium with a bad feeling. The Merchantmen missed an opportunity to beat a rival for the seeding order for the playoffs and the team once again was pushed in the backseat of the division title race car. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude explains: "We still play Bordeaux and if we beat them we're back tied and hold tie-breakers over the entire division. But we need Gothenburg to lose another game to get back in first place..."

Cody Cluff was the second player in Merchantmen history to record an interception and a sack in one game after Myron Stevens in a 24-17 win at Forth Worth Fury in 2007. Cluff was not happy: "We were in pole position but give our lead away, again. We made stupid mistakes in the fourth quarter, didn't play our normal game and it resulted in that unneeded big run that set up San Antonio's touchdown. Still, we allowed only five touchdowns in the last five games. We're back in domination mode like we were at last season's season end."

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
6-6.

I can scream out loud, I can throw the dishes to the floor, but it's not gonna help. Six losses and it's simple now: we need a four-game winning streak to make a serious run to the division title. I can only blame myself for keeping McDavid in the lineup and for not double checking all the game plan screens had the settings I wanted. Yes, my defense played different than I wanted in normal fourth quarter action, but so be it.

Bordeaux is back in the lead after a 22-13 win over the Telluride Outlaws (5-7). The Oulaws missed their rookie quarterback to injury, but that was no excuse as Bordeaux still missed Joe Johnson. Gothenburg keeps the race close with a 29-27 win at the Syracuse Mohawks (5-7). Paris already looked done and now clinched their fourth conescutive losing record season. Losing at Rochester Lake Monsters (8-4) is no crime, but doing it by 28-10 looks bad.

Standings
7-5 Bordeaux
7-5 Gothenburg
6-6 Maassluis
3-8 Paris
* Bordeaux holds tie-breakers on head-to-head-to-head record (1-0 vs 0-1)

What's next up? It's time for another head-to-head against the NAC Atlantic Coast Division. Gothenburg has the toughest task as they play their last road game of the regular season at the Outer Banks Ospreys (7-5), the defending NAC champions. Bordeaux plays their last home game of the regular season against the run-oriented Springfield Isotopes (4-8). Paris is going to the Asheville Axemen (7-5), while Maassluis is playing their last road game of the season at the Miami Sharks (6-6), the 2007 division champions.

Player of the year race
The top three versus San Antonio were our elite run stopping trio, who form our defensive backbone. Cody Cluff was my number one with 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 defended pass, 6 tackles and 1 assist. Charles Gomez took second place with 0.5 sacks, 2 blocked passes, 2 hurried passes, 10 tackles and 2 assists. And Lincoln Gilmore had 7 tackles, 3 assists and allowed 1 catch, to take third place.

Standings:
17 points - Charles Gomez
15 points - Louie Flannery
13 points - Lincoln Gilmore, Bernie Surry
10 points - Cody Cluff
9 points - Devin Henson
7 points - Tai Wayne
6 points - Xavier Clyburn
5 points - Omar Gougeon, Broderick Schultz
4 points - Cary Coles, Randy Harris, Ivan Jacques
3 points - Bryce Ewald, Justin McDavid, Jim Reiser
2 points - Gregory Monti
1 point - Erwin Baranowski, Winford Endicott, Mike Kershner

The season isn't over yet, but we need Gothenburg to lose another game. I wish that a 4-game winning streak would be sufficient to clinch a wild card at 10-6, but with Rochester (8-4) and Conyers (7-5, they beat us) or Georgia (8-4) as the competition, my hopes are not high. At least we can welcome back Louie Flannery...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Need Win In Miami
The Maassluis Merchantmen are seeing a good season followed up by an up-and-down season so far. After last week's disappointing 3-13 loss to the San Antonio Volunteers, the 2007 European Champions are back in .500 land and a win behind their rivals from Bordeaux and Gothenburg. A win today against the Miami Sharks looks compulsory to remain in the battle for a playoffs ticket. But the Sharks won't sell their hides easily, afterall, they're in exactly the same situation as the Merchantmen.

The Miami Sharks won the Atlantic Coast division with a 10-6 record last season. They defended their division with success and hoped to follow it up with their first playoff game victory. But after a slow 1-4 season finish, with the last three losses not even threatening their division lead, they were not ready for the post season and lost 10-35 at home to the Chesapeake Chitterlings. And as they saw their rival Outer Banks Ospreys advance all the way to the IHOF Bowl, the Sharks are determined to get at least that far into the championship race.

In 2008, the Sharks have had a slow start. With four losses in their first six games, including four home games, the Sharks have been trying to catch up with Asheville and Outer Banks from the start. Especially on the road they've struggled to win games, so they hope that their own house is the place to catch their rivals. But as their only win to a 2007 playoff team came on the road, the Maassluis Merchantmen could be in for sinking the Sharks to their worst record since the 2005 season, when they went 7-9.

The Merchantmen themselves had an amazing 2007 campaign and won eight games on the road until they got beaten up in the Atlantic Ocean Conference Championship game. But the one season is not as the other and in 2008 they've already secured a non-winning record in road games. But with a 3-6 record against teams with a winning record this season, their playoffs hopes have sunk to the bottom of the ocean, had they not been just one win behind first place.

To keep the race for their defense of the division title going, both Maassluis and Miami are looking to their hit-or-miss quarterbacks. Miami's Woodrow Taylor ranks fourth in the league with 20 touchdown passes, while Louie Flannery threw only two less in two games less. Both passers have a good number of touchdowns compared to their completion percentages of 55 and 54 respectively, while their interception figures are above one per game (Taylor 16, Flannery 12). Factor in their fumbles (Taylor 4, Flannery 6) and both have one touchdown per interception-or-fumble.

Miami is lucky to have a productive running back to save Taylor at times. With 974 yards and 11 total touchdowns, Ellis Layman has been effective all season long and makes a difference for the Sharks. Layman is facing a defense that hasn't been stopping running backs well so far this season, although the Merchantmen defense allowed just five touchdowns in as many games recently.

The Sharks' defense isn't a weak one either. Despite their low number of sacks (a league worst of 11), they manage to force teams to throw short passes and they avoid the long gains after catches. And that's exactly what they are going to need against Maassluis as Louie Flannery has the habit to throw deep and has guys like Gregory Monti (16.3 yards per catch), Bryce Ewald (14.8 yards per catch) and Devin Henson (6 touchdowns) to throw to.

Two teams with a hot-or-cold passing game and fighting for their last chances to be able to finish the season with a division title. Both teams see their 7-5 rivals play head-to-head in week 17 and need to win a game more leading up to the exciting conclusion of the season. And the loser looks destined to watch the playoffs on the television. Will the Merchantmen be strong enough to sail into Miami waters to prove they can win overseas, or will the Sharks bite their way to victory?

[MIJB#19]

Playoff Scenarios 2008
With four rounds of games to go and the European Division race being so close, it seems that teams can't clinch anything in week 14. Note that the Paris Musketeers are officially out of the race as they cannot finish higher than third place in the division and can't at least tie the runner-up in the AOC Northeast division. Also note it seems that the Merchantmen pretty much hold tie-breakers in any event of a tie.

In the tie-breakers order inside the division the order is:
* head-to-head
* divisional games
* common games
* conference games

The Merchantmen hold tie-breakers over all divisional foes based on common games (the losses versus North Plainfield and San Antonio don't count, while the rivals all see a victory nullified), meaning conference record is only important for the wild card race. By beating both Bordeaux and Paris the divisional record will suffice to hold divisional and head-to-head tiebreakers as well. As pointed out before, with four consecutive wins, the only way the Merchantmen don't win the division is if Gothenburg goes undefeated as well.

Also, the Merchantmen can't reach the playoffs with a 7-9 record, but can theoretically still win the division with an 8-8 record, but it would still pretty much require a victory over Bordeaux in week 15. Bottom line, losing a game could end the playoff dreams, losing to Bordeaux in week 15 will require a Gothenburg win over Bordeaux in week 17 to still reach the playoffs.

Losing today versus Miami can hardly harm the team in the race for the top two spots. There's only one scenario in which Maassluis doesn't end in the top two with a three-game winning streak to end the season. That scenario requires Bordeaux to win all of their remaining games, except the game versus Maassluis, and Gothenburg to also win their remaining games, except the game versus Bordeaux. Still, losing today will surely destroy all hopes on winning a wild card race and put the posibility to win the division into jeopardy as well.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Shutout Miami To Stay Alive
The Maassluis Merchantmen stay in the race for the European Division title and the playoff tickets. With an impressive defensive performace, the Merchantmen beat the Miami Sharks 10-0 on the road. The Miami Sharks may be wasted their own chances as Willie Martin missed four field goals in the rain. Louie Flannery took player of the game honors in his comeback after sitting out two games with a knee injury. But as the competition didn't make a mistake, the European Division is starting to make a case for having two playoffs representatives.

The game between Miami and Maassluis on paper looked like a fun game of domanating offenses. But the 61,700 fans who bought a ticket of the game were denied a lot of scoring. The first half was loaded with mistakes on offense as neither side managed to score until the two-minute warning. But as the clock was running out, the Merchantmen offense had gone into second gear and resulted in Randy Harris scoring a touchdown from 4 yards out on a run past left tackle Ivan Jacques. Cary Coles proved to be a reliable kicker as he converted the extra point. A minute later, Willie Martin would miss his second field goal attempt of the game.

In the third quarter the game turned into a field position battle. After ten minutes of short gains and punting, the Merchantmen defense looked to be the first to collaps in the second half. Quarterback Woodrow Taylor got his act going with several good passes and running for 24 yards on his own. His team was stopped around the Maassluis 22-yard line and on fourth and one the field goal unit was brought on the field. Willie Martin missed for the third time in this game and made the decission to not go for it look unwise.

In the fourth quarter the Merchantmen offense still looked weak, while the Sharks offense kept moving the chains. Woodrow Taylor lead his men forward as they set up a 47-yard field goal attempt. But as Willie Martin was out of confidence after the three earlier misses, his kick was wide to the left. Martin looked devastated and done for the day with still nine minutes left in the game.

Strenghtened by the latest miss, the Merchantmen realized they could win this game, but they needed a holding penalty called against the Sharks to get out of a third and 12 situation. With Joseph Schoen then running for a nice 12-yard gain on second and ten, the Sharks defense looked out of control for a minute and Louie Flannery took advantage with a brilliant 29-yard pass to Bryce Ewald to move into the redzone. The Merchantmen simply tried to shorten the distance to the goalline to set up a field goal. Cary Coles once again proved his coolness and converted a 30-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.

The Miami Sharks tried to move the chains going up to the two-minute warning, but gave the ball back inside the Merchantmen's own red zone. But with their backs against the wall, the Merchantmen came out strong. Joseph Schoen converted an awesome third and nine situation with a 9-yard run and followed it up with an awesome 59-yard run. With Miami running out of time outs, the Merchantmen needed only one more first down to end the game. On third and ten, Gregory Monti made a nice 20-yard catch 4 yards away from the endzone to pretty much end the game. As Louie Flannery dropped to one knee two plays later the shutout victory was there.

Louie Flannery received the player of the game kudos after completing 21 of 33 passes for 186 yards. Flannery didn't pass for a touchdown, but he looked happy with the win afterall: "We decided to change to a bit more short passes for today and it worked well, I think. Guys like 'Shoe' (Joseph Schoen), Rosie (Jamal Rosenberry) and (Jim) Reiser are perfect for that game. And I'm even more happy for Randy Harris to get on the scoreboard again after all the critics he got in a bit of a down year for him."

Talk of the day were the four missed field goals by Miami Sharks' kicker Willie Martin. Merchantmen linebacker Mike Kershner is on the special teams unit and saw the misses: "That guy was scared by our blockers and Bernie (Surry) and I were fast enough to make him worried. But missing four kicks in such an important game, they got to hire a new guy!"

Headcoach Leroy van Der Woude was mainly happy about the defense: "We've been changing the defensive game plan a bit and I think together with (defensive coordinator) Bernie Hicks we've established a new team highlight. With 46 points and only 5 touchdowns allowed in the last five games, I think we're ready for the last three games, especially the do-or-die games against Bordeaux next week."

Rookie linebacker Bernie Surry boosted his rookie of the year candidacy with 8 tackles and 4 assists. But Surry is not thinking about that honor: "Getting recognition would be cool, but the goal right now is to win the next three games so we can win the division." But the 2004 defensive rookie of the year Cody Cluff praises his teammate: "Bernie lives up to the hype. 4 interceptions, a bunch of defended passes, over 50 tackles. He's my rookie of the year already."

With the news of victories by the Gothenburg Giants and Bordeaux Vineyards, the Merchantmen know they haven't gained ground yet. But the key game of the season has been identified before, it's the home game against the Bordeaux Vinyards in week 15, which is next week. Louie Flannery is back in time and Tai Wayne was given the need time off to prepare for the crucial game of the season. And with Joseph Schoen coming of the team's first 100-yard game of the season, optimism is sky high. And the way the Merchantmen shutdown Bradley Keil, John McMasters and now Woodrow Taylor in the last couple of games, the team is ready for a late season rush towards the division title.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Shutout, baby!

We're back at it, but we're still far from winning the division. Gothenburg was impressive in their 27-11 win over the Outer Banks Ospreys. Bordeaux was strong in their 21-13 win over the Springfield Isotopes and we have been struggling to score points the past games. 46 points allowed in the last five, yet we scored only the same number of points in the last four games.

Standings
8-5 Bordeaux
8-5 Gothenburg
7-6 Maassluis
3-9 Paris
* Bordeaux holds tie-breakers on head-to-head-to-head record (1-0 vs 0-1)

It's do-or-die now, and not like the past times pseudo do-or-die, it's for real this time. Bordeaux at Maassluis, game of the week, the only game with two winning teams involved. Gothenburg is hosted Paris, so we're expected to see Gothenburg take the division lead with a 9-5 record. Our goal is clearly to win and stay in the race at 8-6.

Player of the year race
Five players get the kudos for the shutout win, and they are:
* Erwin Baranowski, who had 2 sacks and a forced fumbled, as well as 4 tackles and a hurried pass
* Joseph Schoen, who ran for 102 yards and had a team high 5 catches for 33 yards
* Bernie Surry, who made 8 tackles and 4 assists
* Butch White, who made 3 key run blocks on 4 opportunities
* Louie Flannery, who completed 21 of 33 passes for 186 yards

Standings:
17 points - Charles Gomez
16 points - Louie Flannery, Bernie Surry
13 points - Lincoln Gilmore
10 points - Cody Cluff
9 points - Devin Henson
7 points - Tai Wayne
6 points - Erwin Baranowski, Xavier Clyburn
5 points - Omar Gougeon, Broderick Schultz
4 points - Cary Coles, Randy Harris, Ivan Jacques, Joseph Schoen
3 points - Bryce Ewald, Justin McDavid, Jim Reiser
2 points - Gregory Monti, Butch White
1 point - Winford Endicott, Mike Kershner

The playoff race? It's pretty simple, if we beat Bordeaux, we'd still need a Gothenburg loss somewhere to take the division lead back. The division is still a three-horse race and us winning would stir it up even more. I know that a loss won't completely cancel us out for the division title, but it would knock us out for the wild cards. The Rochester Lake Monsters will likely take one wild card and the Conyers Condors are on pace for the other wild card. You might say that at 9-7, we have no right to be in their, but after the last five games, I'm pretty confident we can get something done there. Allowing 11 points per game to four teams who are deep in the playoff race (including 3 division leaders), I think we're back at it.

[MIJB#19]

Irregular Interviewing: Devin Henson
The 2008 season is shaping up and the Maassluis Merchantmen have struggled to score points in many games this season. But despite those struggles, one player is on pace to set a new record in receiving touchdowns. The record was set by the legendary tight end Jerry Aubrey and knew it wouldn't last long. In fact, it has been set after just eleven games this season, but the player doing it is mostly known as a kickoff returner, he's holding the all-time career record in kickoff return touchdowns. He's Devin Henson.

Questioner (Q): Thanks for joining us, Devin. You've been written into the Merchantmen record books now, can you safely retire now?
Devin Henson (DH): Retire? After just four seasons? I hope I've got a lot more in my tank.

Q: Six touchdowns, you're on fire this season.
DH: Don't forget the kickoff return touchdown. But yeah, it's been my best season so far.

Q: What's the reason for your succes so far this season?
DH: Well, first of all I'm getting more playing time on offense, so that makes a difference.

Q: Still, with only one receiving touchdown in your previous seasons, you were only known as a kickoff returner.
DH: Correct. Like I said, I'm getting more looks and get the opportunity to make plays.

Q: Still, it's a weird story, you were fighting for a roster spot and were written down as the number five receiver going into pre-season.
DH: Yeah, Jules Benedict got traded for Joseph Schoen at the last second, while Gregory Monti has been banged up most of the season. I got my opportunity and make it count.

Q: What is it like to tie a franchise record?
DH: It's fun, but I'm pretty sure Jerry Beyer will threaten it some day. But not very soon!

Q: Why's that?
DH: 'Jelly Belly' and I have a lot in common, we make fun a lot. We're both drafted by the Merchantmen as return specialist receivers. He'll make his breakthrough some day. Him having the same first name as Jerry Aubrey adds to the fun, really.

Q: Okay, but what was it like to tie the record?
DH: Well, I've played a season together with Aubrey and to be honest, it was awesome. Jerry was an awesome leader and it was tough to see him struggle that last season here. But then, Jim Reiser is a super tight end and needed the playing time.

Q: As did you. The team picked you with high expectations.
DH: Well, not really. When I got picked, they told me I would be a third receiver at best. They wanted me to do kickoff return duty and I think being the number four receiver was just lucky. I concider myself even luckier for having survived for so long?

Q: Why's that?
DH: Well, the other return guys didn't last long. Lonnie O'Reilley and Matt Offord got only one season as punt returners. Emanuel Jennings didn't even survive through a pre-season. But I guess it helps to be the league's all-time kickoff return touchdown leader.

Q: That's impressive.
DH: Well, thank you. I scored three times in four seasons and can't say I'm not happy. Just look at Joseph Schoen so far. They thought he'd be the perfect guy to step into Rodger Mowery's shoes. But then, Mowery's a legend. He's the all-time leader in punt return average and is still up there in yardage too.

Q: You know a lot about it.
DH: Well, yeah. I like stats and try to improve mine every season. But now, it won't be easy to set new personal records next season.

Q: Talking about records, and setting new highlights, the Merchantmen have failed to set a new record of wins for the first time ever.
DH: Yeah. The season start was quite a disappointment and I can tell you all the players were unhappy about it for a while. Injuries hit hard on the offensive line and it seems to not stop. Randy Harris has lost some of his speed and the pass rush had huge standards to copy. At least the secondary managed to step up recently.

Q: How's the team reacting on the playoffs race?
DH: We know what we've got to do. We need to beat Bordeaux next week and can only hope Gothenburg will lose another game this season. The way I see it, we have little hopes to reach the playoffs with a wild card. Rochester is one foot in, while Conyers and Georgia have the tie-breakers in a head-to-head tie.

Q: What's your record versus Bordeaux?
DH: Huh? You think I know it all?

Q: I do now!
DH: [laughs] Well, okay then. I haven't made much catches against them, but I scored a touchdown in their house earlier this season. I'm used to having to do a lot of kickoff returns against them, but I hope that doesn't happen this time around. We need this game and I think we're ready. Especially the defense has been impressive the past games.

Q: But Bordeaux has been on fire too recently.
DH: Oh yes, but we're the defending European champions. Last season we got into the mood of beating every team we play and that confidence is slowly returning. The losses to Gothenburg and San Antonio were unneeded and we know we got a break versus Miami, but we're still alive and kicking.

Q: After the game against Miami, you talked with Scottie Handwerker.
DH: Well, yes. We're former teammates in college.

Q: Where was that?
DH: Handwerker and I played at Michigan. We had a nice team really. Shawn Jahr is the backup quarterback with the Fort Worth Fury, Kurt Basson the Syracuse Mohawks running back and Scottie has been playing a lot for the Miami Sharks. The thing is that Scottie hasn't scored a touchdown in the IHOF yet. He asked some tips about it and I tried to help him.

Q: You sound like a mentor already.
DH: Maybe I will be one some day. When I see how guys like Albert Bernardo and Josh Weisberg are mentoring the front seven guys, I'm a bit jealous at times. When Alfredo Rhodes was here in pre-season, Jerry Beyer and I learned a lot from him.

Q: But Rhodes didn't make the roster and you've been on the bubble for ages.
DH: Well, I can only hope the touchdowns this season will guarantee a roster spot for next season. I didn't sign a new three-year contract to be released next off-season.

Q: Well, if that happens, I'll boycot the Merchantmen for interviews.
DH: Don't say that out too loud. The team is becoming a group of friends, but so far only Justin McDavid has survived all the speculation. Him and Kyle Montoya. But Montoya still hasn't played a down for the team.

Q: You sound angry.
DH: Well, I'm not. I mean, maybe a little bit. Lonnie (O'Reilley) and Matt (Offord) were doing a great job and played a good third receiver role. Of course, the seven receivers we have today were all on the teams for the entire 2007 season as well. Maybe we've established the right group of guys now?

Q: The right guys to be Louie Flannery's targets to beat the Vineyards?
DH: We've done it the last three times and we'll do it again. I'll do my usual tricks and hope to contribute as the number four wide receiver.

Q: One last question: What was it about to have Justin McDavid back in the starting lineup?
DH: No offense to Louie, who's obviously the better quarterback, but he doesn't have the fanbase around here that Justin has. When we came through the player tunnel, the fans were getting all excited as the rumor was quickly spreading that Thad wasn't starting and Justin was making his comeback. I mean, the team wisely spread the rumors that Thad Pilkington would play, but the players all knew that Justin would get the nod and the story was too good to not accidentally leak to the fans and media going up to the coin toss.

Q: Why the secrecy?
DH: Well, the management and coaching staff expected an explosion of emotion in Oranje Haven and it showed, plus they tried to surprise the Axemen by claiming their former guy would start. The atmopsphere was awesome from the second we entered the field, with the climax being the on the touchdown Justin gave me. He had others open but decided to give me the single-season record. I ran back to thank him, but could hardly hear him. The fans were over the top. No wonder the Asheville Axemen played below their normal level of play. Thad was probably the only guy missing the fun, but in the end he was feeling alright with just the win, even as the backup guy. And besides, he's back to second string behind Flannery again for the rest of the season.

Q: Okay Devin, time's up, I wish you and the team good luck against the Vineyards.
DH: Thank you very much. We could use a bit of luck, but we're gonna need a surprise win by the Paris Musketeers.

Q: Go Paris!
DH: Boy, how silly does that sound, to root for a division rival, but they can help us so: Go Paris!

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

General Manager Notes
Shutout, baby!
The Rochester Lake Monsters will likely take one wild card and the Conyers Condors are on pace for the other wild card.

Let's not count those chickens before they hatch! It'd sure be nice to clinch our first playoff berth against the hated Mohawks.

Oh, and Maximus predicted that the next post in this thread would make it the most replied to dynasty thread in FOFC history. Could the prophecy come true?

[wade moore]

It would be fun to see a futility bowl in the playoffs.. .I gotta imagine if it is not this year, it will happen soon..

oh and..

most. posted to dynasty. ever.

[MIJB#19]

Futility Bowl V in the playoffs, that would be awesome indeed.

Thanks for taking the honors for me to make this the most replied to dynasty thread guys. I appreciate the contributions you two made over time and thought you two would gladly make it reality. Doesn't mean other fans/readers are nort special, but there are always fans who are more special than others.

Enough sentimental bla-bla, on with the dynasty, we have a crucial game coming up!

[Kodos]

We must crush the Mohawks!

[KWhit]

Originally Posted by Kodos

We must crush the Mohawks!

It's going to be tough to root for the Mohawks this week, but I have to. It makes me feel dirty.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Against Bordeaux: Do Or Die
It's the game of the week for the objective IHOF fans. Sixteen games are scheduled, but only one is between two teams with a winning record. The 7-6 Maassluis Merchantmen are playing at home to defend their European Division title. But with the 8-5 Bordeaux Vineyards leading the division, it's is a crucial game for the Dutchmen. Lose today and winning the division requires a miracle. It's obviously do-or-die today.

The Bordeaux Vineyards are in the winning mood after their last three games. Anchored by running back Billy 'Bam Bam' Jamerson, the Vineyards averaged 21+ points and allowed 13 in those games. But the also know they've lost the last three games against Maassluis and saw Jamerson pretty much beaten up as he ran for 56 yards and 2.9 yards per carry.

The biggest question in Maassluis will be whether Joe Johnson can set something straight against the Merchantmen. Due to injuries, the prolific quarterback missed the last two games against the Merchantmen. And his last game against them was his first loss following six consecutive wins. Johnson is feared by the Merchantmen, but defensive tackle Charles Gomez was quoted saying: "Joe Johnson is one of the best passers in this league. We know him but he also knows us. Our luck is that he hasn't played is since we made our breakthrough midway 2007, or else we'd be in for a really tough game."

The Merchantmen defense looks ready for the Vineyards' invasion. Tai Wayne's broken hand and Broderick Schultz' knee are a bit worrying, but the rest of the team is top fit and has a good streak of games going on. But so has the Vineyards defense, who have only one injury to report. Nose tackle Joey Hammer's shoulder is still nursing a sore shoulder and is rushed into action for this important game. If the defenses play well, it may come down to the first touchdown being decisive.

On offense, the Vineyards have a bit more problems. Guards Lionel Casillas and Michael France are on injured reserve, while backup Andrew Salee is questionable and center Daniel Davis is ruled out. Tight end Josh Whitehurst may play today, however it may be risky. But the Merchantmen are not in better shape. The skills position players look top fit, but injuries to five linemen mean bad things. They might even start Norman Holliday at right tackle. Holliday has good potential, but still has a lot to learn.

Injuries or not, there is no excuse today. The Merchantmen need to win or face a miracle scenario to reach the playoffs. Given that winning the division might be easier to accomplish than taking the second wild card, beating Bordeaux today is the only thing to do. But the Vineyards are in a similair situation, knowing that a loss today could cost them the division or a potential wild card. Do-or-die is has been used before and a loss is not fatal yet today, but the intensive care is awaiting for the Merchantmen if they lose...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Beat Bordeaux To Regain Division Lead
With a convincing 37-17 victory over the Bordeaux Vineyards, the Maassluis Merchantmen proved to be Europe's best in the 2008 IHOF season. Louie Flannery and Joseph Schoen accounted for the touchdowns, while the defense showed their late season form again. And with the help from the Paris Musketeers, who beat the Gothenburg Giants, the Merchantmen are back in a three-way tie and lead the division on tie-breakers. Better yet, they secured having tie-breakers over their division rivals.

The first quarter it was score-on-every-possession. Joseph Schoen scored the first touchdown of the game on the Merchantmen's first possession to give the home team a 7-0 lead. The Vienyards followed up with a 42-yard field goal, but saw the Merchantmen extend their lead on the following play. Louie Flannery connected with Jim Reiser on a 67-yard touchdown to make it 14-3. But seconds into the second quarter, the Vineyards saw Joe Johnson connect with xxx Murray to make them trail 10-14.

In the rest of the second quarter, the Merchantmen and Vineyards saw their defenses dominate. But as the Merchantmen offense marched upfield, the Vineyards saw one of their players commit pass interference near the endzone to keep Jim Reiser away from his second score. The ball was placed at the 2-yard line, but that didn't stop the Merchantmen from scoring two plays later. Joseph Schoen ran the ball in from 3 yards out for a 21-10 lead.

Into the two-minute warning, the Vineyards went into 'Bam Bam' mode. Billy Jamerson was called upon to make the plays, but the Merchantmen put their run stoppers on him and the visitors were forced to punt. Louie Flannery saw that he was able to make the knock-out. His first pass to Jim Reiser ended up in Reiser being pushed out of bounds, but on his second pass, Bryce Ewald ran in the ball for the 28-10 lead. And as Bernie Surry recovered a fumble by the kickoff returner, Cary Coles was called onto the field to score a 26-yard field goal towards a 31-10 half time lead.

In the second half, the Vineyards hardly managed to make a fist. Their only score of the half was set up by a 50-yard pass interference penalty. Joe Johnson connected with xxx Crawford for the score, but at that point the game was already looking over. Louie Flannery threw an interception on the next drive, but as the Merchantmen defense stepped up, the Vineyards were unable to take advantage of it. Flannery then kept his offense moving for over 7 minutes, resulting in a converted 33-yard field goal by Cary Coles and a big 34-17 lead with 16 minutes left.

In the fourth quarter, defenses dominated more than ever and the Vineyards couldn't do it while the Merchantmen didn't have to score points. An interception by Emile William on a pass from Joe Johnson set up a 37-yard field goal and Cary Coles made it 7 out of 7 kicks for the day. The Vineyards tried, but couldn't quite do it and the lead was never in jeopardy for the home team. The 37-17 final score was by no means undeserved, despite the Merchantmen allowing two touchdowns for the second time in the last seven games.

Louie Flannery was presented as player of the game as he completed 18 of 31 passes for 279 yards and 2 touchdowns. But Flannery was mainly happy for the defense doing their trick and having Jim Reiser as his safe receiver. With 6 receptions for 129 yards, Reiser played one of his best games in his career. The total off day by Randy Harris (13 yards rushing) was forgotten as Joseph Schoen ran for 67 yards and 2 scores as the change of pace back.

Charles Gomez made 9 tackles, half a sack and forced a fumble to anchor his men in his usual fashion. But Gomez realized it was team effort once again: "Omar (Gougeon) made 1.5 sacks, Emile (William) had an interception and the rest of the secondary had at least 10 defended passes. I know we're not supposed to talk trash, but the we are back at it! Don't count us out yet for a post-season run!"

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
And we're back in the lead again.

What a crazy season it has been so far. One week we're in the lead, the next we choke to a third place and the following our rivals lose and we're helped back in first place. Our 37-17 win was important, but the Paris Musketeers helped us back on top with their awesome 34-14 win at the Gothenburg Giants.

Standings
8-6 Maassluis
8-6 Bordeaux
8-6 Gothenburg
4-10 Paris
* Maassluis holds tie-breakers on head-to-head-to-head record (3-1, 1-2 vs 0-3)
* Bordeaux holds tie-breakers on head-to-head record (1-0 vs 0-1)

Next up is a home game againsta familiair face. Granted, the Springfield Isotopes (4-10) are the only team we never faced before in a regular season game, but with Leonard Lyon at quarterback, this game has a special tone. The Bordeaux Vineyards are visiting the Asheville Axemen (9-5), who still lead in the NAC Atlantic Coast division. The Gothenburg Giants host the Miami Sharks (6-8), who are out of the race. And the Paris Musketeers hope to pull another upset in their last home game of the season against the NAC champions, the Outer Banks Ospreys (8-6).

Player of the year race
Five players get the kudos for the big win, and they are:
* Louie Flannery, who completed 18 of 31 passes for 279 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interceptions
* Jim Reiser had 6 catches for 129 yards and 1 score
* Charles Gomez had 9 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 blocks, 1 hurry and 1/2 a sack
* Joseph Schoen ran for 67 yards, 2 touchdowns and had 2 catches for 25 yards
* Winford Endicott had 3 defended passes, 1 tackle and 3 assists

Standings:
21 points - Louie Flannery
20 points - Charles Gomez
16 points - Bernie Surry
13 points - Lincoln Gilmore
10 points - Cody Cluff
9 points - Devin Henson
7 points - Jim Reiser, Tai Wayne
6 points - Erwin Baranowski, Xavier Clyburn, Joseph Schoen
5 points - Omar Gougeon, Broderick Schultz
4 points - Cary Coles, Randy Harris, Ivan Jacques
3 points - Bryce Ewald, Justin McDavid
2 points - Winford Endicott, Gregory Monti, Butch White
1 point - Mike Kershner

Playoffs?
Okay, now it's really easy, here are the options:
1. We win our remaining games and we win the division, simple.
2. We lose one game and we have to hope that Bordeaux and Gothenburg lose a game as well, at 9-7 we can't make the playoffs.
3. Lose both games and we're done, with Bordeaux and Gothenburg playing head-to-head in week 17 that game winner will be 9-7 or better.
Bottom line is: The European Champion will go into the playoffs as #4 seeds, the numbers two and three, even at 10-6 or 9-7, are not going to make it.

News around the league?
The North Plainfield Plague are now 13-1 and guaranteed the #1 seed in the NAC towards their third league championship. Being possibly on the road there will be most likely the San Antonio Volunteers, who are close to holding Vicksburg Vipers off from the Deep South division. In the Southeast, it's coming down to a grand finale in week 17 between the Georgia Gridlock and Conyers Condors. And in the mean time, the Rochester Lake Monsters clinched the top wild card at 10-4 for their first playoff appearance. In the other conference, the former champions Fairbanks Northstars (11-3) and Ann Arbor Anachronism (9-5) joined the Frederick Red Menace (10-4) in the playoffs race. The Asheville Axemen and Outer Banks Ospreys will battle it out for the fourth division title, while the Boulder Blizzard and Williamsburg Colonials are likely to take the wild cards.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Hope To Clinch Division Vs Leonard Lyon
A week ago, the Maassluis Merchantmen needed a miracle to get back in the playoffs race, this week less of a miracle can help them into their second consecutive European title. With a win over the Springfield Isotopes and losses by the Gothenburg Giants and Bordeaux Vineyards, the 2008 European Division title will be for the Merchantmen. But as the Giants and Vineyards face tough opponents on the Miami Sharks (6-8) and Asheville Axemen (9-5) resepctively, the Merchantmen see a familiar face who wants some vengance. Oranje Haven will see Leonard Lyon back, but this time quarterbacking the opponents.

Leonard Lyon returns to Maassluis to set a few things straight. When he was drafted prior to the 2005, Lyon was expected to become the franchise quarterback of the team. During training camp and pre-season it was Lyon versus Justin McDavid for the starting role. Lyon was expected to win it as McDavid had gone 1-14 and had been given the nickname "Fumblin' Justin" over his tendency to fumble at crucial moments in games. Only a shaky offensive line could have kept the pass rush pressure avoiding McDavid into the lineup, but the line looked good and Lyon got the go ahead.

After just one game, Lyon's stint with the Merchantmen was pretty much destroyed. Lyon picked up a knee injury and was playing second string for a couple of weeks. Justin McDavid took advantage of the situation and guided his team to two wins on the road and an one-point loss. Lyon returned with a three-touchdown performance, but was shoved aside after a 4-interception game. And as McDavid guided his men to two wins in three weeks over the heavily favored Conyers Condors and Orlando Knights, McDavid was the fans' favorite to stick around.

The tide looked turned when Justin McDavid tore the ACL in his knee and was ruled out for the rest of the 2005 and the entire 2006 season. Leonard Lyon was expected to step up and win the starting role, but the Merchantmen management decided differently. Far before drafting Louie Flannery in the 2006 draft, Lyon was written off by hew lead scout Gabe Avila and the Merchantmen traded Lyon away like thrash. The Springfield Isotopes would be his new home, a team specialized in running and only running.

How different will that be as Leonard Lyon and his Springfield Isotoped visit Maassluis today? The 'topes lost their star running back Raymond Flowers with a knee injury for the rest of the season and fans around thr IHOF fear for his career. Last week the Isotopes lost 27-0 to the Outer Banks Ospreys without Flowers, but they were also without Leonard Lyon. Conspiracy theorists expect Lyon to play again in Maassluis, especially now rookie quarterback Sammie Martinez is injured. And being back in his old home, Lyon would love to be the first Springfield quarterback to throw for three or more touchdowns in a game.

The Merchantmen defense has been preperring for this game since they saw the 2008 season schedule. Charles Gomez worded the reason behind it well: "Springfield is a team that likes to run and we dare to think we have the best run stopping backbone with Gilmore, Cluff and me. But there's so much more with Leo (Lyon) being their quarterback. Lyon hasn't been kind to his former team in the past and we'll pay back this weekend."

Quarterback Justin McDavid, Lyon's rival, is going to watch the game from the side lines. McDavid said: "Every Merchantmen fan remembers the game where Lyon beat Super Mario in the last game of the 2005 season. It was our first win against Paris and Lyon lead the team well. I've ever really understood the decission to ship him off, given my injuries and unlikely return to my old level of play. But I can see that Springfield and Lyon said no to him coming back to Maassluis last off-season. The fans haven't been nice to him and there are too much hard feelings left behind."

With the game against Springfield, the cycle of opponents in the IHOF is finally complete. Some IHOF teams haven't visisted Oranje Haven yet, but the Merchantmen will at least have played each other IHOF team at least once after today's game. The most wins came against the Paris Musketeers (Merchantmen went 5-4 against them) and Gothenburg Giants (5-5), while the Orlando Knights (3-0) and Fort Worth Fury (3-0) are the most often beaten non-divisional opponents. The Bordeaux Vineyards (4-6) have given the Merchantmen the most losses, followed by Gothenburg and Paris. The North Plainfield Plague (0-4) and Georgia Gridlock (0-3) have been the toughest opponents overall. The most often played non-divisional opponent in regular season games have been the Rochester Lake Monsters (2-2). Additionally, the Merchantmen have gone 11-8 versus NAC opponents before today's game.

A win today over Springfield will basically secure at least second place in the divsion, but as defending champions, the goal is obviously higher than that. Head Coach Leroy Van Der Woude said: "We want to go to the AOC game again and beat the Plague this time around. The wild card is out of reach with all the non-divisional teams holding tie-breakers over us. And maybe the Axemen and Sharks can help a little bit by beating our rivals. It's possible, but we won't count on it. Week 17, at home versus Paris, the perfect game to finish the regular season and to clinch the division title."

[MIJB#19]

Leonard Lyon Humiliates Merchantmen
Sweet revenge. Leonard Lyon earned Offensive Player of the Week honors as he guided his Springfield Isotopes to a 27-16 victory at the Maassluis Merchantmen. Oranje Haven was never more quiet than it was after the loss. Only a Gothenburg Giants' loss at home to the Miami Sharks keeps the Merchantmen's playoff dreams alive. In the meantime, Lyon is touted as the Merchantmen beater while setting three franchise records for the Isotopes.

With 46 pass attempts, 363 yards and 3 touchdowns, Leonard Lyon set new Springfield records for best performance in a single-game. The performance was surprising as the Isotopes are league-wide known for their tendency to run, but the team missed their league leader running back. Raymond Flowers has been missing two games this season, yet pretty much clinched the rushing title with 1,652 yards and having over 230-yard gaps to his main competitors Billy Jamerson (Bordeaux) and Ronnie Kemp (Vicksburg).

Merchantmen head coach Leroy Van Der Woude tried to explain the loss, but had little to say: "We missed Tai Wayne in the pass defense, while Winford Endicott got hurt early on. Today showed we can lose to any team when our corners are hurt. Maybe we should evaluate our secondary again, but then, they didn't play so bad afterall. I have to admit that Lyon played an awesome game. His performance today was way better than we ever expected from him."

Merchantmen quarterback Louie Flannery looked disappointed: "We had the division title in our hands and let it slip today. All we needed to do was beating two four-win teams. If we can't even do that, we don't deserve to go to the playoffs." Flannery's lack of passing touchdowns was also critized, but Flannery defends himself: "It doesn't matter who makes the score. One week we pass for them, the next we run the ball in. With guys like Randy Harris and Joseph Schoen in the backfield, it's best to have some variety."

In the last game of the season, the Maassluis Merchantmen need to beat the Paris Musketeers at home, but that alone will not be enough to win the European Division two years in a row. The Gothenburg Giants will have to beat the Bordeaux Vineyards in the Palace Of Ice And Frost to keep their playoff hopes alive. Gothenburg can still get the second wild card in a freak scenario that would involve a strength of victory tiebreakers against the Vicksburg Vipers. The Vineyards on the other hand miss the playoffs if they lose the game. And if Gothenburg wins and Maassluis doesn't, the Giants will take their first division crown.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Heard in Bordeaux: Vive Lyon!

I knew it, Lyon has a lion hearth and still has hard feelings against us. We tried to trade him back to Maassluis to be our #2 this off-season and maybe that made him remember how we shipped him off? We were warned by the Springfield Isotopes owner even, but wouldn't listen and dared to inactivate our best cornerback. Now, the craziness continues as we lose a must-win game, while the Giants lose in their first game without Duane Davis starting and the Vineyards are laughing their asses off. With these scores there are still three teams in the race for the division title. Oh, for those interested: Paris lost again and is on pace to be the #3 pick in the draft. Sadly for them, the Georgia Gridlock hold the Musketeers' pick.

Standings
9-6 Bordeaux
8-7 Maassluis
8-7 Gothenburg
4-11 Paris
* Maassluis holds tie-breakers on divisional record (4-1 vs 2-3)
In case of ties, the tie-breakers winners are:
* Maassluis, Gothenburg & Bordeaux: Maassluis on head-to-head-to-head (3-1 vs 2-2 vs 1-3)
* Gothenburg & Bordeaux: Gothenburg on common games (7-5 vs 6-6)

What an exciting weekend is coming up? Three teams battling for one division title and with Gothenburg also having a shot at the second AOC wild card. The winner of the division will play a home game against the Rochester Lake Monsters in the wild card round. That means that if we can win the division, Futility Bowl V will be played in Maassluis and in the playoffs. It's a longshot of course, as the Giants have to win and will likely play without iron man Duane Davis.

Player of the year race
Do I have to do this?
* Xavier Clyburn played amzingly well as he made 1 interception, 4 defended passes, 3 tackles and 1 assist
* Omar Gougeon had 2.5 sacks, 2 hurried passes, 2 tackles and 1 assist
* Louie Flannery completed 23 of 40 passes for 241 yards and added a 5-yard run

Standings:
22 points - Louie Flannery
20 points - Charles Gomez
16 points - Bernie Surry
13 points - Lincoln Gilmore
10 points - Cody Cluff
9 points - Xavier Clyburn, Devin Henson
7 points - Omar Gougeon, Jim Reiser, Tai Wayne
6 points - Erwin Baranowski, Joseph Schoen
5 points - Broderick Schultz
4 points - Cary Coles, Randy Harris, Ivan Jacques
3 points - Bryce Ewald, Justin McDavid
2 points - Winford Endicott, Gregory Monti, Butch White
1 point - Mike Kershner

News around the league?
The playoffs scenarios are shaping up and some things can be said with certainity. The North Plainfield Plague are #1 seed in the AOC. The San Antonio Volunteers won the Deep South division and can still get a bye week. The Georgia Gridlock will go to the playoffs for the first time, but still have to not lose to the Conyers Condors to win the division and possibly get a bye week. The Condors can also get a bye week if they win and San Antonio loses, with a tie the Condors secure the second wild card behind the Rochester Lake Monsters and with a loss they can even miss the playoffs. The Vicksburg Vipers need a win and a Conyers loss to get into a strenght of victory tie-breaker with either Conyers or the Gothenburg Giants. The Vipers are likely to win those, but you never know.

In the NAC, the Fairbanks NorthStars and Frederick Red Menace have secure a bye week, yet a Fairbanks loss and Frederick win can give the latter the #1 seed. The Ann Arbor Anachronism have clinched the Mid-West division. The Asheville Axemen need to not lose to win the Atlantic Coast division, while the Outer Banks Ospreys need to beat Asheville to win the division. The Boulder Blizzard clinch a wild card with a tie or a win, while the Williamsburg Colonials need to win and also see the Asheville-Outer Banks game not end in a tie or see Boulder lose.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Sign Punter Smalley, Put Tackle Rice On IR
In preperation for the final and decisive regular season game, the Maassluis Merchantmen finally signed rookie punter Sean Smalley. Smalley had been holding out in training camp and pre-season, causing the Merchantmen to stick with charter member Roscoe Corrales. Corrales' popularity with the fans and good performance throughout the season kept him active all season long. But as the players-signing deadline was coming up (IHOF teams are not allowed to sign players after their last game), the management offered Smalley a three-year contract.

To make room for Sean Smalley, the Maassluis Merchantmen put offensive tackle Cornelius Rice on injured reserve. Rice got hurt in the first regular season game and was expected to return during the playoffs. Rice was recently upgraded to 'questionable' my the medical staff, however, he was expected to not be fully recovered in time for IHOF Bowl V. Rice reacted a little bit disappointed, but could understand the situation and the team's policy to not risk injured players when recovering from serious injuries.

Roscoe Corrales was not amuzed, but was happy to hear he would not be released this season. Owner M.IJ.B. said: "Corrales has been part of this team from the start and had his share in our success last season. It's only fair to him to let him finish the 2008 season on roster." But the siging of Smalley does seem to indicate that the Smalley punting era will begin against the Paris Musketeers. "I cannot comment on that," M.IJ.B. said, "but you can understand that Smalley's lack of practise won't help."

[MIJB#19]

Preview Of Exciting 2008 IHOF Regular Season End
The 2008 IHOF regular season is about to end and several playoff tickets and division titles have not been awarded yet. In the NAC Atlantic Coast Division, the Asheville Axemen and Outer Banks Ospreys play head to head for the division title. In the AOC Southeast Division, the Conyers Condors play the Georgia Gridlock for the title. And the the AOC European Division, the Gothenburg Giants host the Bordeaux Vineyards with the winner hoping to win the division. But a third team is also in the running there: the Maassluis Merchantmen.

The Merchantmen have been struggling all season long. One week they managed to surprise the league with defensive supremacy and a big win, the other week they lose to a team they should be able to beat and fall back in the division. But as the Gothenburg Giants and Bordeaux Vineyards had similair seasons, the division is still a three-horse race. The Merchantmen have the tie-breakers to win a three-way tie, while the Giants hold tie-breakers over the Vineyards. But the Vineyards go into the last round of games with a win one advantage.

The Merchantmen need to win to keep their hopes alive and have to beat the Paris Musketeers at home. With a four-game winning streak over Paris and having won twelve of their last thirteen European games, the Merchantmen are confident they can win this game. "If all goes as normal," Head Coach Leroy Van Der Woude said, "we will win that game. But we've seen the Giants lose to Paris and have lost to Springfield last week. There are no guarantees in the IHOF."

The Paris Musketeers are having serious injury woes on offense and the Merchantmen defense is expected all around to keep Paris to 250 yards total offense and 10 points at best. All IHOF bound defensive tackle Charles Gomez said: "The Musketeers could playe without six of teir offensive starters, including (running back) Joe Boulware, (wide receiver) Tyrus Shaye and (quarterback) Lumpkin. But we won't underestimate them. We did that once and were totally humiliated into a 40-20 beating. We did it last week and Leonard Lyon burnt us down. We got to stay focussed."

On defense the Muskeeters have another six injured starters. And like Gomez, quarterback Louie Flannery warned for optimism: "The Musketeers are eager to keep us out of the playoffs. And with reason, they can tie the all-time series again." But if all goes as normal, Flannery should see his team do good things. with 706 yards, a 59.6 completion percentage and only 1 interception in the last three games, Flannery looks better than ever after nursing a minor knee injury. Flannery: "We have no time to waste, we want to repeat as division champs and played Russian roulette too often this season. And now it's out of our hands. All we can do is win our game and hope for Gothenburg to beat Bordeaux. I hope for them they take the second wild card with it."

What kind of team the Musketeers will turn up with is a big questionmark, but it seems logical they will miss a lot of their stars. But with cornerback Steven Randall busy in his best season even (3 interceptions, 21 defended passes, 70 tackles), the Musketeers defense still has their cornerstone standing. Supported by linebacker Foster Sokol and safety Edward Boatwright, the Paris defense might be able to keep Flannery in control. The absence of defensive tackles Charles Conaway and Parker Jones looks terrible, but the Musketeers have amazing depth at the position. Rookie Joseph Battle was a sixth round steal and hopes to play up to his potential. Joined by another run stopper in Albert Buxton, it will mean the Merchantmen runners won't have an easy game. And with the ex-Merchantmen Scot Dick wanting to prove his former team wrong for dumping him, the game might not be in the pocket yet.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Sneak Into European Title
They needed a miracle. They required some help in week 17, but in the end it came true. The Maassluis Merchantmen sneaked into their second consecutive European Division title. The 17-10 victory over the Paris Musketeers alone wasn't enough, but the waiting was worth it when the news arrived that the Gothenburg Giants had beaten the Bordeaux Vineyards. It marked a fitting end to an incredible exciting season, with three teams fighting for the European crown until the end. But the Merchantmen ended up as the luckiest 9-7 team.

Against the Musketeers, the Merchantmen were lucky to be only 3-0 down when Louie Flannery threw an interception early in the second quarter. Up to that point, the Musketeers had dominated the game and had seen Keith Horne first miss a 35-yard field goal and then see him score a 42-yarder. The Musketeers kept their dominace and only saw tit end as Charles Gomez blocked a punt by again Horne. Quarterback Louie Flannery found the Merchantmen's top touchdown scorer Joseph Schoen for the 7-3 lead on the first play after the two-minute warning.

At the start of the second half, the Merchantmen fans started making noise and demanding some good football. Louie Flannery seemed vulneralbe to the chants and completed six straight passes for a total of 48 yards. His seventh pass wasn't caught, but with Cary Coles scoring a three-pointer from 37-yards away, the lead was up to seven points.

The Musketeers tried to work their way back to the endzone, but on only the second play of the drive, running back Joe Boulware fumbled the ball. Merchantmen rookie linebacker Bernie Surry came out of the pile of players holding the ball and ran it 24 yards upfield for the touchdown. The 17-3 lead was there and the game looked in the pocket with very little effort on offense so far.

On their next drive the Muskteers scored back. Substitute quarterback Cory Peters connected with Henry Gayle for the touchdown to shorten the Merchantmen lead. But the remaining 20 minutes of the second half neither offense managed to get near the red zone and the clocked kept ticking. Well times timeouts by the Paris coaching staff resulted in a final possession for the visitors, but Cory Peters failed to find an open receiver.

After the news of the Gothenburg win, Oranje Haven burst into joy for the achievement of another European title. With four wins less than last season, the title was hard fought and never in the pocket. The news of hearing that the next game would be against the Rochester Lake Monsters added to the join. Fans and the team management were happy to hear of a Futility Bowl V on home soil. What awaits after that is yet to be seen, but for the Merchantmen getting into the post-season looks like a miracle.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Repeat!

Thanks go to Gothenburg for winning today, but the blame could be on us as well for keeping it close all season. With reason I blame ourselves for losses against Gothenburg, San Antonio ans Springfield in the second half of the season, in which we allowed only 100 points in eight games.

Standings
9-7 Maassluis
9-7 Bordeaux
9-7 Gothenburg
4-12 Paris
* Maassluis holds head-to-head-to-head tie-breakers (3-1 vs 2-2 vs 1-3)
* Gothenburg holds common games tie-breakers (7-5 vs 6-6)

Next up? Futility Bowl V! Rochester is coming to town! From the old mill trough the new 25-story appartment towers, Maassluis should get ready for another playoff game. We're still unbeaten in playoff games at home, so who knows what will happen? The schedule in the playoffs as as follows:
AOC
#1 North Plainfield Plague (14-2), #2 Conyers Condors (10-6) bye
#6 Georgia Gridlock (10-6) at #3 San Antonio Volunteers (10-6)
#5 Rochester Lake Monsters (10-6) at #4 Maassluis Merchantmen (9-7)
NAC
#1 Fairbanks NorthStars (12-4), #2 Frederick Red Menace (11-5) bye
#6 Williamsburg Colonials (9-7) at #3 Outer Banks Ospreys (10-6)
#5 Boulder Blizzard (10-6) at #4 Ann Arbor Anachronism (9-7)

Player of the year race
A win, so five guys with the kudos, here goes:
* Charles Gomez blocked a punt, had a blocked pass, 3 hurried passes, 1 tackle and 3 assists.
* Tai Wayne defended 1 pass, allowed 1 catch, made 1 tackle and 1 assist.
* Bernie Surry had 6 tackles and recovered a fumble for a touchdown.
* Joseph Schoen ran for 46 yards, returned 1 punt for 41 yards and had 2 catches for 5 yards and a score.
* Jamel Rosenberry had 2 key run blocks and 4 catches for 17 yards.
* Louie Flannery was game MVP with 19 of 27 passes completed for 120 yards and a score, but is my #6 guy.

Standings:
25 points - Charles Gomez
22 points - Louie Flannery
19 points - Bernie Surry
13 points - Lincoln Gilmore
11 points - Tai Wayne
10 points - Cody Cluff
9 points - Xavier Clyburn, Devin Henson
8 points - Joseph Schoen
7 points - Omar Gougeon, Jim Reiser
6 points - Erwin Baranowski
5 points - Broderick Schultz
4 points - Cary Coles, Randy Harris, Ivan Jacques
3 points - Bryce Ewald, Justin McDavid
2 points - Winford Endicott, Gregory Monti, Butch White
1 point - Mike Kershner, Jamel Rosenberry


Statistics?
Louie Flannery passed for 2,990 yards (18th), 21 touchdowns (9th) and 14 interceptions

Randy Harris ran for 732 yards and 3 scores, but also had 31 catches for 240 yards and 1 score; Joseph Schoen ran for 548 yards and 4 scores, but also had 35 catches for 243 yards and 4 scores

Jim Reiser had a time high 50 receptions, which resulted into 570 yards and 4 scores; Bryce Ewald had a team high 574 yards on 38 catches for 2 scores; Devin Henson had a team high 6 scores on 29 catches for 396 yards; Devin Henson was fourth in the league with 28.2 yard per kickoff return and als had 1 score

Ivan Jacques had 22 key run blocks while allowing 4 sacks in 541 plays; Brant Heinrich 21 key run blocks and allowed 5 sacks in 527 plays; four others had 12 or 13 key run blocks while allowing 4, 5 or 6 sacks.

Cary Coles was a top kicker with 27 field goals out of 31 attempts and 33 of 34 extra points converted

Charles Gomez made 78 tackles, 34 assists, 7.0 sacks, 28 hurries and 3 forced fumbles ; Omar Gougeon had 8.5 sacks, 25 tackles, 20 assists, 18 hurries and 3 fumble recoveries; Erwin Baranowski had 8.0 sacks, 30 tackles and 16 hurries

Cody Cluff made 99 tackles, 29 assists, 1 sack, 2 interceptions and 8 defended passes; Bernie Surry made 72 tackles, 24 assists, 4 interceptions 10 defended passes, 3 recovered fumbles and 2 touchdowns

Xavier Clyburn made 4 interceptions and 6 defended passes versus 24 catches; Tai Wayne made 13 defended passes and 2 interceptions versus 24 catches; Winford Endicott had 15 defended passes and 1 interception versus 39 catches; Lincoln Gilmore had 4 interceptions and 11 defended passes versus 28 catches

Oh, team stats?
Well, forget it, we ended up 30th on yards gained and 26th on yards allowed. How good is that? But with 23 interceptions and 11 fumbles (supported by 34 sacks), we did force the most turnovers on defense. But how important are stats when you reach the playoffs? We're still alive for the championship and that's all that counts right now. And having the entire roster of 54 men signed for the 2009 season, we have the team ready for a third European title and more success. Those are the stats I like!

[Kodos]

Benny Hughes looks forward to renewing his acquaintance with Louie Flannery in IHOF Bowl V.

[MIJB#19]

I'm expecting Flan' to be sacked four times, so I can really see that happening.

[Kodos]

How many picks are you expecting him to throw?

[MIJB#19]

Not enough to lose the game. I may have hyped Flannery's interceptions too much, but he's thrown 46 touchdowns versus 33 interceptions over the past 2 seasons (30 starts).

[Kodos]

Just having fun with you. You were the last team I wanted to face out of the European division.

[wade moore]

Now now children.... It doesn't matter since the Colonials are going to win it all!

Ok, maybe not...

[MIJB#19]

2008 All MIJB Selection Includes Gomez And Surry
As usual, the Maassluis Merchantmen owner/general manager M.IJ.B. has made his own list of 53 stand-out players of the 2009 IHOF season. As per the traditional rules, all 32 teams are represented. Probably injected with optimism about his own team, M.IJ.B. selected Charles Gomez for the fourth time and rookie Bernie Surry for the first time. M.IJ.B. said: "Gomez was once again our anchorman on defense. Surry played an amazing season and gets the kudos for his 7 turnovers and 2 touchdowns on top of his tackles and defended passes." The entire list of 53 players, with in brackets the team name and the years of previous selections.

QB1 Jackie Williamson (Rochester Lake Monsters)
QB2 Seth Dwight (Williamsburg Colonials)
QB3 Joey Allen (Fairbanks NorthStars; 2007, 2005, 2004)
RB1 Raymond Flowers (Springfield Isotopes; 2007, 2006)
RB2 Ronnie Kemp (Vicksburg Vipers; 2007)
RB3 Kurt Basso (Syracuse Mohawks)
FB1 Aldo Stubbs (Fairbanks NorthStars)
FB2 Benjamin Edelstein (Minnesota Miners)
TE1 Brendon Drumm (Williamsburg Colonials; 2007, 2006)
TE2 Brian Spradlin (Paris Musketeers)
TE3 Peter Dostoyevski (RayCo Raiders)
WR1 Forrest Cape (Brooklyn Fightin' Bums)
WR2 Jim Bell (San Luis Obispo Burn)
WR3 Fernando Weaver (Georgia Gridlock)
WR4 Reggie Norris (Orlando Knights; 2006, 2004)
KR Darius Logan (Rochester Lake Monsters; 2005)
C1 Rocky Schramm (Gothenburg Giants)
C2 Keenan Arguello (Anaheim Visigoths; 2006)
G1 Eric Church (Vicksburg Vipers; 2007)
G2 Andre Badgett (Frederick Red Menace)
G3 Ron Peraza (Tucker Tigers)
G4 Marvin Williams (Asheville Axemen)
T1 Wilson Grimaldo (Vicksburg Vipers; 2006)
T2 Daniel Ouellette (Bordeaux Vineyards)
T3 Jonathan Svoboda (Miami Sharks; 2005)
T4 Ray Moritz (RayCo Raiders)
P Michael Helgeson (Rochester Lake Monsters; 2007, 2004)
K Paul Fabrizio (Bordeaux Vineyards)
DE1 Cris Richardson (Conyers Condors; 2007)
DE2 Daniel Moore (RayCo Raiders)
DE3 Charles Newell (RayCo Raiders)
DE4 Harold Wells (Bordeaux Vineyards; 2006)
DT1 Thomas Gomez (Telluride Outlaws)
DT2 Charles Gomez (Maassluis Merchantmen; 2007, 2006, 2005)
DT3 Barton Garcia (Boston Rhinos; 2005, 2004)
DT4 Thomas Whitehouse (Boulder Blizzard)
ILB1 Johnnie Braithwaite (Brooklyn Fightin' Bums; 2007, 2006, 2005)
ILB2 Ben 'Furby' Tompkins (North Plainfield Plague; 2007)
ILB3 Scot Hansel (Fort Worth Fury; 2007, 2005)
ILB4 Dalton Fang (Columbus Architects)
OLB1 Andrew McDaniel (Gothenburg Giants; 2007, 2005)
OLB2 Bernie Surry (Maassluis Merchantmen)
OLB3 Stephen McNamara (Ann Arbor Anachronism)
OLB4 Myles Sam (Chesapeake Chitterlings; 2006)
CB1 Jimmie Strawn (North Plainfield Plague; 2005)
CB2 Clarence Whyte (RayCo Raiders; 2006, 2005, 2004)
CB3 Ben Greer (Fairbanks NorthStars)
CB4 Douglas Oakley (Outer Banks Ospreys)
PR R.J. Zimmerman (Ann Arbor Anachronism)
S1 Joshua Finlay (Asheville Axemen; 2007)
S2 Shaun Steven (North Plainfield Plague; 2004(at KR))
S3 Brian Fernando (Conyers Condors)
S4 Chance Hite (San Antonio Volunteers; 2006, 2005)

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Just having fun with you. You were the last team I wanted to face out of the European division.

Well, I've been hoping on Rochester from the minute the schedule was announced. But playing with only half an offensive line, I doubt we can make a fist against your team.

By the way, this dynasty definately needs more .

[Kodos]

Indeed it does, my friend. Indeed it does.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Early Look To 2009
The playoffs have yet to come and we, the Maassluis Merchantmen, are still in contention after winning the European Division for the second time. Still, it's never too early to look forward and thus to the 2009 season. What are the expected roles of all the players for the 2009 season?

Quarterbacks
QB Louie Flannery will most likely be our starting quarterback again. The plan is to lock him up for two additional season either in this post-season or next pre-season. Given that we are about to get to the point of spending the full salary cap on players, I may wait until we lock up other players first. QB Thad Pilkington should be the fulltime #2 guy next season. I hope he just needed a season to addept to the system and we even changed the offensive game plan to his likings. QB 'Fumblin' Justin McDavid has once again earned the rights to be our #3 guy with the incredible comeback game victory. Whether we hire a fourth quarterback depends on how things go at other positions, but we always keeps our eyes open.

Running Backs
RB Randy Harris looks over the top, while the same aged RB Joseph Schoen looks to be at hims peak. Schoen played was as a punt returner, but not great. Their combined salary will have to get lower for sure to keep them both and retain other players on the team. RB Scott Bagley will challenge the two next season, or so I hope. His kickoff return skills are good enough to sta around. RB Kyle Montoya may be done again next season, even though I know he can be a good #3 guy. FB Jamel Rosenberry should be our fullback for years to come. FB Henry Poston has hardly progressed and will only stay if we can't upgrade the #2 fullback role significantly. Poston has been inactive for most of the season and I see little promiss of him become a starter here.

Receivers
WR Bryce Ewald and WR Gregory Monti were the starting receivers again and played well. WR Jerry Beyer has made a lot of starts, but hasn't lived up to the hype of a top 2nd round pick at all. I know he was a reach, but if low 3rd round pick WR Devin Henson can perform, Berry should be able to too, especially since Henson mainly focusses on kickoff return duties. Berry was supposed to be our punt returner, but has yet to show he can do it very well. TE Jim Reiser is always a nice safe receiver for the quarterbacks, but we'll have to re-do his contract to make him a long time Merchantmen player. TE Arnold Ramirez has been amazing when he played and should stay. The same counts for TE Charlie Martins, who I hope will be our long snapper for years to come.

Offensive Linemen
LT Ivan Jacques has been hurt a lot this season, but played through the pains. It resulted in a slightly higher sacks allowed total, but not bad enough to warrant replacement. My fear is that we can't afford him in the near future, being as early as the 2010 season. LT Harold Hurtado might retire, so we will be looking for a new tackle anyway. Especially given the injury to RT Cornelius Rice, it became clear we need a 3rd good tackle. RT Norman Holliday may be that guy, but he's still got a lot to learn. LG Butch White and RG Timothy Lacy have both been hurt more often than not in 2008, but they should be our run blockers for years to come. RG Brian Hammond has been a nice backup and should stay. RG James Cull might retire, and honestly, his lack of pass protection ability showed up. C Brant Heinrich and C Heath Ferebee are two good centers and should stick around.

Defensive Linemen
DT Charles Gomez is our monster in the middle and irreplacable. Sure, we have DT Andrew Rasmussen sitting ready, but he's still green and needs playing time to develope, which he isn't getting as the #4 guy behind run defender DT Andy Weliczka and pass rusher DT Shaun Shiroma. DE Erwin Baranowski and DE Omar Gougeon were top sack machines with 8.5 and 8.0 sacks respectively. DE Albert Bernardo might retire, but has helped a lot, while we know that DE Aaron Sherrill can make the sacks if he's starting.

Linebackers
MLB Cody Cluff was once again our tackles leader with his fifth consecutive 90+ tackles season. OLB Ellsworth Thelen plays well at the weak-side, while OLB Bernie Surry proved to be a perfect fit for the strong side. With guys like ILB Carl Meier and OLB Mike Kershner on the bench, we don't have to fear injuries. OLB Josh Weisberg may retire, so if he does, we'll have to weigh our options.

Secondary
CB Tai Wayne turned out to be irreplacable this season. The turnover in players at the secondary destryed the cohesion, but I hope it restores next season when all these guys stay around. CB Winford Endicott was a good starter once again, but I fear he'll sink to a backup role next season. CB Xavier Clyburn was perfect nickel back with 4 interceptions and played decent enough at Wayne's spot. CB Sammie Kennedy hopes to become that right-side corner in the future and I think we need to give him some faith. Besides, with a guy like CB Myron Stevens sitting on the bench, we should have enough depth. At safety, I am faithful in SS Lincoln Gilmore and FS Broderick Schultz as starters, with SS Emile William as their backup. Schultz hasn't lived up to the hype yet, but should do in his second season here. FS John Cole is still a nice backup player at either the safety or dime back roles. SS Lamar Singleton's future is probably outside of Maassluis, yet his potential is still looking good enough to stick around.

Special Teams
K Cary Coles has proven to be a top5-10 kicker in this league. With only 4 missed field goals in 31 attemtps, he's been very reliable. And with K Al Bettis doing the kickoff duties very well, Coles can focus on the point-kicks. P Sean Smalley is most likely going to be our punter next season. P Roscoe Corrales has been a nice punter, but nothing better than nice. Corrales is slowly dropping in performance, while Smalley has a bright looking future. Corrales' potential departure will bring us down to 53 players signed, which would seem perfect.

What's new in 2009?
Well, the places we are going to look for new players are multiple. I will keep my eyes open for a fourth quarterback, a fifth wide receiver, a new backup fullback, a new backup tackle and a new backup guard. A new punt returner may be an option, but isn't required with Schoen, Berry and Kennedy all being skilled to do it. Everywhere else we're in very good shape and I plan to keep all the defensive players on the team. With just a mid third round pick in the upcoming draft, we don't have the power to draft a promissing rookie, but with the young team we have, I don't think we need draft picks until 2011, when we may get into rebuilding mode. With many 2010 mid round picks, we have the ability to grab a player or two in this draft anyway, if I feel the need to. The biggest issue next season will be extending contract and making sure we have the same roster in 2010. And that will start soon enough, with contract renegotiations as soon as we've played our last game or are preparing for the IHOF Bowl.

[MIJB#19]

Futility Bowl V: The Playoff Edition
The regular season in the 2008 IHOF season concluded and the twelve best teams are preparing for the playoffs. The Maassluis Merchantmen became repeat European Champions and are getting ready for their second playoff game in Oranje Haven in franchise history. Coming to the Netherlands are the Rochester Lake Monsters. Maassluis versus Rochester, an inter-divisional rivalry with an edition in every other previous season. Futility Bowl V is here!

The name of the rivalry should be known by fans around the IHOF by now, but for reference here's the short explanation. When the International House Of Football had just held their inaugural draft, the Merchantmen and Lake Monsters were the early favorites to clinch the first #1 overall draft as the worst team of the league. With a head-to-head game schedule, it needed a nickname and the game was quickly named after the lack of importance for the championship race. The 2004 and 2005 editions were nailbers and won by the Lake Monsters, but in the past two seasons the Merchantmen tied the series with convincing wins.

In the 2008 season, the Lake Monsters have been playing great football, especially in the first four games of the season when the averaged 35-14 scores. Leading up to the two recent losses, when they had basically nothing to play for, the Lake Monsters went 6-4 and played good enough to reach the playoffs. With a great running game (152 yards per game, 4.45 yards per carry) and a very efficient passing game.

Quarterback Jackie Williamson has been the logical center of the efficient offense. In a monster season with a quarterback rating of 108.1, 11.6 points better than the runner-up, Williamson proved to be back and better than before. That rating makes sense given a completion percentage of 62.6, a league best 9.1 yards per attempt and an amazing touchdown-interception ratio at 22:4. With these stats, Williamson could be a candidate for both the MVP award and the Offensive Player of the Year title.

For the Merchantmen, it seems there are two things to do to be able to beat their friendly rivals. Shutting down Williamson is one thing and that may be in their powers. With 34 sacks and 23 interceptions, the Merchantmen have been top ten in both stats. On offense they'll have to take advantage of Rochester only seemingly weaker spot: the pass defense. But looking at the talent of players, the quartet of Tommie Canon, Antoine Hall, Gene Troup and Carl Cancel may be the best in the entire league. Factor in nickelback Deion Ingram's interception ability and you realize their pass defense is looking bad due to their early leads and thus forcing teams to throw the ball.

For both teams, this matchup brings up an interesting scenario. The Merchantmen and Lake Monsters both went 0-5 against other playoff teams in the regular season and thus make eye browses raise over their appearance. But Merchantmen head coach Leroy Van Der Woude said: "We've beaten Asheville, Gothenburg and Bordeaux twice. That's three wins against 9-7 teams. We've shown we can beat winning teams. And with our newer game plan, we've been dominant on defense. Which comes in handy, because I expect to see the early season Lake Monsters."

Merchantmen quarterback Louie Flannery isn't happy with the matchup. "Rochester is a great team, but it's simple, you don't get weak teams in the playoffs. The injuries on the offensive line worry me, especially the absence of Ivan Jacques. I can only hope we can play our normal game and put on a fight. Besides, with the support of our fans, we might be able to defend our unbeaten record at home in playoff games."

Defensive tackle Charles Gomez, arguably the only Merchantmen to be an All IHOF selection is motivated. "Rochester has become of our favorite opponents. Last time, when I was unable to play we were much stronger on the road but almost choked that dominance. With Jackie Williamson back, they've been on fire and went 18-7 with him back, but I'm back too. I'm looking forward to playing Jackie again."

Running back Joseph Schoen joined the Merchantmen the past pre-season and was amazed by the joy the players are getting out of the preperation for the next game. "A lot of the guys seem to think this game os more important than any other game so far. To me this game is special just for being my first playoff game, but to others the opponent is just as important. I hope to help out as usual and make a touchdown to help the team."

Rookie linebacker Bernie Surry has been the centerpiece of attention after the fumble recovery touchdown versus the Paris Musketeers in a rollercoaster season. Surry said "It's been a fun season, but everybody knows that this part of the season is what we've been working for. Most of the guys keep bringing up their memories to last season's win over the Volunteers. We realise the fans expect a similiar type of game. We'll work hard and do as we always do and then I think we have a shot."

The Merchantmen are looking ready, but the abensce of several players worries the coaching staff. Both offensive tackles Ivan Jacques and Cornelius Rice are coming back from injuries that warrant cautiousness. Guard Timothy Lacy is also hurt and expected to be a third stringer, while Harold Hurtado will be limited due to his ongoing bruised ribcase. On defense, cornerback Winford Endicott is ruled out with a neck injury, while Tai Wayne might be limited in his playing time with a broken hand. But the absence of last year's playoff hero defensive tackle Shaun Shiroma may be the saddest story. Shiroma is almost ready to play again, but the team is afraid o see Shiroma aggravate his injury.

But in preperation of the game, there's no time to complain about injuries. The Merchantmen have survived so far with many injuries and hope to survive them once again. The Lake Mosters have been playing well so far and can't be underestimated. But in recent the late 2007 defensive supremacy was copied and with Flannery making less mistakes than in te past, the hopes are there for another playoff run. Oranje Haven will be ready for the second playoff game played in the stadium and will be almost sold out. Maassluis is getting ready for Futility Bowl V: The Playoff Edition. Get it on!

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen crash out off the playoffs
Oranje Haven was quiet when the last play was over in Futility Bowl V. Thad Pilkington had just seen a last second hail mary pass end up in the hands of Deion Ingram. The backup quarterback for the Maassluis Merchantmen guided the team through the fourth quarter to shorten the Rochester Lake Monsters' lead. With three points on a field goal it worked, but couldn't overcome a dishearting loss. The Merchantmen crashed out of the playoffs with a 27-3 loss.

The fans, players and people running the show hoped for an epic battle between two teams built to be underdogs that worked their way up in the IHOF. The Lake Monsters looked at quarterback Jackie Williamson and he did what he had to do. Williamson completed 20 of 27 passes for 226 yards. With two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown he deserved the game MVP honors. Motivated by the Merchantmen spread rumors he can't win big games, Williamson proved he can and guided his team to victory in their first playoff game.

For the Merchantmen, things seemed to click on offense all day, except for the passprotection. Louie Flannery was sacked five times and seemed to struggle through the pass rush. With two bad timed interceptions, the game went into Lake Monsters' advantage. Flannery said: "The day before the game, the management decided to go back to an old game plan. The team was okay with it, but in the end it wasn't a good idea. Our defense looked pathetic, while the only good thing was our running game. But with two interceptions, I let the team down personally..."

Head coach Leroy Van Der Woude defended Flannery: "Flannery is a pocket passer and we know that. He won't run when he's pressured. With injuries to Ivan Jacques and Cornelius Rice, we couldn't protect him. I know where I am going to ask for upgrades for next season." Rice was only active in the first game of the season. Jacques didn't miss a regular season game, but played through several injuries and saw the four other starting names change every week. Van Der Woude: "It's hard to blame our backups, but it's only fair to say they can't provide the protection 'Incredible Ivan' does."

Wide receiver Devin Henson escaped the missery and did his old tricks. With four receptions for 84 yards and 44 kickoff return yards, Henson finished the season in style. Henson was disappointed never the less: "This just wasn't our day. We were expecting the pass rush, but knew their defense was invincible. The defense had an off-day too and was unable to balance out the turnover battle. At -4, you know you're gonna lose the game."

The Rochester Lake Monsters advance to the elite eight to play their divisional nemisis the North Plainfield Plague. The other Atlantic Ocean Conference semi final game features the Conyers Condors against the San Antonio Volunteers, who beat the Georgia Gridlock in overtime. In the North American Conference the defending champions Outer Banks Ospreys beat the Williamsburg Colonials on a last minute touchdown. The Ospreys now go to the Frederick Red Menace. In the other game, the Fairbanks NorthStars host their division rivals Boulder Blizzard, who managed to beat the Ann Arbor Anachronism on the road.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Sigh.

It wasn't ment to be. Going up to the game, I knew we could and maybe should beat the Lake Monsters. We had gone 8-7 in the past two seasons against winning teams, the Lake Monsters went 1-9, not including 3 losses when Jackie Williamson was unavaiable due to injury. Lesson of the day: never grab the wrong old game plan that your team got humiliated with before. Double check whether you picked the right game plan. Oh well, maybe in 2009 we'll have our shot. We still know how to beat our divisional foes, but it won't be easy. Research already shows we'll face the IHOF's toughest schedule with 10 games against winning teams.

The schedule in the playoffs for the next round:
AOC
#5 Rochester Lake Monsters (11-6) at #1 North Plainfield Plague (14-2)
#3 San Antonio Volunteers (10-6) at #2 Conyers Condors (10-6)
NAC
#5 Boulder Blizzard (10-6) at #1 Fairbanks NorthStars (12-4)
#3 Outer Banks Ospreys (10-6) at #2 Frederick Red Menace (11-5)

Player of the year race
A loss and thus three heroes. I looked and looked and looked and was lucky to find three guys who didn't play look tackle dummies:
* Devin Henson made 4 receptions for 84 yards and returned 2 kickoffs for 44 yards
* Lincoln Gilmore defended 1 pass, made 4 tackles and 2 assists, while not allowing any catches
* Tai Wayne didn't allow a single catch, despite playing in all passing plays on defense

Final Standings:
25 points - Charles Gomez
22 points - Louie Flannery
19 points - Bernie Surry
15 points - Lincoln Gilmore
12 points - Devin Henson, Tai Wayne
10 points - Cody Cluff
9 points - Xavier Clyburn
8 points - Joseph Schoen
7 points - Omar Gougeon, Jim Reiser
6 points - Erwin Baranowski
5 points - Broderick Schultz
4 points - Cary Coles, Randy Harris, Ivan Jacques
3 points - Bryce Ewald, Justin McDavid
2 points - Winford Endicott, Gregory Monti, Butch White
1 point - Mike Kershner, Jamel Rosenberry

So, that means Charles Gomez has beaten Louie Flannery and Bernie Surry in the player of the year race. Gomez was player of the year in 2006 already and finished in third place last year behind Randy Harris and Louie Flannery. Obivously that means that Flannery finished in second place for the second year in a row. Tht also means Gomez was the best defensive player, Flannery was the best offensive player and Surry was both the best newcomer and best rookie. The last battle wasn't tough to win as we had only three rookies on roster and neither Scott Bagley or Sean Smalley earned points.

Okay, I'm slowly getting over the loss and am getting ready for the 2009 season. Today I hope to present a couple of players to the press for having signed a new long-term contract to extend their deals from two to threee years. Other goals for the next season?
1. Get under the cap (we're going to be between 3 and 5 million over the cap
2. Lock up all the players through at least the 2010 season
3. Get a backup offensive tackle who can protect Flannery
4. Replace potentially retired players
5. Improve the roster where we can
6. Win Futility Bowl VI in week six of the IHOF's sixth season

That reminds me, our (IHOF's toughest) schedule will most likely look like this:
week01 - at Bordeaux Vineyards (9-7)
week02 - vs. Fredrick Red Menace (11-5)
week03 - vs. San Antonio Volunteers (10-6)
week04 - open
week05 - at Syracuse Mohawks (7-9)
week06 - vs. Rochester Lake Monsters (10-6)
week07 - vs. Boston Rhinos (6-10)
week08 - at Paris Musketeers (4-12)
week09 - at North Plainfield Plague (14-2)
week10 - vs. Bordeaux Vineyards (9-7)
week11 - vs. Gothenburg Giants (9-7)
week12 - at Brooklyn Fightin' Bums (8-8)
week13 - at Conyers Condors (10-6)
week14 - vs. Chesapeake Chitterlings (7-9)
week15 - vs. Paris Musketeers (4-12)
week16 - at Williamsburg Colonials (9-7)
week17 - at Gothenburg Giants (9-7)

[Kodos]

Wow. I didn't know our record was so crappy against teams with winning records. Does that include the final two games of the regular season where I started all scrubs?

Anyhow, good game. Lotta breaks went our way. Gonna need more of the same to beat North Plainfield.

[MIJB#19]

2008 Merchantmen Player of the Year Poll Opened
To all the fans of the dynasty, it's time to make your vote count! The new Merchantmen player of the year poll has been posted in the FOFC Dynasty Polls Section. The nine players selected for the poll are as always diverse and all around. And as always there's the write-in candidtae option. The nine selected candidates are: Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery, Lincoln Gilmore, Charles Gomez, Omar Gougeon, Devin Henson, Joseph Schoen, Bernie Surry and Tai Wayne.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Extend Contracts Of Five Players
Just a day after exiting the playoffs, the Maassluis Merchantmen presented five players today who extended their contracts. Erwin Baranowski, Omar Gougeon, Norman Holliday, Henry Poston and Andrew Rasmussen. All five had contracts through the 2009 season and put their names under a deal that will keep them in Maassluis through the 2010 season. In contrast to these five, contract negotiations with Carl Meier and Brian Hammond collapsed on salary cap issues.

General manager M.IJ.B. explains the movement: "I had the feeling we need to 'lock up' the players we have. By offering them a lucurative deal with a signing bonus, the players get their money's worth. We tried to give them a salary raise for the current season as well."

But M.IJ.B. had a tougher time to explain the timing and the choice of players. Norman Holliday allowed 3 sacks and made no key run blocks in the playoff game against the Merchantmen. M.IJ.B. "Holliday has been a prospect for the future. He wasn't supposed to be rushed into the lineup and to not have either Ivan Jacques or Cornelius Rice playing on the other end of the line. His numbers don't look good, but we are hopeful he will breakout next season."

Apparently the same thought is alive for Andrew Rasmussen and Henry Poston, who just like Holliday are third year pros. M.IJ.B.: "Poston has been a project player, as they call it. He's got great potential as a receiver and run blocker. But right now we'd prefer to hide him on the inactive roster and see where he is at in 2009. His stats (1 rush for 7 yards, 2 key run blocks on 3 opportunities) do look promissing." And on Rasmussen: "Andrew is Charles Gomez' apprentice. He's unlucky to be on the same team as Weliczka and Shiroma. Maybe we should have allowed him to find a starting job elsewhere. A good pre-season could change a lot, though."

Last, but not least, the contract extensions to Omar Gougeon and Erwin Baranowski did make sense. The two defensive ends took the starting roles away from 2007 starters Albert Bernardo and Aaron Sherrill and produced with 8.5 and 8.0 sacks respectively. M.IJ.B.: "Both players have been acquired for fairly cheap and I think both have proven to have been worth the time and money we invested in them. I hope Bernardo, Sherrill and the two others will make a great quartet in the 2009 season again."

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Gomez Headed Out Of Maassluis
The marriage between Charles Gomez and the Maassluis Merchantmen seems to be over. The four-time All IHOF defensive tackle Gomez was today rumored to be advertised as 'available for trade' by the Merchantmen management. For once, they don't even deny the rumors, but the Merchantmen management doesn't want to make an official statement for Gossip News. But we did get the inside info behind the rumors. So, what's up?

Gomez. Charles Gomez. Arguably the best defensive tackle in the IHOF. A four-time IHOF selection. A guy who made 99 tackles and 12.5 sacks in the same season. The anchorman of the Merchantmen defense and their first draft pick in the inaugarral draft. That Gomez is put on the trading block. Gomez is expensive and the Merchantmen are expecting cap woes. Andrew Rasmussen has been drafted in may 2007 to replace Gomez, but Gomez never left the team.

With recent renegotaitions, the Merchantmen are expected to be alomst 5 million dollars over the 2009 salary cap with, mind you, 54 players signed. Gomez has an annual salary cap figure of 10 million dollars and his departure could resolve the whole cap issue. The team could work their cpa magic like in the past, but there's more to it as the Merchantmen are expecting to need more money to lock up quarterback Louie Flannery and left tackle Ivan Jacques for a longer period of time. And with Rasmussen in the wings, while Andy Weliczka and Shaun Shiroma played well as time-sharers, the pice of the puzzle is another trade.

The expectations for what to get for Gomez are high. Gomez has proven to be the league's best defensive tackle in the past three seasons with two All IHOF first team selections and an All IHOF second team selection in 2007, when he missed 4 games. One could expect the Merchantmen to demand a first round pick, but with no real needs other than offensive tackle and maybe a wide receiver, does that make sense? Getting back a player might be a better option.

Or they should trade Andrew Rasmussen. But Rasmussen signed a new three-year deal the other day and won't be as appealing as Gomez will be. And trading Rasmussen won't help solving salary cap issues. But Rasmussen isn't playing as the fourth guy on the team, despite being scouted with the potential to be Gomez succesor. In the end the Merchantmen might not want to trade, but we knoe what they are best at doing and that's trading players. Expect the Merchantmen to trade one of the two and don't believe the story they will tell you about not going to be active this off-season. It would be too un-Merchantmen-like...

[MIJB#19]

IHOF League News
The championship race has gone down from eight to four candidates. In the Atlantic Ocean Conference, as the top seeds and two-time defending champions, the North Plainfield Plague brought the Rochester Lake Monsters back to earth after their first every playoff game and win. The Plague won 45-12 and will now host the Conyers Condors. The Condors beat the San Antonio Volunteers 34-20 win. In the North American Conference the defending champions are the Outer Banks Ospreys. The Ospreys stayed alive after a 10-0 win at the Frederick Red Menace. They will now visit the 2004 IHOF champions as the Fairbanks NorthStars beat their division rival Boulder Blizzard in a close 31-28 win.

[MIJB#19]

IHOF League News
The International House Of Football will get a dream matchup for the 2008 season final in Los Angeles: IHOF Bowl V. The Atlantic Ocean Conference will be represented by the two-time defending IHOF champions, the North Plainfield Plague. In an exciting game, the Plague beat the Conyers Condors 30-26. Their opponents from the North American Conference are the other power house of the league. The first franchise to win a championship, the Fairbanks NorthStars, beat the defending NAC champions 37-10. It marks the first IHOF Bowl matchup between the two winningest teams in the IHOF.

[MIJB#19]

Fairbanks NorthStars 2008 Champions
In what some called the best game in league history, the Fairbanks NorthStars beat the North Plainfield Plague 19-17 in IHOF Bowl V. Fairbanks' quarterback Joey Allen took the MVP honors as he guided his team to victory. With 257 yards passing and a touchdown pass (the only touchdown of the NorthStars), Allen had a big role in the win. It marks the second IHOF Bowl victory for the NorthStars after their win in IHOF Bowl I. That day they beat the Stillwater Dynamite (today Telluride Outlaws) 23-7. The first IHOF Bowl MVP, linebacker Jeffry Boggs played his last career game. He won his second title after making the last tackle of the game.

[MIJB#19]

No Retirements For Merchantmen
Every IHOF Bowl season traditionally starts with a list of names. It's a list of players who filed the papers for their retirement as a player. All of the Maassluis Merchantmen players decided to stick around and return in the 2009 season. All around the league the names of prolific players were in the news. Fairbanks NorthStars linebacker Jeffrey Boggs, Chesapeake Chitterlings quarterback Jaime Canter, Telluride Outlaws quarterback Norm Rizzo, Asheville Axemen linebacker Jerrod McCluskey, Syracuse Mohawks safety Edward Merida and Conyers Condors kicker Louie McConnell were the biggest names on the list. Wide receiver Douglas Arroyo retired as a free agent after being without a contract during the 2008 season. Aside from these players, several former Merchantmen players retired into anonimity after being a free agent.

Most notable former Merchantmen retirement is center Tom Schwartz'. Schwartz had two stints with the Merchantmen. His first included starting all 16 games in the 2004 season and 5 starts in the 2005 season. After a season with the Astoria Heroes, Schwartz returned as a free agent in the team's succesful 2007 season. In total, Schwartz played 24 games for the Merchantmen, in which he made 25 key run blocks and allowed 10 sacks.

Wide receiver David Henkel retired with a resume including 1,545 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns. Most of those yards and all those scores came as a member of the Vicksburg Vipers. Henkel joined the Merchantmen through trade for the 2006 season. As the number three receiver, Henkel didn't impress with only 23 catches for 320 yards in 16 games. In 2007 he sat on injured reserve as he was injured at the start of the season and the Merchantmen had drafted Jerry Beyer to replace Henkel. At the start of the 2008 pre-season, Henkel was released again and wasn't signed by any team after that.

Cornerback Laurence Gerry didn't play much for the Merchantmen, but did have a big role on the team in the 2006 season. On the day of the home game against the Orlando Knights, Gerry joined the team to become the secondary leader for a season, but was replace in 2007 by Winford Endicott and left the team as a free agent. Gerry's highlights came with the Astoria Heroes, where he started all 16 games in the 2004 season. Gerry eventually played 38 games in the IHOF.

Kicker Alvin Ladner never played in a regular season game for the Merchantmen, but never the less set his name around the league. Ladner was drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 draft to challenge Cary Coles and Al Bettis fir the kicking duties. But in stead of winning a roster spot, Ladner lost and got lucky to be traded to the Chesapeake Chitterlings, who had cut ties with their kicker Ike Settles after three missed field goals in IHOF Bowl III. Ladner set a rookie record in points scored, but never impressed the Chitterlings management. In 2008, Ladner was released on the 53-men roster cut day and decided to pursue a different career.

The last two notable retirements are two defensive linemen who only spent a little bit of time withthe Merchantmen in the 2008 pre-season. Defensive end Bubba Bush and defensive tackle Eric Griffin were high on the list of players to sign for the 2009 pre-season and to battle for a roster spot, but neither decided to stick around. Bush was drafted by the Gothenburg Giants in 2006. He played 12 games, but never impressed. In Maassluis he made 2 sacks, 1 defended pass and 8 total tackles in 3 games, but it wasn't enough to unseat the 2007 starters. Griffin was a charter member of the Brooklyn Fightin' Bums and always high on the Merchantmen's want list. Griffin played 46 games for the Bums, but never made enough progress to reach his potential.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes
Fumblin Justin is a mentor now!

The 2009 season has started and the good news is in: no retirements and two players became mentors. I kept Justin McDavid around in hopes he would become a mentor one day and now it happens pretty early. Justin is in his sixth season and still only 28 years old. The entire IHOF expect him to be an excellent mentor in how-to-fumble, and granted, Flannery learned the trick last season. It also means we have two mentors now and that center of the quarterback mentor market could be in Maassluis this off-season. Maybe we should pick up a quarterback project?

The salary cap has risen, but so did the salaries do. We are rated at $5.07 million over the cap, which is reasonable. Talks with Charles Gomez ($11.4M), Randy Harris ($5.7M), Jim Reiser ($4.2M) and Joseph Schoen ($3.0M) to clear the room will start soon, though. In contrast, I hope to be able to extend the deals to Louie Flannery (contract end 2010), Tai Wayne (contract end 2010), Ivan Jacques (contract end 2010), Carl Meier (contract end 2009), Brian Hammond (contract end 2009), Josh Weisberg (contract end 2009), Charlie Martins (contract end 2009) and Lamar Singleton (contract end 2009). The only players end of contract after 2009 who I didn't mention are Heath Ferebee and Jasper Call, but I haven't decided on their futures in Maassluis yet.

Currently there are several players on the trade block for different reasons. QB Justin McDavid and QB Thad Pilkington are mentioned for their mentorship and I am trying to figure out what either of the two could be worth. In the past a mentor quarterback was worth around a second round pick, I think both are worth more because McDavid will still be around in the IHOF 7 years from now, while Thad has his passing skills to show for.

Punter Roscoe Corrales is going to leave the team after Sean Smalley convinced me of his skills in the last two games of the 2008 season. If nobody wants him through trade, then he's going to be around until the of pre-season as the injury insurance guy. Maybe the popular punter will survive another season in Maassluis that way?

Fullback Henry Poston looks like a potential super star receiver, but he's only paying fullback and is on the depth chart sitting behind Jamel Rosenberry. We got the cap room and roster spot for Poston, but I'm tempted to give a new fullback a shot at being our backup guy. Rosenberry has been hurt a couple of times and we really missed him in those games.

Linebacker Ellsworth Thelen is listed. Yes, our starter for the past four seasons is on the list. I doubt he'll leave town, but with some depth at linebacker, I can afford to trade him for depth elsewhere. We have Mike Kershner ready to take his place and Carl Meier to do the backup duties. If Thelen goes, expect me to hire a young outside linebacker as a development project.

Guard Jasper Call is on the list despite becoming a mentor. With no youngsters at the position and Brian Hammond also a mentor, we won't need that extra mentorship. The former All-IHOF second teamer has been placed on the trade block because I'm planning to go into the 2009 season with 5 tackles and 3 guards. The tackle has yet to be acquired, but it will happen, no doubt about that. We've started talks with two teams for some familiar faces already.

Last but not least, I spread the rumors that the Merchantmen will do five trades this off-season, at best. One trade could involve either Charles Gomez or Andrew Rasmussen. Gomez is expensive, but right now I realize that we can't use the dead cap space in 2010 and might sink into a pathetic defense without him. If I can't find cap room for him, he might be out though. Rasmussen is promising, but didn't get the playing time to develop his skills here. I'd like to see him succeed, but it might have to be elsewhere in the league.

Four other trades left and one will involve our last draft pick for the 2009 draft. We still hold the 79th overall selection and i don't see a reason to use it. I migh like to pickup a couple of late round picks for project players, but I doubt it will happen. The project players might get released after pre-season anyway. The remaining trades are expected to be to get an offensive tackle, to trade away the 70 to 60 men post training camp roster cuts casualties and to trade away the 60 to 53 men roster cuts casualties.

2009, it will be our chance to show we were well-deserved European champions the past two seasons. I don't doubt we were, but the image is there. In 2007 we won 13 games, in 2008 we were near the bottom tables in both offensive and defensive yardage. Don't mention our revival after the game plan change, nobody is interested in that. Oh well, we're going to have the toughest scehdule in the league and going 9-7 again with that would be good, going 11-5 and defending the European title would be great. And last but not least, we're the first team to face the defending IHOF champions in 2009.

The full schedule (in brackets the 2008 records):
pre-s01 - vs. Ann Arbor Anachronism (9-7)
pre-s02 - at Fairbanks NorthStars (12-4, IHOF Champions)
pre-s03 - open
pre-s04 - vs. San Luis Obispo Burn (8-8)
pre-s05 - at Minnesota Miners (8-8)
week01 - at Bordeaux Vineyards (9-7)
week02 - vs. Fredrick Red Menace (11-5)
week03 - at Conyers Condors (10-6)
week04 - open
week05 - at Syracuse Mohawks (7-9)
week06 - vs. Rochester Lake Monsters (10-6, Futility Bowl VI)
week07 - vs. Boston Rhinos (6-10)
week08 - at Paris Musketeers (4-12)
week09 - at North Plainfield Plague (14-2, AOC Champions)
week10 - vs. Bordeaux Vineyards (9-7)
week11 - vs. Gothenburg Giants (9-7)
week12 - at Brooklyn Fightin' Bums (8-8)
week13 - vs. San Antonio Volunteers (10-6)
week14 - vs. Chesapeake Chitterlings (7-9)
week15 - vs. Paris Musketeers (4-12)
week16 - at Williamsburg Colonials (9-7)
week17 - at Gothenburg Giants (9-7)

[Alf]

I look forward to week 1 ( guess why :roll: )

EDIT : Yeah, I wrote the 1000th post in this thread !