IHOF: Maassluis Merchantmen - Page 15

MIJB#19 · 01-31-2005, 11:11 AM

Merchantmen End Bad Tradition, Beat Paris In Week One
After three seasons of starting the season with a loss, the Maassluis Merchantmen ended the bad streak with a 27-17 victory over their rivals, the Paris Musketeers. Louie Flannery took the player of the game honors with 3 touchdown passes and leading the Merchantmen to being the top offense in the league. A couple of rookies contributed for Maassluis, but in the end the pass defense was a key element in the victory. The only downers were injuries to Jim Reiser and Ivan Jacques.

The suspense is gone, the first real scores are in and the Merchantmen are the upset team of the week. The 27-17 victory wasn't completely unexpected, but the way the offense worked it was pretty amazing. The Merchantmen are once again lowly rated by some league sources, yet with an effective passing and running game, the team made a statement. And with the defense holding Paris off, except two big plays, there's reason to expect good things in 2007.

Louie Flannery had to make something good against Paris. In his previous two outings he tossed 3 interceptions and no touchdown passes. With his best effort in yardage (269), Flannery took his game to a new level as he completed 23 of 31 passes. The single interception was a little downer, but Flannery was happy: "Everything fell together, the we've got some excellent offense here." With 438 total yards, the Merchantmen set a new team record against the team that set the league record late in the 2006 season.

The defense had their moments of fame as well as the team allowed 188 passing yards with 4.8 yards per attempt. The Musketeers were forced to make plays in their running game and lead by Joe Boulware (104 yards), they did manage to record 11 succesful third down conversions. And without forcing a single turnover, you wonder what they did well? Well, te four starting defensive backs allowed only 4 catches all game in 42 passing plays, while combining for 5 defended passes.

Of all the players, the performace of three rookies was mostly advertised. Wide receiver Jerry Beyer had only 1 reception all day, yet his sole catch was 61-yarder for a score, immediately showing why he was picked. other than Beyer, no rookie recorded 20 or more yards receiving. Sixth round picks Aaron Sherrill and Andrew Rasmussen each accounted for half a sack. They were credited together with Andy Weliczka and Omar Gougeon respectively.

Overall, the win was credited a team victory by the management. Even as the passing game was effecitve (74 percent of passes completed), the running game saw Randy Harris rack up 100 yards on just 16 carries for a 6.2 league high average. The five linemen together accounted for 15 key run blocks, with none really being a weak link. Even though left tackle Ivan Jacques left the field injured after only three plays.

The Merchantmen did see some injuries hurt them after the game. As mentioned, Jacques left early after seperating his shoulder. With Jacques out, Harold Hurtado will be moving back to the left, while Cornelius Rice will play his familiar right side. But even more serious could be tight end Jim Reiser's injury. By trading for Arnold Ramirez in the off-season, the team hopes to have addressed the issue premature.

Next up are the Ann Arbor Anachronism, on the road. To take a win there, the Merchantmen will need a bit more to win the game. The defense will have to be more effective on third downs, while the offense really can't afford to lose the turnover battle against the triple A's. Quarterback Donald Woods is still on the top of his game and in his house, Louie Flannery will get a shot at showing what he can in front of the league spotlights. It's hopeful for him Jerry Beyer can come up with such a huge catch as he had against the Musketeers...

MIJB#19 · 01-31-2005, 03:14 PM

General Manager Notes
Tough game for Paris, but we take the win as a huge win.

27-17 and a new passing game record, while our defense plays some effective pass defensive play. I think some of our off-season investments pay off very well. Sure, losing Ivan Jacques to injury is tough, but we take the win over it. I think we'll miss Jim Reiser more next week.

I think this win shows we're in good shape and can really compete this season. Being the top ranked offense isn't too special, but a first time 1-0 record is special afterall. And with the Gothenburg Giants beating the Bordeaux Vineyards 26-14, the French teams are both winless for the first time ever. The standings:

1-0 Gothenburg
1-0 Maassluis
0-1 Bordeaux
0-1 Paris

As in the past seasons, I will name my three, four or five players of the game, depending on result. After this first game and te top showings of our offense, I have a few surprises that you wouldn't expect to see credited only knowing the score. The top 5:

5 points - Louie Flannery
4 points - Tai Wayne
3 points - Timothy Lacy
2 points - Randy Harris
1 point - Cary Coles

Coles as our placekicker converted three extra points, but also scored two field goals, including a 57-yard kick with less than four minutes left in the game. Randy Harris ran for 100 yards and also had 5 receptions for a total of 29 yards.Timothy Lacy had 3 key run blocks in 3 opportunities. Tai Wayne recorded only 1 tackle, but that's because he covered his man well enough to not allow a single catch and record 1 defended pass. Louie Flannery had 269 passing yards and going 23 on 31 for 3 touchdowns.

Next up is a tough road game at the Ann Arbor Anachronism. We've played them once, in 2004, and then we lost a nailbiter at home as running back Robert Gordon scored a touchdown with 90 second left to win 20-16. We have something to settle there, altough the strenght of the 2005 champions is not to be underestimate, despite salary cap woes. The Anachronism won 6-3 at home this week and have a tough defense with a scoring offense. The full European schedule:

Gothenburg Giants (1-0) versus Columbus Architects (1-0)
Maassluis Merchantmen (1-0) at Ann Arbor Anachronism (1-0)
Paris Musketeers (0-1) at Minnesota Miners (0-1)
Bordeaux Vineyards (0-1) versus RayCo Raiders (0-1)

wade moore · 02-01-2005, 09:42 AM

I feel like the Ann Arbor game is going to be a landmark matchup for the Merchantmen. I think that Ann Arbor is open to be beat, and I think Flannery can do it.

I even have money on you covering the absurd 8 point spread

MIJB#19 · 02-01-2005, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wade moore

I feel like the Ann Arbor game is going to be a landmark matchup for the Merchantmen. I think that Ann Arbor is open to be beat, and I think Flannery can do it.

I even have money on you covering the absurd 8 point spread

This betting stuff is getting out of whack...

Beating Ann Arbor would indeed be a historic feat and I'm hoping we can do it, but the realism inside me calls for tempering expectations and just hope we can be within a single score as time expires. Only if we can keep IHOF legend Donald Woods below 200 yards passing, I give my team a shot at winning. The Anachronism's secondary is incredible, even without it's traded leader Jason Winkle.

I also know my team will be without about 10 players with starter skills. But then, we're in a team sport and individuals don't count (aside from Charles Gomez, Randy Harris and Louie Flannery maybe). If guys like Richard Muller, David Henkel and Carlos Mitchem are on IR, The likes of Emile William, Jerry Beyer and Desmond Craig will have to step up. If Ivan Jacques, Carl Meier and Jim Reiser are injured, we're happy to have Cornelius Rice, Josh Weisberg and Arnold Ramirez around. And so will we cope with the injuries to Ellsworth Thelen, Shaun Shiroma, Wally Wilcox and Johnnie Stidham.

MIJB#19 · 02-01-2005, 05:05 PM

Gossip News: Merchantmen Bringing Back Jerry Aubrey?
Well, we've all seen it, the Maassluis Merchantmen have started off better than ever before this season, but they saw Jim Reiser end the game with a triceps injury. Expectations are that Reiser won't be fully recovered for about a month and rumors are the management doesn't want to take any chances. Reiser recorded a franchise record number of receptions in 2006 and leads the team again thsi season after one game. Arnold Ramirez and Charlie Martins were called too green and the team doesn't want risking an aggrvtead injury. We know the Merchantmen, they trade and their target is a familiar name: Jerry Aubrey.

The Merchantmen management denied all our assumptions and pointed to the two fullbacks Jamel Rosenberry and Henry Poston, but we should know better. Jerry Aubrey was popular in Maassluis, was their first All IHOF selection in 2004, but got traded to the Futility Bowl rivals of the Rochester Lake Monsters. More recently, sentiments got a bit different as the two teams had their eyes on the same wide receiver and the Lake Monsters won the battle. Another issue was how the Lake Monsters dumped two time All IHOF guard Gene Simmons like trash, while the Merchantmen reserved a 53-men roster spot for Fumblin' Justin McDavid.

Getting Jerry Aubrey to return will be tough as a possible trade will take place after the week two games and week three has an interesting matchup, Futility Bowl IV, in Rochester. Rumors are the Merchantmen already offered a fifth round pick in 2007, but salary cap issues seem to hold a trade of so far. The Lake Monsters reportedly want a good player in return and the masters of trading refuse that offer.

But then, it could be a trick to distract everyone and they might be getting their (temporary) replacement elsewhere. Guys mentioned so far were Anaheim's Mark Whittemore (5 receptions) and Columbus' Brian Peres (6 receptions). The second best option is reportedly Paris' Brian Spradlin, who had 5 catches for 38 yards and a score against Maassluis in week one. But as good as these guys play, the Merchantmen already showed a weak spot for alumni by bringing back 2004 staring center Tom Schwartz on the morning of the first regular season game against Paris. You read it here first, in Gossip News, the Merchantmen are trying to get Jerry Aubrey back.

Kodos · 02-01-2005, 07:24 PM

Who is the Jerry Aubrey you speak of?

MIJB#19 · 02-03-2005, 05:00 AM

Merchantmen At Anachronism Preview
Once every four years, the two most unpronoucable IHOF team will match up in a regular season matchup. Today, the Ann Arbor Anachronism continue their journey to regain the IHOF title in a favorable game in their Weena Eloi Memorial Park, against the Maassluis Merchantmen. Both teams started the season with an impressive week one victory at home. The Anachorism held the Minnesota Miners to three points in an overtime win, the Merchantmen amazingly gained the top spot in offensive total yardage against the Paris Musketeers.

Ann Arbor took the league crown in the 2005 season after an impressive streak of fifteen conscecutive victories after starting out the season 2-3. We're just over a full season further into time and the Anachronism are battling salary cap woes and had to let a few contributing players walk off, most notable their franchise player, safety Jason Winkle. But even without Winkle, a secondary with cornerbacks Lindsey Liles and John Q. Ballhawker, and safeties Benton Harness and Isaac Graham is one of the best in the league. Liles could be seen as the weakest link as he's been diagnosed as severly depressed for some time.

The Merchantmen have acquired two new wiede receivers, a new tight end, new fullback and two new running backs who will all see their roles against that secondary. Maassluis' top receiver tight end Jim Reiser has a triceps muscle injury and is not expected to play. That means that third-year journey man Arnold Ramirez takes his places and the roles of backup wide receivers Jerry Beyer and Jules Benedict are expect to be bigger. Quarterback Louie Flannery looked pleased with having about ten potential players to throw, to record a franchise record 438 total yards on offense.

Pretty crucial will be the turnover battle. The Anachronism have been the IHOF's elite team in forcing turnovers over the past years, while the Merchantmen built a reputation of fumbling in 2004 with Fumblin' Justin McDavid at quarterback. In 2007, the Merchantmen dropped the figure of turnovers significantly and even saw cornerback Johnnie Stidham record in the league's top five with seven interceptions. In cotrast, Ann Arbor's quarterback Donald Woods combined for more interceptions in 16 games 2007 as he had in 2004 and 2005 combined in 30 games.

All trends aside, the Merchantmen are the clear underdogs, and although they like that role and play their best football with it, today calls for little chance on a victory. Three of the Merchantmen's best players (tight end Jim Reiser, left tackle Ivan Jacques and linebacker Carl Meier) are injured, while most starters on the Merchantmen roster would be backups for Ann Arbor. It will require one hell of a game from both the offense and defense to beat the eight-point favorites.

But with the Merchantmen, you never know when they have a good game. Three years ago, it was a touchdown in the two-minute drill that landed the Anachornism a 20-16 victory in Maassluis. And as people might remember, that Merchantmen team ended the year 1-15. The Merchantmen have won 16 of their last 32 games and have found their way to .500 football. Nobody expects them to win, the Anachronism fans won't allow their team to lose. And even at 1-1, it would still tie their best season start.

MIJB#19 · 02-03-2005, 02:18 PM

Merchantmen Shock Ann Arbor And Move To 2-0
With a last second field goal, the Maassluis Merchantmen upset the Ann Arbor Anachronism 18-16 on the road. Cary Coles scored six on six in field goal attempts and took the game honors. Despite a struggling Louie Flannery, the offense kept making big plays at the right moments. Lead by Cody Cluff, the Anachorism offense was stopped a couple of times. The bad news of the game was the injury to the best player of the team, Charles Gomez.

Weena Eloi Memorial Park, home of the Ann Arbor Anachronism. In 53 game before today, the triple A's lost only twice in their own house. In contrast, the Maassluis Merchantmen had won only six of 48 games on the road. There couldn't be a bigger miss-match possible. But the contratry become reality, the Merchantmen wrote an amazing scenario and won the game 18-16. But how?

In the first quarter, the Merchantmen got first possession. Anchored by a nice 10-yard run from Randy Harris and a 19-yard reception by Jerry Beyer, the Merchantmen moved into the red zone and Cary Coles opened the score with a 27-yard field goal. And as the Merchantmen defense forced a punt, the Merchantmen took a 6-0 lead as Louie Flannery spread the ball around and Coles scored a 46-yard field goal.

Going into the second quarter, Ann Arbor took a 1-=point lead as quarterback Donald Woods completed a pass to William Duenas. But in the game of stopping the offense and punting, the Merchantmen won territory. The Anachronism got the ball back, but Donald Woods' problem of last season showed up as his pass got intercepted by linebacker Cody Cluff on Ann Arbor's half. Flannery and his offense failed, but Coles was sharp and converted a 24-yard kick. With a brilliant two-minute drill from Flannery, anchored by two catched by Bryce Ewald, a 51-yard kick was setup and Coles scored.

In the third quarter, the Merchantmen played te stop and punt game not so well and Woods again found Duenas for a score. Being 13-12 up, going for the two-pointer made sense, but Garrett Freitas was stopped by Aaron Sherrill. In the next drive, Louie Flannery tossed an interception to Lindsey Liles, which resulted in a 16-yard field goal from kicker Ann Arbor. The 16-12 lead was there, but the game was far from over.

The Merchantmen offense started making mistakes more than before, yet the team managed to keep punting and the Anachronism broke. Rookie cornerback Chris Zimmerman fumbled a punt return in Merchantmen territory and the Dutch visitors got lucky to get the ball back. A couple of nice catches by, again, Bryce Ewald put the team back in scoring position and Cary Coles sscored a 33-yard kick to shorten the Ann Arbor lead.

The Merchantmen played the punt and defend terrain game well in the last ten minutes and got the ball back at their own 30-yard line with 99 seconds left. An amazing 50-yard bomb to Gregory Monti was called back for a penalty, but Flannery found Bryce Ewald for an amzing fourth down conversion shortly after. Still in their own half, Flannery had to try another bomb and found Ewald again, now for a 36-yard reception. Again, Ewald ran out of bounds and the visitors reached the red zone with half a minute left. Randy Harris shortened the distance, followed by a spiked pass from Flannery. Cary Coles converted the 31-yard kick. Although there was a kickoff, the retuner was tackled by Cody Cluff midway the field to end the game.

For the game, Flannery completed just 19 of 44 passes, but when he was needed, he managed to find the right guy to make a play. Bryce Ewald was clearly the big hero with 8 receptions for 137 yards. But without Jim Reiser, Flannery clearly struggled and the next game could be another tough one. "It's an easy escape, really," Flannery explains, "Jimmy [Reiser] is always open and can be reached for the short gain." In Reiser's absence, Arnold Ramirez had just 2 catches, but made up with 2 key run blocks and a crucial forced fumble.

Charm of the team was Cody Cluff, as always. With 10 tackles and an interception, Cluff made difference. Although, it does mask the furter defensive play as keeping Donald Woods to below 300 yards and a completion percentage of 60. With 3 sacks and no less than 8 defended passes, the defense made plays. Especially Winford Endicott's 3 defended passes jumped out. Shutdown corner Tai Wayne said: "Winford is a winner. He perfectly fits the system and bats down 3 passes per game, he's a cool guy to team up with."

Despite the win, the Merchantmen again took a blow on the injury front. Defensive tackle and star player Charles Gomez left the game in the fourth quarter with a strained deltoid muscle and is ruled out for up to three games. Linebacker Mike Kershner joined the list of injured linebackers with a knee tendonitis. "The defense is taking blow after blow," said head coach Leroy Van Der Woude, "but we'll see Carl Meier back next week. Plus, the secondary is making some progress this season as well."

Sitting at two wins, the expectations in Oranje Haven are getting high. The Merchatmen are one of ten unbeaten teams, but seven of those are from the Atlantic Ocean Conference. "All our rivals won, so we don't make progress, despite beating a top team," said tackle Harold Hurtado "I guess we'll have to win the Futility Bowl again." Hurtado knows what he's talking about, next up is the matchup between the two lowest graded teams in the IHOF.

The Rochester Lake Monsters will host the Merchantmen next week, knowing they lost the matchup in Maassluis last season. And the Monster are 0-2 and can't use another loss in their hunt for a playoff ticket. Quarteback Jackie Williamson is expected to sit out the game not being 100% healthy after reconstrucitve knee surguery. The Lake Monsters acquired quarterback Eugene Westcott to fill in, but in two games he tossed 4 picks and for only 320 yards. But the Merchantmen know this guy, Westcott guided the Paris Musketeers to a league record offensive yardage total aganst Maassluis and he'll remember some of the defense's faces. 2-0 or not, the Merchantmen will be underdogs in Futility Bowl IV.

Kodos · 02-03-2005, 03:30 PM

You screwed up our chance for the playoffs last year. Maybe we can return the favor in 2007.

MIJB#19 · 02-03-2005, 03:33 PM

General Manager Notes
Okay, this is getting weird, the Merchantmen 2-0?

We're missing three of our five best players and yet we win on the road at the Ann Arbor Anachronism. The coolest part is that we're the first AOC team to have recorded a win against all past NAC champions (Ann Arbor, Chesapeake and Fairbanks). I think that's quite the performance we've shown in the past three seasons.

Despite our amazing victory, our divisional rivals all recorded bigger wins. The Paris Musketeers saw E.G. Lumpkin pass for four touchdowns to a 34-28 win at and against the Minnesota Miners' strong defense. The Bordeaux Vinyerads overcame trailing 10-0 at home and trashed the RayCo Raiders 31-10. The Gothenburg Giants beat the only team to record a shutout this season, the Columbus Architects, by 14-3. The standings:

2-0 Gothenburg
2-0 Maassluis
1-1 Bordeaux
1-1 Paris

Since we won, I'll have to name five players who were worth rating as our five best of the day. Ny top five of today include Cary Coles, who was six-on-six in field goals. Cody Cluff who recorded 10 tackles and an interception made it. Winford Endicott made it with 3 defended passes and no catches allowed. Bryce Ewald's 8 receptions were a franchise record, as were his 137 yards receiving. Charles Gomez had a normal game with 1 sack, 4 tackles and 2 quarterback hurries.

5 points - Bryce Ewald
4 points - Cody Cluff
3 points - Cary Coles
2 points - Winford Endicott
1 point - Charles Gomez

Our next opponents are the Rochester Lake Monsters. Sure, the past two games were big wins for us and we have beaten the Monsters last time around, but the injuries to four our top five players worry me. Jim Reiser, Charles Gomez, Carl Meier and Ivan Jacques, all are injured. Meier will play, but he;s only replacing the also injured Mike Kershner. And we'll still miss Willy Wilcox, although Shaun Shiroma returns. The full European schedule this week:

Gothenburg Giants (2-0) versus Tucker Tigers (1-1)
Maassluis Merchantmen (2-0) at Rochester Lake Monsters (0-2)
Bordeaux Vineyards (1-1) at North Plainfield Plague (2-0)
Paris Musketeers (1-1) versus Conyers Condors (0-2)

For those wondering how we're faring after two games in stats categories and all, here's the overall stats:
Passing 249 ypg (9th), 56% (18th), 6.6 ypa (20th), 3.5 sk ypg (12th)
Rushing 130 ypg (13th), 4.7 ypc (6th)
Pass Def 227 ypg (21st), 54% (10th), 6.1 ypa (12th) 21.0 sk ypg (4th)
Run Def 104 ypg (6th), 4.1 ypc (21st)

Ind. Rushing: Harris 76 ypg (4.8 ypc), Mowery 33 ydp (5.4 ypc), Rosenberry 20 ypg (4.4 ypc)
Ind. Receiving: Ewald 80 ypg, Beyer 43 ypg, Reiser 33 ypg, Monti 32 ypg

Rodger Mowery ranked 3rd in punt return yardage with 42 yards and a 10.5 average; Devin Henson averages 24.5 yards per kick off return (only 2 touches); Cary Coles leads the league in field goals with 8 and in points with 27; Cody Cluff's 20 tackles rank him sixth overall; Charles Gomez and Omar Gougeon have 1.5 sacks each, which make them rank in the top 20; Winford Endicott leads the league with 6 defended passes; Harold Hurtado had 5 key run blocks, but Timothy Lacy's 4 in 5 opportunities is more impressive.

Rookie watch:
WR Jerry Beyer has recorded 3 catches for 95 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown
DT Shaun Shiroma has been injured, but will play in week three
RB Tyrell Mahoney was active against Ann Arbor
FB Henry Poston so far had 1 reception for 7 yards and recovered an opponent fumble
RT Norman Holliday was active but didn´t play against Ann Arbor
DE Aanron Sherrill had 1.0 sacks and made a crucial tackle in the Ann Arbor win
DT Andrew Rasmussen had 0.5 sacks and 1 tackle so far

MIJB#19 · 02-03-2005, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kodos

You screwed up our chance for the playoffs last year. Maybe we can return the favor in 2007.

You screwed up your own chances last season by losing to Gothenburg.

I did by losing to Paris and Anaheim in weeks 15 and 12, and still not beating Bordeaux...

MIJB#19 · 02-07-2005, 06:25 AM

Futility Bowl IV Preview, Merchantmen First Time Favorites
It's an old story, but at least the Maassluis Merchantmen love to keep reminding people about the history of this matchup. Any game played against the Rochester Lake Monsters will be called Futility Bowl until the end of days, how good or bad both teams are.

The International House Of Football has three seasons of history and the Maassluis-Rochester match-up is one of few inter-divisional games that have been played in every single season so far. And by the luck of 2006 records, the two teams will meet again.

The name of the rivalry is as old as the league itself. The two teams from Maassluis and Rochester were called the instant favorites in the battle for last place in the IHOF. The Lake Monsters surprized with a 4-2 start and a 6-10 season end, while the Merchantmen fulfilled the prophecy and went a league worst 1-15.

There is a new feature into this sort-of rivalry as Futility Bowl IV is the first edition played at Rochester. The schedule makers planned all previous editions in Maassluis, which means the Lake Monsters' fans finally get to see the Merchentmen in their house.

Last season, the Merchantmen ended the losing streak with a 20-10 victory. Randy Harris ran for 159 yards and Louie Flannery passes for two scores to somewhat make the losses in earlier editions livable. The lake Monsters had won in shockers in 2004 (27-25) and 2005 (15-10).

The Lake Monsters don't have high hopes for their first Futility Bowl at home. Quarterback Jackie Williamson is still not 100% ready after knee surgery. The only hope they have in stand-in quarterback Eugene Westcott is that the Merchantmen fear him after getting written into the record books with a league worst defensive performance against him.

The Merchantmen are 2-0 and could be called favorites on paper, playing an 0-2 team. But the Merchantmen have injury issues themselves, missing star tight end Jim Reiser, All IHOF defensive tackle Charles Gomez, 100 tackles linebacker Ellsworth Thelen and new left tackle Ivan Jacques. Vegas gives the Lake Monsters a four-point handicap.

The entertainment factor in the rivalry has grown big time this past off-season. Both team saw landmark players return from injury. But where Maassluis worked hard to retain quarterback Fumblin' Justin McDavid, the Lake Monsters released guard Gene Simmons. The Merchantmen management called the Monsters' out for this lack of sentiments.

But the Lake Monsters quickly returned the favor. They snagged up free agent receiver Frederick Cabe and called rumors about trading tight end Jerry Aubrey back to Maassluis non-sense. And with reason, the Merchantmen traded Aubrey like a stack of old paper, trying to make sure they get at least something in return for the former All IHOF selection.

With a recent trade, the rivalry heated up even more as the Lake Monsters received left tackle Darrin Olive in trade. This was pretty ironic as Olive came to Maassluis in a trade that cost them left tackle Edgar Dunkin. Dunkin was acquired from Rochester in 2006. And then we fail to mention Harold Hurtado, which left tackle was traded from Rochester to Maassluis in 2004.

In the end, it's easy to point out the alumni on the other team's rosters. It seems the Merchantmen and Lake Monsters' managements have always had their eyes on the same players. This last draft, sentiments were back again as the Merchantmen traded up in the draft to take wide receiver Travis Joseph. Of course, they traded him for Jerry Beyer, but the Lake Monsters were not happy.

The latest story in the long list of incidents has been around another player. The IHOF has a tradition of nicknames, hence Justin McDavid being called Fumblin' Justin. The Merchantmen drafted Shaun Shiroma, why was issued by the Lake Monsters' management as should be nicknamed "My Sharona". The Merchantmen refused and the Lake Monsters have made comments about it recently.

For both teams this game could be a season make-or-break game. The Lake Monsters have never started worse than 4-2 and they would be 0-3 with a loss. The Merchantmen were 2-1 the past two seasons, but never won three games going into their open weekend. In the end, both teams aim for a playoff ticket and last season the Lake Monsters came one win short and still blame it on Futilty Bowl III...

Kodos · 02-07-2005, 10:56 AM

You're going down!!!

MIJB#19 · 02-07-2005, 02:59 PM

Merchantmen Remain Unbeaten, Win At Rochester
In an exciting game, the Maassluis Merchantmen set another step in their impressive season start. With a 21-19 victory at the Rochester Lake Monsters, the Dutch team are three out of three and already tie their 2006 win total on the road. Louie Flannery trashed the the single game passing yards franchise record, despite struggles. The offense again set a new total yards high. The young defensive line impressed once again, while wide receiver Jerry Beyer had another big play.

The final score was perhaps close at 21-19, but the Merchantmen for the second time this season dominated a game of football. With an impressive passing game on offense and big plays when needed on defense, the Merchantmen allowed only one offensive touchdown and won the game basically on a fumble return by wide receiver Bryce Ewald from 13 yards out after fullback Jamel Rosenberry fumbled on a 14-yard run. Rochester's punter Michael Helgeson's four field goals kept the game closer than the stats show. Even a touchdown pass from the feared Euguene Westcott to the much desired Frederick Cabe didn't upset the Merchantmen.

With 381 passing yards on 24 of 31 completed passes, Louie Flannery finally came into the record books as the franchise record holder. Flannery outdid the previous single game best, set by Justin McDavid at 294 yards with a big margin. Flannery's two interceptions were nullified with a touchdown pass and forgiven by the overall performance. The passing yardage accounted for the lionshare to break the recently set total yards franchise record again. The new mark was set at 457 yards, 19 more as in week one against the divisional rivals from Paris.

Flannery spread the ball around and made connections with nine different players. Bryce Ewald (6 catches for 98 yards) and Gregory Monti (6 catches for 88 yards) took the load of the yardage and proved they have rightfully been around for so long. Rookie Jerry Beyer showed his potential again with a single 46-yard reception, while newcomer Jules Benedict had his best game in Maassluis with 4 catches for 42 yards. The yardage was necessary as star running back Randy Harris was held to only 47 yards from scrimmage all day.

After the game, the Merchantmen management especially praised the defensive line of the team. With 8 of 28 broken passing plays, the pressure was on the Rochester quarterback all game long. Veteran Albert Bernardo was the biggest player on the line with 1.5 sacks in only limited action as a backup. The management prefers to play youngesters Omar Gougeon and Aaron Sherrill so far. And next week Wally 'World' Wilcox will make his first appearance for the Merchantmen. And in the meantime, the young defensive tackles Andy Welickza and Andrew Rasmussen made the absence of Charles Gomez go by unmentioned on the pass rush.

Although, without Charles Gomez active, the run defense really suffered. In the shadows of the defensive line, linebacker Cody Cluff moved up to first place in the IHOF with 32 tackles. The key player on defense made 12 tackles and defended a pass against Rochester, but couldn't avoid the home team to rack up 154 yards on the ground. Cluff is more and more living up to expectations after taking the Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2004. With 32 tackles, 1 interception and 3 defended passes, Cluff is getting a lot of looks by the defensive football fans.

Next up for Maassluis is a home game, the second of the season. The San Antonio Volunteers are coming overseas and want to extend their winning streak to four, just like the Merchantmen. San Antonio quarterback John McMasters ranks second in the IHOF with 902 passing yards, just before number three Louie Flannery (878 yards) and behind the number one Joey Allen (939 yards). Whether the Merchantmen can win this game or not, a 3-1 start would be the best in franchise history. Going into the open weekend 4-0 would be just a bonus.

Kodos · 02-07-2005, 03:07 PM

Nice win, Merchantmen. My pass defense is pathetic this year, and we've yet to record a sack.

MIJB#19 · 02-07-2005, 03:50 PM

General Manager Notes
And then we were 3-0.
3-0...
3-0, baby!

Can you believe that? We go into Rochester without Jim Reiser, Charles Gomez and Ivan Jacques, but we still manage to win 21-19. And the best thing is perhaps how we outscored them in yardage, with 457-290 total offense. I can't understand what's going on here, but I assume we're doing something right and that Flannery brings out the best in all of our receivers.

Sadly for us, our divisional rivals also keep winning. The Gothenburg Giants won their third gome game in a row, this time edging past the Tucker Tigers, 27-17. The Paris Musketeers played their first home game and saw punter Keith Horne score a game winning 54-yard field goal in overtime for a 26-23 win over the Conyers Condors. Only the Bordeaux Vineyards had a tough time, asthey had little options to make points at the North Plainfield Plague, going down 6-21. Thats keeps us in second in the division as one of seven 3-0 teams in the Atlantic Ocean Conference.

3-0 Gothenburg
3-0 Maassluis
2-1 Paris
1-2 Bordeaux

After another victory, I will give 5 points to our best player of the game. Who are my top five stars this week? Andy Weliczka made 4 tackles and 1 sack, while also forcing a fumble. Albert Bernardo saw limited time, but yet make 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Bryce Ewald had 98 yards receiving and returned a fumble 13 yards for a score. Cody Cluff had 12 tackles and defended 1 pass. Louie Flannery passed for 381 yards and a score, but also 2 interceptions.

5 points - Cody Cluff
4 points - Louie Flannery
3 points - Bryce Ewald
2 points - Albert Bernardo
1 point - Andy Weliczka

Overall standings:
9 points - Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery
8 points - Bryce Ewald
4 points - Cary Coles, Tai Wayne
3 points - Timothy Lacy
2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott, Randy Harris
1 point - Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka

And our next hurdle in the race to go 16-0 are the also 3-0 San Antonio Volunteers. We're still without Charles Gomez and I really expect us to go down big at home. Maybe the debut of Wally Wilcox and return of Ivan Jacques will help, but I'm not fully convinced we can win. The full European schedule this week:

Maassluis Merchantmen (3-0) versus San Antonio Volunteers (3-0)
Gothenburg Giants (3-0) at Telluride Outlaws (0-3)
Paris Musketeers (2-1) versus Fort Worth Fury (0-3)
Bordeaux Vineyards (1-2) has an open weekend

And here's an update on the team stats:
Passing 293 ypg (3rd), 62% (7th), 8.3 ypa (2nd), 5.7 sk ypg (7th)
Rushing 112 ypg (20th), 4.3 ypc (11th)
Pass Def 203 ypg (14th), 56% (11th), 6.1 ypa (9th), 19.7 sk ypg (3rd)
Run Def 121 ypg (22nd), 4.4 ypc (25th)

Ind. Rushing: Harris 65 ypg (4.0 ypc), Mowery 27 ypg (5.0 ypc), Rosenberry 20 ypg (5.3 ypc)
Ind. Receiving: Ewald 86 ypg, Monti 51 ypg, Beyer 47 ypg, Reiser 66 ypg (1 gp)

Rodger Mowery ranks 4th in punt return yardage with 48 yards and a 9.6 average; Devin Henson averages 19.2 yards per kick off return (4 touches); Cary Coles leads the league in field goals with 8 and is second with 30 points; Cody Cluff's 32 tackles rank him first overall; Albert Bernardo rankes tied for second with 2.5 sacks; Winford Endicott ranks tied for second with 6 defended passes; Harold Hurtado has 6 key run blocks, but Timothy Lacy's 4 in 7 opportunities is more impressive.

Rookie watch:
WR Jerry Beyer has recorded 4 catches for 141 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown
DT Shaun Shiroma has 2 hurries and 1 blocked pass after 1 game
RB Tyrell Mahoney has yet to see significant playing time
FB Henry Poston so far had 1 reception for 7 yards and recovered an opponent fumble
RT Norman Holliday has yet to see significant playing time
DE Aaron Sherrill has 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles and 4 assists
DT Andrew Rasmussen has 0.5 sacks and 5 tackles so far

MIJB#19 · 02-07-2005, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kodos

Nice win, Merchantmen. My pass defense is pathetic this year, and we've yet to record a sack.

Thanks. I think the the score was closer due to the two interceptions, a team worst game in penalties and the Merchantmen D doing it's job in avoiding touchdowns. That is not mentioning the 46 and 48 yard receptions our #3 and #5 receivers Jerry Beyer and Devin Henson.

MIJB#19 · 02-08-2005, 05:10 PM

Merchantmen Versus Volunteers Preview
The world looks bright as the Maassluis Merchantmen are 3-0 and play game four of te regular season at home. Those should be the perfect ingredients to head into their bye week in week 5 with a 4-0 record. Afterall, a team that won 6 of 8 games at home last season should be favored to win. Unless, of course, one of the conference's best teams in league history comes to tugboat city. The San Antonio Volunteers were AOC runners' up in 2006 and, like Maassluis, have won all of their first three games in the new season.

The Merchantmen's success is still some sort of mystery, but the passing game has been openly called the key factor. Louie Flannery passes enough yardage to his quintet of wide receivers to make his team rank third in the IHOF in passing yardage with 293 yards per game. And with a duo of 1,000-yard backs running from behind him, Flannery has nothing to fear. His offensive line protects him well, only 14 of 109 passing plays were wasted by the pass rush. And he learned to live with his interceptions.

On the defensive side, the Merchantmen haven't been bad either. The team managed to stuff the Ann Arbor Anachronism and defend the pass in all three games well. The pass defense is anchored by the excellent pass rush support, provided by young players, but they might have a set back later in the season. The secondary and linebackers play well, especially Cody Cluff (32 tackles) and Winfort Endicott (6 passes defended) jump out.

The San Antonio Volunteers haven't been exactly doing bad either. John McMasters rankes second in passing yards (301 per game) and has 7 touchdowns versus 1 interception, making him look much better than Flannery. His new target Eldon Batts takes the pressure off other receivers, while the 1,000-yard tandem of Bud Pitts and Michael Fau keeps the chains moving. The Volunteers defense is anchored by a strong secondary and can't be underestimated.

The Merchantmen will have to play their best football to have a shot at beating San Antonio, but then, last season they did go 6-2 at home, including wins over the playoff bound Orlando Knights, Fairbanks Northstars, Gothenburg Giants and the 10-6 Rochester Lake Monsters. But San Antonio has gone 8-2 in 2006 and this season combined. Bottom line, the winner will be 4-0 and .500 football away from the playoffs. For San Antonio it would fullfill expectations, for the Merchantmen it would make a dream come true. Watch the game this Thursday and find out who it will be.

MIJB#19 · 02-10-2005, 02:58 PM

Merchantmen Winning Streak Ended, Lose To Volunteers
The Maassluis Merchantmen players, staff and fans knew the streak would end someday, but seing it stopped at home was a bit disappointing. With a 24-17 victory, the San Antonio Volunteers brought everybody back on earth. Louie Flannery felt as the loser of the day, seeing an interception returned for touchdown. The pass rush failed, while Randy Harris and the running game recovered. Rookie Jerry Beyer amazed with his second touchdown in Oranje Haven. Winford Endicott got hurt and will miss some time.

The 3-0 start was awesome, but the home game against the highly touted, and also 3-0, San Antonio Volunteers was the big test of the season. Despite a pretty much turnover free game, one single interception was returned for 50 yards and pretty much sealed the Voluteers win going to a 24-10 lead. Louie Flannery tried to save the day with a touchdown pass to Jerry Beyer, but after the onside kick, the game was over. San Antonio quarterback John McMasters kept he chains moving and lead his men to another victory.

"A close game, but we have proven we can be competitive against a top team," headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said, "If only we could have forced a single turnover, we might have turned it all around." Van Der Woude has a point as the Merchantmen offense kept pace with the Volunteers all day. With 334 versus 329 yards, the offensive power was pretty equal and might make you think that the single interception return was the reason for loss.

But none of that is true as the Merchantmen failed in one other area. To force turnovers, a team has to pressure the quarterback. Special for this game, the Merchantmen benched youngsters Aaron Sherrill and Omar Gougeon in favor of Albert Bernardo and Wally "World" Wilcox. At the end of the game, Bernardo and Wilcox combined for 1 blocked pass and 1 hurried pass. The secondary had to make plays and did only occasionally. But allowing only 202 yards passing, the defense did a good job against a 300 yards per game passing offense.

In the heat of the battle, both starting cornerbacks, Tai Wayne and Winford Endicott, got hurt. Wayne returned quickly and got out of the game without serious injuries. But Winford Endicott hyperextended his knee and is diagnoses to miss the next two games. Luckily last year's starter Johnnie Stidham has recovered from a knee injury and is ready to bring his interception skills (7 in 2006) back into the mix. Tai Wayne even said: "Johnnie is the guy who can force turnovers, together with Charles Gomez. We missed these guys and a strong team like San Antonio will punish you."

Running back Randy Harris looked not so happy either, but at least he had good stats to show for. Harris ran for 92 yards against the #1 defense in the IHOF, as he averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored only his first rushing touchdown of the season. Harris explains: "The management told us to run more than usual and I think we picked it up well." Especially center Brant Heinrich found his way through the San Antonio front seven and supported Harris and Rodger Mowery (34 yards) with 6 key run blocks. Butch White (3 blocks), Timothy Lacy and Ivan Jacques (2 blocks each) also had their share.

The other brigh light on the Merchantmen offense was rookie wide receiver Jerry Beyer. Sitting behind Gregory Monti (5 catches for 81 yards) and Bryce Ewald (3 catches for 39 yards) on the depth chart, Beyer had a 12-yard catch and a 16-yard touchdown reception. With 6 catches for 169 yards (28.1 per catch) and 2 scores, Beyer is making a case for being the best receiving rookie in the IHOF. It's also pretty interesting that Beyer's scores both came in Maassluis' stadium and that the two starters combined for just one score. It's only a matter of time until Beyer will move up in the depth chart.

Despite the loss, the Merchantmen are still one of a dozen teams involved in the early playoff spots race. The Merchantmen have held a wild card spot since week one and, despite the loss, have defended it so far. But it will be tough to keep that position for the rest of the season. The European Division is stronger than ever, as the four teams combined for 9-2 in inter-divisional games. The amazing part is that three time European champion Bordeaux was handed 2 losses, with their out of division loss being at the IHOF defending champions, the North Plainfield Plague.

Next up for Maassluis is a week of licking wounds, as tight end Jim Reiser and defensive tackle Charles Gomez have been inactive the past two games. Reiser should return in week six against the Vicksburg Vipers, as should 2006 starting cornerback Johnnie Stidham. Linebacker Ellsworth Thelen is also expected to return against the Vipers. Left tackle Ivan Jacques returned against San Antonio and looked good in his first fulltime start for the Merchantmen. Let's hope others will do the same when they return in the coming weeks.

MIJB#19 · 02-10-2005, 03:27 PM

General Manager Notes
Okay, so we won't go 16-0, but at least we have set a new winning streak record, 4 wins in a row, baby!

The loss was a bit disappointing as I let my offense implent a game plan which was more oriented to running, given the relative weakness in the San Antonio run defense. Relative as the were the #1 ranked defense in the IHOF before the game. Racking up 334 yards against that is damn good.

As last week, sadly for us, our divisional rivals also keep winning. The Gothenburg Giants won their fourth gome game in a row, this time winning 27-10 at the Telluride Outlaws. The Outlwas are now 0-4 and look light years away from being the 2004 conference champions. The Giants did lose their best cornerback for the year though. The Paris Musketeers won their third game in a row, beating the Fort Worth Fury 20-17 with a last second 30-yard touchdown pass from E.G. Lumpkin to Tyrus Shaye. Both were off-season acquisitions. The Bordeaux Vineyards watched in awe, seeing their divisional foes extended the lead.

4-0 Gothenburg
3-1 Maassluis
3-1 Paris
1-2 Bordeaux

Due to the loss, only the top three players will get points for their performance. Tai Wayne made 5 tackles and defended 1 pass, while allowing 2 catches. Wide receiver Gregory Monti had 5 receptions for 81 yards. Lincoln Gilmore had 7 tackles and 4 assists, but also defended 2 passes. Randy Harris ran for 92 yards and a score, making him our offensive MVP. But not after mentioning how our center Brant Heinrich made 6 key run blocks and didn't account for a sack.

3 points - Brant Heinrich
2 points - Randy Harris
1 point - Lincoln Gilmore
0 points - Gregory Monti
0 points - Tai Wayne

Overall standings:
9 points - Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery
8 points - Bryce Ewald
4 points - Cary Coles, Randy Harris, Tai Wayne
3 points - Brant Heinrich, Timothy Lacy
2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott
1 point - Lincoln Gilmore, Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka

No opposition next week, as we prepare for a game against the Vicksburg Vipers in week six. The full European schedule this week:

Maassluis Merchantmen (3-1) has an open weekend
Gothenburg Giants (4-0) at Fort Worth Fury (0-4)
Paris Musketeers (3-1) at San Antonio Volunteers (4-0)
Bordeaux Vineyards (1-2) at Vicksburg Vipers (3-0)

And here's an update on the team stats:
Passing 271 ypg (5th), 60% (13th), 7.8 ypa (5th), 6.3 sk ypg (5th)
Rushing 118 ypg (18th), 4.4 ypc (9th)
Pass Def 203 ypg (12th), 58% (15th), 6.0 ypa (7th), 14.8 sk ypg (8th)
Run Def 122 ypg (20th), 4.3 ypc (25th)
Turnovers: give 1.5 pg, take 0.5 pg

Ind. Rushing: Harris 72 ypg (4.1 ypc), Mowery 29 ypg (5.7 ypc)
Ind. Receiving: Ewald 74 ypg, Monti 58 ypg, Beyer 42 ypg, Reiser 66 ypg (1 gp)

Louie Flannery ranks 5th in passing yards with 271 yards per game and 8th witn 7.8 yards per attempt; Rodger Mowery ranks 5th in punt return yardage with 48 yards and a 9.6 average; Devin Henson averages 19.8 yards per kick off return (7 touches); Cary Coles leads the league in field goals with 9 out of 9 and is 6th with 35 points; Cody Cluff's 37 tackles rank him 5th overall; Albert Bernardo rankes tied for 8th with 2.5 sacks; Winford Endicott ranks tied for 2nd with 7 defended passes; Tai Wayne and Lincoln Gilmore have 4 defended passes each; Brant Heinrich has 11 key run blocks on 22 attempts, Butch White has 7 key run blocks and Timothy Lacy has 6 blocks on 10 opportunities to rank 5th with 60%.

Rookie watch:
WR Jerry Beyer has recorded 6 catches for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 61-yarder
DT Shaun Shiroma has 2 hurries and 1 blocked pass after 2 games
RB Tyrell Mahoney has yet to see significant playing time
FB Henry Poston so far had 1 reception for 7 yards and recovered an opponent fumble
RT Norman Holliday has yet to see significant playing time
DE Aaron Sherrill has 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles and 4 assists
DT Andrew Rasmussen has 0.5 sacks and 8 tackles so far

MIJB#19 · 02-11-2005, 10:26 AM

Merchantmen In Special Training Camp During Bye Week
After the disappointing close loss to the San Antonio Volunteers, the Maassluis Merchantmen management sent the whole roster and coaching staff on a field trip. Despite the loss, the Merchantmen are 3-1 and saw a franchise best winning streak getting snapped at four. The players seemed devastated by the loss at home, but the journey of the 2007 IHOF season is only at a quarter of the regular season and still 16 weeks away from the ultimate goal: IHOF Bowl IV.

To get the players into shape again, the ownership spent a lot of money to set up a special one week training camp in Drenthe, the Netherlands' quitest province. General manager M.IJ.B. explained: "In my youth, I had a fun time on family trips to Drenthe. I thought the players and staff would enjoy a week in the Dutch pre-historic province, riding on a bike, away from the most poluted air in the world, which surrounds Maassluis."

Long time Merchantmen player, offensive leader and offensive tackle Harold Hurtado called it a good decission: "The team made a marque achievement in beating Ann Arbor on the road and beating our two biggest rivals Paris and Rochester. The loss to San Antonio was sour, but we have to get our minds focused on the next 12 games. It'll be a tough schedule." Hurtado's role makes him the big mentor of the group and teammates have started to shorted his first name from Harold to Old.

A couple of players miss the trip to Drenthe due to injuries. Jim Reiser, Tyrel Mahoney and Ellsworth Thelen were brought along, as their injuries are expected to be healed before the Vipers come to Maassluis. Five other players were left at home. Defensive tackle Charles Gomez, who suffered a straned deltoid muscle, is the most prominent player to miss the trip. The two time All IHOF selection wants to be fit for the road game at the Paris Musketeers in week 8. The same count with two other defensive starters in cornerback Winford Endicott and linebacker Mike Kershner. Long snapper Christian Reichel was sent to a special clinic in Switzerland to nurse turf toe, while safety Richard Muller is recovering in Florida from repetitive concussion syndrome.

Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said he enjoys the relaxed atmosphere in Drenthe, but also points out that the team must not forget how much pressure comes around in the urban area of the Rijnmond, where Maassluis is the center of. Van der Woude said: "The players have all gotten the hang of sleeping in a place where ships come and go all 24 hours a day. None are kept awake overnights anymore, but the hang-over after trips to the States remain exhausting. Having two home games and a bye week in between will help to bring all focus back on the important games in the second half of the season against Gothenburg and Bordeaux."

What is scheduled for the seven days in Drenthe remains to be a secret, but the management already revealed a few plans. The 52 players who are in this special camp will have a 30 miles cycling tour in the woods. For more comeptition elements the team will have a special Merchantmen chess championship and a rock-paper-scissors tournament. And to get the players better with their role as being in the Netherlands, there will be a special game being invented, including trade negotiations, but also physical elements like korfball and wooden shoes dancing.

The players and staff on the special training camp will return in Oranje Haven five days before the game against Vicksburg. Especially defensive end Albert Bernardo looks forward to that game as Wilson Grimaldo will return in Oranje Haven once again. Bernardo and Grimaldo always had heated strides during practise. Grimaldo is expected to have hard feelings towards Maassluis, beaing treated as old rubbish. Let's hope the relaxed atmosphere in Drenthe can get the team focussed again.

MIJB#19 · 02-13-2005, 06:39 AM

Gossip News: Merchantmen Still Working Phone Lines
The masters of trading, as they call themselves, are trying to live up their names once again. There are rumors that Maassluis is seeking to trade quarterback/holder Mel Atkins to acquire a new player. But which player they will be seeking to acquire is unknown. Our sources claim that the Merchantmen could use upgrades in the secondary with the injury to Winford Endicott.

The name of Jerry Aubrey seems to be off the list. The tight end is no longer useful as backup Arnold Ramirez made his mark with a touchdown against the Rochester Lake Monsters and decent run blocking against the San Antonio Volunteers. Plus, star Jim Reiser is expected to return all healthy after the bye week.

More serious have been the issues at the linebacker position. Rumors are that the Merchantmen are seeking for a linebacker with very good zone defense skills and the most likely fit would be Boulder Blizzard's rookie Terrence Rose. Ironically, the Merchantmen tried to acquire the #26 overall with which Rose was taken in the 2007 draft, as they hoped to get wide receiver Travis Joseph there. Of course, with Jerry Beyer leading the team in touchdowns, there's no reason to complain anymore.

In the secodary there are also still ongoing issues. The starters Tai Wayne, Winford Endicott, Lincoln Gilmore and Emile William have showed great pass defense, but lack the hands to make interceptions. Johnnie Stidham and Desmond Craig, who combined for 11 interceptions in 2006 have been demoted in their role to #3 and #5 cornerback, while free safety John Cole, who has a nose for picks, also got demoted.

Last but not least, the Merchantmen can't be overly optimistic about the backup quarterback situation. Shane Bower hasn't impressed and Justin McDavid, of course, isn't the player he used to be. Even his amazing pre-season 2007 can't help out. But who they would be able to get, with just about 1.5 million dollars in cap space, providing they ship Mel Atkins, it's a tough market.

MIJB#19 · 02-15-2005, 05:31 AM

General Manager Notes
The Merchantmen have a week off and guess what happens? The Euro's start losing again...

Gothenburg did what they had to do, beating Fort Worth Fury 25-23. Bordeaux was run over by Vicksburg Vipers' Ronnie Kemp (170 yards) and lost big: 17-31. Paris got beaten big by the San Antonio Volunteers on the road: 13-27. Well, in a way, that's a good thing. With the competition losing, the chances for us to reach the playoffs, or even the division title will be bigger. The bad news is that the group of competitors is still eight teams big, not counting the slow starting Bordeaux Vineyards. In the Northeast division, the North Plainfield Plague are 5-0 now, while the Syracuse Mohawks are 4-1. In the Deep South San Antonio keeps winning (5-0) as does Vicksburg (4-0). In the Southeast, Tucker Tigers (3-2) beat Georgia Gridlock (3-2) this weekend. European division standings:

5-0 Gothenburg
3-1 Maassluis
3-2 Paris
1-3 Bordeaux

Next up in the division are three games, including a divisional rivalry. The full European schedule this week:

Gothenburg Giants (5-0) versus Paris Musketeers (3-2)
Maassluis Merchantmen (3-1) versus Vicksburg Vipers (4-0)
Bordeaux Vineyards (1-3) at Fort Worth Fury (0-5)

With us not playing, I don't see a reason to update the stats of the team and players.

Outside of that, there is big news in the IHOF. The ownership of the Astoria Heroes has changed. The new chief in charge is a guy well known to the Merchantmen organization. The president of the Fumblin' Justin Fan Club, Wade Moore, has been added to the list of owners. I guess that will help to continue our rivalry with Astoria being a serious one.

Kodos · 02-15-2005, 12:46 PM

Maybe Wade can trade for Fumblin' Justin.

MIJB#19 · 02-15-2005, 05:11 PM

Press Release: Merchantmen Deny Fumblin' Justin Trade Rumors
The Maassluis Merchantmen management strongly denies recent rumors about quarterback Fumblin' Justin McDavid being traded after the 2007 season. The season has only begun and the mentioned new team for McDavid hasn't shown any interest in him. Any further rumors about trades are also false as the timing of rumors can only cause harm to team chemistry at this point.

The Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. wants to address the issue: "Fumblin' Justin McDavid is not up for trade. Justin is a charter member of the Merchantmen and has become a fan favorite. Our fan base has been big and we hope to keep it big in the coming years. Whether McDavid will have a role in that is for the future, but right now we din't see him leave before he's end of contract in 2010 season."

The Merchantmen understand that the rumors are based on recent movement in ownerships in the IHOF, but the managament want to ensure there are no on-going negotiations. M.IJ.B.: "We haven't talked with the new Astoria Heroes management, besides the trade deadline for 2007 has passed two days ago. Surely, we have our eyes open for the 2008 off-season, but it's too early to start trade talks for players. McDavid's knee injury in 2005 is one example of why we would like to wait."

The team wants to make clear that all other recent trade talk rumors are false and that the team has had only one short coversation with other managements, which were fruitless. The management asks the media to stay away from the Merchantmen players and stop spreading rumors during a time when the team is preparing for a big matchup against the unbeaten Vicksburg Vipers, who bring along former Merchantmen star Wilson Grimaldo, while the Merchantmen miss their own star player Charles Gomez.

MIJB#19 · 02-17-2005, 05:59 AM

Merchantmen Versus Vicksburg Vipers Preview
The Merchantmen have returned back home from a trip in the ancient woods of the Netherlands and get ready for one of the biggest games of week 6 of the 2007 IHOF season. Opponent are the Vicksburg Vipers who, at 4-0, currently hold a wild card spot as the number two of the Deep South division, behind the 5-0 San Antonio Volunteers. Those Volunteers were the last Merchantmen opponent as the Volunteers won 21-14 in Oranje Haven to hand the Merchantmen their first loss of the 2007 season. Maassluis is second in the AOC Europe, Vicksburg ranks number two in the AOC Deep South.

The Vipers have been a somewhat surprise team, being unbeaten after four weeks. Their story so far has been one of beating weak teams. The Vipers management still talk the team down, but fact is there are only five unbeaten teams left in the IHOF. The Vipers are joined by four 5-0 teams. Besides the mentioned San Antonio Volunteers those are the European leaders Gothenburg Giants, the first IHOF champions in Fairbanks NorthStars and the defending champions North Plainfield Plagues. In the four games the Vipers won, their opponents have combined for a 3-14 record. Last week, they beat the Bordeaux Vineyards 31-17 to give them their biggest win of the season to date.

So far, the Vipers have been winning on the legs of last season's offensive rookie of the year, runningback Ronnie Kemp. With 175 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, he really lived up the hype again against the Bordeaux Vineyards in week 5. But Kemp is not alone in it, he only accounts for 478 of the team's 781 yards. Backup Mike Marcano enmassed 194 yards on the ground as well, making him the most productive backup running back with almost 50 yards per game.

Key player in the running game could be the this off-season added offensive tackle Wilson Grimaldo. With 10 key run blocks, he's not the team's leader, but some think he was the missing piece on the offensive line for the Vipers. Grimaldo was getting old, so was the opinion of the Merchantmen manegement and they traded him away. Grimaldo teams up with Eric Church on the right side of the line and they form a super duo. They combined for 29 key run blocks so far and didn't allow their quarterback to be sacked.

The Vicksburg Vipers claim to not be happy going into Maassluis today. Granted, they'll miss their best player against the Vipers, as defensive tackle Charles Gomez is still out with a strained deltoid muscle. Linebackers Cody Cluff, Carl Meier and Ellsworth Thelen are top fit again and safety Lincoln Gilmore made his mark against the Volunteers in week four. But the young defensive line could be a minor problem, meaning Vipers' Ronnie Kemp might be gaining a lot of yards again.

Lucky for the Merchantmen, they have been providing a decent defense so far, ranking eight overall. Their trait so far has been a tight zone defense that kept known star quarterbacks like Donald Woods and John McMasters to lower passing yards totals than they are used to. The Merchantmen secondary is making plays, but only lack the interceptions so far. Cornerback Winford Endicott is sadly out, but the team expect that the available players will live up to their team's lead in the league of least yards per completion allowed. Crucial is probably whether the Merchantmen can provide a pass rush to pressure Vipers passer Gabe Macalusco.

The charm of the Merchantmen has so far been their offense. Quarterback Louie Flannery has thrown 5 interceptions in 4 games, but it couldn't overcome him from averiging 270 yards passing per game. The Merchantmen offense ranks third overall in total yards per game and the offensive line has helped out big time with run blocking and allowing a only 1 sack per game so far. Running back Randy Harris has been in the shadows of the passing game so far, especially rookie Jerry Beyer, who leads the team in touchdown, despite only 6 receptions in 4 games.

It won't be an easy task, however, as the Vipers are currently the top ranked defense in the IHOF. The Vipers allow only 180 passing yards per game and have averages almost 4 sacks per game. And with only slightly over 100 rushing yards per game allowed, the Vipers stop the run as well. By adding defensive tackle Donald Bonner recently, they even bolstered the defensive line, although it cost them their star cornerback Kendall Thibodeaux. It might force the Vipers to play second year pro, safety Kerry Horner at cornerback. Of course, Horner is concidered one of the hottest defensive backs in the entire league a nd the #4 pick of the 2006 draft has his eye on the #5 of the same draft, Louie Flannery.

Two over performing teams or not, Maassluis versus Vicksburg is one of the top games of the week. Clearly the Faribanks NorthStarts (5-0) versus the Miami Sharks (4-1) is the top game, but the game between the Merchantmen and Vipers can easily rank second. The other two games with two winning teams will be crucial for both AOC teams in hunt of a playoff ticket as well as the European number one (Gothenburg Giants) and three (Paris Musketeers) face-off in Sweden, while the numbers two in the other two AOC divisions, the Syracuse Mohawks (4-1, Northeast) play against the Georgia Gridlock (3-2, Southeast). Combined with those two AOC top games, it'll be an interesting day for the playoffs race, especially for the Merchantmen.

MIJB#19 · 02-17-2005, 04:12 PM

Merchantmen Ran Over By Vipers' Ronnie Kemp
The Maassluis Merchantmen were 3-1 and had hopes, but the unbeaten Vicksburg Vipers came to Oranje Haven and sailed away victorious. With a 20-10 win, anchored by running back Ronnie Kemp, the Vipers won with ease. The Merchantmen looked ball all over and may wish to forget this game as soon as possible. With the Vipers 250 yards rushing, the Merchantmen defense set a new franchise low.

Charles Gomez wasn't there and it struck fear in the Merchantmen's front seven. The young linemen and capable linebackers looked hopeless and running back Ronnie Kemp ran all over them. With 182 yards on 30 runs and a score, Kemp sliced through the Merchantmen defense and set a new personal best. With 660 yards on 150 carries in 5 games, Kemp has moved up to first place in the IHOF on the rushing leaderboard.

Some in the Merchantmen organization think it was avoidable, but others claim it wasn't. Linebacker Cody Cluff said "We could have seen Kemp coming and gambled on the run all day." Running back Randy Harris (16 yards on 11 runs) disagreed: "We got stuffed on offense and couldn't have saved the defense, if if they had stopped the run." Cornerback Tai Wayne (pass defense allowed a 12 for 13 game) said: "Without Gomez, we have no pass rush and no pass rush means no time to cover the receivers." Quarterback Louie Flannery (2 interceptions, 16 for 35): "240 yards passing in such a big loss..." Flannery racked up 240 yards, but only because he had 99 on a two-minute offense drive to a touchdown.

Most of the Merchantmen players and staff members clearly wantto forget the game as soon as possible and the team is already looking forward to a set of three road games. Charles Gomez is expected to be able to play, being listed as probable, but Andy Weliczka will be missing, meaning all relies on the two rookies Shaun Shiroma and Andrew Rasmussen. Add Aaron Sherrill at the left end you'll have three starting rookies. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said: "Paris and Telluride are waiting, but first we have to beat the Fort Worth Fury. We did it before, but in our current shape, it'll be tough to even beat a winless team."

MIJB#19 · 02-17-2005, 04:35 PM

General Manager Notes
Ugh, that was horrible:
* 3 pass rush wasted plays on defense
* 24 yards rushing on offese
* 250 yars rushing allowed
* allowed a no-name quarterback to complete 12 of 13 passes
* another game where we don't force a turnover
* no big plays by the special teams unit, except Cary Coles' 48-yard field goal

The biggest thing is that the rest of the division keeps winning. The Bordeaux Vineyards bounced back after a 1-3 start and had an easy game, steam rolling 24-9 over the Forth Worth Fury. The Paris Musketeers pulled the upset, beating an injury-plague Gothenburg Giants team 31-21 on the road as E.G. 'The Great' Lumpkin passed for 3 touchdowns and 267 yards. Going to the standings, it's interesting to note that we still are the winningest division in the league and all five losses outside of the division were handed by the three unbeaten teams in our conference. The European division standings:

5-1 Gothenburg
4-2 Paris
3-2 Maassluis
2-3 Bordeaux

Next up in the division are only two games. Paris and especially Gothenburg can use the week off. The Bordeaux Vineyards will take on the San Antonio Volunteers (6-0) while we will play at the Fort Worth Fury (0-6).

It was tough to name stars of the game, but in the end, going by the rules, three players were rewarded for their effort of the following five players. Kicker Cary Coles scored a 48-yard field goal and an extra point. Defensive tackle Linebackers Carl Meier had 11 big plays on defense as he recorded 11 tackles, 1 assists and 1 hurried pass. Guard Butch White made 1 of 2 key run blocks and wasn't responsible for the only sack allowed by the line. Shaun Shiroma recorded 1 sack and 8 total tackles. Linebacker Cody Cluff made 9 tackles and 5 assists, of which 7 were big plays.

Overall standings:
10 points - Cody Cluff
9 points - Louie Flannery
8 points - Bryce Ewald
6 points - Cary Coles
4 points - Randy Harris, Tai Wayne
3 points - Brant Heinrich, Timothy Lacy, Carl Meier
2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott
1 point - Lincoln Gilmore, Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka

Were do we stand now on offense and defense overall? We did rank 3rd on offense and 8th on defense in total yards per game. We now rank 7th with 358 total yards per game on offense and 10th on defense with 322 yards per game allowed. At least we managed to kick Vicksburg from first to second on the defensive charts thanks to our last drive of the game, but what's that worth?

MIJB#19 · 02-18-2005, 11:26 AM

Gossip News: Locker Room Riots In Maassluis
The disappointing streak of two lost games in Oranje Haven has caused a big riot in the Merchantmen locker rooms. It seems that after the 10-20 loss against the Vicksburg Vipers players have been pointing to other players to shove off their own mistakes. Especially the rookie defensive linemen, running back Randy Harris and cornerback Johnnie Stidham were the center piece of criticism. Star player Charles Gomez' absence seems to have caused a big rambling of players claiming they are the leader of the team.

"The defensive line sucks big time. Charles is unavailable and the little kids stop making plays." Those are the words of one anonymus linebacker. In the meantime, the veteran defensive ends Albert Bernardo and Wally 'World' Wilcox are complaining about playing time, sitting behind no-names on the depth chart. In the secondary a couple of big role players of the 2006 season are not happy either. John Cole was demoted to a backup role, while Johnnie Stidham and Desmond Craig plummetted on the cornerbacks chart with the addition of Winford Endicott and return of Tai Wayne.

But the biggest trouble maker so far has been veteran guard Brian Hammond. Hammond was signed to backup youngsters Butch White and 'Tiny Tim' Lacy, but wants a bigger role. Hammond was reported saying: "The kids play well, I'm unlucky to sit on a team with two super performing guards." But we know better. Word is that Hammond wants playing time and since the Merchantmen need to win in week eight, there are signs they will play with backups in week seven.

Even more than Hammond, center Tom Schwartz is openly critizing the Merchantmen management. Schwartz was hired as a free agent to return to his old home. Schwartz was a fulltime starter in Maassluis in 2004 and started a few games with playoff reaching Astoria in 2006. But coming back in Maassluis, Schwartz finds himself digged in as fourth option at center, behind veterans Brian Hammond and Harold Hurtado.

Some football experts claim that the locker room troubles have been caused by the special training camp in Drenthe. One experts said: "Why on earth would you send adrenaline-driven athletes into the dullest part of the country to play chess on a bike? And wooden shoes dancing, what on earth were they thinking!" Wooden shoes dancing. Imagine Louie Flannery handing off to Randy Harris on wooden shoes. What's next in typical Dutch stuff: extasy and exotic dancers? The ex-factor is going to take over from the so hyped y-factor. Shaun Shiroma, Andrew Rasmussen, Aaron Sherrill and Omar Gougeon do not have the y-factor? These guys just plain suck!

Looking ahead, three of the next six games of the Merchantmen are against winless teams. The other three are divisional games, with one against each rival. They want to go 4-2 or even 5-1 in that stretch, but with all these locker room troubles 3-3 would be a longshot. There migt be only two hands ful of initial Merchantmen left, but the image of the first team to go 1-15 in the IHOF will always remain and haunt the Dutch team.

Randy Harris running on wooden shoes, no wonder he was held to 16 yards...

MIJB#19 · 02-21-2005, 04:15 AM

Merchantmen At Forth Worth Fury Preview
After a good start of the season, the Maassluis Merchantmen have had a minor setback and lost two straight home games for the first time since the horrendous 1-15 season in 2004. Coming up is a series of three road games, with two games in the States seperated by an all-important game at the Paris Musketeers. But as noted, first comes a different game, a game at the Fort Worth Fury. The Merchanten are 2-0 on the road so far, while the Fury have an 0-6 overall record. The Merchantmen even lead the head-to-head series 2-0 and yet there's still doubt on success. But why?

The why part is easy, the Merchantmen have a few injuries going on. Granted, the whole league is getting plagued by sore knees and influenza epidemics all the time, but the Merchantmen have only one, maybe two, irreplecable player: Charles Gomez. Gomez is the hearth of the defense, he breaks through the opposing offensive line to either stuff the running back or sack the quarterback. And if he doesn't makie the play, at least he keeps two or three linemen busy, givinf teammates room to make a play. Gomez has a sore shoulder and could play with some injections, but the all-important game might make the team sit him.

No Gomez, no glory. But not for the Fury. In Fort Worth, people are getting used to losing and this season with a new quarterback making plays, it isn't looking like it will be their first winning record season. Shawn Jahn may be a second year player, but he was so green as a rookie, the Fury didn't dare to put him on the field. And now in his second season, the former #17 overall pick is so far winless. With a completion percentage of just over 50, less than 200 yards per game and a 1-4 touchdown-interception ratio in five games, Jahr hasn't set the world on fire at all.

Much different is the story of a fellow first round pick second year quarterback. Louie Flannery has been showing great things for the Merchantmen so far. The fans and staff would be in love with 'Flan', if it wasn't for his on going struggles to avoid interceptions. With 7 of 174 pass attempts intercepted, Flannery sees his quarterback rating butchered to just below 76, despite completing 7.6 yards per attempt and having a touchdown pass per game. But this Monday, 'Flan' has a land mark game. He's going to tie the infamous 'Fumblin Justin' in games started for the Merchantmen. Flannery needs three touchdowns and no interceptions to tie the fourth stringer's all-time stats. Otherwise he'll only be out-doing him in yards (about 10 yards per game) and completion percentage (about 57 versus 51 percent).

But despite Flannery's minor struggles, the bigger question in Maassluis' offense so far is why Randy Harris has dropped his production. Harris has a career low yards per game average (60 yards) and scored only one rushing touchdown in five games.Of course, the total of 16 yards in the last game against the Vicksburg Vipers didn't help. And the more aggressive passing game doesn't help Harris to get the carries needed to rack up 100 yards in a game. Not to mention he's sharing time with Rodger Mowery, the team's off-season acquired 1,000-yard back.

This week, it won't be an easy game for 'Flan' and Harris. With 2005 All IHOF'er Ellis Mier, Jeffrey Lund and former #9 pick Joel Woodcock, the Fury have a strong defensive line. Their only hope is to see the offensive line play as good as they have been so far, above expectations well. If that happenes, Harris and the group of receivers can try to exploit the relative weak linebackers corps and the injury plagued secondary. The Fury's top two defensive backs, James King and Wyatt Harness are listed as injured, but could play, if needed.

On offense, the Fury provide Shawn Jahr with running back William 'Chunder' Wood, who racked up 4.8 yards per game so far. With ex-Merchantmen fullback Mark Burger paving the way, Wood seems to have a career year in an off-year for the whole team. But sadly for Wood and Jahr, offensive tackle James Jones is out with an lebow injury, while the other tackle Andre Brookshire is questionable with an abdominal strain. Maybe rookie wide receiver Jonathan Adams can live up to expectations. So far the two-times traded rookie has had 7 receptions for 64 yards in 5 games. Playing versus a relative good Merchantmen secondary, it won't be likely for Adams to have his break-out game yet.

Going into tonight's game, the Fury are clearly the underdogs being winless and never having beaten the Merchantmen before. But the Merchantmen have struggled lately and the two home losses were both pretty much sealed going into the tow-minute warning. But on the other hand, the Merchantmen could be detirmined to set things right and get back into the form that made them 3-0 starters. The orange-white-and-blue are ready for their first big win of the season and want to make it reality against a team that lost four of six games by a combined nine points. But of all people, 'Fumblin Justin' put it in the best perspective: "The 1-15 Merchantmen of 2004 lost eight times by one score. The only ticket to a winning record is winning the close games. We're 6-4 with Flannery in close games, Louie will tie my stats and lead us to 4-2 and back into the division title race." We can only hope so...

MIJB#19 · 02-22-2005, 05:16 AM

Merchantmen Remain Unbeaten In USA Beating Fury
In the previous meetings in Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Fury and Maassluis Merchantmen kept it close, but both times the Dutch team took the victory home. In the third game in the series, history repeated as an almost perfect Louie Flannery passed his team to a 24-17 victory. The defense had their share of the win, making the turnover battle go their way, despite being outgained in yardage. Randy Harris got injured and might not start for the Merchantmen in franchise history.

Louie Flannery was the player of the game in Texas today. The defense set it all up, but Flannery took full advantage all game long. The second year quarterback completed 21 of 26 passes (81%) for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sure, his yardage went down a bit, but that is to be expected when his wide receivers are covered and only tight end Jim Reiser (9 receptions) and running back Randy Harris (5 receptions) can get open to make the scores. Reiser set a franchise record with his number and helped Flannery to avoid interceptions for the first time this season.

On the other end of the ball, interceptions were crucial to stop the Fury's quarterback Shawn Jahr. Cornerbacks Myron Stevens and Johnnie Stidham have to prove the management they are worth starting opposite shutdown corner Tai Wayne as Winford Endicott will return from injury and accounted for one pick each. And just like the duo of cornerbacks, linebacker Carl Meier had his role on the line with a returning Mike Kershner, thus decided to make a big play and make the third interception. With that, the Merchantmen won the turnover battle 3-1 and helped out. Amazingly enough, the whole Merchantmen defense had made only one interception in the previous five games.

Variety of big plays can also help. The mentioned duo Stevens and Stidham made their mark on other fronts as well. Johnnie Stidham blocked a punt near the Fury's endzone. Safety Lincoln Gilmore recovered the ball in the pile of players and made the score tied 7-7 as the Fury had taken the lead earlier on a run from William Wood. Myron Stevens became the first Merchantmen player to record an interception and a sack in the same game since linebacker Ellsworth Thelen had a career game in week 17 of the 2006 season against the Gothenburg Giants. But unlike Thelen, who made 12 tackles, Stevens made only one tackle.

Ellsworth Thelen saw his playing time on the line as well and paid back with a sack as well. Add sacks from Albert Bernardo and Andrew Rasmussen and you see 4 sacks for the game to pressure Shawn Jahr into struggling. Jahr eventually had a decent game for a second year quarterback, but his 18 or 33 completed for 261 yards didn't look as good as Louie Flannery's numbers. The draft day decission by the Dutch team to trade up and take Flannery at #5 rather than Jahr at #12 looked like a good one today.

Looking back, the game was pretty much dominated by the Merchantmen defense and they allowed 331 total yards because they could allow then and they compensated with big plays. The Merchantmen offense did well on the short field and took the win well. After the game, headcoach Leroy Van der Woude couldn't be happier: "Team effort is the key. We missed Charles Gomez again, but the defense stepped up and everybody showed they deserve playing time. It'll be tough to put up 11 starters next week."

Les Musketeers are awaiting for the Merchantmen in week 8. The team from Paris is detirmened to win for the fourth year in a row at home against the Dutch team. With both Paris and Maassluis at 4-2, it will be crucial for Paris to be able to win tiebreakers, since Maassluis took the win at home. For Maassluis, Randy Harris might for the first time not start as he pulled a groin. It would be a bad timing as fullback Jamel Flannery is also still banged up. In return, the Merchantmen see three defensive starters return to the active roster (Charles Gomez, Winford Endicott and Mike Kerhsner) meaning there will be tough decissions made on who plays and who doesn't.

MIJB#19 · 02-22-2005, 05:18 AM

General Manager Notes
It's unbelievable, we're 4-2 and not even sitting in a wild card spot, I think I'm having flashbacks.

Like last year, we're having one heck of a season start and yet are caught in one of the toughest divisions in the entire IHOF. Being on their bye week, Gothenburg Giants kept the lead at 5-1, while we surpassed the Paris Musketeers at 4-2 each as we are 1-0 up head-to-head. The Bordeaux Vineyards are still in last place, despite being te first team to beat the San Antonio Volunteers. The Vineyars are 3-3, meaning all teams in our division have a better record than the leader in the AOC Southeast division.

On the schedule for week eight is the all-important game between us and Paris. Who wins goes to 5-2 and stays close in the race for the wild cards. The loser drops back a little, especially if it's Paris. The Gothenburg Giants play at home against the San Antonio Volunteers and one of them will see their second loss of the season. The Bordeaux Vineyards also play at home as they host the 1-5 Telluride Outlaws. For what it's worth, the now 1-5 Outlaws upset the now 5-1 Vicksburg Vipers this week.

Victory was ours and that means I'm going to credit five players with points this week. Butch White made 4 key run blocks (45%) and was not credited for 1 of the 3 sacks the line allowed. Louie Flannery competed 81% of his passes for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jim Reiser had a franchise record 9 receptions for 95 yards and 1 touchdown. Carl Meier made 8 tackles, 3 assists, 1 interception and defended 1 pass. Tai Wayne defended 3 passes and made 4 tackles. And desite 1 sack, 1 interception and 0 catches allowed, Myron Stevens goes without points this week.

Entering the points of this week to the overall standings, we'll get:
14 points - Louie Flannery
10 points - Cody Cluff
8 points - Bryce Ewald, Tai Wayne
6 points - Cary Coles, Carl Meier
4 points - Randy Harris
3 points - Brant Heinrich, Timothy Lacy
2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott, Jim Reiser
1 point - Lincoln Gilmore, Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka, Butch White

Loooking at the team statistics, we've dropped a few spots on both offense and defense. We're down to 99 yards rushing, 256 yards passing and 8 yards lost by sacks per game. 347 total yards per game is still very good, but the lack of a ground game is costing us opportunity to vary and keep the chains moving when needed. On defense we allow 140 yards rushing per game, which is too much, but it's butchered by Ronnie Kemp's wild game in week six. We're one of the better pass defense as we allow 201 yards per game and rank third in yardage won through sacks (17 per game). With 324 total yards, we're still in the upper half of the IHOF.

Last but not least, we're looking forward to the next game and we know that winning at Paris will be crucial. Beat them now and we can afford to lose one game more te rest of the season due to our head-to-head sweep (2-0). Lose and we're going to need to beat either Gothenburg or Bordeaux twice, which looks impossible as of now. But to be honest, I think our team should be motivated, remembering the 20-40 and 3-31 scores the past two seasons. Our defense is as healthy as it could be (except nose tackle Andy Weliczka), meaning we should be able to give the Paris offense a good beating. I hope we can do it and make it the second win in a new franchise record winning streak of five. Now that would be really great to see happen...

MIJB#19 · 02-22-2005, 08:42 AM

Gossip News: Merchantmen Admit They Rested Starters
It's uncalled for, unsportmanship like or simply "not done." The Maassluis Merchantmen management has admitted they rested a couple of starters for the road game aganst the Fort Worth Fury. The upcoming road game at the Paris Musketeers is apparantly too important to try to win a road game outside of the European division. Charles Gomez, Jamel Flannery, Mike Kerhsner and Winford Endicott didn't play, despite being fit enough to play a couple of downs. Instead, no-names like Henry Poston, Myron Stevens, Andrew Rasmussen and Josh Weisberg were playing.

"Losing wasn't an option," said defensive end Aaron Sherrill, "the Fury were too bad to not be beaten." Confidence was clearly there and the Merchantmen took a couple of gambles. The gamble to give interception master Johnnie Stidham a starting role paid off as the man of 7 interceptions in 2006 made his first of the 2007 season. Stidham also blocked a punt, which lead to the Merchantmen's first touchdown, but he didn't protect his receiver like Winford Endicott can make a one invisible all day.

On the offensive side of the ball, Randy Harris was held to below 3 yards per carry and that was mostly because his buddy Jamel Rosenberry wasn't playing. "Henry played well," Harris said, but he was clearly not happy with his new bodyguard. Everything backfired as Harris picked up a groin injury in the game and might not start in a Merchantmen game for the first time ever. Harris is the only player who started in all 54 previous regular season games. With Rosenberry still bruised, the team might have to look to either pass heavy or give rookie Tyrell Mahoney the ball, as Rodger Mowery lacks the endurace to run the ball all day long.

Victory in a road game in divisional play is the reason the Merchantmen rested their stars. In the previous three seasons, the Merchantmen were beaten by the Bordeaux Vineyards, Gothenburg Giants and Paris Musketeers in every single road game they played. In total, the Merchantmen are 0-9 on the road in Europe. But coming off their third straight win on the road, the curse might be broken. But after the way the Merchantmen handled the Musketeers in Oranje Haven, the Parisians are hoping on sweet revange. And looking to the last two games, they totalled 71 points versus Maassluis' 23.

"Europe is conquering the IHOF this season and the Merchantmen are not taking it serious." One anonymous league source has complained about the way the Merchantmen rest their injured stars. "The fans pay a lot of money to see all the stars. Resting a guy like Charles Gomez because he's only 99% fit is an insult."

Looking back, the game was won and the risk the Merchantmen took paid off, but it was close afterall. The Merchantmen leaned on three interceptions and saw Louie Flannery not throw one for the first time this season. A blocked punt that got recovered in the endzone accounted for the Merchantmen's first 7 points of the game and they are extremly lucky placekicker Cary Coles has not missed a kick in 2007 yet. It's only amatter of time before luck will run out and the team will lose again.

Like it or not, the Merchantmen are 4-2 and will play in one of te big games of the week. Two 4-2 teams in a divisional rivalry is a great matchup and having Charles Gomez in-game can make a difference. If anything, Gossip News will try to stir up things to make the Merchantmen lose, but last time it failed big time when we wrote about the locker room troubles. But the bad end of the resting starters means the Merchantmen have about 20 players who want to start in Paris. Try keeping all those hot heads happy now!

MIJB#19 · 02-23-2005, 09:14 AM

Merchantmen At Musketeers Preview
In a few years time, things can change quickly in the football world. Tomorrow, the Maassluis Merchantmen and Paris Musketeers will battle it out for one team to sit 5-2 and in pursuit of the division title, even leading if the Gothenburg Giants lose. The loser will be 4-3 and looking over their shoulder to the Bordeaux Vineyards, who are expected to move to 4-3. But why is this so special?

Looking at the history of both franchises, the best they ever did was going 8-8. That's right, 8 wins in one season, the infamous .500 land. The Paris Musketeers were 2-14 two years ago, the Maassluis Merchantmen even 1-15 three seasons ago. But with a new quarterback (the second new one, to be precise) both teams are aiming for a winning season and potentially a playoff ticket. And in a tight division, it ain't impossible for either of the two to get there. Paris and Maassluis can make the jump up in a game that is called an even battle by the experts from Vegas.

Old results are no guarantee for success, but the Muskteers have the early each, leading the head-to-head series 4-3, including beain unbeaten in Paris. It's been said more often than not, the Merchantmen have allowed a combined 71 points in the last two at Paris. The Musketeers would have sufficient confidence had they not been pretty much kept out of competing in the week 1 game at Oranje Haven. Quarterback Louie Flannery showed he's the better quarterback head-to-head with E.G. 'The Great' Lumpkin, despite Lumpkin having the better to-date stats this season.

Vicious sacks and tackles for a loss. That's what the Merchantmen's defensive front is prommising Lumpkin and running back Joe Boulware. With everybody back from injury, except 2006 seventh round pick Andy Weliczka, there are enough players available to make it happen. Especially the return of Charles Gomez is expected to strike fear to the Paris backfield. Supported by the excellent linebacking quartertet Cody Cluff, Carl Meier, Ellsowrth Thelen and Mike Kershner, it will be running towards the sidelines rather than the opposing endzone all day for the Parisians. Especially after stud tackle Howard Bingham went out for the season with an injury.

Even if Lumpkin thinks he can avoid the sack, the Merchantmen defense has shown in their last game they still can force turnovers. With three interceptions, good times seem back and the return of cornerback Winford Endicott has been called "very good news". Star cornerback Tai Wayne explains: "Winford is a winner. He's one of the best defenders in the league in zone defense and with him we can make sure the receivers won't get open." Wayne and Endicott both defended 7 passes so far, which are good totals for a cornerback, especially when they allow a total of 2.4 receptions per game.

Looking to the other side of the ball, the Merchantmen are not top fit. Running back Randy Harris has pulled his groin for the second time in three months time, while his fullback Jamel Flannery is still recovering from knee tendinitis. It means the Merchantmen will be needing great run blocking from the offensive line to help the backups Rodger Mowery and Tyrell Mahoney to make plays. Mowery so far had 27 carries for 5.3 yards per carry, but he's also recorded 3 fumbles in 6 games. And Mahoney hasn't had a ball touch yet. Lucky for them, the Merchantmen line, especially the guards, are pass blocking experts.

Looking back to week one and the expected lineups, there can be only conclussion: The Merchantmen will finally win a European game on the road. Granted, Paris has won all previous meetings at home, but the personnel they will provide is missing stars compared to week one, while the Merchantmen only face a problem with a limited running back. But seeing how the Merchantmen beat Fort Worth and Rochester on the road without Charles Gomez active, the should be no doubt they can find a winning way with their all time rushing leader present. Besides, Rodger Mowery is no rookie, he's a former 1,000-yard back! Go Merchantmen!

MIJB#19 · 02-24-2005, 03:11 PM

Merchantmen Europe's Best After Beating Paris
It took three and a half seasons to happen, but at last the Maassluis Merchantmen have reached the European top spot. With a historical 14-6 win at the Paris Musketeers, the Merchantmen did their share to reach first place. Charles Gomez returned to lead his defense to a day of haunting the Paris quarterback. Injuries took out three potential starters, but not long term.

The Merchantmen were doing a good job so far this season, but going into Paris, the team was seaking for something new. The orange-white-and-blue sailors never won a road game in Europe, but had won three in a row on the road this season. Beating Paris would have been a major achievement and the team made it happen. But looking back, it only came on some well timed big plays on defense.

Charles Gomez. The Merchantmen looked ost on defense without him, but with their inspiring leader back, the pass rush made big plays all game long. At the end of the day the total score was seven sacks, but more importantly was the timing of the sacks. Most came on crucial third downs and the final Paris drive was especially crucial. 14-6 down at the Merchantmen two-yard line, Paris were in a position to score. But a false start and a big run stop from Cody Cluff later, the Meerchantmen pass rushers made two big plays to end the game pretty much with four and a half minutes left, Paris never got the ball back.

Defense or not, Louie Flannery looked deep into the mirror once again. Flannery once again made the big plays, with touchdown passes to Gregory Monti and rookie Jerry Beyer, but with also two interceptions, he made it a difficult game for the defense. Flannery said: "I got to quit doing that, the defense shows up every game, but one interception less would really easy their minds."

Randy Harris finally ran wild again and kept the chains moving when needed. With 78 rushing yards on 14 carries, the running back showed up bit time and didn't look injured at all. Wit left tackle Ivan Jacques blocking away, Harris was able to make plays and finally contribute again after games of 2.7 and 1.4 yards per carry. But Harris was the last person to say the offense made the game.

Charles Gomez was back and everybody was going to know it. With 6 tackles, 3 hurries and 1.5 sacks, he anchored a strong defense. Cody Cluff (8 tackle, 1 interception), Tai Wayne (1 sack, 1 defended pass), Albert Bernardo (1.5 sacks), Aaron Sherrill (1.5 sacks), Myron Stevens (1 forced fumble), they all tried to contribute. Some call it a team performance, but with Gomez back, things are working out better on key plays.

With a loss from the Gothenburg Giants at home against the San Antonio Volunteers, the Merchantmen moved up to first place in the European Division with a 5-2 record, holding divisional tiebreakers over the Giants. It marks the first time ever the Dutchmen take the lead in what seems to be the strongest division in the International House Of Football in 2007. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude tried to temper the positive thoughts: "Remember, we were 5-2 last season and this year were only two losses away from last place in the division. Let's enjoy the momentum and see where we can get."

Coming up is a road game at the Telluride Outlaws. The 2004 Atlantic Oceam Conference champions have serious injury woes in their secondary and have given up on quarterback Norm Rizzo, the oldest player in the league, as they are 1-6 now. Winning there would be great and some even already expect it to happen, but the eyes mainly go to the big game in Bordeaux, where the Bordeaux Vineyars host the Gothenburg Giants in a game that could help all four European teams sit 5-3 at mid-season. Wouldn't that be something?

MIJB#19 · 02-24-2005, 03:12 PM

General Manager Notes
Sorry Paris, but we like the win.

Awesome, people, awesome. 5-2 is familiar, but last season we were hopeless in divisional play. At this point we already have clinched our best divisional record ever. And with Gothenburg losing 17-19 to San Antonio, while Bordeaux beat Telluride 28-3 at home, we're in one heck of a division. I think as a group of owners, we Europeans are proud on our progress. In 2004 we combined for 24-40, at this point we're a combined 18-10 and are the only division with all teams having a winning record. For what it's worth, the AOC Southeast division leading Tucker Tigers are 4-4...

Standings:
5-2 Maassluis (2-0 divisional)
5-2 Gothenburg (1-1 divisional)
4-3 Paris (2-1 divisional)
4-3 Bordeaux (1-0 divisional)

Next up:
Bordeaux (4-3) vs Gothenburg (5-2)
Maassluis (5-2) at Telluride (1-7)
Paris (4-3) at Vicksburg (5-2)

Looking to the top five players of the game, the first name is easy, the rest follows as they did a decent job. Charles Gomez recorded 6 tackles, 2 assists, 1 sack and 3 hurries. Cody Cluff recorded 8 tackles and 1 interception. Left tackle Ivan Jacques had 4 key run blocks and protected the quarterback excelently. Albert Bernardo made 1.5 sacks in the final Paris drive. Rookie Jerry Beyer had 3 receptions for 25 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown.

Standings
14 points - Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery
8 points - Bryce Ewald, Tai Wayne
6 points - Cary Coles, Charles Gomez, Carl Meier
4 points - Albert Bernardo, Randy Harris
3 points - Brant Heinrich, Ivan Jacques, Timothy Lacy
2 points - Winford Endicott, Jim Reiser
1 point - Jerry Beyer, Lincoln Gilmore, Andy Weliczka, Butch White

Overall statistics after 7 games:
Louie Flannery is completing 60% of his passes for 250 yards/game, with 10 td vs 9 int. Randy Harris has ran for 65 yards/game and 1 td. Rodger Mowery is a good change of pace back with 24 yards/game (5.3 yard/carry) and 1 td. In the receiving yards per game list the top three are Monti 54 yd, Ewald 55 yd and Reiser 55 yd (4 games). Kicker Cary Coles is still the #1 kicker in the IHOF with 11/11 FGs and the longest kick at 57 yd. Key run blocks leaders are Heinrich with 14, White 13, Lacy 9, Jacques 7, Hurtado 6 and Rice with 5. Rodger Mowery sadly recorded no less than 4 fumbles in 42 ball touches, despite his punt returning.

Cody Cluff ranks 3rd in the IHOF with 64 tackles, second in tackles per game. Albert Bernardo ties for 2nd in the IHOF with 5.5 sacks (in only 78 pass plays!) Other sack numbers: Gomez 3.0, Sherrill 3.0, Rasmussen 2.5, Thelen 1.5, Gougeon 1.5, Weliczka 1.5. In pass defense, Cody Cluff has 2 interceptions so far this season. Johnnie Stidham, Carl Meier and Myron Stevens each had 1 interception. Tai Wayne had 8 defended passes, Winford Endicott has 7 in 5 games, Lincoln Gilmore 4.

Team Stats?
Off Total Yards: 11th with 342 yd/game
Rushing Offense: 27th with 101 yd/game
Passing Offense: 9th with 250 yd/game
Pass Protection: 11th with 8 yd/game
Def Total Yards: 13th with 324 yd/game
Rushing Defense: 26th with 138 yd/game
Passing Defense: 10th with 206 yd/game
Pass Rush Yards: 1st with 22 yd/game
Turnover Margin: 12 give aways, 6 take aways

It's obvious, our key to success is the pass rush so far and we do it with rookies starting, while veterans rotate in from the bench surrounding the arguably best defensive tackle in the IHOF. Success or not, I'm still stunned how we can be 5-2. We beat Paris (4-3) twice and won at three of the biggest disappointing teams of the season in Ann Arbor (2-5), Rochester (2-5) and Fort Worth (1-7), while we lost to Vicksburg (5-2) and San Antonio (7-1). All the signs are there we're still stuck in .500 land. Oh well, enjoy the momentum and who knows where we'll end up at season's end?

Oh, I forgot something, how are the rookies doing?
On offense, RB Tyrell Mahoney (5.02) has been active in 5 games, but didn't contribute yet. FB Henry Poston (5.03), started in 1 of 6 games he was active and so far contributed with a 7-yard reception and a fumble recovery. WR Jerry Beyer (2.03), in 6 starts made 14 receptions for 241 yards and 3 scores make him by far the #1 receiving rookie in the IHOF. OT Norman Holliday (5.04) has not been active yet.

On defense DE Aaron Sherrill (6.04) recorded 3 sacks (#1 rookie in the IHOF), 14 tackles, 6 assists and 4 hurries in 6 starts. DT Andrew Rasmussen (6.05) recorded 2.5 sacks (#2 rookie in the IHOF), 17 tackles, 5 assists and 2 hurries in 7 games. DT Shaun Shiroma (2.16) played 5 games, recording 15 tackles, 8 assists, 1 sack, 2 blocked passes and 2 hurries.

MIJB#19 · 02-25-2005, 08:01 AM

Irregular Interviews: Louie Flannery Centerpiece Of The Hype
Louie Flannery is the new all-time leading Maassluis Merchantmen quarterback. In the win against the Paris Musketeers, Flannery lead the Dutch team to the lead in Europe for the first time ever. Coincidentally Flannery surpassed Justin McDavid in pass attepts, passing touchdowns and in starts to make Flannery all-time leader in attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns and starts at quarterback for the Merchantmen. With Justin McDavid on roster, he can technically still get past Flannery, but being a fourth stringer, it's unlikely. Who is Flannery and how has he addepted to living away from the States for most of the year? And what's his own take on his image as being interceptions prone?

Q (Questioner): Thanks for joining us Louie Flannery, how's life in the Netherlands?
LF (Louie Flannery): Well, it's different, but I've gotten used to living here.

Q: Are there special traits, traditions or anything here that you like in special?
LF: I dunno... The fans ain't crazy people and just let you do your shopping in the malls. We have a big fan base but people just don't recognize us. We're still pretty anonymous in the Netherlands.

Q: Shouldn't you have taken the "Life Of Louie" real life soap idea more serious and help spread the image of the Merchantmen in the country?
LF: It wasn't my decission, (Merchantmen owner) M.IJ.B. didn't like the people who came with the plans. Besides, I hear people can read all about the Merchantmen through the internet.

Q: How's the atmosphere after taking first place in the division mid-way the season?
LF: We're not there yet, the season is still nine games long. Granted, being in first is a major achievement for a team that was known as the league's laughing stock, but we're still two or three losses away from last place in the division.

Q: Of course, but 5-2 and going to Telluride, we're looking to an all-time best situation.
LF: Perhaps, but after the Outlaws game we play the all-important games against Bordeaux and at Gothenburg. Two match-ups the Merchantmen never won before.

Q: I see, the rendez-vous from last season, the drop from 5-2 to 5-6 has tempered expectations.
LF: Exactly.

Q: Is that all?
LF: Well yeah, we're realistic. We're 5-2 like last season, but this time all three divisional rivals are just one win away. We might witness a unique all-5-3 division come Monday.

Q: Okay, we know you guys are doing well, but you're personally doing well too. You just broke the franchise records Justin McDavid set in Maassluis.
LF: Yes, I know. Justin is a popular player and he's been helping me to learn the system. Justin is intelligent and knows all about the offense. Afterall, the system was built around him.

Q: But you kicked him out of the record books, there's no animosity?
LF: Not at all. We're a team, that's the big key in the Merchantmen organization. Everybody can play and everybody can be replaced.

Q: Except you.
LF: Well, I don't know whether that's true. If anybody would be irreplacable, it would be Charles Gomez. Just watch how the sacks production was with him and without him, the pass rush pressure doubles with him around.

Q: But then, who can run this offense when you're gone? Mel Atkins isn't ready, Shane Bower clearly failed when he was given opportunity and Justin McDavid is still 'Fumblin Justin' and not quite the quarterback he was in 2004, 2005.
LF: Nah, you're underestimating the team. The offensive line is doing a great job protecting me. The receivers group is deep in talent, Devin Henson is only fifth on the chart. And then you're even failing to mention Randy (Harris), Jamel (Rosenberry) and Jim Reiser.

Q: How's Jerry Beyer looking so far? The team gave up a lot to get him.
LF: Well, if you've seen his stats you should know. We connected for 3 touchdowns so far and averages 19 yards per catch, I can't complain. Jerry is still lacking the experience to get open more often, but when he's open, he'll make the catch and rack up the yardage.

Q: Will Beyer replace Gregory Monti over time?
LF: I dunno, Jerry and Greg (Gregory Monti) are different kinds of players. Greg gets open a lot and makes the catch. He's not the guy who runs over the cornerback to gain more yards. I think Jerry is more like Bryce Ewald, who's making a play time after time, if he can get open.

Q: How's the connection with Jim Reiser going?
LF: Well, I think he's very important. When the receivers can't get open, Jim is always open. But I really mean always. I don't think any other player in the league can do it like Jim. I think it says enough he's averaging 5 receptions per game.

Q: Okay, you've got the receivers, an offensive line that protects you. What can still improve on offense?
LF: Well, I think it's been clear that the running game isn't doing what it did last season. Perhaps the new offense is partial to it, but the loss of Wilson Grimaldo did hurt. I mean, Cornelius Rice and Ivan Jacques are great tackles, but not the run blockers Grimaldo is.

Q: As we can see with Vicksburg, Grimaldo is now blocking for Ronnie Kemp, the IHOF's most productive running back.
LF: Yeah, Kemp is amazing. He's from the same draft class as me and been maybe the best guy from te entire class. I mean, Seth Dwight is a great quarterback, but Ronnie is Ronnie. He's phenomenal.

Q: And there's Louie Flannery, who, when healthy, passes the laughing stock of the IHOF to win after win.
LF: I'll be modest and say it's still a team effort. Everybody is doing his share. Cary Coles is kicking like an eilte placekicker, Cody Cluff makes tackles, the defensive line, and I mean everybody, is haunting the other quarterback. And I'm confident Randy (Harris) will rack up the 100-yard games again soon.

Q: If you don't know something to work on, I do. What's with the turnovers on offense? Justin McDavid had his fumbles, you are tossing interceptions like a rookie.
LF: I was a rookie last season. I don't know whether 32 interceptions in 23 games is bad. It looks bad, but I don't get demoralized about it anymore.

Q: You learned to live with it?
LF: Yes. Big time. Maybe it helps to have such a great defense, they believe in me and every one of those guys wants to set it right for me and the rest of the offense so we can make a play on our next possession and get us on the score board.

Q: One last thing, what's your take on the complaint about you not being a mobile quarterback?
LF: I'm no Justin McDavid. First, he played with a weaker offensive line, he had to run and he's got the speed. He can give you 20 yards rushing per game, I can't. Maybe that doesn't make me a typical Merchantmen quarterback, I hear they want a guy who can run. But with the offensive line surround me, I don't have to run. They protect me and I can pick my receiver.

Q: What team would you fit in then?
LF: That's a nasty question, especially when we're playing the Telluride Outlaws on Monday. I know they are a team of tradition and it will be an honour to play against the league's most experienced quarterback, Norm Rizzo.

Q: Rumors are Rizzo won't play.
LF: I highly doubt it. I heard the Outlaws owner demands his team to beat us and I even heard they rested Rizzo to be able to play against us. Something about the owners wanting to beat each other desperatly. Go ahead, be competitive. The thing is, we have two important games after that and this game is ideal to boost our confidence. With or without Norm Rizzo.

Q: Okay, the plane is leaving in an hour or two, what's your take on flying back to the States time after time?
LF: It's exhausting, but we gained confidence in playing in the States. We won three games on the road there and only have one left at Columbus after this one. We've won four on the road this season, it should prove that flying a lot won't keep you away from winning.

Q: Okay, final question: when are we going to see that fake field goal pass you guys have been training on?
LF (with rolleyes look): We don't do that stuff. Seriously, Cary Coles is already called "Icecube" since he's been so cool, being perfect on kicks all-season. I'm just happy to help as the holder, as is Charlies (Martins) as the long snapper. Cary will make the points and the three points are currently safer than the seven or nothing gamble.

Q: Okay, Louie. Thanks for your time and have a good game at the Outlaws.
LF: You're welcome. I'll bring you a Norm Rizzo autograph. That is, if he's willing to do two for me. I just got to keep one for my own collection of memorablia...

MIJB#19 · 02-27-2005, 08:56 AM

Merchantmen At Outlaws Preview
"Finally!" That was the one word Maassluis Merchantmen owner M.IJ.B. was heard saying when he saw the schedule for the 2007 season. It was related to seeing the Telluride Outlaws on the program. The response from the Telluride Outlaws owner Buccaneer was propehtical, despite not knowing Norm Rizzo would return for another stint with the Outlaws, as he said: "MIJB, next season will not be a good time (competitive-wise) to be playing Telluride." And see there, the Merchantmen lead their division at 5-2, the Outlaws are already far behind in their's at 1-6.

Norm Rizzo, the oldest player in the IHOF, is the quarterback in Telluride. With him at the helmet, the Outlaws were 31-15 the previous three seasons, including playoff games and games played as the Stillwater Dynamite. But the Outlwas are rebuilding this season and seem to want Rizzo to retire as a winning quarterback and to be remembered from the conference championship. Wayne Christopherson has been given the call and is trying to copy his 2004 statistics, when he was concidered one of the best in the IHOF.

Merchantmen quarterback Louie Flannery is looking forward to playing against Telluride. "Every quarterback in the game wants to play against Rizzo at some point," Flannery said, "he's been one of my idols since I started watching football as a six year old." Flannery is currently doing a great job as the Merchantmen quarterback, the only thing keeping him from stardom is his interceptions figure.

Playing the Outlaws secondary, there's little to fear for the Merchantmen. Their secondary is bascially cornerback Gene Dalessandro and a couple of mediocre players. Slowly the injured safeties are returning, but not Hugh Jackson, who has been placed on injured reserve with a severe hamstring pull. Still, the Outlaws defense isn't one to underestimate, they rank eleventh in the IHOF in yardage. With a strong group of linebackers and a decent defensive line, they can make plays and stop most offenses.

The Merchantmen offense has been one of yardage and little scores. Ranking eleventh in yards and nineteenthin scoring, it's clear where the problem sits. Especially the production from Randy Harris in both rushing yards and total touchdowns is lacking this season. With the return to healthiness of fullback Jamel Rosenberry it might come back, but the interception proneness of Louie Flannery is breaking up the offense more often than not. And the change of pace back Roger Mowery has taken up fumblitis since he joined the team of Fumblin' Justin.

The Merchantmen defense has been one to fear recently. The defense is leading the league in pass rush pressure with sacking quarterbacks for a loss of 22 yards per game. That includes the four games star defensive tackle Charles Gomez missed due to injury. The Merchantmen are especially doing a good job keeping teams from scoring, as they ranked nineth overall with 17 points per game. Especially the secondary that seems to lack talent is making themselves shown by keeping opposing receivers from long gains.

The Outlaws offense is possibly without Norm Rizzo this Monday, but they're still no weak offense without him. Wide receiver Seymour Barber was an All IHOF selection the past two seasons. Granted, Barber failed to score a touchdown this season, but with 37 receptions it's only a matter of time he'll break out for a long catch and score some points. The offensive line is decent and could help Robbie Meader to have a 100-yard game at home, which would be his first since early 2005 in a home game.

All in all, the Merchantmen are still no giants in the IHOF, despite being tipped as the #5 team in the latest K-Ratings and RPI Rankings. Headcaoch Leroy Van Der Woude said: "The Outlaws are still a good team and waiting to break out for a big win. We've got to stay focussed and try to win this one. We should not look over this game to the important games against Bordeaux and Gothenburg, because it will guarantee a loss here." Let's help hoping the Merchantmen to stay focussed and win this thing. Last season they dropped from 5-2 to 5-6, they don't want to repeat history...

MIJB#19 · 02-28-2005, 04:00 AM

Gossip News: Merchantmen Training With Norm Rizzo Dummies
Once again there's some unsportsmanship reported from the Maassluis Merchantmen training facilities. Our reporters have broken into the facilities after the Merchantmen left for the road game at the Telluride Outlaws. What we found was aweful and showed of little respect to the oldest player in the IHOF. The Merchantmen have painted tackle dummies in Outlaws jerseys, all with a big 4 and the letters R-I-Z-Z-O written on the back.

Rumors are it was the idea of Wally 'World' Wilcox. The veteran defensive end once recorded 3 sacks in one game against the Telluride Outlaws. Okay, it was back in 2004 and the team was still named the Stillwater Dynamite, but the sentiments are there as Norm Rizzo chickened out of the game after one single play. Wilcox is reported to be willing to set a few things straight and is inspiring the rookie defensive linemen to join him in the team's effort to record to break the single-game sack record, set by the Outlaws at 11 two seasons ago.

Surely, it's a funny trick to play, to paint the tackle dummies in some opposing quarterback's jersey colors. The Merchantmen have done it in the past as they had special Duane Davis dummies, 'Super Mario' dummies and Seth Dwight dummies. The team's leader in sacks, Albert Bernardo (5.5 sacks in 78 plays) said "It's just an innocent habbit. It's our way to get focussed on the next game."

Norm Rizzo was quoted to be "Not impressed." The popular quarterback, arguably the most popular in the Atlantic Ocean Conference, has been riding the bench and might be sitting out the game. Af that is true, the sacks record could indeed be in trouble. Rizzo is known as a passer who stays in the pocket, but has the speed to throw the ball away in time to avoid the loss of yards. Replacement Wayne Christopherson is a scrambler and has the reputation to be a sissy when he's about to be sacked.

Pretty crucial today are the injuries to three Outlaws' offensive linemen. Center Marvin Goforth is doubtful with an abdominal strain and not expected to play. Left guard Adrian Rainwater, hired to boost the pass protection, is out with an hyperextended elbow. Left tackle Carl Ryan is plagued by knee tendinitis, but should be able to play with some injections. In all cases, ex-Merchantmen starting tackle Russell Malave is not expected to be starting. Malave is still shocked he got traded during the 2006 season, knowing the team would be refreshing at the tackle position in the 2007 off-season.

Just for the sake of it, Gossip News has filed complaints about taunting from the Merchantmen towards the Outlaws in advance. We can't say who said what, but when players are heard saying: "I'm gonna hit Rizzo's spleen", "He's gonna play his last game this weekend" and "Expect a couple of unexpected late hits on the old man today." Only linebacker Ellsworth Thelen, who's living tried to talk the trash talks down: "Rizzo is from New England, he's the pride of our state, I got to be careful with what I do or say. I want to be able to get home after the season..."

Controversial or not, the Merchantmen are going into Telluride after a game where they made a franchise record seven sacks. After the seven sacks, the Merchantmen have moved into first place at the sacks charts and they seem to be proud on the achievement, one season after dumping their expensive star defensive ends Harold Wells and Deon Chapa. Wells is currently disappointing with 2 sacks in 7 games for Bordeaux, Chapa made 3.5 for Rochester. Maybe the Merchantmen did make a good call there for a change, but thinking they can record a sacks record versus a good pass protection as Telluride's, which allows 2 sacks per game, that's a bit too much to ask.

MIJB#19 · 02-28-2005, 05:19 PM

Merchantmen Keep Winning On The Road, Beat Outlaws
The Maassluis Merchantmen keep upsetting the IHOF. With a 20-16 victory at the Telluride Outlaws, the Dutch team extended their winning streak on the road to five wins. It didn't come easy as the Merchantmen recorded 4 interceptions and 4 fumble. With a defensive good performance, the Merchantmen sneaked away with a win. A perfect Cary Coles and with Randy Harris recording a 100-yard game, the offense managed to make a couple of plays.

"It just wasn't my day," Louie Flannery admitted after the game, "I wished i could have done better against Norm Rizzo." Asx expected, the Telluride Outlaws had spared 'the old man' for the game against Maassluis and Flannery failed against his idol. With four interceptions and a fumble, Flannery couldn't control his nerves, but lucky for him none of those turnovers were major and counted as bad punts in the end. It appeared Flannery couldn't handle the pass rush pressure as he was sacked 4 times and saw 10 of 42 plays getting wasted.

Lucky for Flannery, the Merchantmen defensive line returned the favor. With defensive tackle leading the show, the fearsome pass rush accounted for 3 sacks, 5 blocked passes and 11 quarterback hurries in 56 passing plays. Norm Rizzo had a hard time, but eventually did pass for a touchdown and managed to pass for 225 yards versus Flannery's 212. But an interception from safety Lincoln Gilmore helped Merchantmen into good field position.

With the number of interceptions, it didn't look like the Merchantmen would win this game. Going into the last ten minutes of the game, the Outlaws were leading 16-6 with the touchdown pass from Rizzo and three field goals from Dwayne Calfee versus two field goals from Cary Coles. Coles with that kept his season perfect in kicks. At that point the game looked over as Calfee kicked off to give the Merchantmen the ball back after he converted a 46-yarder. Devin Henson fumbled the ball on the rutern, but a keen Myron Stevens picked up the ball and returned it for 66 yards for the score and to keep the game close.

So far so good for the Outlaws, Norm Rizzo figured he could connect withhis star receiver Seymour Barber to seal the victory. But a blitz from safety Emile William and a defended pass from Carl Meier ended their possession and the Merchantmen got the ball back. Flannery got his offense going, but the team was suddenly facing third and fifth at the Outlaws 19-yard line. The Merchantmen faked the pass and Jamel Rosenberry ran the counterplay in for a touchdown, putting the visitors 20-16 up with four minutes left.

Randy Harris ran for 101 and was called upon to seal the win in the following Merchantmen drive. The Merchantmen defensive ends rushed Norm Rizzo enough to give them the ball back and Harris ran out the clock until there was one minute left. Rizzo connected to his favorite target, with 12 and 42 yard receptions Seymour Barber made the big plays. With one play left from the 22-yard line, Rizzo got the opportunity for an heroic win, but his pass was underthrown and the game was over.

After the game, the Merchantmen headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude had a familiar speech in the press conference: "The offense kept giving the ball away, the defense made the plays and saved their but. Flannery is a great leader, but he can't afford to throw four interceptions another time." The defense showed up and managed to stop the one-dimenssional Outlaws offense. Allowing only 28 yards rushing, pass rushing 19 of 56 pass plays and recording 9 defended passes. Excluding the last drive, the Merchantmen defense allowed just 167 passing yards in 49 attempts.

Robbed win or not, the defense stepped up and Louie Flannery's teammates saved him by immediately tackling the interception makers, while three out of four times the Merchantmen recovered their own fumbles. Looking at the total yards on offense, time of possession, and third down efficiency, the victory was well deserved. But there are some concerns about the upcoming games against the Bordeaux Vineyards and at the Gothenburg Giants. Those two games will be the ultimate test whether the Merchantmen are legimate playoff contenders, or just a fluke. We hope the first, but fear the last. Will be continued...

MIJB#19 · 02-28-2005, 06:18 PM

General Manager Notes
And then we were 6-2. Six and two. The Merchantmen. Can you believe this?

I'm amazed and wonder whether the newly addopted zone defense shouldn't have been implented in our defense a season earlier. The pass rush is helping two, with Ellsworth Thelen and the defensive line, we're haunting the opposing quarterbacks and force him into bad throws, while our secondary records defended passes too. And now, we're looking over our shoulder as we're still the number one in Europe. Especially after Gothenburg won 24-20 at Bordeaux and Paris lost 24-27 in overtime at the Vickburg Vipers.

Standings:
6-2 Maassluis (2-0 divisional)
6-2 Gothenburg (2-1 divisional)
4-4 Paris (2-1 divisional)
4-4 Bordeaux (0-2 divisional)

Next up:
Maassluis (6-2) vs Bordeaux (4-4)
Gothenburg (6-2) vs Vicksburg (6-2)
Paris (4-4) vs Telluride (1-7)

Once again it's time to name the top five players of the game and again it's a tough choice but doable.

With 101 yards rushing and 5 yards receiving, Randy Harris was the main reason the chains kept moving on offense. With 5 tackles, 2 assists and 1 interception, Lincoln Gilmore was on of the stars on defense. With 5 quarterback hurries and 1 tackle, Charles Gomez contributed more mentally than statistically. Omar Gougeon made 1 sack, blocked 2 passes and had 2 quarterback hurries to help in the pass rush. With 3 defended passes, 1 quarterback hurry and 5 tackles, Emilie William contributed in his own way.

Standings
14 points - Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery
10 points - Charles Gomez
9 points - Randy Harris
8 points - Bryce Ewald, Tai Wayne
6 points - Cary Coles, Carl Meier
4 points - Albert Bernardo, Lincoln Gilmore
3 points - Brant Heinrich, Ivan Jacques, Timothy Lacy
2 points - Winford Endicott, Omar Gougeon, Jim Reiser
1 point - Jerry Beyer, Andy Weliczka, Butch White, Emile William

It's mid-season and time to give a closer look at our statistics. We start with the passing game. QB Louie Flannery completed 58% of his passes for 245 yards, 1.25 touchdowns and 1.63 interceptions per game. Flannery was sacked 1.75 times per game, with center Brant Heirich clearly being the weakest link with 5 sacks allowed. Only the yards per game figure ranks him in the top ten. The receivers are multiple and none really jump out. WR Bryce Ewald has 28 catches for 421 yards and 1 score. WR Gregory Monti has 26 catches for 399 yards and 2 scores. TE Jim Reiser has 25 catches for 253 yards and 1 score. FB Jamel Rosenberry has 19 catches for 135 yards. RB Randy Harris has 17 catches for 112 yards and 2 scores. WR Jules Benedict has 16 catches for 220 yards. Rookie WR Jerry Beyer has 15 catches for 256 yards and a team high 3 touchdowns. TE Arnold Ramirez also scored a touchdown. Rookie FB henry Poston had 1 catch for 7 yards.

The running game has been nothing more than supportive. RB Randy Harris is on pace for another 1,000-yard season with 555 yards. His yards per carry average is low at 3.7 and his 1 touchdown is also disappointing. RB Rodger Mowery has been doing well as change of pace back with 171 yards, 5.3 per carry and 1 score. FB Jamel Rosenberry adds 100 yards with also 5.3 per carry and 1 score. Rookie RB Tyrell Mahoney added 9 yards. The run blocking is a bit lacking on the outside, but good on the inside. C Brant Heinrich has 17 key run blocks (36%). G Butch White has 14 key run blocks (34%). G Timothy Lacy has 12 key run blocks (43%). LT Harold Hurtado (8, 35%), LT Ivan Jacques (7, 33%) and RT Cornelius Rice (5, 25%) are mostly supportive. Rookie RT Norman Holliday has yet to see significant playing time.

In the pass rush charts, the Merchantmen are doing a marvelous job. Backup DE Albert Bernardo is #1 in the IHOF with 6.5 sacks. Following are DT Charles Gomez (3 sacks in 4 games), rookie DE Aaron Sherrill (3 sacks), WLB Ellsworth Thelen (2.5 sacks in 4 games), DE Omar Gougeon (2.5 sacks) and rookie DT Andrew Rasmussen (2.5 sacks). Especially Gougeon (10.5 plays), Sherrill (10 plays) and Gomez (14 plays) are the big hunters on the team.

In the pass defense area, the team is lacking in interceptions, but makes up with avoiding long gains by defending passes and marking the receivers tight. CB Winford Endicott defended 9 passes in 6 games, CB Tai Wayne has also defended 9 passes. FS Emile William (5 defended), MLB Cody Cluff (2 ints, 4 defended), SS Lincoln Gilmore (1 int, 4 defended), LB Carl Meier (1 int, 3 defended) and LB Mike Kershner (2 defended in 3 games) are all helping out. CB Johnnie Stidham and CB Myron Stevens had 1 interception each, but have no defended passes yet.

In the tackles department, MLB Cody Cluff jumps out big time. With 67 tackles and 18 assists he's in the mix for being the best inside linebacker in the IHOF. SS Lincoln Gilmore (35 tackles, 14 assists), LB Carl Meier (31 tackles, 11 assists) and CB Tai Wayne (30 tackles, 12 assists) are next in line.

Team Stats?
Off Total Yards: 13th with 340 yd/game
Rushing Offense: 27th with 105 yd/game
Passing Offense: 11th with 245 yd/game
Pass Protection: 13th with 10 yd/game
Def Total Yards: 10th with 312 yd/game
Rushing Defense: 22nd with 125 yd/game
Passing Defense: 10th with 209 yd/game
Pass Rush Yards: 1st with 21 yd/game
Turnover Margin: 17 give aways, 7 take aways

For those wondering how injuries are hurting us, at the moment we're in the lucky position to be relative injury free. RB Harris, TE Reiser, DT Gomez, LT Jacques and CB Endicott are a couple of players who missed a few games. Especially the absence of Gomez makes it hard to determine how good we are as he missed both the lost games. For the next game, the main injuries are right guard Timothy Lacy (can be replaced by mentor/backup Brain Hammond, who is disgruntled), nickelback Johnnie Stidham (will be replaced by Myron Stevens with Desmond Craig being dimeback) while RB Rodger Mowery, LT Ivan Jacques and LB Mke Kershner could be used versus Bordeaux with little risk, I think.

MIJB#19 · 03-01-2005, 06:32 AM

General Manager Notes: The Do-Or-Die Phase
Okay readers, here we go, next Thursday we'll start the second half of the 2007 regular season with a stretch of games we never won before. Just look at the schedule an our all-time records in the matchups:

wk10 Bordeaux (4-4) - all-time 0-3 versus Bordeaux
wk11 at Gothenburg (6-2) - all-time 0-3 at the Giants
wk12 RayCo (0-8) - all-time 0-1, lost at home in week 17 of 2004
wk13 Georgia (4-4) - all-time 0-1, we lost in OT at them in 2005
wk14 Minnesota (2-6) - lost at them 13-33 in 2004
wk15 Gothenburg (6-2) - we're 2-1 all-time at home, but 2-4 overall
wk16 at Columbus (6-2) - we lost 3-13 to them in 2004
wk17 at Bordeaux (4-4) - Ehr, 0-6 all-time vs Bordeaux ain't pretty

Okay, we're 6-2, we can't be pretenders anymore, can we? The two losses we faced were a 50-50 game versus San Antonio and a game where Ronnie Kemp ran over us as we were: A not prepared, and B missed Charles Gomez.

So, what's up now, how are we going to beat Bordeaux at home and/or win at Gothenburg? Well, we'll play our own game. the Game plan we used in 6 of 8 games this season gave us 6 wins, 0 losses. But what's the plan?

Defense: Gomez and one of the linebackers will blitz so they stop the runner or help support the pass rushing youngesters. They'll stuff the runner or will force 1 of every 3 passing plays as no-gain. If the quarterback is going to throw afterall, we'll let the linebackers and defensive backs line up a zone defense in which especially the defensive backs all are regarded specialists. Wayne, Endicott, Gilmore and William will bat the ball down in 1/3rd of the remaining balls, giving the opposing quarterback a completion percentage of roughly 50%. That should do it, no? And if the receiver gets open and makes the catch, our defenders will jump on top of them before they can gain some extra yards. Most importantly, our backups are good enough to step in fresh in the fourth quarter to avoid a fourth quarter comeback.

Next is special teams. Our return specialist and kickoff/punting units are good enough to win the territory battle, if needed. I mean, Devin Henson hasn't broken through for a score yet and it is bound to happen in an upcoming important game.

On offense, the problem has been turnovers, but I doubt we'll copy the 4 int's, 4 fumbles game we had versus Telluride. It's Flannery's call, but starters our offense is balanced so the defense can't gamble and will have to be focussed all day long. Flannery has about 7 guys to throw to, while the offensive line has decent enough pass blockers to allow him to choose. And if we run, Harris and Rosenberry are a nice tandem to take advantage of the big blocks our OL will make.

That said, Bordeaux is only beatable because they miss their star defensive tackle Joey Hammer. Seeing how we did without Gomez (2 losses, 2 marginal wins) I can understand why they're struggling. But on further review, Gothenburg is 6-2 with a more shocking list of injured players. Especially at offensive tackle they're vulnerable and our pass rushers might take advantage and extend our lead in the sacks charts.

Still, looking to the schedule, with 5 games at home and just 3 versus teams with a winning record, I still think 9-7 should be our goal. It was at the season start and it still is now. Of course, sitting 6-2 and on top of the division, we can't sell that to the world. We need to win one game versus Bordeaux, one versus Gothenburg and at least two of the three winnable home games to get into 10 or more wins. I hope we can do it, but I've seen my team fall from 5-2 to 5-6 last season. Today we're winning with this team, but we could be a Flannery injury away from mediocrity. And this time Fumblin' Justin won't be the guy who can save our butts...

MIJB#19 · 03-02-2005, 06:41 AM

Merchantmen Versus Bordeaux Vineyards Preview
Okay, it's been a fun ride for the Maassluis Merchantmen, but tomorrow it's time to wake the lovable losers up. Being 6-2 and division leaders is quite the achievement, but the Bordeaux Vineyards are coming to town. The Vineyards are 4-4 and have been sitting in last place for most of the season now. The feelings of the three time European champions have been hurt and they're detirmined to leave Oranje Haven victorious. And they have condifence, the Vineyards did it in all of the previous Maassluis-Bordeaux games. Since 2004, the Vienyards swept the Merchantmen.

"If we're ever going to get a shot at beating Bordeaux, now is the time." Merchantmen star defensive tackle Charles Gomez stirs up the sentiments. "The Vineyards are missing Joey Hammer and are missing their guy in the middle of the defensive line." The Merchantmen lost Gomez for four games this season and went 2-2 in that period. The Merchantmen defense got ran over by Vicksburg's Ronnie Kemp. And now the Merchantmen's Randy Harris hopes to return the favor against Bordeaux. But some fear Randy Harris will be out ran by Gerald Harris, who's the tailback in Bordeaux.

"Not gonna happen," linebacker Cody Cluff said, "Gerald Harris is a wide receiver playing at running back. Besides, we are preparing for rookie Zach Sakurai." In Maassluis they already call him 'The Samurai' and the defense is preparing for him. Cluff adds: "Mike (Kershner), Carl (Meier), Ellsworth (Thelen) and I are ready for them. And with Charles playing in front of us, no way they'll have a 100-yard runner."

The passing game could be more of an issue, as Joe Johnson is a familiar face to the Merchantmen defense. In te past six meetings, Johnson completed 131 of 192 passes (68%) for 237 yards per game, 7 touchdowns and no interceptions. Tai Wayne and Winford Endicott look like a great cornerback duo, but they're no interception makers. Endicott has made 1 in 39 games, Wayne is without interceptions after 25 games. The Merchantmen have one interception specialist in Johnnie Sitdham, but he's going to miss the game with another knee injury.

Once again, key in the game will be the Merchantmen pass rush. The Vineyards allow 2 sacks per game and with a few linemen nursing minor injuries they might be fulnerable. And with the Merchantmen being the #1 pass rush in the entire league with 25 sacks and 169 yards in 8 games. The league single-season record is 55 sacks and 369 yards. But those records are a non-issue at this point. Wally 'World' Wilcox, part of the 2004 Leesburg Generals unit that set 49 sacks said: "If we keep haunting quarterbacks, we'll break those records without even noticing."

On the other end of the ball, there also some concern. Left tackle Ivan Jacques is not 100% fit, while right guard Timothy Lacy is expected to be replaced by veteran Brian Hammond. Not a great timing as ex-Merchantmen defensive end Harold Wells is returning in Oranje Haven. Left tackle Harold Hurtado said: "We know Harold (Wells). His production has been down a bit so far, but he's a two time All-IHOF selection with reason."

But if the offensive line can't protect Louie Flannery, the turnover mess from last game could return. Flannery threw 4 interceptions and fumbled 1 ball as he was sacked a season high 4 times. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude admits: "Flannery is still vulnerable when he's pressured. I think it will be another thing to look at for next season, we can't allow our passer to get afraid and make bad calls. Times like these, the fans might start wanting Justin McDavid back. Justin is a cool guy, but he's not the guy he once was. The knee injury limits his balance, it makes him pass less accurately."

Flannery good or not, the Merchantmen have been spreading the word they used three game plans this season and one of those three was used in all six of their wins. With five wins on the road, a franchise single-season record, and a win over Paris, they are 6-0 with the game plan. And with Bordeaux being 6-0 all-time verus Maassluis, after thursday's game either of the two will be 7-0 while the other drop to 6-1. After their first road win in a divisional game, the Merchantmen have set new standards for themselves and they have the confidence to make it four wins in a row. Let's hope so!

MIJB#19 · 03-03-2005, 03:35 AM

Maassluis By Bike,s With Myron Stevens
A new feature, which might comeback later on, is the Maassluis By Bike interveiw. Every once in a while your Merchantmen reporters will take a player, coach or other important person in the Merchantmen organization on a bike ride through the city. In today's ride it's second year cornerback Myron Stevens. Stevens returned a fumble for a touchdown in the 20-16 win at the Telluride Outlaws and is slowly becoming a popular player by the coaching staff and team management. Let's see what he's got to say.

Q (Questioner): Good afternoon. Myron, thanks for joining us in today's bike ride. Is there one place in particular you want to visit?
MS (Myron Stevens): Well, I hear the owner was born on the same day the first stone was placed for the local Sports Acoomodation. I'm wondering what it looks like.

Q: Okay, Myron, lets start riding there now. We'll hop on at the Maassluis West train station and start riding towards the Nieuwe Waterweg (New Waterway).
MS: Sounds good to me.

The interviewing crew and Myron Stevens start riding and reached the bicycle road located at the shores of the Nieuwe Waterweg, located very close to the train station.

Q: While we're riding alongside the water that's representing the Merchantmen element, tell us what happened on that touchdown you scored?
MS: Okay, cool. Well, what happened? That Outlaws' guy kicked off, I looked over my shoulder and saw Devin catch the ball. I started running to make a block and in no-time we're piling up around our own 30, I think. I see Devin fumble the ball and, in the confusion, I grabbed the ball and decided to run it back. To the amazement of all, it was no dead ball and I made my second career touchdown. The guys come running to me and I'm like: "Yes, we're back in the game!"

Q: It was an important play and to be honest, people around the league wonder what this kid Myron is doing on the Merchantmen roster.
MS: Why?

Q: You were picked up after the 2006 draft and were brought to camp as an undrafted rookie. Scouts around the league wonder what this kid Stevens would be able to do in Maassluis. How did you addept to the system?
MS: I got lucky I guess. In college, at Colorado, we played a lot of zone defense. I think I've got a sense for interceptions and my stamina helps too. I hear they like my type of defensive backs.

Q: But at 5'6" and 180 pounds, you're a featherweight and the smallest player on the team. Was it the adorable little guy admiration?
MS: I dunno. The Merchantmen have a good organization. I don't think they let starters like Wiley McGhee and Dennis Preciado go (Both got traded in the 2006 off-season) and keep me around if they don't have a little bit of faith. It would have been easy to dump me, I was an undrafted rookie.

Q: Okay, Myron, we're going heading right here. Little sprint who's on top of the hill first?
MS: Okay, get it on!

...

Q: Wow, you're fast.
MS: Hey, I did some cycling in my college period. This "hill" as you called it is nothing compared to what Colorado has to give you.

Q: Look, that roof top, that's the "Wethouder Smithal".
MS (laughing): Boy, that looks ugly...

The interviewing crew and Myron Stevens arrive at the Weth. Smithal and puts their bikes in the special bike holders. The enter the bar that is located adjacent the sport facility.

Q: Okay Myron, we're in "'t Smitje", what do you think?
MS: It's dark in here and smells like smoke. What's so special about this place?

Q: It's more about the the hall itself. Here, follow me, there's some memorial thingy around here.
MS: Show me, please.

...

Q: Myron?
MS: Wow, indeed. February 19th, 1981. I think you're right, the owner is like 26 and I remember him having his birthday around mid February.

Q: Let's see what sport their playing here tonight.
MS: Cool.

...

Q: Well, what do we have here?
MS: Volleyball? I guess this was all set up or something?

Q: Looks like it. I think M.IJ.B. (Merchantmen owner) is here too.
MS: They keep telling he can fly. Now I can finally get to see that happen with my own eyes!

The interviewing crew and Myron Stevens start watching the training, but since they're not attacking, no luck at seeing the owner fly.

Q: Okay Myron, we here you're going to be a starter next season if you continue to develop. Winford Endicott will be a free agent after the season and Johnnie Stidham's knee injuries are worrying.
MS: Yeah, Johnnie's got some bad streak of knee injuries this season. I'm not sure about Winford though, I've picked up the team will try to franchise him, or otherwise will try to trade for a cornerback who's having a backup role elsewhere.

Q: But, you might be ready for a starting role next season, wouldn't that be cool?
MS: Well, yeah, of course. I think I can still learn a lot and I hope to be a starter at some point. But I think I'll have to make a few more plays when I'm on. So far I'm just...

Q: Myron?
MS: Damn, that girl is hot!

Q: Myron!
MS: Sorry. I think I like women's volleyball even more now.

Q: You said you have to improve your play?
MS: Yes, I do. I've got about 47 catches attached to my name and only 7 defended passes and 2 interceptions. That's not a good average.

Q: Okay, so if you improve your play, you'll be a starter in 2008?
MS: I think that's up to the management and coaching staff.

As the interview goes on, all of a sudden a tall looking man climbs up the stands.

Q: Hello. Joining the interview is Maassluis Merchantmen owner M.IJ.B.
MB (M.IJ.B.): No, no, I just wanted to say hi to Myron. Don't forget to write about the game at Fort Worth. Myron saved the say there!

Q: Myron?
MS: Oh, heh. Yeah. That was a freaky game indeed. I managed to record a sack, make an interception and I didn't get a reception attached to my name.

Q: Awesome! That's the kind of play they want you to do and which will make you the starter next season.
MS: Let's wait and see. We're preparing for Bordeaux...
MB: Bordeaux is going down!

Owner M.IJ.B. jumps off the stands, almost twisting his ankle, to continue his training.

Q: You were saying?
MS: We're preparing for Bordeaux. Joe Johnson is a great quarterback and with guys like Gerald Harris, Josh Whitehurst and Toby Williams, he's always got two or three guys open. We'll have to play them tight and hope the defensive line can pressure him enough.

Q: Will we see you make another big play against Bordeaux that will win you guys the game?
MS: Well, we're brainwashed it's all team effort that makes us win and I'll stick with what I'm taugh. Play like a team, and we can win. If we're all focussed, we can make it happen.

Q: Alright then, thanks for joining us.
MS: Well it was cool, I think.

Q: Do you need a ride back to the train station?
MS: Nah, I'll think I'll be able to find it. I think I'm going to watch a bit more of this volleyball stuff. women's volleyball is cool and I haven't seen the owner fly yet. I'm starting to think it's one of those made up stories, like those people who write about their computer games on the internet and do fake interviews with their players...

Kodos · 03-03-2005, 01:21 PM

Congratulations to Maassluis on their excellent season so far. We're pulling for you!

MIJB#19 · 03-03-2005, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kodos

Congratulations to Maassluis on their excellent season so far. We're pulling for you!

Thanks.
Sweeping Boston and beating Syracuse could be helpful down the road, so please do so.

Time for the recap from the Bordeaux game...

3ric · 03-03-2005, 01:53 PM

Alone at the top of the European division, congrats Matthijs... I'll do my best to make sure you get company up there after next week though!

MIJB#19 · 03-03-2005, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3ric

Alone at the top of the European division, congrats Matthijs... I'll do my best to make sure you get company up there after next week though!

Thanks, Christian.
I'll do my best to keep you away from the top, though.

MIJB#19 · 03-03-2005, 02:28 PM

Merchantmen Finally Beat Bordeaux
It was the seventh game in their all-time series and it required a couple of miracles in the final minutes, but the Maassluis Merchantmen recorded a historical win. The Bordeaux Vineyards were beaten 17-13 in Oranje Haven. The win strengthens the Merchantmen's lead in the European Division. Louie Flannery took the game MVP honors, as the defense struggled for most of the game, while Randy Harris for the first time had a second consecutive 100-yard game.

One third down conversion in 11 attempts, 399 yards allowed and only zero defended passes. The Maassluis Merchantmen didn't show the best statistics, but they made plays when it needed to happen. With no turnovers, 2 interceptions and a couple of lucky mistakes by the Vineyards players, a historical victory took place. And no particular player took the credits. Louie Flannery got the game ball, but called it a team performance: "We're a team. Every game a couple of guys seem to have an off-day, but everytime the rest of the team steps up to make plays. The ride is fun and right now it keeps going."

Despite the not so good looking statistics, the Merchantmen were in control for most of the game. For most of the time, the home team was leading on the scoreboard and had nothing to fear. On their first possession, the Merchantmen finished a great drive with a 4-yard run by Randy Harris and the game was getting going. And after Cary Coles scored his 14th field goal in as many attempts mid-way the second, the win looked secure.

But not for long. Bordeaux got back in the game as Joe Johnson connected with Martin Mathias for a touchdown pass and they came short to get into field goal range heading towards half time. In the second half, Bordeaux forced the Merchantmen to turn the ball over on downs and punished after a long drive with a game tying field goal from Paul Fabrizio. Joe Johnson looked his normal self as he managed to work with the heavy pass rush, 14 of 45 passing pays were nullified by the pass rush.

The Merchantmen gave up possession on their next drive, but a huge interception from Emile William, his second in the game, gave the home team the ball back. On the next drive, the offensive machine got going and Louie Flannery connected with Gregory Monti on a huge 46-yard pass for a touchdown to get back in the lead. Being up 17-10, it was all up to the defense to secure the victory.

Bordeaux got the ball back and Joe Johnson kept making big plays. it resulted in another field goal and the Vineyards got closer in the game. With 92 seconds left, they got the ball back and got into Merchantmen territory. On fourth and ten at the Merchantmen 33-yard line, the Vineyards decided to go for it. Joe Johnson saw all his targets covered and started to run. As he reached the down marker, Merchantmen linebacker Cody Cluff ran up to the passer and stopped him inches short of the first down.

The game looked over, but the Vineyards had all their time-outs left to get the ball back with 33 seconds left. That came after almost losing the ball on the punt return as Toby Williams fumbled, but was saved by a teammate. Stting at their own 30-yard line, Bordeaux had to go for it. The Merchantmen had a flashback to last week as Norm Rizzo then had a long gain and failed on the pass after the spiked pass to stop the clock. Today, Joe Johnson copied the conclusion of action as he connected to Martin Mathias on a 51-yard pass, but saw Mathias drop the ball on the play following the clock stopping spiked ball.

Head coach Leroy Van Der Woude was pleased with the third consecutive nailbiter victory: "I almost got a heart attack on tha big play, but we got lucky again. Sitting 7-2, we're in charge now and probably only need 3 more wins to take the division, especially if we beat the Gothenburg Giants once or twice." With the action at other fields, Gothenburg has lost track abit, but can recovered in their own house as the Merchantmen are visiting the Giants. The Merchantmen should feel comfortable going there, sitting on a 4-game winning streak, beaing 5-0 on the road this season and having won the last game versus Gothenburg.

MIJB#19 · 03-03-2005, 02:49 PM

Editor's Note
By some mistake, the original post here was lost and since it wans't backed up, I'm not sure what it read. I do know it told about the historical first win versus Bordeaux, about Gothenburg losing to Vicksburg and Paris losing to Telluride to make the standings:

Division Standings:
7-2 Maassluis (3-0 div)
6-3 Gothenburg (2-1 div)
4-5 Paris (1-2 div)
4-5 Bordeaux (0-3 div)

01-31-2005, 11:11 AM	#701
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen End Bad Tradition, Beat Paris In Week One After three seasons of starting the season with a loss, the Maassluis Merchantmen ended the bad streak with a 27-17 victory over their rivals, the Paris Musketeers. Louie Flannery took the player of the game honors with 3 touchdown passes and leading the Merchantmen to being the top offense in the league. A couple of rookies contributed for Maassluis, but in the end the pass defense was a key element in the victory. The only downers were injuries to Jim Reiser and Ivan Jacques. The suspense is gone, the first real scores are in and the Merchantmen are the upset team of the week. The 27-17 victory wasn't completely unexpected, but the way the offense worked it was pretty amazing. The Merchantmen are once again lowly rated by some league sources, yet with an effective passing and running game, the team made a statement. And with the defense holding Paris off, except two big plays, there's reason to expect good things in 2007. Louie Flannery had to make something good against Paris. In his previous two outings he tossed 3 interceptions and no touchdown passes. With his best effort in yardage (269), Flannery took his game to a new level as he completed 23 of 31 passes. The single interception was a little downer, but Flannery was happy: "Everything fell together, the we've got some excellent offense here." With 438 total yards, the Merchantmen set a new team record against the team that set the league record late in the 2006 season. The defense had their moments of fame as well as the team allowed 188 passing yards with 4.8 yards per attempt. The Musketeers were forced to make plays in their running game and lead by Joe Boulware (104 yards), they did manage to record 11 succesful third down conversions. And without forcing a single turnover, you wonder what they did well? Well, te four starting defensive backs allowed only 4 catches all game in 42 passing plays, while combining for 5 defended passes. Of all the players, the performace of three rookies was mostly advertised. Wide receiver Jerry Beyer had only 1 reception all day, yet his sole catch was 61-yarder for a score, immediately showing why he was picked. other than Beyer, no rookie recorded 20 or more yards receiving. Sixth round picks Aaron Sherrill and Andrew Rasmussen each accounted for half a sack. They were credited together with Andy Weliczka and Omar Gougeon respectively. Overall, the win was credited a team victory by the management. Even as the passing game was effecitve (74 percent of passes completed), the running game saw Randy Harris rack up 100 yards on just 16 carries for a 6.2 league high average. The five linemen together accounted for 15 key run blocks, with none really being a weak link. Even though left tackle Ivan Jacques left the field injured after only three plays. The Merchantmen did see some injuries hurt them after the game. As mentioned, Jacques left early after seperating his shoulder. With Jacques out, Harold Hurtado will be moving back to the left, while Cornelius Rice will play his familiar right side. But even more serious could be tight end Jim Reiser's injury. By trading for Arnold Ramirez in the off-season, the team hopes to have addressed the issue premature. Next up are the Ann Arbor Anachronism, on the road. To take a win there, the Merchantmen will need a bit more to win the game. The defense will have to be more effective on third downs, while the offense really can't afford to lose the turnover battle against the triple A's. Quarterback Donald Woods is still on the top of his game and in his house, Louie Flannery will get a shot at showing what he can in front of the league spotlights. It's hopeful for him Jerry Beyer can come up with such a huge catch as he had against the Musketeers... __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail Last edited by MIJB#19 : 01-31-2005 at 03:15 PM.

01-31-2005, 03:14 PM	#702
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	General Manager Notes Tough game for Paris, but we take the win as a huge win. 27-17 and a new passing game record, while our defense plays some effective pass defensive play. I think some of our off-season investments pay off very well. Sure, losing Ivan Jacques to injury is tough, but we take the win over it. I think we'll miss Jim Reiser more next week. I think this win shows we're in good shape and can really compete this season. Being the top ranked offense isn't too special, but a first time 1-0 record is special afterall. And with the Gothenburg Giants beating the Bordeaux Vineyards 26-14, the French teams are both winless for the first time ever. The standings: 1-0 Gothenburg 1-0 Maassluis 0-1 Bordeaux 0-1 Paris As in the past seasons, I will name my three, four or five players of the game, depending on result. After this first game and te top showings of our offense, I have a few surprises that you wouldn't expect to see credited only knowing the score. The top 5: 5 points - Louie Flannery 4 points - Tai Wayne 3 points - Timothy Lacy 2 points - Randy Harris 1 point - Cary Coles Coles as our placekicker converted three extra points, but also scored two field goals, including a 57-yard kick with less than four minutes left in the game. Randy Harris ran for 100 yards and also had 5 receptions for a total of 29 yards.Timothy Lacy had 3 key run blocks in 3 opportunities. Tai Wayne recorded only 1 tackle, but that's because he covered his man well enough to not allow a single catch and record 1 defended pass. Louie Flannery had 269 passing yards and going 23 on 31 for 3 touchdowns. Next up is a tough road game at the Ann Arbor Anachronism. We've played them once, in 2004, and then we lost a nailbiter at home as running back Robert Gordon scored a touchdown with 90 second left to win 20-16. We have something to settle there, altough the strenght of the 2005 champions is not to be underestimate, despite salary cap woes. The Anachronism won 6-3 at home this week and have a tough defense with a scoring offense. The full European schedule: Gothenburg Giants (1-0) versus Columbus Architects (1-0) Maassluis Merchantmen (1-0) at Ann Arbor Anachronism (1-0) Paris Musketeers (0-1) at Minnesota Miners (0-1) Bordeaux Vineyards (0-1) versus RayCo Raiders (0-1) __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-01-2005, 05:05 PM	#705
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Gossip News: Merchantmen Bringing Back Jerry Aubrey? Well, we've all seen it, the Maassluis Merchantmen have started off better than ever before this season, but they saw Jim Reiser end the game with a triceps injury. Expectations are that Reiser won't be fully recovered for about a month and rumors are the management doesn't want to take any chances. Reiser recorded a franchise record number of receptions in 2006 and leads the team again thsi season after one game. Arnold Ramirez and Charlie Martins were called too green and the team doesn't want risking an aggrvtead injury. We know the Merchantmen, they trade and their target is a familiar name: Jerry Aubrey. The Merchantmen management denied all our assumptions and pointed to the two fullbacks Jamel Rosenberry and Henry Poston, but we should know better. Jerry Aubrey was popular in Maassluis, was their first All IHOF selection in 2004, but got traded to the Futility Bowl rivals of the Rochester Lake Monsters. More recently, sentiments got a bit different as the two teams had their eyes on the same wide receiver and the Lake Monsters won the battle. Another issue was how the Lake Monsters dumped two time All IHOF guard Gene Simmons like trash, while the Merchantmen reserved a 53-men roster spot for Fumblin' Justin McDavid. Getting Jerry Aubrey to return will be tough as a possible trade will take place after the week two games and week three has an interesting matchup, Futility Bowl IV, in Rochester. Rumors are the Merchantmen already offered a fifth round pick in 2007, but salary cap issues seem to hold a trade of so far. The Lake Monsters reportedly want a good player in return and the masters of trading refuse that offer. But then, it could be a trick to distract everyone and they might be getting their (temporary) replacement elsewhere. Guys mentioned so far were Anaheim's Mark Whittemore (5 receptions) and Columbus' Brian Peres (6 receptions). The second best option is reportedly Paris' Brian Spradlin, who had 5 catches for 38 yards and a score against Maassluis in week one. But as good as these guys play, the Merchantmen already showed a weak spot for alumni by bringing back 2004 staring center Tom Schwartz on the morning of the first regular season game against Paris. You read it here first, in Gossip News, the Merchantmen are trying to get Jerry Aubrey back. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-03-2005, 05:00 AM	#707
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen At Anachronism Preview Once every four years, the two most unpronoucable IHOF team will match up in a regular season matchup. Today, the Ann Arbor Anachronism continue their journey to regain the IHOF title in a favorable game in their Weena Eloi Memorial Park, against the Maassluis Merchantmen. Both teams started the season with an impressive week one victory at home. The Anachorism held the Minnesota Miners to three points in an overtime win, the Merchantmen amazingly gained the top spot in offensive total yardage against the Paris Musketeers. Ann Arbor took the league crown in the 2005 season after an impressive streak of fifteen conscecutive victories after starting out the season 2-3. We're just over a full season further into time and the Anachronism are battling salary cap woes and had to let a few contributing players walk off, most notable their franchise player, safety Jason Winkle. But even without Winkle, a secondary with cornerbacks Lindsey Liles and John Q. Ballhawker, and safeties Benton Harness and Isaac Graham is one of the best in the league. Liles could be seen as the weakest link as he's been diagnosed as severly depressed for some time. The Merchantmen have acquired two new wiede receivers, a new tight end, new fullback and two new running backs who will all see their roles against that secondary. Maassluis' top receiver tight end Jim Reiser has a triceps muscle injury and is not expected to play. That means that third-year journey man Arnold Ramirez takes his places and the roles of backup wide receivers Jerry Beyer and Jules Benedict are expect to be bigger. Quarterback Louie Flannery looked pleased with having about ten potential players to throw, to record a franchise record 438 total yards on offense. Pretty crucial will be the turnover battle. The Anachronism have been the IHOF's elite team in forcing turnovers over the past years, while the Merchantmen built a reputation of fumbling in 2004 with Fumblin' Justin McDavid at quarterback. In 2007, the Merchantmen dropped the figure of turnovers significantly and even saw cornerback Johnnie Stidham record in the league's top five with seven interceptions. In cotrast, Ann Arbor's quarterback Donald Woods combined for more interceptions in 16 games 2007 as he had in 2004 and 2005 combined in 30 games. All trends aside, the Merchantmen are the clear underdogs, and although they like that role and play their best football with it, today calls for little chance on a victory. Three of the Merchantmen's best players (tight end Jim Reiser, left tackle Ivan Jacques and linebacker Carl Meier) are injured, while most starters on the Merchantmen roster would be backups for Ann Arbor. It will require one hell of a game from both the offense and defense to beat the eight-point favorites. But with the Merchantmen, you never know when they have a good game. Three years ago, it was a touchdown in the two-minute drill that landed the Anachornism a 20-16 victory in Maassluis. And as people might remember, that Merchantmen team ended the year 1-15. The Merchantmen have won 16 of their last 32 games and have found their way to .500 football. Nobody expects them to win, the Anachronism fans won't allow their team to lose. And even at 1-1, it would still tie their best season start. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-03-2005, 02:18 PM	#708
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen Shock Ann Arbor And Move To 2-0 With a last second field goal, the Maassluis Merchantmen upset the Ann Arbor Anachronism 18-16 on the road. Cary Coles scored six on six in field goal attempts and took the game honors. Despite a struggling Louie Flannery, the offense kept making big plays at the right moments. Lead by Cody Cluff, the Anachorism offense was stopped a couple of times. The bad news of the game was the injury to the best player of the team, Charles Gomez. Weena Eloi Memorial Park, home of the Ann Arbor Anachronism. In 53 game before today, the triple A's lost only twice in their own house. In contrast, the Maassluis Merchantmen had won only six of 48 games on the road. There couldn't be a bigger miss-match possible. But the contratry become reality, the Merchantmen wrote an amazing scenario and won the game 18-16. But how? In the first quarter, the Merchantmen got first possession. Anchored by a nice 10-yard run from Randy Harris and a 19-yard reception by Jerry Beyer, the Merchantmen moved into the red zone and Cary Coles opened the score with a 27-yard field goal. And as the Merchantmen defense forced a punt, the Merchantmen took a 6-0 lead as Louie Flannery spread the ball around and Coles scored a 46-yard field goal. Going into the second quarter, Ann Arbor took a 1-=point lead as quarterback Donald Woods completed a pass to William Duenas. But in the game of stopping the offense and punting, the Merchantmen won territory. The Anachronism got the ball back, but Donald Woods' problem of last season showed up as his pass got intercepted by linebacker Cody Cluff on Ann Arbor's half. Flannery and his offense failed, but Coles was sharp and converted a 24-yard kick. With a brilliant two-minute drill from Flannery, anchored by two catched by Bryce Ewald, a 51-yard kick was setup and Coles scored. In the third quarter, the Merchantmen played te stop and punt game not so well and Woods again found Duenas for a score. Being 13-12 up, going for the two-pointer made sense, but Garrett Freitas was stopped by Aaron Sherrill. In the next drive, Louie Flannery tossed an interception to Lindsey Liles, which resulted in a 16-yard field goal from kicker Ann Arbor. The 16-12 lead was there, but the game was far from over. The Merchantmen offense started making mistakes more than before, yet the team managed to keep punting and the Anachronism broke. Rookie cornerback Chris Zimmerman fumbled a punt return in Merchantmen territory and the Dutch visitors got lucky to get the ball back. A couple of nice catches by, again, Bryce Ewald put the team back in scoring position and Cary Coles sscored a 33-yard kick to shorten the Ann Arbor lead. The Merchantmen played the punt and defend terrain game well in the last ten minutes and got the ball back at their own 30-yard line with 99 seconds left. An amazing 50-yard bomb to Gregory Monti was called back for a penalty, but Flannery found Bryce Ewald for an amzing fourth down conversion shortly after. Still in their own half, Flannery had to try another bomb and found Ewald again, now for a 36-yard reception. Again, Ewald ran out of bounds and the visitors reached the red zone with half a minute left. Randy Harris shortened the distance, followed by a spiked pass from Flannery. Cary Coles converted the 31-yard kick. Although there was a kickoff, the retuner was tackled by Cody Cluff midway the field to end the game. For the game, Flannery completed just 19 of 44 passes, but when he was needed, he managed to find the right guy to make a play. Bryce Ewald was clearly the big hero with 8 receptions for 137 yards. But without Jim Reiser, Flannery clearly struggled and the next game could be another tough one. "It's an easy escape, really," Flannery explains, "Jimmy [Reiser] is always open and can be reached for the short gain." In Reiser's absence, Arnold Ramirez had just 2 catches, but made up with 2 key run blocks and a crucial forced fumble. Charm of the team was Cody Cluff, as always. With 10 tackles and an interception, Cluff made difference. Although, it does mask the furter defensive play as keeping Donald Woods to below 300 yards and a completion percentage of 60. With 3 sacks and no less than 8 defended passes, the defense made plays. Especially Winford Endicott's 3 defended passes jumped out. Shutdown corner Tai Wayne said: "Winford is a winner. He perfectly fits the system and bats down 3 passes per game, he's a cool guy to team up with." Despite the win, the Merchantmen again took a blow on the injury front. Defensive tackle and star player Charles Gomez left the game in the fourth quarter with a strained deltoid muscle and is ruled out for up to three games. Linebacker Mike Kershner joined the list of injured linebackers with a knee tendonitis. "The defense is taking blow after blow," said head coach Leroy Van Der Woude, "but we'll see Carl Meier back next week. Plus, the secondary is making some progress this season as well." Sitting at two wins, the expectations in Oranje Haven are getting high. The Merchatmen are one of ten unbeaten teams, but seven of those are from the Atlantic Ocean Conference. "All our rivals won, so we don't make progress, despite beating a top team," said tackle Harold Hurtado "I guess we'll have to win the Futility Bowl again." Hurtado knows what he's talking about, next up is the matchup between the two lowest graded teams in the IHOF. The Rochester Lake Monsters will host the Merchantmen next week, knowing they lost the matchup in Maassluis last season. And the Monster are 0-2 and can't use another loss in their hunt for a playoff ticket. Quarteback Jackie Williamson is expected to sit out the game not being 100% healthy after reconstrucitve knee surguery. The Lake Monsters acquired quarterback Eugene Westcott to fill in, but in two games he tossed 4 picks and for only 320 yards. But the Merchantmen know this guy, Westcott guided the Paris Musketeers to a league record offensive yardage total aganst Maassluis and he'll remember some of the defense's faces. 2-0 or not, the Merchantmen will be underdogs in Futility Bowl IV. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-01-2005, 07:24 PM	#706
Kodos Resident Alien Join Date: Jun 2001	Who is the Jerry Aubrey you speak of?

02-03-2005, 03:30 PM	#709
Kodos Resident Alien Join Date: Jun 2001	You screwed up our chance for the playoffs last year. Maybe we can return the favor in 2007.

02-03-2005, 03:33 PM	#710
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	General Manager Notes Okay, this is getting weird, the Merchantmen 2-0? We're missing three of our five best players and yet we win on the road at the Ann Arbor Anachronism. The coolest part is that we're the first AOC team to have recorded a win against all past NAC champions (Ann Arbor, Chesapeake and Fairbanks). I think that's quite the performance we've shown in the past three seasons. Despite our amazing victory, our divisional rivals all recorded bigger wins. The Paris Musketeers saw E.G. Lumpkin pass for four touchdowns to a 34-28 win at and against the Minnesota Miners' strong defense. The Bordeaux Vinyerads overcame trailing 10-0 at home and trashed the RayCo Raiders 31-10. The Gothenburg Giants beat the only team to record a shutout this season, the Columbus Architects, by 14-3. The standings: 2-0 Gothenburg 2-0 Maassluis 1-1 Bordeaux 1-1 Paris Since we won, I'll have to name five players who were worth rating as our five best of the day. Ny top five of today include Cary Coles, who was six-on-six in field goals. Cody Cluff who recorded 10 tackles and an interception made it. Winford Endicott made it with 3 defended passes and no catches allowed. Bryce Ewald's 8 receptions were a franchise record, as were his 137 yards receiving. Charles Gomez had a normal game with 1 sack, 4 tackles and 2 quarterback hurries. 5 points - Bryce Ewald 4 points - Cody Cluff 3 points - Cary Coles 2 points - Winford Endicott 1 point - Charles Gomez Our next opponents are the Rochester Lake Monsters. Sure, the past two games were big wins for us and we have beaten the Monsters last time around, but the injuries to four our top five players worry me. Jim Reiser, Charles Gomez, Carl Meier and Ivan Jacques, all are injured. Meier will play, but he;s only replacing the also injured Mike Kershner. And we'll still miss Willy Wilcox, although Shaun Shiroma returns. The full European schedule this week: Gothenburg Giants (2-0) versus Tucker Tigers (1-1) Maassluis Merchantmen (2-0) at Rochester Lake Monsters (0-2) Bordeaux Vineyards (1-1) at North Plainfield Plague (2-0) Paris Musketeers (1-1) versus Conyers Condors (0-2) For those wondering how we're faring after two games in stats categories and all, here's the overall stats: Passing 249 ypg (9th), 56% (18th), 6.6 ypa (20th), 3.5 sk ypg (12th) Rushing 130 ypg (13th), 4.7 ypc (6th) Pass Def 227 ypg (21st), 54% (10th), 6.1 ypa (12th) 21.0 sk ypg (4th) Run Def 104 ypg (6th), 4.1 ypc (21st) Ind. Rushing: Harris 76 ypg (4.8 ypc), Mowery 33 ydp (5.4 ypc), Rosenberry 20 ypg (4.4 ypc) Ind. Receiving: Ewald 80 ypg, Beyer 43 ypg, Reiser 33 ypg, Monti 32 ypg Rodger Mowery ranked 3rd in punt return yardage with 42 yards and a 10.5 average; Devin Henson averages 24.5 yards per kick off return (only 2 touches); Cary Coles leads the league in field goals with 8 and in points with 27; Cody Cluff's 20 tackles rank him sixth overall; Charles Gomez and Omar Gougeon have 1.5 sacks each, which make them rank in the top 20; Winford Endicott leads the league with 6 defended passes; Harold Hurtado had 5 key run blocks, but Timothy Lacy's 4 in 5 opportunities is more impressive. Rookie watch: WR Jerry Beyer has recorded 3 catches for 95 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown DT Shaun Shiroma has been injured, but will play in week three RB Tyrell Mahoney was active against Ann Arbor FB Henry Poston so far had 1 reception for 7 yards and recovered an opponent fumble RT Norman Holliday was active but didn´t play against Ann Arbor DE Aanron Sherrill had 1.0 sacks and made a crucial tackle in the Ann Arbor win DT Andrew Rasmussen had 0.5 sacks and 1 tackle so far __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-07-2005, 06:25 AM	#712
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Futility Bowl IV Preview, Merchantmen First Time Favorites It's an old story, but at least the Maassluis Merchantmen love to keep reminding people about the history of this matchup. Any game played against the Rochester Lake Monsters will be called Futility Bowl until the end of days, how good or bad both teams are. The International House Of Football has three seasons of history and the Maassluis-Rochester match-up is one of few inter-divisional games that have been played in every single season so far. And by the luck of 2006 records, the two teams will meet again. The name of the rivalry is as old as the league itself. The two teams from Maassluis and Rochester were called the instant favorites in the battle for last place in the IHOF. The Lake Monsters surprized with a 4-2 start and a 6-10 season end, while the Merchantmen fulfilled the prophecy and went a league worst 1-15. There is a new feature into this sort-of rivalry as Futility Bowl IV is the first edition played at Rochester. The schedule makers planned all previous editions in Maassluis, which means the Lake Monsters' fans finally get to see the Merchentmen in their house. Last season, the Merchantmen ended the losing streak with a 20-10 victory. Randy Harris ran for 159 yards and Louie Flannery passes for two scores to somewhat make the losses in earlier editions livable. The lake Monsters had won in shockers in 2004 (27-25) and 2005 (15-10). The Lake Monsters don't have high hopes for their first Futility Bowl at home. Quarterback Jackie Williamson is still not 100% ready after knee surgery. The only hope they have in stand-in quarterback Eugene Westcott is that the Merchantmen fear him after getting written into the record books with a league worst defensive performance against him. The Merchantmen are 2-0 and could be called favorites on paper, playing an 0-2 team. But the Merchantmen have injury issues themselves, missing star tight end Jim Reiser, All IHOF defensive tackle Charles Gomez, 100 tackles linebacker Ellsworth Thelen and new left tackle Ivan Jacques. Vegas gives the Lake Monsters a four-point handicap. The entertainment factor in the rivalry has grown big time this past off-season. Both team saw landmark players return from injury. But where Maassluis worked hard to retain quarterback Fumblin' Justin McDavid, the Lake Monsters released guard Gene Simmons. The Merchantmen management called the Monsters' out for this lack of sentiments. But the Lake Monsters quickly returned the favor. They snagged up free agent receiver Frederick Cabe and called rumors about trading tight end Jerry Aubrey back to Maassluis non-sense. And with reason, the Merchantmen traded Aubrey like a stack of old paper, trying to make sure they get at least something in return for the former All IHOF selection. With a recent trade, the rivalry heated up even more as the Lake Monsters received left tackle Darrin Olive in trade. This was pretty ironic as Olive came to Maassluis in a trade that cost them left tackle Edgar Dunkin. Dunkin was acquired from Rochester in 2006. And then we fail to mention Harold Hurtado, which left tackle was traded from Rochester to Maassluis in 2004. In the end, it's easy to point out the alumni on the other team's rosters. It seems the Merchantmen and Lake Monsters' managements have always had their eyes on the same players. This last draft, sentiments were back again as the Merchantmen traded up in the draft to take wide receiver Travis Joseph. Of course, they traded him for Jerry Beyer, but the Lake Monsters were not happy. The latest story in the long list of incidents has been around another player. The IHOF has a tradition of nicknames, hence Justin McDavid being called Fumblin' Justin. The Merchantmen drafted Shaun Shiroma, why was issued by the Lake Monsters' management as should be nicknamed "My Sharona". The Merchantmen refused and the Lake Monsters have made comments about it recently. For both teams this game could be a season make-or-break game. The Lake Monsters have never started worse than 4-2 and they would be 0-3 with a loss. The Merchantmen were 2-1 the past two seasons, but never won three games going into their open weekend. In the end, both teams aim for a playoff ticket and last season the Lake Monsters came one win short and still blame it on Futilty Bowl III... __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-07-2005, 10:56 AM	#713
Kodos Resident Alien Join Date: Jun 2001	You're going down!!!

02-07-2005, 02:59 PM	#714
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen Remain Unbeaten, Win At Rochester In an exciting game, the Maassluis Merchantmen set another step in their impressive season start. With a 21-19 victory at the Rochester Lake Monsters, the Dutch team are three out of three and already tie their 2006 win total on the road. Louie Flannery trashed the the single game passing yards franchise record, despite struggles. The offense again set a new total yards high. The young defensive line impressed once again, while wide receiver Jerry Beyer had another big play. The final score was perhaps close at 21-19, but the Merchantmen for the second time this season dominated a game of football. With an impressive passing game on offense and big plays when needed on defense, the Merchantmen allowed only one offensive touchdown and won the game basically on a fumble return by wide receiver Bryce Ewald from 13 yards out after fullback Jamel Rosenberry fumbled on a 14-yard run. Rochester's punter Michael Helgeson's four field goals kept the game closer than the stats show. Even a touchdown pass from the feared Euguene Westcott to the much desired Frederick Cabe didn't upset the Merchantmen. With 381 passing yards on 24 of 31 completed passes, Louie Flannery finally came into the record books as the franchise record holder. Flannery outdid the previous single game best, set by Justin McDavid at 294 yards with a big margin. Flannery's two interceptions were nullified with a touchdown pass and forgiven by the overall performance. The passing yardage accounted for the lionshare to break the recently set total yards franchise record again. The new mark was set at 457 yards, 19 more as in week one against the divisional rivals from Paris. Flannery spread the ball around and made connections with nine different players. Bryce Ewald (6 catches for 98 yards) and Gregory Monti (6 catches for 88 yards) took the load of the yardage and proved they have rightfully been around for so long. Rookie Jerry Beyer showed his potential again with a single 46-yard reception, while newcomer Jules Benedict had his best game in Maassluis with 4 catches for 42 yards. The yardage was necessary as star running back Randy Harris was held to only 47 yards from scrimmage all day. After the game, the Merchantmen management especially praised the defensive line of the team. With 8 of 28 broken passing plays, the pressure was on the Rochester quarterback all game long. Veteran Albert Bernardo was the biggest player on the line with 1.5 sacks in only limited action as a backup. The management prefers to play youngesters Omar Gougeon and Aaron Sherrill so far. And next week Wally 'World' Wilcox will make his first appearance for the Merchantmen. And in the meantime, the young defensive tackles Andy Welickza and Andrew Rasmussen made the absence of Charles Gomez go by unmentioned on the pass rush. Although, without Charles Gomez active, the run defense really suffered. In the shadows of the defensive line, linebacker Cody Cluff moved up to first place in the IHOF with 32 tackles. The key player on defense made 12 tackles and defended a pass against Rochester, but couldn't avoid the home team to rack up 154 yards on the ground. Cluff is more and more living up to expectations after taking the Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2004. With 32 tackles, 1 interception and 3 defended passes, Cluff is getting a lot of looks by the defensive football fans. Next up for Maassluis is a home game, the second of the season. The San Antonio Volunteers are coming overseas and want to extend their winning streak to four, just like the Merchantmen. San Antonio quarterback John McMasters ranks second in the IHOF with 902 passing yards, just before number three Louie Flannery (878 yards) and behind the number one Joey Allen (939 yards). Whether the Merchantmen can win this game or not, a 3-1 start would be the best in franchise history. Going into the open weekend 4-0 would be just a bonus. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-07-2005, 03:07 PM	#715
Kodos Resident Alien Join Date: Jun 2001	Nice win, Merchantmen. My pass defense is pathetic this year, and we've yet to record a sack.

02-07-2005, 03:50 PM	#716
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	General Manager Notes And then we were 3-0. 3-0... 3-0, baby! Can you believe that? We go into Rochester without Jim Reiser, Charles Gomez and Ivan Jacques, but we still manage to win 21-19. And the best thing is perhaps how we outscored them in yardage, with 457-290 total offense. I can't understand what's going on here, but I assume we're doing something right and that Flannery brings out the best in all of our receivers. Sadly for us, our divisional rivals also keep winning. The Gothenburg Giants won their third gome game in a row, this time edging past the Tucker Tigers, 27-17. The Paris Musketeers played their first home game and saw punter Keith Horne score a game winning 54-yard field goal in overtime for a 26-23 win over the Conyers Condors. Only the Bordeaux Vineyards had a tough time, asthey had little options to make points at the North Plainfield Plague, going down 6-21. Thats keeps us in second in the division as one of seven 3-0 teams in the Atlantic Ocean Conference. 3-0 Gothenburg 3-0 Maassluis 2-1 Paris 1-2 Bordeaux After another victory, I will give 5 points to our best player of the game. Who are my top five stars this week? Andy Weliczka made 4 tackles and 1 sack, while also forcing a fumble. Albert Bernardo saw limited time, but yet make 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Bryce Ewald had 98 yards receiving and returned a fumble 13 yards for a score. Cody Cluff had 12 tackles and defended 1 pass. Louie Flannery passed for 381 yards and a score, but also 2 interceptions. 5 points - Cody Cluff 4 points - Louie Flannery 3 points - Bryce Ewald 2 points - Albert Bernardo 1 point - Andy Weliczka Overall standings: 9 points - Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery 8 points - Bryce Ewald 4 points - Cary Coles, Tai Wayne 3 points - Timothy Lacy 2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott, Randy Harris 1 point - Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka And our next hurdle in the race to go 16-0 are the also 3-0 San Antonio Volunteers. We're still without Charles Gomez and I really expect us to go down big at home. Maybe the debut of Wally Wilcox and return of Ivan Jacques will help, but I'm not fully convinced we can win. The full European schedule this week: Maassluis Merchantmen (3-0) versus San Antonio Volunteers (3-0) Gothenburg Giants (3-0) at Telluride Outlaws (0-3) Paris Musketeers (2-1) versus Fort Worth Fury (0-3) Bordeaux Vineyards (1-2) has an open weekend And here's an update on the team stats: Passing 293 ypg (3rd), 62% (7th), 8.3 ypa (2nd), 5.7 sk ypg (7th) Rushing 112 ypg (20th), 4.3 ypc (11th) Pass Def 203 ypg (14th), 56% (11th), 6.1 ypa (9th), 19.7 sk ypg (3rd) Run Def 121 ypg (22nd), 4.4 ypc (25th) Ind. Rushing: Harris 65 ypg (4.0 ypc), Mowery 27 ypg (5.0 ypc), Rosenberry 20 ypg (5.3 ypc) Ind. Receiving: Ewald 86 ypg, Monti 51 ypg, Beyer 47 ypg, Reiser 66 ypg (1 gp) Rodger Mowery ranks 4th in punt return yardage with 48 yards and a 9.6 average; Devin Henson averages 19.2 yards per kick off return (4 touches); Cary Coles leads the league in field goals with 8 and is second with 30 points; Cody Cluff's 32 tackles rank him first overall; Albert Bernardo rankes tied for second with 2.5 sacks; Winford Endicott ranks tied for second with 6 defended passes; Harold Hurtado has 6 key run blocks, but Timothy Lacy's 4 in 7 opportunities is more impressive. Rookie watch: WR Jerry Beyer has recorded 4 catches for 141 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown DT Shaun Shiroma has 2 hurries and 1 blocked pass after 1 game RB Tyrell Mahoney has yet to see significant playing time FB Henry Poston so far had 1 reception for 7 yards and recovered an opponent fumble RT Norman Holliday has yet to see significant playing time DE Aaron Sherrill has 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles and 4 assists DT Andrew Rasmussen has 0.5 sacks and 5 tackles so far __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-08-2005, 05:10 PM	#718
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen Versus Volunteers Preview The world looks bright as the Maassluis Merchantmen are 3-0 and play game four of te regular season at home. Those should be the perfect ingredients to head into their bye week in week 5 with a 4-0 record. Afterall, a team that won 6 of 8 games at home last season should be favored to win. Unless, of course, one of the conference's best teams in league history comes to tugboat city. The San Antonio Volunteers were AOC runners' up in 2006 and, like Maassluis, have won all of their first three games in the new season. The Merchantmen's success is still some sort of mystery, but the passing game has been openly called the key factor. Louie Flannery passes enough yardage to his quintet of wide receivers to make his team rank third in the IHOF in passing yardage with 293 yards per game. And with a duo of 1,000-yard backs running from behind him, Flannery has nothing to fear. His offensive line protects him well, only 14 of 109 passing plays were wasted by the pass rush. And he learned to live with his interceptions. On the defensive side, the Merchantmen haven't been bad either. The team managed to stuff the Ann Arbor Anachronism and defend the pass in all three games well. The pass defense is anchored by the excellent pass rush support, provided by young players, but they might have a set back later in the season. The secondary and linebackers play well, especially Cody Cluff (32 tackles) and Winfort Endicott (6 passes defended) jump out. The San Antonio Volunteers haven't been exactly doing bad either. John McMasters rankes second in passing yards (301 per game) and has 7 touchdowns versus 1 interception, making him look much better than Flannery. His new target Eldon Batts takes the pressure off other receivers, while the 1,000-yard tandem of Bud Pitts and Michael Fau keeps the chains moving. The Volunteers defense is anchored by a strong secondary and can't be underestimated. The Merchantmen will have to play their best football to have a shot at beating San Antonio, but then, last season they did go 6-2 at home, including wins over the playoff bound Orlando Knights, Fairbanks Northstars, Gothenburg Giants and the 10-6 Rochester Lake Monsters. But San Antonio has gone 8-2 in 2006 and this season combined. Bottom line, the winner will be 4-0 and .500 football away from the playoffs. For San Antonio it would fullfill expectations, for the Merchantmen it would make a dream come true. Watch the game this Thursday and find out who it will be. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-10-2005, 02:58 PM	#719
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen Winning Streak Ended, Lose To Volunteers The Maassluis Merchantmen players, staff and fans knew the streak would end someday, but seing it stopped at home was a bit disappointing. With a 24-17 victory, the San Antonio Volunteers brought everybody back on earth. Louie Flannery felt as the loser of the day, seeing an interception returned for touchdown. The pass rush failed, while Randy Harris and the running game recovered. Rookie Jerry Beyer amazed with his second touchdown in Oranje Haven. Winford Endicott got hurt and will miss some time. The 3-0 start was awesome, but the home game against the highly touted, and also 3-0, San Antonio Volunteers was the big test of the season. Despite a pretty much turnover free game, one single interception was returned for 50 yards and pretty much sealed the Voluteers win going to a 24-10 lead. Louie Flannery tried to save the day with a touchdown pass to Jerry Beyer, but after the onside kick, the game was over. San Antonio quarterback John McMasters kept he chains moving and lead his men to another victory. "A close game, but we have proven we can be competitive against a top team," headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said, "If only we could have forced a single turnover, we might have turned it all around." Van Der Woude has a point as the Merchantmen offense kept pace with the Volunteers all day. With 334 versus 329 yards, the offensive power was pretty equal and might make you think that the single interception return was the reason for loss. But none of that is true as the Merchantmen failed in one other area. To force turnovers, a team has to pressure the quarterback. Special for this game, the Merchantmen benched youngsters Aaron Sherrill and Omar Gougeon in favor of Albert Bernardo and Wally "World" Wilcox. At the end of the game, Bernardo and Wilcox combined for 1 blocked pass and 1 hurried pass. The secondary had to make plays and did only occasionally. But allowing only 202 yards passing, the defense did a good job against a 300 yards per game passing offense. In the heat of the battle, both starting cornerbacks, Tai Wayne and Winford Endicott, got hurt. Wayne returned quickly and got out of the game without serious injuries. But Winford Endicott hyperextended his knee and is diagnoses to miss the next two games. Luckily last year's starter Johnnie Stidham has recovered from a knee injury and is ready to bring his interception skills (7 in 2006) back into the mix. Tai Wayne even said: "Johnnie is the guy who can force turnovers, together with Charles Gomez. We missed these guys and a strong team like San Antonio will punish you." Running back Randy Harris looked not so happy either, but at least he had good stats to show for. Harris ran for 92 yards against the #1 defense in the IHOF, as he averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored only his first rushing touchdown of the season. Harris explains: "The management told us to run more than usual and I think we picked it up well." Especially center Brant Heinrich found his way through the San Antonio front seven and supported Harris and Rodger Mowery (34 yards) with 6 key run blocks. Butch White (3 blocks), Timothy Lacy and Ivan Jacques (2 blocks each) also had their share. The other brigh light on the Merchantmen offense was rookie wide receiver Jerry Beyer. Sitting behind Gregory Monti (5 catches for 81 yards) and Bryce Ewald (3 catches for 39 yards) on the depth chart, Beyer had a 12-yard catch and a 16-yard touchdown reception. With 6 catches for 169 yards (28.1 per catch) and 2 scores, Beyer is making a case for being the best receiving rookie in the IHOF. It's also pretty interesting that Beyer's scores both came in Maassluis' stadium and that the two starters combined for just one score. It's only a matter of time until Beyer will move up in the depth chart. Despite the loss, the Merchantmen are still one of a dozen teams involved in the early playoff spots race. The Merchantmen have held a wild card spot since week one and, despite the loss, have defended it so far. But it will be tough to keep that position for the rest of the season. The European Division is stronger than ever, as the four teams combined for 9-2 in inter-divisional games. The amazing part is that three time European champion Bordeaux was handed 2 losses, with their out of division loss being at the IHOF defending champions, the North Plainfield Plague. Next up for Maassluis is a week of licking wounds, as tight end Jim Reiser and defensive tackle Charles Gomez have been inactive the past two games. Reiser should return in week six against the Vicksburg Vipers, as should 2006 starting cornerback Johnnie Stidham. Linebacker Ellsworth Thelen is also expected to return against the Vipers. Left tackle Ivan Jacques returned against San Antonio and looked good in his first fulltime start for the Merchantmen. Let's hope others will do the same when they return in the coming weeks. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-10-2005, 03:27 PM	#720
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	General Manager Notes Okay, so we won't go 16-0, but at least we have set a new winning streak record, 4 wins in a row, baby! The loss was a bit disappointing as I let my offense implent a game plan which was more oriented to running, given the relative weakness in the San Antonio run defense. Relative as the were the #1 ranked defense in the IHOF before the game. Racking up 334 yards against that is damn good. As last week, sadly for us, our divisional rivals also keep winning. The Gothenburg Giants won their fourth gome game in a row, this time winning 27-10 at the Telluride Outlaws. The Outlwas are now 0-4 and look light years away from being the 2004 conference champions. The Giants did lose their best cornerback for the year though. The Paris Musketeers won their third game in a row, beating the Fort Worth Fury 20-17 with a last second 30-yard touchdown pass from E.G. Lumpkin to Tyrus Shaye. Both were off-season acquisitions. The Bordeaux Vineyards watched in awe, seeing their divisional foes extended the lead. 4-0 Gothenburg 3-1 Maassluis 3-1 Paris 1-2 Bordeaux Due to the loss, only the top three players will get points for their performance. Tai Wayne made 5 tackles and defended 1 pass, while allowing 2 catches. Wide receiver Gregory Monti had 5 receptions for 81 yards. Lincoln Gilmore had 7 tackles and 4 assists, but also defended 2 passes. Randy Harris ran for 92 yards and a score, making him our offensive MVP. But not after mentioning how our center Brant Heinrich made 6 key run blocks and didn't account for a sack. 3 points - Brant Heinrich 2 points - Randy Harris 1 point - Lincoln Gilmore 0 points - Gregory Monti 0 points - Tai Wayne Overall standings: 9 points - Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery 8 points - Bryce Ewald 4 points - Cary Coles, Randy Harris, Tai Wayne 3 points - Brant Heinrich, Timothy Lacy 2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott 1 point - Lincoln Gilmore, Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka No opposition next week, as we prepare for a game against the Vicksburg Vipers in week six. The full European schedule this week: Maassluis Merchantmen (3-1) has an open weekend Gothenburg Giants (4-0) at Fort Worth Fury (0-4) Paris Musketeers (3-1) at San Antonio Volunteers (4-0) Bordeaux Vineyards (1-2) at Vicksburg Vipers (3-0) And here's an update on the team stats: Passing 271 ypg (5th), 60% (13th), 7.8 ypa (5th), 6.3 sk ypg (5th) Rushing 118 ypg (18th), 4.4 ypc (9th) Pass Def 203 ypg (12th), 58% (15th), 6.0 ypa (7th), 14.8 sk ypg (8th) Run Def 122 ypg (20th), 4.3 ypc (25th) Turnovers: give 1.5 pg, take 0.5 pg Ind. Rushing: Harris 72 ypg (4.1 ypc), Mowery 29 ypg (5.7 ypc) Ind. Receiving: Ewald 74 ypg, Monti 58 ypg, Beyer 42 ypg, Reiser 66 ypg (1 gp) Louie Flannery ranks 5th in passing yards with 271 yards per game and 8th witn 7.8 yards per attempt; Rodger Mowery ranks 5th in punt return yardage with 48 yards and a 9.6 average; Devin Henson averages 19.8 yards per kick off return (7 touches); Cary Coles leads the league in field goals with 9 out of 9 and is 6th with 35 points; Cody Cluff's 37 tackles rank him 5th overall; Albert Bernardo rankes tied for 8th with 2.5 sacks; Winford Endicott ranks tied for 2nd with 7 defended passes; Tai Wayne and Lincoln Gilmore have 4 defended passes each; Brant Heinrich has 11 key run blocks on 22 attempts, Butch White has 7 key run blocks and Timothy Lacy has 6 blocks on 10 opportunities to rank 5th with 60%. Rookie watch: WR Jerry Beyer has recorded 6 catches for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 61-yarder DT Shaun Shiroma has 2 hurries and 1 blocked pass after 2 games RB Tyrell Mahoney has yet to see significant playing time FB Henry Poston so far had 1 reception for 7 yards and recovered an opponent fumble RT Norman Holliday has yet to see significant playing time DE Aaron Sherrill has 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles and 4 assists DT Andrew Rasmussen has 0.5 sacks and 8 tackles so far __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-11-2005, 10:26 AM	#721
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen In Special Training Camp During Bye Week After the disappointing close loss to the San Antonio Volunteers, the Maassluis Merchantmen management sent the whole roster and coaching staff on a field trip. Despite the loss, the Merchantmen are 3-1 and saw a franchise best winning streak getting snapped at four. The players seemed devastated by the loss at home, but the journey of the 2007 IHOF season is only at a quarter of the regular season and still 16 weeks away from the ultimate goal: IHOF Bowl IV. To get the players into shape again, the ownership spent a lot of money to set up a special one week training camp in Drenthe, the Netherlands' quitest province. General manager M.IJ.B. explained: "In my youth, I had a fun time on family trips to Drenthe. I thought the players and staff would enjoy a week in the Dutch pre-historic province, riding on a bike, away from the most poluted air in the world, which surrounds Maassluis." Long time Merchantmen player, offensive leader and offensive tackle Harold Hurtado called it a good decission: "The team made a marque achievement in beating Ann Arbor on the road and beating our two biggest rivals Paris and Rochester. The loss to San Antonio was sour, but we have to get our minds focused on the next 12 games. It'll be a tough schedule." Hurtado's role makes him the big mentor of the group and teammates have started to shorted his first name from Harold to Old. A couple of players miss the trip to Drenthe due to injuries. Jim Reiser, Tyrel Mahoney and Ellsworth Thelen were brought along, as their injuries are expected to be healed before the Vipers come to Maassluis. Five other players were left at home. Defensive tackle Charles Gomez, who suffered a straned deltoid muscle, is the most prominent player to miss the trip. The two time All IHOF selection wants to be fit for the road game at the Paris Musketeers in week 8. The same count with two other defensive starters in cornerback Winford Endicott and linebacker Mike Kershner. Long snapper Christian Reichel was sent to a special clinic in Switzerland to nurse turf toe, while safety Richard Muller is recovering in Florida from repetitive concussion syndrome. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said he enjoys the relaxed atmosphere in Drenthe, but also points out that the team must not forget how much pressure comes around in the urban area of the Rijnmond, where Maassluis is the center of. Van der Woude said: "The players have all gotten the hang of sleeping in a place where ships come and go all 24 hours a day. None are kept awake overnights anymore, but the hang-over after trips to the States remain exhausting. Having two home games and a bye week in between will help to bring all focus back on the important games in the second half of the season against Gothenburg and Bordeaux." What is scheduled for the seven days in Drenthe remains to be a secret, but the management already revealed a few plans. The 52 players who are in this special camp will have a 30 miles cycling tour in the woods. For more comeptition elements the team will have a special Merchantmen chess championship and a rock-paper-scissors tournament. And to get the players better with their role as being in the Netherlands, there will be a special game being invented, including trade negotiations, but also physical elements like korfball and wooden shoes dancing. The players and staff on the special training camp will return in Oranje Haven five days before the game against Vicksburg. Especially defensive end Albert Bernardo looks forward to that game as Wilson Grimaldo will return in Oranje Haven once again. Bernardo and Grimaldo always had heated strides during practise. Grimaldo is expected to have hard feelings towards Maassluis, beaing treated as old rubbish. Let's hope the relaxed atmosphere in Drenthe can get the team focussed again. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-13-2005, 06:39 AM	#722
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Gossip News: Merchantmen Still Working Phone Lines The masters of trading, as they call themselves, are trying to live up their names once again. There are rumors that Maassluis is seeking to trade quarterback/holder Mel Atkins to acquire a new player. But which player they will be seeking to acquire is unknown. Our sources claim that the Merchantmen could use upgrades in the secondary with the injury to Winford Endicott. The name of Jerry Aubrey seems to be off the list. The tight end is no longer useful as backup Arnold Ramirez made his mark with a touchdown against the Rochester Lake Monsters and decent run blocking against the San Antonio Volunteers. Plus, star Jim Reiser is expected to return all healthy after the bye week. More serious have been the issues at the linebacker position. Rumors are that the Merchantmen are seeking for a linebacker with very good zone defense skills and the most likely fit would be Boulder Blizzard's rookie Terrence Rose. Ironically, the Merchantmen tried to acquire the #26 overall with which Rose was taken in the 2007 draft, as they hoped to get wide receiver Travis Joseph there. Of course, with Jerry Beyer leading the team in touchdowns, there's no reason to complain anymore. In the secodary there are also still ongoing issues. The starters Tai Wayne, Winford Endicott, Lincoln Gilmore and Emile William have showed great pass defense, but lack the hands to make interceptions. Johnnie Stidham and Desmond Craig, who combined for 11 interceptions in 2006 have been demoted in their role to #3 and #5 cornerback, while free safety John Cole, who has a nose for picks, also got demoted. Last but not least, the Merchantmen can't be overly optimistic about the backup quarterback situation. Shane Bower hasn't impressed and Justin McDavid, of course, isn't the player he used to be. Even his amazing pre-season 2007 can't help out. But who they would be able to get, with just about 1.5 million dollars in cap space, providing they ship Mel Atkins, it's a tough market. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-15-2005, 05:31 AM	#723
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	General Manager Notes The Merchantmen have a week off and guess what happens? The Euro's start losing again... Gothenburg did what they had to do, beating Fort Worth Fury 25-23. Bordeaux was run over by Vicksburg Vipers' Ronnie Kemp (170 yards) and lost big: 17-31. Paris got beaten big by the San Antonio Volunteers on the road: 13-27. Well, in a way, that's a good thing. With the competition losing, the chances for us to reach the playoffs, or even the division title will be bigger. The bad news is that the group of competitors is still eight teams big, not counting the slow starting Bordeaux Vineyards. In the Northeast division, the North Plainfield Plague are 5-0 now, while the Syracuse Mohawks are 4-1. In the Deep South San Antonio keeps winning (5-0) as does Vicksburg (4-0). In the Southeast, Tucker Tigers (3-2) beat Georgia Gridlock (3-2) this weekend. European division standings: 5-0 Gothenburg 3-1 Maassluis 3-2 Paris 1-3 Bordeaux Next up in the division are three games, including a divisional rivalry. The full European schedule this week: Gothenburg Giants (5-0) versus Paris Musketeers (3-2) Maassluis Merchantmen (3-1) versus Vicksburg Vipers (4-0) Bordeaux Vineyards (1-3) at Fort Worth Fury (0-5) With us not playing, I don't see a reason to update the stats of the team and players. Outside of that, there is big news in the IHOF. The ownership of the Astoria Heroes has changed. The new chief in charge is a guy well known to the Merchantmen organization. The president of the Fumblin' Justin Fan Club, Wade Moore, has been added to the list of owners. I guess that will help to continue our rivalry with Astoria being a serious one. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-15-2005, 12:46 PM	#724
Kodos Resident Alien Join Date: Jun 2001	Maybe Wade can trade for Fumblin' Justin.

02-15-2005, 05:11 PM	#725
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Press Release: Merchantmen Deny Fumblin' Justin Trade Rumors The Maassluis Merchantmen management strongly denies recent rumors about quarterback Fumblin' Justin McDavid being traded after the 2007 season. The season has only begun and the mentioned new team for McDavid hasn't shown any interest in him. Any further rumors about trades are also false as the timing of rumors can only cause harm to team chemistry at this point. The Merchantmen general manager M.IJ.B. wants to address the issue: "Fumblin' Justin McDavid is not up for trade. Justin is a charter member of the Merchantmen and has become a fan favorite. Our fan base has been big and we hope to keep it big in the coming years. Whether McDavid will have a role in that is for the future, but right now we din't see him leave before he's end of contract in 2010 season." The Merchantmen understand that the rumors are based on recent movement in ownerships in the IHOF, but the managament want to ensure there are no on-going negotiations. M.IJ.B.: "We haven't talked with the new Astoria Heroes management, besides the trade deadline for 2007 has passed two days ago. Surely, we have our eyes open for the 2008 off-season, but it's too early to start trade talks for players. McDavid's knee injury in 2005 is one example of why we would like to wait." The team wants to make clear that all other recent trade talk rumors are false and that the team has had only one short coversation with other managements, which were fruitless. The management asks the media to stay away from the Merchantmen players and stop spreading rumors during a time when the team is preparing for a big matchup against the unbeaten Vicksburg Vipers, who bring along former Merchantmen star Wilson Grimaldo, while the Merchantmen miss their own star player Charles Gomez. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-17-2005, 05:59 AM	#726
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen Versus Vicksburg Vipers Preview The Merchantmen have returned back home from a trip in the ancient woods of the Netherlands and get ready for one of the biggest games of week 6 of the 2007 IHOF season. Opponent are the Vicksburg Vipers who, at 4-0, currently hold a wild card spot as the number two of the Deep South division, behind the 5-0 San Antonio Volunteers. Those Volunteers were the last Merchantmen opponent as the Volunteers won 21-14 in Oranje Haven to hand the Merchantmen their first loss of the 2007 season. Maassluis is second in the AOC Europe, Vicksburg ranks number two in the AOC Deep South. The Vipers have been a somewhat surprise team, being unbeaten after four weeks. Their story so far has been one of beating weak teams. The Vipers management still talk the team down, but fact is there are only five unbeaten teams left in the IHOF. The Vipers are joined by four 5-0 teams. Besides the mentioned San Antonio Volunteers those are the European leaders Gothenburg Giants, the first IHOF champions in Fairbanks NorthStars and the defending champions North Plainfield Plagues. In the four games the Vipers won, their opponents have combined for a 3-14 record. Last week, they beat the Bordeaux Vineyards 31-17 to give them their biggest win of the season to date. So far, the Vipers have been winning on the legs of last season's offensive rookie of the year, runningback Ronnie Kemp. With 175 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, he really lived up the hype again against the Bordeaux Vineyards in week 5. But Kemp is not alone in it, he only accounts for 478 of the team's 781 yards. Backup Mike Marcano enmassed 194 yards on the ground as well, making him the most productive backup running back with almost 50 yards per game. Key player in the running game could be the this off-season added offensive tackle Wilson Grimaldo. With 10 key run blocks, he's not the team's leader, but some think he was the missing piece on the offensive line for the Vipers. Grimaldo was getting old, so was the opinion of the Merchantmen manegement and they traded him away. Grimaldo teams up with Eric Church on the right side of the line and they form a super duo. They combined for 29 key run blocks so far and didn't allow their quarterback to be sacked. The Vicksburg Vipers claim to not be happy going into Maassluis today. Granted, they'll miss their best player against the Vipers, as defensive tackle Charles Gomez is still out with a strained deltoid muscle. Linebackers Cody Cluff, Carl Meier and Ellsworth Thelen are top fit again and safety Lincoln Gilmore made his mark against the Volunteers in week four. But the young defensive line could be a minor problem, meaning Vipers' Ronnie Kemp might be gaining a lot of yards again. Lucky for the Merchantmen, they have been providing a decent defense so far, ranking eight overall. Their trait so far has been a tight zone defense that kept known star quarterbacks like Donald Woods and John McMasters to lower passing yards totals than they are used to. The Merchantmen secondary is making plays, but only lack the interceptions so far. Cornerback Winford Endicott is sadly out, but the team expect that the available players will live up to their team's lead in the league of least yards per completion allowed. Crucial is probably whether the Merchantmen can provide a pass rush to pressure Vipers passer Gabe Macalusco. The charm of the Merchantmen has so far been their offense. Quarterback Louie Flannery has thrown 5 interceptions in 4 games, but it couldn't overcome him from averiging 270 yards passing per game. The Merchantmen offense ranks third overall in total yards per game and the offensive line has helped out big time with run blocking and allowing a only 1 sack per game so far. Running back Randy Harris has been in the shadows of the passing game so far, especially rookie Jerry Beyer, who leads the team in touchdown, despite only 6 receptions in 4 games. It won't be an easy task, however, as the Vipers are currently the top ranked defense in the IHOF. The Vipers allow only 180 passing yards per game and have averages almost 4 sacks per game. And with only slightly over 100 rushing yards per game allowed, the Vipers stop the run as well. By adding defensive tackle Donald Bonner recently, they even bolstered the defensive line, although it cost them their star cornerback Kendall Thibodeaux. It might force the Vipers to play second year pro, safety Kerry Horner at cornerback. Of course, Horner is concidered one of the hottest defensive backs in the entire league a nd the #4 pick of the 2006 draft has his eye on the #5 of the same draft, Louie Flannery. Two over performing teams or not, Maassluis versus Vicksburg is one of the top games of the week. Clearly the Faribanks NorthStarts (5-0) versus the Miami Sharks (4-1) is the top game, but the game between the Merchantmen and Vipers can easily rank second. The other two games with two winning teams will be crucial for both AOC teams in hunt of a playoff ticket as well as the European number one (Gothenburg Giants) and three (Paris Musketeers) face-off in Sweden, while the numbers two in the other two AOC divisions, the Syracuse Mohawks (4-1, Northeast) play against the Georgia Gridlock (3-2, Southeast). Combined with those two AOC top games, it'll be an interesting day for the playoffs race, especially for the Merchantmen. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-17-2005, 04:12 PM	#727
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen Ran Over By Vipers' Ronnie Kemp The Maassluis Merchantmen were 3-1 and had hopes, but the unbeaten Vicksburg Vipers came to Oranje Haven and sailed away victorious. With a 20-10 win, anchored by running back Ronnie Kemp, the Vipers won with ease. The Merchantmen looked ball all over and may wish to forget this game as soon as possible. With the Vipers 250 yards rushing, the Merchantmen defense set a new franchise low. Charles Gomez wasn't there and it struck fear in the Merchantmen's front seven. The young linemen and capable linebackers looked hopeless and running back Ronnie Kemp ran all over them. With 182 yards on 30 runs and a score, Kemp sliced through the Merchantmen defense and set a new personal best. With 660 yards on 150 carries in 5 games, Kemp has moved up to first place in the IHOF on the rushing leaderboard. Some in the Merchantmen organization think it was avoidable, but others claim it wasn't. Linebacker Cody Cluff said "We could have seen Kemp coming and gambled on the run all day." Running back Randy Harris (16 yards on 11 runs) disagreed: "We got stuffed on offense and couldn't have saved the defense, if if they had stopped the run." Cornerback Tai Wayne (pass defense allowed a 12 for 13 game) said: "Without Gomez, we have no pass rush and no pass rush means no time to cover the receivers." Quarterback Louie Flannery (2 interceptions, 16 for 35): "240 yards passing in such a big loss..." Flannery racked up 240 yards, but only because he had 99 on a two-minute offense drive to a touchdown. Most of the Merchantmen players and staff members clearly wantto forget the game as soon as possible and the team is already looking forward to a set of three road games. Charles Gomez is expected to be able to play, being listed as probable, but Andy Weliczka will be missing, meaning all relies on the two rookies Shaun Shiroma and Andrew Rasmussen. Add Aaron Sherrill at the left end you'll have three starting rookies. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude said: "Paris and Telluride are waiting, but first we have to beat the Fort Worth Fury. We did it before, but in our current shape, it'll be tough to even beat a winless team." __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-17-2005, 04:35 PM	#728
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	General Manager Notes Ugh, that was horrible: * 3 pass rush wasted plays on defense * 24 yards rushing on offese * 250 yars rushing allowed * allowed a no-name quarterback to complete 12 of 13 passes * another game where we don't force a turnover * no big plays by the special teams unit, except Cary Coles' 48-yard field goal The biggest thing is that the rest of the division keeps winning. The Bordeaux Vineyards bounced back after a 1-3 start and had an easy game, steam rolling 24-9 over the Forth Worth Fury. The Paris Musketeers pulled the upset, beating an injury-plague Gothenburg Giants team 31-21 on the road as E.G. 'The Great' Lumpkin passed for 3 touchdowns and 267 yards. Going to the standings, it's interesting to note that we still are the winningest division in the league and all five losses outside of the division were handed by the three unbeaten teams in our conference. The European division standings: 5-1 Gothenburg 4-2 Paris 3-2 Maassluis 2-3 Bordeaux Next up in the division are only two games. Paris and especially Gothenburg can use the week off. The Bordeaux Vineyards will take on the San Antonio Volunteers (6-0) while we will play at the Fort Worth Fury (0-6). It was tough to name stars of the game, but in the end, going by the rules, three players were rewarded for their effort of the following five players. Kicker Cary Coles scored a 48-yard field goal and an extra point. Defensive tackle Linebackers Carl Meier had 11 big plays on defense as he recorded 11 tackles, 1 assists and 1 hurried pass. Guard Butch White made 1 of 2 key run blocks and wasn't responsible for the only sack allowed by the line. Shaun Shiroma recorded 1 sack and 8 total tackles. Linebacker Cody Cluff made 9 tackles and 5 assists, of which 7 were big plays. Overall standings: 10 points - Cody Cluff 9 points - Louie Flannery 8 points - Bryce Ewald 6 points - Cary Coles 4 points - Randy Harris, Tai Wayne 3 points - Brant Heinrich, Timothy Lacy, Carl Meier 2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott 1 point - Lincoln Gilmore, Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka Were do we stand now on offense and defense overall? We did rank 3rd on offense and 8th on defense in total yards per game. We now rank 7th with 358 total yards per game on offense and 10th on defense with 322 yards per game allowed. At least we managed to kick Vicksburg from first to second on the defensive charts thanks to our last drive of the game, but what's that worth? __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-18-2005, 11:26 AM	#729
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Gossip News: Locker Room Riots In Maassluis The disappointing streak of two lost games in Oranje Haven has caused a big riot in the Merchantmen locker rooms. It seems that after the 10-20 loss against the Vicksburg Vipers players have been pointing to other players to shove off their own mistakes. Especially the rookie defensive linemen, running back Randy Harris and cornerback Johnnie Stidham were the center piece of criticism. Star player Charles Gomez' absence seems to have caused a big rambling of players claiming they are the leader of the team. "The defensive line sucks big time. Charles is unavailable and the little kids stop making plays." Those are the words of one anonymus linebacker. In the meantime, the veteran defensive ends Albert Bernardo and Wally 'World' Wilcox are complaining about playing time, sitting behind no-names on the depth chart. In the secondary a couple of big role players of the 2006 season are not happy either. John Cole was demoted to a backup role, while Johnnie Stidham and Desmond Craig plummetted on the cornerbacks chart with the addition of Winford Endicott and return of Tai Wayne. But the biggest trouble maker so far has been veteran guard Brian Hammond. Hammond was signed to backup youngsters Butch White and 'Tiny Tim' Lacy, but wants a bigger role. Hammond was reported saying: "The kids play well, I'm unlucky to sit on a team with two super performing guards." But we know better. Word is that Hammond wants playing time and since the Merchantmen need to win in week eight, there are signs they will play with backups in week seven. Even more than Hammond, center Tom Schwartz is openly critizing the Merchantmen management. Schwartz was hired as a free agent to return to his old home. Schwartz was a fulltime starter in Maassluis in 2004 and started a few games with playoff reaching Astoria in 2006. But coming back in Maassluis, Schwartz finds himself digged in as fourth option at center, behind veterans Brian Hammond and Harold Hurtado. Some football experts claim that the locker room troubles have been caused by the special training camp in Drenthe. One experts said: "Why on earth would you send adrenaline-driven athletes into the dullest part of the country to play chess on a bike? And wooden shoes dancing, what on earth were they thinking!" Wooden shoes dancing. Imagine Louie Flannery handing off to Randy Harris on wooden shoes. What's next in typical Dutch stuff: extasy and exotic dancers? The ex-factor is going to take over from the so hyped y-factor. Shaun Shiroma, Andrew Rasmussen, Aaron Sherrill and Omar Gougeon do not have the y-factor? These guys just plain suck! Looking ahead, three of the next six games of the Merchantmen are against winless teams. The other three are divisional games, with one against each rival. They want to go 4-2 or even 5-1 in that stretch, but with all these locker room troubles 3-3 would be a longshot. There migt be only two hands ful of initial Merchantmen left, but the image of the first team to go 1-15 in the IHOF will always remain and haunt the Dutch team. Randy Harris running on wooden shoes, no wonder he was held to 16 yards... __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-21-2005, 04:15 AM	#730
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen At Forth Worth Fury Preview After a good start of the season, the Maassluis Merchantmen have had a minor setback and lost two straight home games for the first time since the horrendous 1-15 season in 2004. Coming up is a series of three road games, with two games in the States seperated by an all-important game at the Paris Musketeers. But as noted, first comes a different game, a game at the Fort Worth Fury. The Merchanten are 2-0 on the road so far, while the Fury have an 0-6 overall record. The Merchantmen even lead the head-to-head series 2-0 and yet there's still doubt on success. But why? The why part is easy, the Merchantmen have a few injuries going on. Granted, the whole league is getting plagued by sore knees and influenza epidemics all the time, but the Merchantmen have only one, maybe two, irreplecable player: Charles Gomez. Gomez is the hearth of the defense, he breaks through the opposing offensive line to either stuff the running back or sack the quarterback. And if he doesn't makie the play, at least he keeps two or three linemen busy, givinf teammates room to make a play. Gomez has a sore shoulder and could play with some injections, but the all-important game might make the team sit him. No Gomez, no glory. But not for the Fury. In Fort Worth, people are getting used to losing and this season with a new quarterback making plays, it isn't looking like it will be their first winning record season. Shawn Jahn may be a second year player, but he was so green as a rookie, the Fury didn't dare to put him on the field. And now in his second season, the former #17 overall pick is so far winless. With a completion percentage of just over 50, less than 200 yards per game and a 1-4 touchdown-interception ratio in five games, Jahr hasn't set the world on fire at all. Much different is the story of a fellow first round pick second year quarterback. Louie Flannery has been showing great things for the Merchantmen so far. The fans and staff would be in love with 'Flan', if it wasn't for his on going struggles to avoid interceptions. With 7 of 174 pass attempts intercepted, Flannery sees his quarterback rating butchered to just below 76, despite completing 7.6 yards per attempt and having a touchdown pass per game. But this Monday, 'Flan' has a land mark game. He's going to tie the infamous 'Fumblin Justin' in games started for the Merchantmen. Flannery needs three touchdowns and no interceptions to tie the fourth stringer's all-time stats. Otherwise he'll only be out-doing him in yards (about 10 yards per game) and completion percentage (about 57 versus 51 percent). But despite Flannery's minor struggles, the bigger question in Maassluis' offense so far is why Randy Harris has dropped his production. Harris has a career low yards per game average (60 yards) and scored only one rushing touchdown in five games.Of course, the total of 16 yards in the last game against the Vicksburg Vipers didn't help. And the more aggressive passing game doesn't help Harris to get the carries needed to rack up 100 yards in a game. Not to mention he's sharing time with Rodger Mowery, the team's off-season acquired 1,000-yard back. This week, it won't be an easy game for 'Flan' and Harris. With 2005 All IHOF'er Ellis Mier, Jeffrey Lund and former #9 pick Joel Woodcock, the Fury have a strong defensive line. Their only hope is to see the offensive line play as good as they have been so far, above expectations well. If that happenes, Harris and the group of receivers can try to exploit the relative weak linebackers corps and the injury plagued secondary. The Fury's top two defensive backs, James King and Wyatt Harness are listed as injured, but could play, if needed. On offense, the Fury provide Shawn Jahr with running back William 'Chunder' Wood, who racked up 4.8 yards per game so far. With ex-Merchantmen fullback Mark Burger paving the way, Wood seems to have a career year in an off-year for the whole team. But sadly for Wood and Jahr, offensive tackle James Jones is out with an lebow injury, while the other tackle Andre Brookshire is questionable with an abdominal strain. Maybe rookie wide receiver Jonathan Adams can live up to expectations. So far the two-times traded rookie has had 7 receptions for 64 yards in 5 games. Playing versus a relative good Merchantmen secondary, it won't be likely for Adams to have his break-out game yet. Going into tonight's game, the Fury are clearly the underdogs being winless and never having beaten the Merchantmen before. But the Merchantmen have struggled lately and the two home losses were both pretty much sealed going into the tow-minute warning. But on the other hand, the Merchantmen could be detirmined to set things right and get back into the form that made them 3-0 starters. The orange-white-and-blue are ready for their first big win of the season and want to make it reality against a team that lost four of six games by a combined nine points. But of all people, 'Fumblin Justin' put it in the best perspective: "The 1-15 Merchantmen of 2004 lost eight times by one score. The only ticket to a winning record is winning the close games. We're 6-4 with Flannery in close games, Louie will tie my stats and lead us to 4-2 and back into the division title race." We can only hope so... __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-22-2005, 05:16 AM	#731
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen Remain Unbeaten In USA Beating Fury In the previous meetings in Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Fury and Maassluis Merchantmen kept it close, but both times the Dutch team took the victory home. In the third game in the series, history repeated as an almost perfect Louie Flannery passed his team to a 24-17 victory. The defense had their share of the win, making the turnover battle go their way, despite being outgained in yardage. Randy Harris got injured and might not start for the Merchantmen in franchise history. Louie Flannery was the player of the game in Texas today. The defense set it all up, but Flannery took full advantage all game long. The second year quarterback completed 21 of 26 passes (81%) for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sure, his yardage went down a bit, but that is to be expected when his wide receivers are covered and only tight end Jim Reiser (9 receptions) and running back Randy Harris (5 receptions) can get open to make the scores. Reiser set a franchise record with his number and helped Flannery to avoid interceptions for the first time this season. On the other end of the ball, interceptions were crucial to stop the Fury's quarterback Shawn Jahr. Cornerbacks Myron Stevens and Johnnie Stidham have to prove the management they are worth starting opposite shutdown corner Tai Wayne as Winford Endicott will return from injury and accounted for one pick each. And just like the duo of cornerbacks, linebacker Carl Meier had his role on the line with a returning Mike Kershner, thus decided to make a big play and make the third interception. With that, the Merchantmen won the turnover battle 3-1 and helped out. Amazingly enough, the whole Merchantmen defense had made only one interception in the previous five games. Variety of big plays can also help. The mentioned duo Stevens and Stidham made their mark on other fronts as well. Johnnie Stidham blocked a punt near the Fury's endzone. Safety Lincoln Gilmore recovered the ball in the pile of players and made the score tied 7-7 as the Fury had taken the lead earlier on a run from William Wood. Myron Stevens became the first Merchantmen player to record an interception and a sack in the same game since linebacker Ellsworth Thelen had a career game in week 17 of the 2006 season against the Gothenburg Giants. But unlike Thelen, who made 12 tackles, Stevens made only one tackle. Ellsworth Thelen saw his playing time on the line as well and paid back with a sack as well. Add sacks from Albert Bernardo and Andrew Rasmussen and you see 4 sacks for the game to pressure Shawn Jahr into struggling. Jahr eventually had a decent game for a second year quarterback, but his 18 or 33 completed for 261 yards didn't look as good as Louie Flannery's numbers. The draft day decission by the Dutch team to trade up and take Flannery at #5 rather than Jahr at #12 looked like a good one today. Looking back, the game was pretty much dominated by the Merchantmen defense and they allowed 331 total yards because they could allow then and they compensated with big plays. The Merchantmen offense did well on the short field and took the win well. After the game, headcoach Leroy Van der Woude couldn't be happier: "Team effort is the key. We missed Charles Gomez again, but the defense stepped up and everybody showed they deserve playing time. It'll be tough to put up 11 starters next week." Les Musketeers are awaiting for the Merchantmen in week 8. The team from Paris is detirmened to win for the fourth year in a row at home against the Dutch team. With both Paris and Maassluis at 4-2, it will be crucial for Paris to be able to win tiebreakers, since Maassluis took the win at home. For Maassluis, Randy Harris might for the first time not start as he pulled a groin. It would be a bad timing as fullback Jamel Flannery is also still banged up. In return, the Merchantmen see three defensive starters return to the active roster (Charles Gomez, Winford Endicott and Mike Kerhsner) meaning there will be tough decissions made on who plays and who doesn't. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-22-2005, 05:18 AM	#732
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	General Manager Notes It's unbelievable, we're 4-2 and not even sitting in a wild card spot, I think I'm having flashbacks. Like last year, we're having one heck of a season start and yet are caught in one of the toughest divisions in the entire IHOF. Being on their bye week, Gothenburg Giants kept the lead at 5-1, while we surpassed the Paris Musketeers at 4-2 each as we are 1-0 up head-to-head. The Bordeaux Vineyards are still in last place, despite being te first team to beat the San Antonio Volunteers. The Vineyars are 3-3, meaning all teams in our division have a better record than the leader in the AOC Southeast division. On the schedule for week eight is the all-important game between us and Paris. Who wins goes to 5-2 and stays close in the race for the wild cards. The loser drops back a little, especially if it's Paris. The Gothenburg Giants play at home against the San Antonio Volunteers and one of them will see their second loss of the season. The Bordeaux Vineyards also play at home as they host the 1-5 Telluride Outlaws. For what it's worth, the now 1-5 Outlaws upset the now 5-1 Vicksburg Vipers this week. Victory was ours and that means I'm going to credit five players with points this week. Butch White made 4 key run blocks (45%) and was not credited for 1 of the 3 sacks the line allowed. Louie Flannery competed 81% of his passes for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jim Reiser had a franchise record 9 receptions for 95 yards and 1 touchdown. Carl Meier made 8 tackles, 3 assists, 1 interception and defended 1 pass. Tai Wayne defended 3 passes and made 4 tackles. And desite 1 sack, 1 interception and 0 catches allowed, Myron Stevens goes without points this week. Entering the points of this week to the overall standings, we'll get: 14 points - Louie Flannery 10 points - Cody Cluff 8 points - Bryce Ewald, Tai Wayne 6 points - Cary Coles, Carl Meier 4 points - Randy Harris 3 points - Brant Heinrich, Timothy Lacy 2 points - Albert Bernardo, Winford Endicott, Jim Reiser 1 point - Lincoln Gilmore, Charles Gomez, Andy Weliczka, Butch White Loooking at the team statistics, we've dropped a few spots on both offense and defense. We're down to 99 yards rushing, 256 yards passing and 8 yards lost by sacks per game. 347 total yards per game is still very good, but the lack of a ground game is costing us opportunity to vary and keep the chains moving when needed. On defense we allow 140 yards rushing per game, which is too much, but it's butchered by Ronnie Kemp's wild game in week six. We're one of the better pass defense as we allow 201 yards per game and rank third in yardage won through sacks (17 per game). With 324 total yards, we're still in the upper half of the IHOF. Last but not least, we're looking forward to the next game and we know that winning at Paris will be crucial. Beat them now and we can afford to lose one game more te rest of the season due to our head-to-head sweep (2-0). Lose and we're going to need to beat either Gothenburg or Bordeaux twice, which looks impossible as of now. But to be honest, I think our team should be motivated, remembering the 20-40 and 3-31 scores the past two seasons. Our defense is as healthy as it could be (except nose tackle Andy Weliczka), meaning we should be able to give the Paris offense a good beating. I hope we can do it and make it the second win in a new franchise record winning streak of five. Now that would be really great to see happen... __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail Last edited by MIJB#19 : 02-22-2005 at 05:20 AM.

02-22-2005, 08:42 AM	#733
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Gossip News: Merchantmen Admit They Rested Starters It's uncalled for, unsportmanship like or simply "not done." The Maassluis Merchantmen management has admitted they rested a couple of starters for the road game aganst the Fort Worth Fury. The upcoming road game at the Paris Musketeers is apparantly too important to try to win a road game outside of the European division. Charles Gomez, Jamel Flannery, Mike Kerhsner and Winford Endicott didn't play, despite being fit enough to play a couple of downs. Instead, no-names like Henry Poston, Myron Stevens, Andrew Rasmussen and Josh Weisberg were playing. "Losing wasn't an option," said defensive end Aaron Sherrill, "the Fury were too bad to not be beaten." Confidence was clearly there and the Merchantmen took a couple of gambles. The gamble to give interception master Johnnie Stidham a starting role paid off as the man of 7 interceptions in 2006 made his first of the 2007 season. Stidham also blocked a punt, which lead to the Merchantmen's first touchdown, but he didn't protect his receiver like Winford Endicott can make a one invisible all day. On the offensive side of the ball, Randy Harris was held to below 3 yards per carry and that was mostly because his buddy Jamel Rosenberry wasn't playing. "Henry played well," Harris said, but he was clearly not happy with his new bodyguard. Everything backfired as Harris picked up a groin injury in the game and might not start in a Merchantmen game for the first time ever. Harris is the only player who started in all 54 previous regular season games. With Rosenberry still bruised, the team might have to look to either pass heavy or give rookie Tyrell Mahoney the ball, as Rodger Mowery lacks the endurace to run the ball all day long. Victory in a road game in divisional play is the reason the Merchantmen rested their stars. In the previous three seasons, the Merchantmen were beaten by the Bordeaux Vineyards, Gothenburg Giants and Paris Musketeers in every single road game they played. In total, the Merchantmen are 0-9 on the road in Europe. But coming off their third straight win on the road, the curse might be broken. But after the way the Merchantmen handled the Musketeers in Oranje Haven, the Parisians are hoping on sweet revange. And looking to the last two games, they totalled 71 points versus Maassluis' 23. "Europe is conquering the IHOF this season and the Merchantmen are not taking it serious." One anonymous league source has complained about the way the Merchantmen rest their injured stars. "The fans pay a lot of money to see all the stars. Resting a guy like Charles Gomez because he's only 99% fit is an insult." Looking back, the game was won and the risk the Merchantmen took paid off, but it was close afterall. The Merchantmen leaned on three interceptions and saw Louie Flannery not throw one for the first time this season. A blocked punt that got recovered in the endzone accounted for the Merchantmen's first 7 points of the game and they are extremly lucky placekicker Cary Coles has not missed a kick in 2007 yet. It's only amatter of time before luck will run out and the team will lose again. Like it or not, the Merchantmen are 4-2 and will play in one of te big games of the week. Two 4-2 teams in a divisional rivalry is a great matchup and having Charles Gomez in-game can make a difference. If anything, Gossip News will try to stir up things to make the Merchantmen lose, but last time it failed big time when we wrote about the locker room troubles. But the bad end of the resting starters means the Merchantmen have about 20 players who want to start in Paris. Try keeping all those hot heads happy now! __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-23-2005, 09:14 AM	#734
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen At Musketeers Preview In a few years time, things can change quickly in the football world. Tomorrow, the Maassluis Merchantmen and Paris Musketeers will battle it out for one team to sit 5-2 and in pursuit of the division title, even leading if the Gothenburg Giants lose. The loser will be 4-3 and looking over their shoulder to the Bordeaux Vineyards, who are expected to move to 4-3. But why is this so special? Looking at the history of both franchises, the best they ever did was going 8-8. That's right, 8 wins in one season, the infamous .500 land. The Paris Musketeers were 2-14 two years ago, the Maassluis Merchantmen even 1-15 three seasons ago. But with a new quarterback (the second new one, to be precise) both teams are aiming for a winning season and potentially a playoff ticket. And in a tight division, it ain't impossible for either of the two to get there. Paris and Maassluis can make the jump up in a game that is called an even battle by the experts from Vegas. Old results are no guarantee for success, but the Muskteers have the early each, leading the head-to-head series 4-3, including beain unbeaten in Paris. It's been said more often than not, the Merchantmen have allowed a combined 71 points in the last two at Paris. The Musketeers would have sufficient confidence had they not been pretty much kept out of competing in the week 1 game at Oranje Haven. Quarterback Louie Flannery showed he's the better quarterback head-to-head with E.G. 'The Great' Lumpkin, despite Lumpkin having the better to-date stats this season. Vicious sacks and tackles for a loss. That's what the Merchantmen's defensive front is prommising Lumpkin and running back Joe Boulware. With everybody back from injury, except 2006 seventh round pick Andy Weliczka, there are enough players available to make it happen. Especially the return of Charles Gomez is expected to strike fear to the Paris backfield. Supported by the excellent linebacking quartertet Cody Cluff, Carl Meier, Ellsowrth Thelen and Mike Kershner, it will be running towards the sidelines rather than the opposing endzone all day for the Parisians. Especially after stud tackle Howard Bingham went out for the season with an injury. Even if Lumpkin thinks he can avoid the sack, the Merchantmen defense has shown in their last game they still can force turnovers. With three interceptions, good times seem back and the return of cornerback Winford Endicott has been called "very good news". Star cornerback Tai Wayne explains: "Winford is a winner. He's one of the best defenders in the league in zone defense and with him we can make sure the receivers won't get open." Wayne and Endicott both defended 7 passes so far, which are good totals for a cornerback, especially when they allow a total of 2.4 receptions per game. Looking to the other side of the ball, the Merchantmen are not top fit. Running back Randy Harris has pulled his groin for the second time in three months time, while his fullback Jamel Flannery is still recovering from knee tendinitis. It means the Merchantmen will be needing great run blocking from the offensive line to help the backups Rodger Mowery and Tyrell Mahoney to make plays. Mowery so far had 27 carries for 5.3 yards per carry, but he's also recorded 3 fumbles in 6 games. And Mahoney hasn't had a ball touch yet. Lucky for them, the Merchantmen line, especially the guards, are pass blocking experts. Looking back to week one and the expected lineups, there can be only conclussion: The Merchantmen will finally win a European game on the road. Granted, Paris has won all previous meetings at home, but the personnel they will provide is missing stars compared to week one, while the Merchantmen only face a problem with a limited running back. But seeing how the Merchantmen beat Fort Worth and Rochester on the road without Charles Gomez active, the should be no doubt they can find a winning way with their all time rushing leader present. Besides, Rodger Mowery is no rookie, he's a former 1,000-yard back! Go Merchantmen! __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-24-2005, 03:11 PM	#735
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen Europe's Best After Beating Paris It took three and a half seasons to happen, but at last the Maassluis Merchantmen have reached the European top spot. With a historical 14-6 win at the Paris Musketeers, the Merchantmen did their share to reach first place. Charles Gomez returned to lead his defense to a day of haunting the Paris quarterback. Injuries took out three potential starters, but not long term. The Merchantmen were doing a good job so far this season, but going into Paris, the team was seaking for something new. The orange-white-and-blue sailors never won a road game in Europe, but had won three in a row on the road this season. Beating Paris would have been a major achievement and the team made it happen. But looking back, it only came on some well timed big plays on defense. Charles Gomez. The Merchantmen looked ost on defense without him, but with their inspiring leader back, the pass rush made big plays all game long. At the end of the day the total score was seven sacks, but more importantly was the timing of the sacks. Most came on crucial third downs and the final Paris drive was especially crucial. 14-6 down at the Merchantmen two-yard line, Paris were in a position to score. But a false start and a big run stop from Cody Cluff later, the Meerchantmen pass rushers made two big plays to end the game pretty much with four and a half minutes left, Paris never got the ball back. Defense or not, Louie Flannery looked deep into the mirror once again. Flannery once again made the big plays, with touchdown passes to Gregory Monti and rookie Jerry Beyer, but with also two interceptions, he made it a difficult game for the defense. Flannery said: "I got to quit doing that, the defense shows up every game, but one interception less would really easy their minds." Randy Harris finally ran wild again and kept the chains moving when needed. With 78 rushing yards on 14 carries, the running back showed up bit time and didn't look injured at all. Wit left tackle Ivan Jacques blocking away, Harris was able to make plays and finally contribute again after games of 2.7 and 1.4 yards per carry. But Harris was the last person to say the offense made the game. Charles Gomez was back and everybody was going to know it. With 6 tackles, 3 hurries and 1.5 sacks, he anchored a strong defense. Cody Cluff (8 tackle, 1 interception), Tai Wayne (1 sack, 1 defended pass), Albert Bernardo (1.5 sacks), Aaron Sherrill (1.5 sacks), Myron Stevens (1 forced fumble), they all tried to contribute. Some call it a team performance, but with Gomez back, things are working out better on key plays. With a loss from the Gothenburg Giants at home against the San Antonio Volunteers, the Merchantmen moved up to first place in the European Division with a 5-2 record, holding divisional tiebreakers over the Giants. It marks the first time ever the Dutchmen take the lead in what seems to be the strongest division in the International House Of Football in 2007. Headcoach Leroy Van Der Woude tried to temper the positive thoughts: "Remember, we were 5-2 last season and this year were only two losses away from last place in the division. Let's enjoy the momentum and see where we can get." Coming up is a road game at the Telluride Outlaws. The 2004 Atlantic Oceam Conference champions have serious injury woes in their secondary and have given up on quarterback Norm Rizzo, the oldest player in the league, as they are 1-6 now. Winning there would be great and some even already expect it to happen, but the eyes mainly go to the big game in Bordeaux, where the Bordeaux Vineyars host the Gothenburg Giants in a game that could help all four European teams sit 5-3 at mid-season. Wouldn't that be something? __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-24-2005, 03:12 PM	#736
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	General Manager Notes Sorry Paris, but we like the win. Awesome, people, awesome. 5-2 is familiar, but last season we were hopeless in divisional play. At this point we already have clinched our best divisional record ever. And with Gothenburg losing 17-19 to San Antonio, while Bordeaux beat Telluride 28-3 at home, we're in one heck of a division. I think as a group of owners, we Europeans are proud on our progress. In 2004 we combined for 24-40, at this point we're a combined 18-10 and are the only division with all teams having a winning record. For what it's worth, the AOC Southeast division leading Tucker Tigers are 4-4... Standings: 5-2 Maassluis (2-0 divisional) 5-2 Gothenburg (1-1 divisional) 4-3 Paris (2-1 divisional) 4-3 Bordeaux (1-0 divisional) Next up: Bordeaux (4-3) vs Gothenburg (5-2) Maassluis (5-2) at Telluride (1-7) Paris (4-3) at Vicksburg (5-2) Looking to the top five players of the game, the first name is easy, the rest follows as they did a decent job. Charles Gomez recorded 6 tackles, 2 assists, 1 sack and 3 hurries. Cody Cluff recorded 8 tackles and 1 interception. Left tackle Ivan Jacques had 4 key run blocks and protected the quarterback excelently. Albert Bernardo made 1.5 sacks in the final Paris drive. Rookie Jerry Beyer had 3 receptions for 25 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown. Standings 14 points - Cody Cluff, Louie Flannery 8 points - Bryce Ewald, Tai Wayne 6 points - Cary Coles, Charles Gomez, Carl Meier 4 points - Albert Bernardo, Randy Harris 3 points - Brant Heinrich, Ivan Jacques, Timothy Lacy 2 points - Winford Endicott, Jim Reiser 1 point - Jerry Beyer, Lincoln Gilmore, Andy Weliczka, Butch White Overall statistics after 7 games: Louie Flannery is completing 60% of his passes for 250 yards/game, with 10 td vs 9 int. Randy Harris has ran for 65 yards/game and 1 td. Rodger Mowery is a good change of pace back with 24 yards/game (5.3 yard/carry) and 1 td. In the receiving yards per game list the top three are Monti 54 yd, Ewald 55 yd and Reiser 55 yd (4 games). Kicker Cary Coles is still the #1 kicker in the IHOF with 11/11 FGs and the longest kick at 57 yd. Key run blocks leaders are Heinrich with 14, White 13, Lacy 9, Jacques 7, Hurtado 6 and Rice with 5. Rodger Mowery sadly recorded no less than 4 fumbles in 42 ball touches, despite his punt returning. Cody Cluff ranks 3rd in the IHOF with 64 tackles, second in tackles per game. Albert Bernardo ties for 2nd in the IHOF with 5.5 sacks (in only 78 pass plays!) Other sack numbers: Gomez 3.0, Sherrill 3.0, Rasmussen 2.5, Thelen 1.5, Gougeon 1.5, Weliczka 1.5. In pass defense, Cody Cluff has 2 interceptions so far this season. Johnnie Stidham, Carl Meier and Myron Stevens each had 1 interception. Tai Wayne had 8 defended passes, Winford Endicott has 7 in 5 games, Lincoln Gilmore 4. Team Stats? Off Total Yards: 11th with 342 yd/game Rushing Offense: 27th with 101 yd/game Passing Offense: 9th with 250 yd/game Pass Protection: 11th with 8 yd/game Def Total Yards: 13th with 324 yd/game Rushing Defense: 26th with 138 yd/game Passing Defense: 10th with 206 yd/game Pass Rush Yards: 1st with 22 yd/game Turnover Margin: 12 give aways, 6 take aways It's obvious, our key to success is the pass rush so far and we do it with rookies starting, while veterans rotate in from the bench surrounding the arguably best defensive tackle in the IHOF. Success or not, I'm still stunned how we can be 5-2. We beat Paris (4-3) twice and won at three of the biggest disappointing teams of the season in Ann Arbor (2-5), Rochester (2-5) and Fort Worth (1-7), while we lost to Vicksburg (5-2) and San Antonio (7-1). All the signs are there we're still stuck in .500 land. Oh well, enjoy the momentum and who knows where we'll end up at season's end? Oh, I forgot something, how are the rookies doing? On offense, RB Tyrell Mahoney (5.02) has been active in 5 games, but didn't contribute yet. FB Henry Poston (5.03), started in 1 of 6 games he was active and so far contributed with a 7-yard reception and a fumble recovery. WR Jerry Beyer (2.03), in 6 starts made 14 receptions for 241 yards and 3 scores make him by far the #1 receiving rookie in the IHOF. OT Norman Holliday (5.04) has not been active yet. On defense DE Aaron Sherrill (6.04) recorded 3 sacks (#1 rookie in the IHOF), 14 tackles, 6 assists and 4 hurries in 6 starts. DT Andrew Rasmussen (6.05) recorded 2.5 sacks (#2 rookie in the IHOF), 17 tackles, 5 assists and 2 hurries in 7 games. DT Shaun Shiroma (2.16) played 5 games, recording 15 tackles, 8 assists, 1 sack, 2 blocked passes and 2 hurries. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail Last edited by MIJB#19 : 02-24-2005 at 03:24 PM.

02-25-2005, 08:01 AM	#737
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Irregular Interviews: Louie Flannery Centerpiece Of The Hype Louie Flannery is the new all-time leading Maassluis Merchantmen quarterback. In the win against the Paris Musketeers, Flannery lead the Dutch team to the lead in Europe for the first time ever. Coincidentally Flannery surpassed Justin McDavid in pass attepts, passing touchdowns and in starts to make Flannery all-time leader in attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns and starts at quarterback for the Merchantmen. With Justin McDavid on roster, he can technically still get past Flannery, but being a fourth stringer, it's unlikely. Who is Flannery and how has he addepted to living away from the States for most of the year? And what's his own take on his image as being interceptions prone? Q (Questioner): Thanks for joining us Louie Flannery, how's life in the Netherlands? LF (Louie Flannery): Well, it's different, but I've gotten used to living here. Q: Are there special traits, traditions or anything here that you like in special? LF: I dunno... The fans ain't crazy people and just let you do your shopping in the malls. We have a big fan base but people just don't recognize us. We're still pretty anonymous in the Netherlands. Q: Shouldn't you have taken the "Life Of Louie" real life soap idea more serious and help spread the image of the Merchantmen in the country? LF: It wasn't my decission, (Merchantmen owner) M.IJ.B. didn't like the people who came with the plans. Besides, I hear people can read all about the Merchantmen through the internet. Q: How's the atmosphere after taking first place in the division mid-way the season? LF: We're not there yet, the season is still nine games long. Granted, being in first is a major achievement for a team that was known as the league's laughing stock, but we're still two or three losses away from last place in the division. Q: Of course, but 5-2 and going to Telluride, we're looking to an all-time best situation. LF: Perhaps, but after the Outlaws game we play the all-important games against Bordeaux and at Gothenburg. Two match-ups the Merchantmen never won before. Q: I see, the rendez-vous from last season, the drop from 5-2 to 5-6 has tempered expectations. LF: Exactly. Q: Is that all? LF: Well yeah, we're realistic. We're 5-2 like last season, but this time all three divisional rivals are just one win away. We might witness a unique all-5-3 division come Monday. Q: Okay, we know you guys are doing well, but you're personally doing well too. You just broke the franchise records Justin McDavid set in Maassluis. LF: Yes, I know. Justin is a popular player and he's been helping me to learn the system. Justin is intelligent and knows all about the offense. Afterall, the system was built around him. Q: But you kicked him out of the record books, there's no animosity? LF: Not at all. We're a team, that's the big key in the Merchantmen organization. Everybody can play and everybody can be replaced. Q: Except you. LF: Well, I don't know whether that's true. If anybody would be irreplacable, it would be Charles Gomez. Just watch how the sacks production was with him and without him, the pass rush pressure doubles with him around. Q: But then, who can run this offense when you're gone? Mel Atkins isn't ready, Shane Bower clearly failed when he was given opportunity and Justin McDavid is still 'Fumblin Justin' and not quite the quarterback he was in 2004, 2005. LF: Nah, you're underestimating the team. The offensive line is doing a great job protecting me. The receivers group is deep in talent, Devin Henson is only fifth on the chart. And then you're even failing to mention Randy (Harris), Jamel (Rosenberry) and Jim Reiser. Q: How's Jerry Beyer looking so far? The team gave up a lot to get him. LF: Well, if you've seen his stats you should know. We connected for 3 touchdowns so far and averages 19 yards per catch, I can't complain. Jerry is still lacking the experience to get open more often, but when he's open, he'll make the catch and rack up the yardage. Q: Will Beyer replace Gregory Monti over time? LF: I dunno, Jerry and Greg (Gregory Monti) are different kinds of players. Greg gets open a lot and makes the catch. He's not the guy who runs over the cornerback to gain more yards. I think Jerry is more like Bryce Ewald, who's making a play time after time, if he can get open. Q: How's the connection with Jim Reiser going? LF: Well, I think he's very important. When the receivers can't get open, Jim is always open. But I really mean always. I don't think any other player in the league can do it like Jim. I think it says enough he's averaging 5 receptions per game. Q: Okay, you've got the receivers, an offensive line that protects you. What can still improve on offense? LF: Well, I think it's been clear that the running game isn't doing what it did last season. Perhaps the new offense is partial to it, but the loss of Wilson Grimaldo did hurt. I mean, Cornelius Rice and Ivan Jacques are great tackles, but not the run blockers Grimaldo is. Q: As we can see with Vicksburg, Grimaldo is now blocking for Ronnie Kemp, the IHOF's most productive running back. LF: Yeah, Kemp is amazing. He's from the same draft class as me and been maybe the best guy from te entire class. I mean, Seth Dwight is a great quarterback, but Ronnie is Ronnie. He's phenomenal. Q: And there's Louie Flannery, who, when healthy, passes the laughing stock of the IHOF to win after win. LF: I'll be modest and say it's still a team effort. Everybody is doing his share. Cary Coles is kicking like an eilte placekicker, Cody Cluff makes tackles, the defensive line, and I mean everybody, is haunting the other quarterback. And I'm confident Randy (Harris) will rack up the 100-yard games again soon. Q: If you don't know something to work on, I do. What's with the turnovers on offense? Justin McDavid had his fumbles, you are tossing interceptions like a rookie. LF: I was a rookie last season. I don't know whether 32 interceptions in 23 games is bad. It looks bad, but I don't get demoralized about it anymore. Q: You learned to live with it? LF: Yes. Big time. Maybe it helps to have such a great defense, they believe in me and every one of those guys wants to set it right for me and the rest of the offense so we can make a play on our next possession and get us on the score board. Q: One last thing, what's your take on the complaint about you not being a mobile quarterback? LF: I'm no Justin McDavid. First, he played with a weaker offensive line, he had to run and he's got the speed. He can give you 20 yards rushing per game, I can't. Maybe that doesn't make me a typical Merchantmen quarterback, I hear they want a guy who can run. But with the offensive line surround me, I don't have to run. They protect me and I can pick my receiver. Q: What team would you fit in then? LF: That's a nasty question, especially when we're playing the Telluride Outlaws on Monday. I know they are a team of tradition and it will be an honour to play against the league's most experienced quarterback, Norm Rizzo. Q: Rumors are Rizzo won't play. LF: I highly doubt it. I heard the Outlaws owner demands his team to beat us and I even heard they rested Rizzo to be able to play against us. Something about the owners wanting to beat each other desperatly. Go ahead, be competitive. The thing is, we have two important games after that and this game is ideal to boost our confidence. With or without Norm Rizzo. Q: Okay, the plane is leaving in an hour or two, what's your take on flying back to the States time after time? LF: It's exhausting, but we gained confidence in playing in the States. We won three games on the road there and only have one left at Columbus after this one. We've won four on the road this season, it should prove that flying a lot won't keep you away from winning. Q: Okay, final question: when are we going to see that fake field goal pass you guys have been training on? LF (with rolleyes look): We don't do that stuff. Seriously, Cary Coles is already called "Icecube" since he's been so cool, being perfect on kicks all-season. I'm just happy to help as the holder, as is Charlies (Martins) as the long snapper. Cary will make the points and the three points are currently safer than the seven or nothing gamble. Q: Okay, Louie. Thanks for your time and have a good game at the Outlaws. LF: You're welcome. I'll bring you a Norm Rizzo autograph. That is, if he's willing to do two for me. I just got to keep one for my own collection of memorablia... __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail Last edited by MIJB#19 : 02-25-2005 at 08:19 AM.

02-27-2005, 08:56 AM	#738
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Merchantmen At Outlaws Preview "Finally!" That was the one word Maassluis Merchantmen owner M.IJ.B. was heard saying when he saw the schedule for the 2007 season. It was related to seeing the Telluride Outlaws on the program. The response from the Telluride Outlaws owner Buccaneer was propehtical, despite not knowing Norm Rizzo would return for another stint with the Outlaws, as he said: "MIJB, next season will not be a good time (competitive-wise) to be playing Telluride." And see there, the Merchantmen lead their division at 5-2, the Outlaws are already far behind in their's at 1-6. Norm Rizzo, the oldest player in the IHOF, is the quarterback in Telluride. With him at the helmet, the Outlaws were 31-15 the previous three seasons, including playoff games and games played as the Stillwater Dynamite. But the Outlwas are rebuilding this season and seem to want Rizzo to retire as a winning quarterback and to be remembered from the conference championship. Wayne Christopherson has been given the call and is trying to copy his 2004 statistics, when he was concidered one of the best in the IHOF. Merchantmen quarterback Louie Flannery is looking forward to playing against Telluride. "Every quarterback in the game wants to play against Rizzo at some point," Flannery said, "he's been one of my idols since I started watching football as a six year old." Flannery is currently doing a great job as the Merchantmen quarterback, the only thing keeping him from stardom is his interceptions figure. Playing the Outlaws secondary, there's little to fear for the Merchantmen. Their secondary is bascially cornerback Gene Dalessandro and a couple of mediocre players. Slowly the injured safeties are returning, but not Hugh Jackson, who has been placed on injured reserve with a severe hamstring pull. Still, the Outlaws defense isn't one to underestimate, they rank eleventh in the IHOF in yardage. With a strong group of linebackers and a decent defensive line, they can make plays and stop most offenses. The Merchantmen offense has been one of yardage and little scores. Ranking eleventh in yards and nineteenthin scoring, it's clear where the problem sits. Especially the production from Randy Harris in both rushing yards and total touchdowns is lacking this season. With the return to healthiness of fullback Jamel Rosenberry it might come back, but the interception proneness of Louie Flannery is breaking up the offense more often than not. And the change of pace back Roger Mowery has taken up fumblitis since he joined the team of Fumblin' Justin. The Merchantmen defense has been one to fear recently. The defense is leading the league in pass rush pressure with sacking quarterbacks for a loss of 22 yards per game. That includes the four games star defensive tackle Charles Gomez missed due to injury. The Merchantmen are especially doing a good job keeping teams from scoring, as they ranked nineth overall with 17 points per game. Especially the secondary that seems to lack talent is making themselves shown by keeping opposing receivers from long gains. The Outlaws offense is possibly without Norm Rizzo this Monday, but they're still no weak offense without him. Wide receiver Seymour Barber was an All IHOF selection the past two seasons. Granted, Barber failed to score a touchdown this season, but with 37 receptions it's only a matter of time he'll break out for a long catch and score some points. The offensive line is decent and could help Robbie Meader to have a 100-yard game at home, which would be his first since early 2005 in a home game. All in all, the Merchantmen are still no giants in the IHOF, despite being tipped as the #5 team in the latest K-Ratings and RPI Rankings. Headcaoch Leroy Van Der Woude said: "The Outlaws are still a good team and waiting to break out for a big win. We've got to stay focussed and try to win this one. We should not look over this game to the important games against Bordeaux and Gothenburg, because it will guarantee a loss here." Let's help hoping the Merchantmen to stay focussed and win this thing. Last season they dropped from 5-2 to 5-6, they don't want to repeat history... __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

02-28-2005, 04:00 AM	#739
MIJB#19 Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands	Gossip News: Merchantmen Training With Norm Rizzo Dummies Once again there's some unsportsmanship reported from the Maassluis Merchantmen training facilities. Our reporters have broken into the facilities after the Merchantmen left for the road game at the Telluride Outlaws. What we found was aweful and showed of little respect to the oldest player in the IHOF. The Merchantmen have painted tackle dummies in Outlaws jerseys, all with a big 4 and the letters R-I-Z-Z-O written on the back. Rumors are it was the idea of Wally 'World' Wilcox. The veteran defensive end once recorded 3 sacks in one game against the Telluride Outlaws. Okay, it was back in 2004 and the team was still named the Stillwater Dynamite, but the sentiments are there as Norm Rizzo chickened out of the game after one single play. Wilcox is reported to be willing to set a few things straight and is inspiring the rookie defensive linemen to join him in the team's effort to record to break the single-game sack record, set by the Outlaws at 11 two seasons ago. Surely, it's a funny trick to play, to paint the tackle dummies in some opposing quarterback's jersey colors. The Merchantmen have done it in the past as they had special Duane Davis dummies, 'Super Mario' dummies and Seth Dwight dummies. The team's leader in sacks, Albert Bernardo (5.5 sacks in 78 plays) said "It's just an innocent habbit. It's our way to get focussed on the next game." Norm Rizzo was quoted to be "Not impressed." The popular quarterback, arguably the most popular in the Atlantic Ocean Conference, has been riding the bench and might be sitting out the game. Af that is true, the sacks record could indeed be in trouble. Rizzo is known as a passer who stays in the pocket, but has the speed to throw the ball away in time to avoid the loss of yards. Replacement Wayne Christopherson is a scrambler and has the reputation to be a sissy when he's about to be sacked. Pretty crucial today are the injuries to three Outlaws' offensive linemen. Center Marvin Goforth is doubtful with an abdominal strain and not expected to play. Left guard Adrian Rainwater, hired to boost the pass protection, is out with an hyperextended elbow. Left tackle Carl Ryan is plagued by knee tendinitis, but should be able to play with some injections. In all cases, ex-Merchantmen starting tackle Russell Malave is not expected to be starting. Malave is still shocked he got traded during the 2006 season, knowing the team would be refreshing at the tackle position in the 2007 off-season. Just for the sake of it, Gossip News has filed complaints about taunting from the Merchantmen towards the Outlaws in advance. We can't say who said what, but when players are heard saying: "I'm gonna hit Rizzo's spleen", "He's gonna play his last game this weekend" and "Expect a couple of unexpected late hits on the old man today." Only linebacker Ellsworth Thelen, who's living tried to talk the trash talks down: "Rizzo is from New England, he's the pride of our state, I got to be careful with what I do or say. I want to be able to get home after the season..." Controversial or not, the Merchantmen are going into Telluride after a game where they made a franchise record seven sacks. After the seven sacks, the Merchantmen have moved into first place at the sacks charts and they seem to be proud on the achievement, one season after dumping their expensive star defensive ends Harold Wells and Deon Chapa. Wells is currently disappointing with 2 sacks in 7 games for Bordeaux, Chapa made 3.5 for Rochester. Maybe the Merchantmen did make a good call there for a change, but thinking they can record a sacks record versus a good pass protection as Telluride's, which allows 2 sacks per game, that's a bit too much to ask. __________________ * 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen * Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail