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Old 08-24-2004, 04:54 PM   #401
MIJB#19
Coordinator
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Quarterback 'Fumblin' Justin McDavid comes back in 2007 season
As the retirement announcements flooded the IHOF today at thestart of the 2006 season, it became apperant that Merchantmen quarterback Justin McDavid is willing to sit out the 2006 season and return in 2007. McDavid is recovering from surgery after suffering a torn ACL in his knee.

With McDavid's delayed return, the Merchantmen still need to look for a backup quarterback, but now it only has to be a one year solution. Leonard Lyon remains as the clear number one as the team spent a first round pick on him in the 2005 draft. Antoine Shepherd has good hopes on remaining as the premier backup, like he was for the 2004 campaign. Last year's injury replacement Aubrey Brunelle is officially still on the roster. Brunelle might be hoping for an extended stint with the Merchantmen as second stringer.
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Old 08-24-2004, 05:05 PM   #402
MIJB#19
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Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Gossip News: Merchantmen want new offensive coordinator
With Spencer Opitz' contract over after one year, the Merchantmen are looking for a new offensive coordinator. Opitz' has been resonsible for the progress shown by quarterbacks Justin McDavid and Leonard Lyon and more notably for the developement of rookie linemen Brant Heinrich and Butch White.

Whether Opitz will return in the same role is not yet known, but team officials didn't deny the search for a new coordinator. Rumors are that Opitz' reputation of developing linemen didn't payoff in developing rookies and his stint in the Netherlands is over. More on this later as Gossip News keeps you up to date with the ins and outs on the Merchantmen.
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Old 08-25-2004, 06:48 AM   #403
MIJB#19
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Merchantmen acquire new fullback, backup quarterback
As the offseason is getting a jump start with the bidding wars on staff members today, the Maassluis Merchantmen have agreed to two more trades to improve the team in some gap areas. The Merchantmen acquired fullback Jamel Rosenberry from Syracuse Mohawks to battle with Vincent Lopez for the starting job. To get him, the Merchantmen traded the #75 overall pick in the 2006 draft.

The Merchantmen also said goodbye to backup quarterback Antoine Shepard. He was traded to divisional rivals Paris Musketeers for quarterback Moe Baxter, while the team also traded up their lowest fourth and fifth round picks to higher positions in the fuirth round. Shepard was expected to be an important backup, knowing the system for two years. With the possibilty to get a more talented backup and trade up in the draft, the team can live with Baxter's relative high paycheck.

Also note that the Merchantmen have initiated talks with three other teams to possibly improve the team in two need areas. As good as the 2006 draft situation is to be active, these players can't be found in the draft. So far the Dutchmen have completed nine trades. The management asures that the trading days could be over soon as the cap situation is getting healthier. From now on, the team only expects to make trades during the draft or if another team approach for players listed on the trade block.
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Old 08-25-2004, 07:41 AM   #404
MIJB#19
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Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Gossip News: Merchantmen trading just for fun
IHOF fans have noticed the trading spree the Merchantmen showed and league pundits are already questioning the reasoning behind the trades. Some even claim the Merchantmen are trading just for the joy of trading. The Merchantmen management, as always, didn't want to comment, but we're willing to put the highlights on some dumb moves.

Dumping Deon Chapa. Chapa is a top 10 prospect at defensive end, the team dealt him for a second and fourth rounder. it will take a first rounder to get a reasonable replacement, yet the team seems to not understand it.

Dealing Jerry Aubrey. A fifth rounder and a sixth rounder in 2008? That's very little for a former All IHOF selection. Aubrey could have address the need for a good backup tight end and has proven to be a reliable receiver. Getting such late picks won't help you out.

Getting the #12 overall. First round picks are welcome, but where on earth will the get the cap room? We don't even mention they gave up picks in the first, second and third round to get this selection. Someone is really overestimating that selection.

Trading Mark Burger. Did you know that Burger was the most popular player on the team? Yes he was, the Merchantmen gave him and a fourth rounder for a second rounder and a guard they don't need. That offensive line was okay, now this Timmy Lacy will hurt the cohesion. And do they really think that Jamel Rosenberry is going to be a worthy replacement, or is Vincent Lopez all of a sudden back in te spotlights?

Letting Antoine Shepard go. Moe Baxter, third stringer for the worst AOC team is good enough to replace him. You whish. Baxter is new to the team, Shepard has been around for two years and knows all the important players, like Randy Harris, Jim Reiser, Gregory Monti and Bryce Ewald. What on earth can those two slightly better fourth round selections do for your team?

Do you really need more? The Merchantmen manager recently confessed he made two big mistakes in trading last year. Do you really think it will go much better this year? Granted, the market has plummeted, guys who went for first round picks last year are not worth a second rounder if deealt with some compensation.

The way the Merchantmen have been acting like the 'Masters of Trade', it's clearly a quantity over quality story. The players of quality margin so far is at minus three. The so-called 'Most Improved Team' won't even be close to the playoffs in 2006 if they hold this up. Timmy Lacy and Jamel Rosenberry quality players, give me a break.
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Old 08-25-2004, 07:44 AM   #405
Alf
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Thanks Matthijs, continue this trend I will have no competition for the 2006 European Division title.

PS : I truely enjoy your dynasty writing style
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Old 08-25-2004, 09:33 AM   #406
MIJB#19
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Gossip News: Merchantmen have four men for two spots
It's not confirmed, but our correspondents in the world harbor report a much anticipated positional battle between first round pick Butch White and former super guard Alvin Causey. Both players moved to the Merchantmen in a big trade, with Causey brought in for three draft picks in the middle rounds, while White was drafted with a pick acquired for the #15 overall in the upcoming draft. Also in the mix are tackle Russell Malave and new guard Timothy Lacy, both have their eyes on the right guard job.

Last season, Russell Malave played at right guard at the absence of a worthy alternative, until he got injured and Alvin Causey returned from a long recovery at the same time. This offseason, the Merchantmen already acquired Timothy Lacy, a true right guard, who should make Malave the first backup on the tackle positions. That leaves White and Causey fighting it out for the left guard position and both have a point to claim it.

Causey was brought in as a top player at his position. Although recovering from a serious shoulder injury, Causey returned to a respectable level and looked to have been worth the risky trade. The Merchantmen tried to give him a long term contract, yet his demands were far away from what the team wanted to pay for him. With no long term contract signed, Causey is heading for free agency, yet the Merchantmen already announced to use the franchise player tag on him. He's openly shopped around already.

Butch White was drafted in the first round and the Merchantmen gave up a potential number one pick for him. The league called shame on the San Antonio Volunteers to take advantage of the weak Merchantmen, yet the team won more games then expected and White is now rated as having being worth a mid first round pick. White played all 16 games in 2005, yet didn't impress the management. Still, he didn't play like a weak link on a chain which can break any second, he's been not good, but not very bad either.

Russell Malave was a revelating in the eyes of he management. Granted, Malave was the most efficient run blocker of the team, but allowed a little bit too much sacks and his starting job is in serious danger. Now that Causey is back and the team picked up Timothy Lacy, Malave finds himself on the trading block. Sadly for him, it's reported that not a single team showed interest for the young breakout player.

Timothy Lacy is the big mystery to the fans, yet he's having the name of being a very promising run blocker. If there's one thing a right guard should do in Maassluis, it's run blocking and Lacy looks like a better version of Russell Malave. His luck is his experience at the righ guard position. Lacy is familiar with playing on the right side and is already inked in as a starter there, independant on the battle for the left side or trades of either Malave or Causey.

Will it be the White and Lacy combo as the young promising guards option. Will it be Causey and Lacy as the most talented option. Will White and Malave as the 2005 starters keep their jobs. Or will White and Causey step up as the projected starters since the 2005 draft and stay there like in the last two games for 2005? Make your bets now, two of these guys will be starting week one, one of them is expected to be out of Maassluis before training camp starts.
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Old 08-25-2004, 03:50 PM   #407
MIJB#19
Coordinator
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Merchantmen present new lead scout
As the bidding wars on staff members have began, the Maassluis Merchantmen are proud to announce the acquisition of Gabe Avila as the new lead scout. Avila was out of contract with the 2004 IHOF champions Fairbanks Northstars and signed a five-year contract giving the 59-year old 1.48 million dollars a year. General manager M.IJ.B. said: "This is a great day for the Merchantmen, we have a guy who worked with the champions, who can show us how it's done."

The addition of Avila means the departure of 62-year old Brad McGarity. As the lead scout for the Merchantmen the last two seasons, McGarity has been resonsible for scouting Leonard Lyon as the future quarterback and the choice to give Jim Reiser the starting job at tight end over 2004 All IHOF selection Jerry Aubrey. McGarity still had a contract, but could somewhat understand the decission. "Yeah, I'm out of my job. Being 62 means I have little to fall back on. Gabe [Avila] is one of the best in this profession, I'd probably made this choice too if I were in control."

The Merchantmen quit negotiations with Mark Wallace. The Brooklyn Fightin' Bums head coach was approached to replace Leroy Van der Woude, today Van der Woude was told his job is safe. Van der Woude: "Thanks god, I coached this 1-15 team to a 7-9 record, I figred I'd have some credit." The management assured it was just to make clear that even after a year of improvement, nobody's job is safe.

The position of offensive coordinator is still open. The Merchantmen were unwilling to give names of candidates, but they said they were going after an outsider, not the best guy on the market. Spencer Opitz was said to be concidered a candidate too, but that's not confirmed or denied by the management. Opitz was unavailable for comment, yet the fact that there are no offers out for him should be a clear signal.
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Old 08-25-2004, 04:07 PM   #408
MIJB#19
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Press release: Merchantmen put quarterback McDavid on injured reserve
Far before the first snap has been made, the Maassluis Merchantmen decided to put Justin McDavid on the injured reserve list. Team doctors have said that McDavid won't be fully recovered during the season. Knowing that McDavid won't play in 2006, the management have decided to pull the plug and tell McDavid he's not on the active roster until the start of the 2007 season, when he's expected to be recovered.

General manager M.IJ.B. explains: "It wasn't a tough move, we talked it over with Justin and he knew that the doctors' diagnosis would influence the decission. If we were told he'd return during the season, he'd just be inactivated. We'd ask the press to give McDavid the needed rest and time to recover. For interviews with him, please contact the PR Department."
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Old 08-26-2004, 04:39 AM   #409
MIJB#19
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Merchantmen Management Presents: Offseason Overview
The start of free agency is four days away, but we've traded so much already, it's time for a little recap of trades and what's coming and going.

Coming In
RG Timothy Lacy
FB Jamel Rosenberry
FL David Henkel
LCB Gus Stoffers
LT Edgar Dunkin
RG Eric Dietrich
RCB Johnnie Stidham
QB Moe Baxter
1st round pick Bos (#12)
2nd round pick Roc (#51)
2nd round pick 2007 FtW
3rd round pick FtW (#81)
4th round pick Geo (#100)
4th round pick Syr (#114)
4th round pick Roc (#115)
6th round pick 2008 Roc

Going Out
TE Jerry Aubrey
FB Mark Burger
DE Deon Chapa
FS Percy Francis
QB Antoine Shepard
1st round pick 2007 Maa
2nd round pick 2007 Col
3rd round pick Fbk (#94)
3rd round pick Vic (#75)
3rd round pick 2007 Spr
3rd round pick 2007 Bos
4th round pick SAo (#117)
4th round pick 2007 Spr
4th round pick 2007 Maa
6th round pick Maa (#175)
6th round pick NPl (#187)


That's a long list of in's and out's, but what does it mean in general?
Let's scratch away what's basically worth the same, it leaves:
Coming In
RG Timothy Lacy
FB Jamel Rosenberry
FL David Henkel
CB Gus Stoffers
LT Edgar Dunkin
RG Eric Dietrich
CB Johnnie Stidham
QB Moe Baxter
1st round pick Bos (#12)
2nd round pick Roc (#51)

Going Out
TE Jerry Aubrey
FB Mark Burger
DE Deon Chapa
FS Percy Francis
QB Antoine Shepard
1st round pick 2007 Maa
3rd round pick Fbk (#94)
3rd round pick 2007 Spr
3rd round pick 2007 Bos
6th round pick Maa (#175)

So, what happened so far with this? We got a less talented starting fullback, gave up a backup tight end and backup defensive end, switched backup quarterbacks and dumped an expendable safety. In return we got a startable righ guard, a good #3 receiver, a good #3 cornerback, a much needed backup LT and we improved the depth at guard and cornerback. For the draft situation, we gave up a future first rounder for a current first and second rounder, while also giving up three third rounders and a sixth rounder.

Now what?
We still have some pressing needs:
Quarterback, Defensive End, Defensive Tackle, Cornerback and Safety
What to do?
We want a mentor quarterback, which isn't something you can draft. Some will come free in free agency, others are elsewhere riding the bench. A free agent pickup can be expensive, but so will trading for one be.
At the defensive line, I think we need a minor upgrade in the tackle area in case Gomez gets injured and we need to replace Chapa, though we still have pass rush specialist Junior McKeehan. This can be a draft pickup, but isn't necessary there to be gotten.
At cornerback, we already added some players, but I might try to find another upgrade at the starting job. Same with the safety position as I am thinking of revamping the pass defense schemes. It's still not clear how to get a new cornerback though. We might go for a safety in free agency, again, but it really depends on the cap situation we have after renegotiations with contracts.
So?
Stay tuned and you'll find out what the Merchantmen management will do to improve the Masters of Trade!
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Old 08-26-2004, 05:32 AM   #410
MIJB#19
Coordinator
 
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Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
General manager notes
As my rival Bordeaux general manager noted, I should reevaluate my roster immediately now that we have a better scouting department. It wouldn't be smart to tell what happened, but I can assure you that some player's roles with the Merchantmen could somewhat change over their new assement of ratings. One player who won 11 rating points in experience and 5 in potential. Another player I always thought was better then rated had a jump in ratings too. Whether this drastically changes my plans, I won't reveal, but it's interesting to have new scouting info to say the least.
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Old 08-26-2004, 05:36 AM   #411
wade moore
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Go Merchantmen!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Subby
Maybe I am just getting old though, but I am learning to not let perfect be the enemy of the very good...
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Old 08-26-2004, 04:44 PM   #412
MIJB#19
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Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Gossip News: Mess in Maassluis, trades not allowed?
Our salary cap specialists have discovered an interesting article in the IHOF constitution. It seems teams are not allowed to make trades that could aggrevate their cap situation. With the Merchantmen going wild on trades, our experts found out that the Merchantmen are making a mess and have gone from 7.2M over to 7.7M over the cap and would still need about 4M for their rookies. If all is indeed not allowed, the Merchantmen might see themselves backing out of six trades.

We have reason to believe that especially one trade could be lethal and we heard the Merchantmen have asked other teams to postpone trades until the Merchantmen have the cap room to make the trades. Fort Worth, Vicksburg, Syracuse, Orlando and Paris have been contacted, we hear, while San Luis Obispo is rang too as they recently struck a deal with Maassluis to send linebacker Josh Weisberg to Oranje Haven.

The Merchantmen management was unavailable for comment, yet the projected cap situation going from -8.2M to -10.2M is a signal things are not going as they should. And that wouldn't even land the team a single true upgrade to the starting lineups. There are rumors the Merchantmen are about to shop around Leonard Lyon, while Harold Wells has been signaled on the trade block list just minutes ago. Gossip News will keep you updated.
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Old 08-27-2004, 07:14 AM   #413
MIJB#19
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Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
General manager notes: IHOF Owner Awards 2005
After each season, the owners of the 32 IHOF franchise hold their own elections in six categories to identify the heroes of the just completed season. The categories are: Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Special Teams Player of the Year and Excecutive of the Year.

The player categores were won by quarterback Everett 'Aces' Glenn (Conyers, MVP), quarterback Joey Allen (Fairbanks, OPotY), linebacker Joe Teeters (Syracuse, DPotY), defensive end Earnest Sanford (Rochester, RotY) and kicker Fernando Ramsey (Bordeaux, STPotY).

The most important category to me, was the IHOF 2005 Executive of the Year award. With my much improved team, I figured and heard the rumors I would be a legimate candidate. Personally I voted for AOC Champions and Conyers Condors manager KWhit. In the end KWhit was indeed awarded after a much improved record (9-7 to 12-4) and reaching IHOF Bowl II. Yours truly finished second in the election.

Personally, I felt that my team's big improvement of 6 wins had more to do with the weak 1-15 jump start. My team did play above it's scouted level and beat both 12-4 Conyers and 13-3 Chesapeake in this exciting season. Maybe my reputation as active traded had a role in the decission, being active and have an improved team probably pays off more then being pretty invisible and winning the IHOF Bowl (Jim's Ann Arbor), coming from far behind to win the Atlantic Coast Division (WSUCougar's Outer Banks) or reaching a winning record at 9-7 after starting the league as #2 candidate to be the first to draft #1 overall (Kodos' Rochester).

Another thing to mention, unrelated of the above, we were in negotiations for a very interesting player, Fairbanks' quarterback Jerry Burchell. He would have been the perfect one-year solution as backup quarterback to Leonard Lyon with Justin McDavid out and future addition Moe Baxter not ready to sing the second string song. We lost the bidding war based on us having to postpone the trade until after the first free agency round, while the other party really wanted the deal to go on as soon as possible. We would have given up the most, but we just could give a guaranteed immediate trade, unlike the San Luis Obispo could.

More offseason moves news, we were able to agree with all six owners involved with trades that could potentially aggrevate our cap situation. I promissed them all to clear up the mess before the draft starts and put our big man Harold Wells on the trading block until we resolves the mess. If it turns out we can't renegotiate enough, the superstar defensive end Wells could be leaving Maassluis, after Deon Chapa was earlier traded to Rochester. Call that a big "Wow", but what has to be done has to be done, getting under the cap is the number one requirement to play along...
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Old 08-27-2004, 01:15 PM   #414
MIJB#19
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Merchantmen present new offensive coordinator
As the staff hiring period ended today, the Maassluis Merchantmen are happy to present Antonio Francis as the new offensive coordinator for the coming 5 seasons. Francis worked for the Rochester Lake Monsters and had a key role in the rookie of the year campaign of running back Joe Boulware. Francis is known as a great guy working with offensive linemen, resulting in guard Gene Simmons' two time All IHOF selection and the fast progress of guard Scottie Yuan.

Francis was out of work after the Lake Monsters decided to hire Anaheim's C.J. Corley to work around with promising quarterback Jackie Williamson. In Maassluis, Francis' job will be to develop the young and promising linemen into a true chemistry with the great offensive tackle duo Wilson Grimaldo and Harold Hurtado. With Francis, young left tackle Edgard Dunkin will come over to Maassluis. Spencer Opitz, last year's offensive coordinator, was hired in the same role with the Frederick Red Menace.

With the addition of Francis and earlier acquired lead scout Gabe Avila, the Merchantmen claim to have a great team to make the Merchantmen improve from a 7-9 team to a playoff contender. With head coach Leroy Van der Woude, a play calling expert, and all round very well educated defensive coordinator Kim Johannsen staying at their roles, general manager M.IJ.B. is very happy: "It's good to have a talented crop of players, but to get the best out of them, you need the right supporting group. Avila will be important to see which players will and which won't make it. Francis should be important in the process of developing our offensive players, while Johannsen and Van der Woude did a great job already."

The addition of Francis should be very interesting with the pressence of second year center Brant Heinrich, the pressence of second year guard Butch White and the addition of right guard Timothy Lacy. Francis' reputation is also good enough to assume that he will get a lot of progress out of quarterbacks Leonard Lyon and incoming Moe Baxter.
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Old 08-27-2004, 06:20 PM   #415
MIJB#19
Coordinator
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Merchantmen franchise Alvin Causey
A long awaited move was made today, the Maassluis Merchantmen have notified Alvin Causey that he will be the franchise player for the Merchantmen. Causey is now scheduled to make 4.2M dollars for the 2006 season, unless they team and player agree on a different deal in free agency. Causey is asking for about 5.3M dollar over 3 years, of which about 1M to 1.5M in the 2006 season. With the Merchantmen 7.2M dollars over the cap, Causey won't be signed to that deal for a long time. The Merchantmen management only wanted to say that they plan to get the cap room for him before the 2006 draft. "Plus we might have a few surprise moves going into the draft as well." added general manager M.IJ.B.
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Old 08-28-2004, 04:12 PM   #416
MIJB#19
Coordinator
 
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Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Merchantmen trade quarterback Leonard Lyon
Once again, the Merchantmen hit the headlines, dealing their starting quarterback for the starter from another team. Leonard Lyon looked like the new franchise quarterback after Justin McDavid suffered a knee injury that sidelines him for all of 2006. Now he's out to the team that wanted him badly, the Springfield Isotopes.

In return the Merchantmen have acquired Mel Atkins as the new quarterback of the future. Atkins isn't quite as developed as Lyon, but "fits better in the system", according to general manager M.IJ.B. Crucial in the deal was probably the second round pick for the 2006 draft the Merchantmen get in compensation, the #35 overall. In return, they trade down Columbus' 2007 third rounder into Springfield's fifth rounder.

Recently hired lead scout Gabe Avila has been called the big man behind the deal, calling Lyon a bust for a first rounder. Justin McDavid has been inked in as the best quarterback, with Lyon close behind based on his experience and incoming Moe Baxter not far behind Lyon. Atkins, was ranked somewhere between Lyon and Baxter.

In a picks for picks trade with the Conyers Condors, the Merchantmen acquired the #30 overall pick in a trade with Conyers, which makes them give up Columbus' 2007 first round pick, trade down from #83 to #95, but also gives them a 2007 fifth round pick from Conyers.

Additionally, the 2006 draft class was revealed and Gabe Avila said there are about eight quarterbacks worth picking to replace Lyon. The Merchantmen are also still hoping to acquire a mentor quarterback or a one-year solution until McDavid returns, but the trading market is pretty much dried out with just eighteen teams under the salary cap and only seven teams who can sign their draft selected rookies. To get in the right cap space, the Merchantmen have said to be in negotiations with about 15 players and are seriously in the market to deal or even cut Harold Wells.
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Old 08-30-2004, 03:02 AM   #417
MIJB#19
Coordinator
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Press release: Merchantmen trade Wells for a pick and a Dick
The Maassluis Merchantmen are unhappy to announce the trade of Harold Wells. Wells' salary was accounting very high on the salary cap and his salary situation was the friendliest of all players to make him expendable. Wells will be joining the ranks of divisional rivals Bordeaux Vineyards. Harold Wells earned All IHOF second team honors after making 13 sacks and 35 tackles in the 2005 season.

In return, the Merchantmen are happy to announce to have acquired the #28 overall pick in the upcoming draft. The Merchantmen also get Scot Dick, a defensive end, who started 30 games in his two seasons at Bordeaux. The Merchantmen did give up their 2007 seventh round pick as well, but that should be seen as a little formality to make it a two-for-two trade.

General manager M.IJ.B. says he's not happy, but understands this move was necessary: "We saw it coming going into the 2005 season, Wells would be traded in the 2006 offseason. We tried our best to avoid it, but we just couldn't get enough expensive other players traded. Seeing him leave to a divisional foe makes it even tougher, but we couldn't get more for him then with Bordeaux."

In the upcoming draft, the Merchantmen are now projected to have seven selections. Going by overall numbers, these are the #12, #28, #30, #35, #51, #95 and #100. Whether the team will use them all or package them for higher picks is not sure yet. The salaries involed with these picks probably require the team to trade at least two of the top four picks.

The trade of Wells should be the last star going out in Maassluis. Earlier on, trhe Merchantmen agreed terms to trade quarterback Leonard Lyon, fullback Mark Burger, former All IHOF tight end Jerry Aubrey, defensive end Deon Chapa, backup quarterback Antoine Shepard and backup safety Percy Francis.
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Old 08-30-2004, 04:20 PM   #418
MIJB#19
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General manager notes
Well, the first wave of deals have been processed and we have good news and bad news. We lost DE Harold Wells, FS Percy Francis and QB Leonard Lyon as expected, while QB Mel Atkins and DE Scot Dick are coming in. The scouting staff took a better look at Mel Atkins and think he wasn't worth acquiring afterall. The staff also said that Lyon is now looking as good as he used to, yet I doubt it's reliable. The same scouting department has puleed Lyon for the number one spot in experience in the 2005 quarterback class all of a sudden.

A lot of renegotiations failed and that left us at 4 million over the cap. Add the 3.5 million we didn't open up in trades with Rochester, their general manager was on vacation and couldn't find the time to renegotaite, and a lot of trades couldn't be processed. That also means that Jerry Aubrey and Deon Chapa are still around, but so is Mark Burger, who couldn't be traded yet due to the cap woes.

Today, I sent out messages to trading partners to update on the team's cap situation and how we can get the trades processed. It sadly replies heavily on the trades with Rochester, but I expect that to be cleared soon as Rochester is already under the cap and needs to find "only" 3.8 million to acquire my players.

Our draft strategy? Well, I think it's too early to make anything out of it until the trades mess is cleared. It's a painful process, one I don't want to get into next season. I somehow asumed that all trades would go on simultaneously, yet the IHOF doesn't have the corrupt board as the Dutch soccer league has, where teams in big depts can still sign players to maintain their quality and stay away from relegation to asure they will pay their debts.

Anyway, we should be having an interesting draft situation in a few days, if all picks are in, but as of now I don't know how it will work out. What I will do is still not 100% in the plans, but, there are about three scenario's now and we're scouting the most interesting players available in the draft to see who could land where. To be short on our needs, we need a franchise quarterback, we need a defensive end, we could use a wide receiver, we could use a defensive tackle and secondary help would be interesting as well.
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Old 08-31-2004, 05:01 AM   #419
MIJB#19
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General manager notes
We've had contact with the naughty alien, as some people call he. To me he's the other half of the Futility Bowl general managers. The Lake Monsters saw their g.m. return from vacation and he's confident the planned trades will be processed later today. Happy faces all over, especially since I got the news from my trading partners they are not in a rush and can wait a day or two. Now, the biggest issue, what to do with the quarterback situation? What do we have now?

Justin McDavid
McDavid is out for the season, we're awaiting his recovery to see what he can do after that. 'Fumblin' Justin has still three contract years going into 2007, so if he returns, he'll be a key player to the team, at least to keep the fans coming to Oranje Haven.

Moe Baxter
Coming in from Paris, not closely scouted yet. From a distance, he looks like a good passer, yet we haven't looked deep enough to him. It might turn out that Antoine Shepard was a better solution as our temporary number one or number two.

Mel Atkins
Called a bust last year, my scout Gabe Avila said he was worth the trade. Having seen him closer, he had to write an big apoligy letter, he was wrong. Now he's backing out of the lower assesments of Leonard Lyon. Anyway, Atkins isn't very talented, but should be a worthy third stringer, at least for the 2006 campaign.

Incoming veteran?
This could be a solution for the absence of McDavid. We've explored the market for aged veterans, referable a mentor quarterback. We were close to agreeing terms with Fairbanks for Jerry Burchell, a good passer and mentor. Then, my honesty played up, I told I had to ask to wait for other trades to go on and, boom, best offer for him off the table and the San Luis Obispo Burn get him. Fair enough, the Northstars needed the cap room now, like us, and the Burn could sign him now. It's afe to say we're still looking out for this option, but don't count on it to go on.

Incoming rookie?
Interesting strategy. It looks like a must do for the draft, to get a rookie quarterback. It's safe to saw that we will explore the market to see who we can get at #12 overall, who we could get at #28 or #30 overall. Whether we can get a veteran or not, it would be stupid not to draft a quarterback in this draft.

Rookie quarterback class 2006:
Seth Dwight
grade: 8.0
school: Air Force
pick value: #1 overall
This guy is huge 6'5" 242 lbs and looks like the real thing for a franchise quarterback. This guy is a lock for the #1 pick. This guy is smart, strong, fast and apparently he can throw the ball too. Don't expect us to get him, the #1 pick is too expensive, unless we have to give our complete 2006 draft, I fear.

Louie Flannery
grade: 5.6
school: Middle Tennessee State
pick value: #5-10 overall
Not as good as Dwight, but he's rated better then last season's Mario Hudson. To get this guy, one might need to go up all the way to the #4 overall. #2 Astoria seems settled at quarterback, while #3 Springfield recently acquired Leonard Lyon. #4 Georgia has Tim Wilkes, but Flannery is clearly a better passer. He's unlikely to fall to #12 overall.

Shawn Jahr
grade: 4.9
school: Michigan
pick value: #15-20 overall
This guy is not as good as the other two, but good go as high as around #10 in a league that looks for quarterback. On the other hand, he's similair to Ron Lyle, who went in the mid first round in 2006. To get him, we could use the #12 pick.

Neal Aguillard
grade: 4.7
school: California - Northridge
pick value: #20-#25
People will be cautious with this guy. He's said to have high volatility. This guy looked better then Leonard Lyon on the scouting combine. Also, he has arguably better tools then Lyon. Could be interesting if he falls to the #28 pick.

Richard Bell
grade: 4.5
school: South Carolina
pick value: #25-35 overall
Looking at his value, we might be able to get him with one of our picks in that area. His agility is pretty bad and he isn't strong either. He makes up with intelligency and speed, yet I'm not sure he will be worth picking up this high in the draft. Perhaps if he's there at #51 overall.

The numbers six to ten:
Nicky Ellard, North Carolina State, all-round good and worth taking in the mid second round
Michael Prescott, Texas Christian, fast and smart, a potential mid to high second rounder
Lester Gibson, Southern Mississippi, high volatility, mediocre combine, could fall to the low second round
Peter Fulton, Mississippi, very fast, smart, not strong, a gamble pick in the mid to low second round
Irving Torres, Middle Tennessee State, played together with Flannery, smart guy who could be an interesting late second or early third round pick

Other interesting names:
Pat Jamison, Texas Christian, very fast and very smart
Jack Strong, Penn State, showed he's living up to his name with his strength
Sean Rouen, North Carolina State, agile guy
Middlemarch Tanyavutti, Illinois, fast and smart, but mostly his name jumps out
Melvin Bobbitt and Deon Woodard, were Shawn Jahr's backups at Michigan

Last but not least, the Dutchiest of the draft class:
RB Ronnie Kemp, Florida State, projected to go around #25-30
TE Scottie Handwerker, Michigan, projected early 3rd rounder
TE Harry Lodde, Gerogia, very unlikely to be drafted
OT Sam Hoffman, Toledo, projected to go in the 3rd round
DT Eugene Hartman, Duke, projected to go late in the third round
S Eric Van Pelt, Minnesota, projected to go in the fourth round
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Last edited by MIJB#19 : 08-31-2004 at 11:01 AM. Reason: deleted some info I'd rather not share... :)
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Old 08-31-2004, 06:03 AM   #420
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Nice writeup!

That sucks with Atkins... but sometimes you have to roll the dice and see what happens..
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Old 08-31-2004, 04:35 PM   #421
MIJB#19
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General manager notes
It's getting ugly this season in Maassluis. We have a lot of good draft picks and today are negotiating with players to get about 4M of cap room free to be able to welcome our last five additions to go into the draft with 55 player signed and 7 draft picks sitting ready. Fine, you'd see, until I tell you we don't have the cap room for those picks!

Yes, we have draft picks, but if you can't pay your players, you're doomed. And we are. What room we have, I shall know after the renegotiations and the trades, but it is looking very ugly. It sounds like we need to ship our picks for future picks, no matter what. A solution would packaging all our picks for one high pick and future picks, but who would go for that?

Additionally, we struck a deal for an interesting player, yet can't reveal the name of that player. This player could be our solution for this upcoming season. For salary cap reasons, te deal won't be announced until all other Merchantmen deals have been processed.

For those wanting to see the numbers, we need 7.5M for our draft picks and are 110K under the cap with 50 players signed. Good luck, master of trading...
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Old 09-01-2004, 08:37 AM   #422
MIJB#19
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Gossip News: Merchantmen phones still working overtime
The Merchantmen team is turning into a ghost ship. Star players are kicked for draft picks, while the team can't afford either. The latest gossip is that the #1 pick in the upcoming draft is up for trade and the Merchantmen are league-wide expected to make a run for it. Not in the last place as they have openly advertised their five picks in the range of #12 to #51 to package them for higher picks. Additionally, the want to lose one of their two left guards.

The Boulder Blizzard, the team holding the number one pick first said to be holding on to it, but now changed their mind with a lot of holes to fill. The Blizzard have pressing needs, which the Merchantmen can hardly fill, yet the picks could be welcome additions.

Still, the Merchantmen are in cap woes, to make that move they'd probably have to lose either running back Randy Harris or right tackle Wilson Grimaldo. And recently, the Merchantmen manager M.IJ.B. claimed it would be foolish to trade another star player. Harris is irreplacable, yet Grimaldo has been teaching Russell Malave a lot lost season and Malave saw a big progress in his play at right guard and with Grimaldo mentoring. The addition of Timothy Lacy and pressence of Butch White and Alvin Causey make this move easier to work out.

We also heard about rumors of the Merchantmen having conversations with the Astoria Heroes temporary replacement as general manager. That temporary replacement is rumorred to be the same person who leads the Fumblin Justin fan club. If these seemingly clashing interests can work out is yet to be seen, but there are some rumors saying the Merchantmen have been talking with the Heroes about a quarterback for picks trade.

Other rumors are that the Merchantmen don't like Seth Dwight, who is already known as 'Air Force One' and rather want to go for Louie Flannery. Our sources picked up snippets of a conversation from the Merchantmen manager claiming there are four franchise type quarterbacks in this draft and not just one or maybe two.

Last but not least, we found a piece of paper with names of expendable Merchantmen players. According to our source, the newly additions at quarterback, Mel Atkins and Moe Baxter, will have to battle it out for the #2 spot on the depth chart, yet neither seem to fit in the plans of the team. Guard Devin McDaniel, tackle Jeff Fontenot and linebackers Sam Sasa and Roosevelt Whalen, and cornerbacks Sammie Hernandez, Gus Alston and C.J. Schwartz should all fear for their jobs.

How these rumors can work together is a mystery to us, how can this team even think they can afford the number one pick at only 110 thousand dollars under the cap and needing almost four million to sign the top pick? Gossip News will keep you up to date, rumors are always closer to the truth then they seem. As the Dutch say, if there is smoke, there is fire too.
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Old 09-02-2004, 05:11 AM   #423
MIJB#19
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Merchanmen announce addition of quarterback Shane Bower
With Justin McDavid out for the season and Leonard Lyon traded in a surprise move for the #35 pick overall, the Merchantmen had a big gap at quarterback. The Astoria Heroes were not so worried about trading Shane Bower, having their own prince of passing Julius Irvine and also having acquired Wally Christopherson in a trade from Orlando.

The management knows that the scouting staff hasn't had a closer look to Bower yet, but general manager M.IJ.B. called it a nice move: "We eyed Bower in the 2005 offseason, yet weren't in time to make him a free agency offer and saw him go to Astoria. He looks like Justin (McDavid), yet he's older and more experienced."

With the addition of Bower, the expected battle for the starting job between recent acquisitions Mel Atkins and Moe Baxter seems already over. In fact, Baxter has been cut to make room for Bower on the roster. General manager M.IJ.B.: "Yes, maybe not the birghtest moves off all, yet the big mistake was to let the other two quarterbacks go for these two guys (Atkins and Baxter). Baxter's salary was too big for a possible third string passer, especially with Justin McDavid also sitting on the roster."

To get Bower, the Merchantmen send the #95 and #100 overall selections in the upcoming draft, while the receive Astoria's #176 overall, sixth round pick. This leaves the Merchantmen with six draft selections in the upcoming draft at #12, #28, #30, #35, #51 and the newly acquired #176 overall.

Whether the team will use a draft selection on a quarterback remains yet to be seen, but the management won't deny the desire to at least take a good look at the option. General manager M.IJ.B.: "Leonard Lyon was supposed to be our franchise quarterback for years. Our new lead scout Gabe Avila was pretty sure he won't as good as we hoped he will be, despite his decent showing as a rookie and with him being a pretty different passer then McDavid, we hope to get a guy fitting the system better."

Interesting detail in the trade was the absence of the Astoria Heroes' general manager, who is on vacation. A familiar face to the Merchantmen is filling in for him. Wademoore, President of the Fumblin Justin Fanclub, is stepping in until the draft. Wademoore was unable to comment on the trade at the moment of writing.
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Old 09-02-2004, 10:57 AM   #424
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I like to read that dynastie of yours buddy. very well written and colourful.
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Old 09-02-2004, 11:10 AM   #425
MIJB#19
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IHOF Mock Draft 2006
The Maassluis Merchantmen are proud to present the annual mock draft for he upcoming IHOF draft. In this draft, as of now, the Merchantmen have three selections in the first round and are expected to select three players. The will pick the top rated defensive end Grady Kramer, the number five rated quarterback Richard Bell and the third best wide receiver Ted Hertz. So, who picks who?

Pick - Player - School
#01 Boulder - QB Seth Dwight - Air Force
#02 Astoria - S Kerry Horner - Boston University
#03 Springfield - WR Rickey Mitchell - Cornell
#04 Georgia - RB Raymond Flowers - Arizona State
#05 Conyers - CB Norman Robbins - Stanford
#06 Asheville - WR Albert Hancock - Northwestern
#07 Ann Arbor - QB Louie Flannery - Middle Tennessee State
#08 Minnesota - OLB Harry Rose - Hawaii
#09 Fredrick - CB Buddy Upshaw - Arkansas
#10 RayCo - DT Cole Alexander - Stanford
#11 Georgia - DT Henry Rogers - Duke
#12 Maassluis - DE Grady Kramer - Wake Forest
#13 Miami - QB Shawn Jahr - Michigan
#14 Anaheim - FB Ron Shields - Clemson
#15 San Antonio - RB Michael Fau - Wyoming
#16 Columbus - CB Deion Ingram - Arizona State
#17 Fort Worth - DE Andy Nestor - Mississippi
#18 Boston - S Lorenzo Baker - California
#19 Paris - DE Russell McCubbrey - Washington
#20 Gothenburg - WR Danny Hayes - Washington State
#21 San Antonio - DE Dwight Stone - Oregon State
#22 Orlando - S Quientin Frantz - Minnesota
#23 Boston - ILB Lorenzo Grier - Oregon State
#24 Tucker - RB Ronnie Kemp - Florida State
#25 Columbus - OT Reuben England - North Carolina A&T
#26 Vicksburg - Neal Aguillard - California - Northridge
#27 Conyers - G Lorenzo Karle - Rowan
#28 Maassluis - QB Richard Bell - South Carolina
#29 Chesapeake - DE Darryl Snider - Nevada
#30 Maassluis - WR Ted Hertz - Pennsylvania
#31 Chesapeake - OT Lamar Dewit - Pittsburgh
#32 Brooklyn - DT Lee Couloumbe - Rice
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Old 09-02-2004, 03:19 PM   #426
MIJB#19
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The new quarterback is here: Shane Bower
The Merchantmen management are proud to present the new quarterback for the Maassluis Merchantmen: Shane Bower. Bower was given a tour through Maassluis and fifteen minutes later he got the luxury tour through Oranje Haven. Bower looked happy in his new home and did well in his first mini camp. The loyal fans all saw how much this new guy resembles their hero Justin McDavid so much, except that Bower is eight years older.

Bower comes in with a two-year contract, including a voidable clause, yet the Merchantmen immediately offer Bower a three-year contract, including a bonus of 1.9 million dollars. Bower started his career in Bordeaux as eleventh round draft pick in the league draft. Then Bower was traded to Tucker, where he started eight games. Bower moved to Astoria in free agency, but today found the right place with the right system.

behind the scenes, two relative new wide receivers clashed on the traing ground. Big play receiver David Henkel, coming in from Vicksburg Vipers, and Mario Halas, who was signed as injury replacement late in the 2005 season, had a big fight. The two seem to be far from good friends and have little in common. The 23-year old Halas seems to be a guy with an opinion, while the sixs years older Henkel doesn't take commands from a guy with just one career start.

In another area, defensive tackle Andrew King left Maassluis as he was hired by the Springfield Isotopes as their new defensive front leader. King is said to be a guy who could be a mentor type of guy, yet didn't fint into the Merchantmen plans at all. Newcomer Josh Weisberg has emerged as the new leader and his position rivals Mike Kershner and Roosevelt Whalen looked happy about the addition of Weisberg. Whalen sees Weisberg as the ideal mentor, while Kershner had been the biggest enemy of Andrew King.

Also, the team has made another trade to move up in the draft. The team gave up the #28, #30 and #176 overall picks for the #23 overall pick. In this move, Boston's inside linebacker Carl Meier was also acquired, as well as Boston's 2007 third round pick. Meier hasn't arrived in Maassluis yet, but he's expected to be a possible leader type of guy, who should be the ideal backup for both Ellsworth Thelen and Cody Cluff.

Additionally, Cluff was recently called one of the best run stoppers in the league by new lead scout Gabe Avila. Avila said that it was rather Cluff then the honored defensive linemen duo of traded Harold Wells and Charles Gomez who stopped the run. Avila called Cluff the ideal middle linebacker with his run stopping skills and his stamina. Expectations are that Cluff will be offered a five-year contract anywhere in the upcoming season.

New guy Scot Dick has already been victim of a lot of jokes, yet his names also gives him alot of popularity. Dick has played one game in Oranje Haven before, in last season's Merchantmen loss to the Bordeaux Vineyards with 10-12. Dick in no means can live up to the stats Harold Wells showed, but he sure hopes to get close to those stats.

Another new guy, Timothy Lacy, also made himself known with the fans. Lacy started only four games in two seasons with the Fort Worth Fury as he seems to be an exclusive run blocker. In Maassluis, the quarterbacks are known for their nose for sacks, so Lacyshould fit in well with guys like Harold Hurtado and Butch White. It does mean that either Butch White or Alvin Causey will be traded soon. Expectations are that one of them will be forced out before or during the draft.

Last, but not least, the Merchantmen currently have 60 players under contract. With the expected four incoming rookies and linebacker Carl Meier, the team has just five spots to fill for training camp. After that, ten names will be scratched from the roster going into preseason. After the last preseason game, seven more will be released from the team. It is also still possible that some players will be released before training camp to create a little bit of cap room for incoming rookies.
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Old 09-02-2004, 03:52 PM   #427
MIJB#19
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Merchantmen roster breakdown, going into the draft
Going into the draft with five selections at #12, #23, #35, #51 and #159 overall, it's time to take a look at the roster and make the fans known where there could be holes in the team.

Quarterbacks
QB Shane Bower
QB Mel Atkins
QB Justin McDavid
With McDavid out for the year, it's good to have Bower in as the new starter. The team still needs a backup for at least this season and possibly also for future seasons if McDavid doesn't return in good shape. Atkins will probably make the roster as the holder of the team and because he's a short passes guy, like the team likes.


Backfield
RB Randy Harris
FB Jamal Rosenberry
RB Jonathan Smith
FB Vincent Lopez
RB Kennedy Colwell
RB Kyle Montoya
Harris is the obvious rusher of the team and can catchs passes too. Rosenberry looks as good as last year's fullback Mark Burger. Lopez is still a reliable backup, as is Smith. Colwell and Montoya will probably battle it out for the third string job with a likely project addition at running back for the training camp.


Receivers
FL Gregory Monti
SE Bryce Ewald
TE Jim Reiser
FL David Henkel
SE Devin Henson
TE Jack Ohare
FL Lonnie O'Reilley
SE Mario Halas
TE Charlie Martins
Ewald, Monti and Reiser are the clear starters, but Henkel comes in as the new thread from the #3 spot. Ohare and Martins should be good additions in extra tight end sets, while Henson and O'Reilley are both worthy #4 receivers. Both Henson and O'Reilley will make the roster as return specialists, while Martins is inked in as the long snapper of the team. Halas is emerging as the leader of the corps, yet has the least talent and his days are probably counted after training camp.


Offensive Line
LT Harold Hurtado
LG Butch White
C Brant Heinrich
RG Timothy Lacy
RT Wilson Grimaldo
LT Edgar Dunkin
LG Alvin Causey
C Tom Schwartz
RG Eric Dietrich
RT Russell Malave
LT Hunter Myers
RG Devin McDaniel
RT Jeff Fontenot
Hurtado, Grimaldo and Heinrich are clearly starters, no discussion about that. Causey and White will battle out for left guard, while the loser joins Lacy and Malave for the right guard duties. The tema will likely trade Causey or White before the draft. Dunkin or Myers should be the much wanted backu left tackle, but the team might look for other options. Dietrich looks good enough to make the team, while Schwarz has to fear for seeing a better center to join the team. McDaniel and Fontenot have to breakout in training camp or face the axe.


Defensive Line
DE Albert Bernardo
DT Charles Gomez
DT John Bryant
DE Scot Dick
DE Junior McKeehan
DT Stanley Jacke
DT Bryan Fyie
Gomez, Bryant and Bernardo are expected to stay, while Dick has the tough job to fill in for departed Harold Wells. McKeehan and Fyie will likely make the roster as potential backups, while Jacke should hope there will not come better replacements to the team. There will probably two or three rookies added to this group.


Linebackers
SLB Ellsworth Thelen
MLB Cody Cluff
WLB Mike Kershner
SLB Sam Sasa
MLB Matt Sellers
WLB Josh Weisberg
WLB Roosevelt Whalen
WLB Britt Silvan
Thelen, Cluff and Kershner look like a great trio. Weisberg has arrived to make Kershner a better player. The team is also supposed to be improved with ILB Carl Meier from Boston to give the team a legimate backup for this position group. Probably three of these players won't make the final roster. Long time backups Sasa, Sellers and Silvan are the usual suspects.


Secondary
CB Tai Wayne
CB Gus Stoffers
SS Wiley McGhee
FS Richard Muller
CB Dennis Preciado
CB Desmond Craig
SS Lincoln Gilmore
FS John Cole
CB Johnnie Stidham
CB Gus Alston
CB C.J. Schwarz
Wayne and Muller are clear starters, but the two other jobs are not sealed. Stoffers looks like a threat for Preciado at cornerback, while Gilmore had better results as the strong safety than McGhee. Craig looks like a worthy nickelback or dimeback. Cole fits the new system. Stidham, Alston and Schwarz will likely battle for one roster spot. It's likely the team will add one cornerback for training camp.


Special Teams
P Roscoe Corrales
K Cary Coles
PR/KR Lonnie O'Reilley
KR Devin Henson
LS Charlie Martins
H Mel Atkins
P Lester Murrell
Coles was a reliable kicker and Corrales' skills are very intrueging due to his punt hang time specialty. O'Reilley looked decent as returner, but not as good as Henson, who showed he's a top 10 kick returner. Martins and Atkins are excellent special teamers. Murrell has little odds to make the preseason roster, let alone the 53-men roster. The team is still searching for a second punt return specialist. As the gunner for 2006, the team is not clear who it should be. Linebacker Cody Cluff and tight end Jim Reiser have emerged as important starters, while Mark Burger was traded. Fullback Vincent Lopez, cornerback Desmond Craig and cornerback Dennis Preciado are the favorites to be the new gunner, altough Cluff still looks like the best option, by far.
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Old 09-03-2004, 06:24 AM   #428
Kodos
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Wink

Quote:
Originally Posted by MIJB#19
Offensive Line
LT Harold Hurtado
LT Edgar Dunkin
LT Hunter Myers

Hurtado, Grimaldo and Heinrich are clearly starters, no discussion about that. Causey and White will battle out for left guard, while the loser joins Lacy and Malave for the right guard duties. The tema will likely trade Causey or White before the draft. Dunkin or Myers should be the much wanted backu left tackle, but the team might look for other options. Dietrich looks good enough to make the team, while Schwarz has to fear for seeing a better center to join the team. McDaniel and Fontenot have to breakout in training camp or face the axe.



Two-thirds of your LTs come from Rochester. Wish we had one!
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Old 09-03-2004, 08:07 AM   #429
MIJB#19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kodos
Two-thirds of your LTs come from Rochester. Wish we had one!
Yeah, the other night I realized Dunkin is the second LT traded in from Rochester. Dunkin's job isn't secure though, if former Boston draft pick Hunter Myers makes a lot of progress, Dunkin will be out, not Myers.
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Old 09-03-2004, 08:28 AM   #430
wade moore
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I think a heavy factor in the success of the Merchantmen this year will be how the turnover at DLine affects them. The Run defense up front was one of the best things about the team last year, and it would be bad to see one of the biggest strength turn into a weakness without a trade-off.
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Maybe I am just getting old though, but I am learning to not let perfect be the enemy of the very good...
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Old 09-03-2004, 08:34 AM   #431
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Yeah, the run defense of Maassluis is partially in Bordeaux now !
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Old 09-03-2004, 09:34 AM   #432
MIJB#19
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As of now, 10 of 11 defensive starters are still on the team. 9 of 11 offensive starters are still here. I don't fear the (limited) turn over. The pass defense should improve and the run defense will miss Harold Wells, but I'm not convinced he was the biggest reason our run defese turned out to be the charm of the team.

Crucial could be the improvement of the LB duo Kershner and Cluff. If they improve closer to their expected levels, we should have a strong run defense again. I'm so happy about that mentor OLB guy. When your 3 LBs average a potential of 85 at run defense, I won't fear the loss of my sack machine, even if he was the best run stopper in experience.

Sadly, the draft isn't over, meaning the roster can still see some movements and I might be forced to trade one or two more last year's starters...
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Old 09-03-2004, 09:38 AM   #433
wade moore
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Looking back at the roster... I was thinking Gomez was traded. Glad he wasn't! (my vote for Merchantmen POY last year).
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Originally Posted by Subby
Maybe I am just getting old though, but I am learning to not let perfect be the enemy of the very good...
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Old 09-03-2004, 10:36 AM   #434
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Player of the Year poll closed
Today, the Player of the Year poll saw it's deadline and was closed. There were three winners in defensive tackle Charles Gomez, quarterback Justin McDavid and defensive end Harold Wells. tied for fourth ended up lienbacker Cody Cluff, running back Randy Harris and cornerback Tai Wayne.
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Old 09-03-2004, 10:40 AM   #435
MIJB#19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wade moore
Looking back at the roster... I was thinking Gomez was traded. Glad he wasn't! (my vote for Merchantmen POY last year).
Nope, Gomez is untradable. Would have cost me 14M of dead cap room in 2007. We already have 6-7M of dead cap space and, draft picks included, an expected 12M over the cap in '07.
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Old 09-04-2004, 02:30 PM   #436
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Interview with Merchantmen GM after losing battle for #1 pick
The draft hasn't started yet, but the #1 pick in the draft has been traded. The Boulder Blizzard acquired the #2 pick, quarterback Julius Irvine, a 2007 first round pick and three picks in the 125-150 area in a trade with Astoria Heroes. The Heroes won a bidding war with most notably the Rochester Lake Monsters and the Maassluis Merchantmen. The #1 pick overall is expected to be used on quarterback Seth 'Air Force One' Dwight, who is league-wide rated as a potential top 5 passer for the coming 15 seasons.

M.IJ.B., as Merchantmen general manager how can you be both disappointed and relieved? - "It was sad to hear our offer was not going to win it all. We offered three of our starters and four draft picks in the top 51, but it wasn't enough. We couldn't offer a starting quarterback like Astoria did."

Why the happy faces then? - "It also means we keep our irreplacable starters and can try to work out other deals that could be more cap friendly. We have come close to agreements with several teams to be able to trade up in the upcoming draft."

So, te next target is the #2 quarterback, Louie Flannery? - "Who? No, all joking aside, Flannery is an option, but we have more options to go with. Right now we rank at #12. Flannery isn't likely to fall there. We have more gaps then just quarterback, although that's probably the biggest one right now. We've identified, four, maybe five quarterbacks who could be an upgrade over the traded Leonard Lyon."

What are the other upgradable areas? - "As you might know, we traded our two best defensive ends, have lost a very good backup tight end and the secondary situation is still worrying. That said, running back and defensive tackle are positions where we could use a backup player."

But the cap situation? - "The cap situation isn't under control yet. We are talking with teams about the trade of a player, yet there's nothing official yet. We hope to be able to create a cap room of 1.5M to 2M to be able to sign two relative high draft picks or one very high draft pick. After that, we sign a few rookies to fill out the roster to the 70-men training camp maximum."

Who's your favorite newcomer so far? - "Tough question. Shane Bower looks really good. Our scout was right, he's like Justin McDavid, only older and more experienced. He's even got fumblitis! Other interesting new guys are fullback Jamal Rosenberry, who's just as good as Mark Burger, big-play receiver David Henkel and guard Timothy Lacy. And then there's sack machine Scot Dick, the experienced linebackers Carl Meier and Josh Weisberg, and cornerback Gus Stoffers."

But Harold Wells is out, time to rebuild the defense? - "In all seriousness, Wells was very good and important, but nobody is bigger then the team. Wells' contract was relative trade-friendly and the move saved us about 2.5M in cap room this year. Dick and Bernardo will do fine side-by-side with John Bryant and Charles Gomez. Don't forget how good our run stopping linebackers trio is. Wells was good, but not irreplacable."

How's the secondary revamping going to work out? - "We're not completly sure. We're looking for specific players and tried to acquire players fitting the team. We'll have the same four guys as last year starting, joined by Gus Stoffers and John Cole moving up to the active roster. The pass defense schemes still need some work and the linebackers don't completely fit with the secondary players. It will be an interesting challenge."

Any early predictions? - "Probably all relies on who we can draft. If we can get a very good quarterback, Shane Bower might be sitting out the season. If we don't like the new kid, Bower is in charge and if he is indeed like Justin McDavid, we expect him to lead us to a 10-6 record. It's optimistic, even with the loss of talent, but if the team clicks, why not?"

10-6, write it down. It's probably a long shot, but the Merchantmen GM wants to make this prediction if Bower starts. And when the rookie starts? - "Ouch, tough one. Ending up above Paris will be the goal then, their over/under is at around 2-14 again, so we'd at least have to go 5-11."

One last thing to say? - "Trading Leonard Lyon is going to haunt me for the rest of my days if he turns out to be a great passer. He could be a great quarterback on the run-oriented Springfield Isotopes team. Leo, if you read this, you had no sierous chance here, you know that, but in Sprignfield, the management really believes in you. Thank you schedule makers for not giving us Springfield this season, Leo would totally destroy our defense..."
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Old 09-06-2004, 03:38 AM   #437
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Gossip News: Merchantmen going to use the #12 overall
There were rumors that the Merchantmen should or would go after quarterback Louie Flannery. That story seems to be a closed book, the latest rumors are that the Merchantmen have given up their attepmts to trade up to the top 5 to get Flannery there. Reason? Flannery is not worth top five money and the team can't pay top five pick money.

Flannery not worth it? Hello, are you guys for sure? Flannery looks like a serious option as a starting quarterback. Guys like Justin McDavid and that Shane Bower guy won't pass you to 10 wins in a season, plain and simple. Flannery is no Seth Dwight, but at least he's got the potential to be far better then the two short pass guys.

So, what are they going to do with that pick then? League pundits have tossed up several names. People know the Merchantmen's quarterback situation, the trade of two defensive ends and the secondary woes. Not to mention the lack of a wide receiver who can get open. But can they get such a guy at #12 overall?

The Merchantmen general manager seems to be very fuzzy about what he wants. We heard they were a simple "Confirmed" away from trading into the top five in the draft in a "if my guy is gone and Flannery is there" scenario. Apparently, that seems over. Talks for he #2 pick were also heard, but we can't confirm the Merchantmen made a good offer there.

We now hear they are going to use the #12 with about three guys they like. If all three are gone, they will probably trade the pick, either for a lower first or out of the draft completely. The #23 is also still on the block and we hear the Merchantmen see nobody they can get there. With their cap woes, we actually hear they are opting to go for second round picks. Can you beleive that, the team that had 7 first rounders on roster and not so long ago held 3 first rounders for the 2006 draft as well?

What are other rumors? Alvin Causey is going to be traded afterall. Causey recently signed a new five-year deal, yet the Merchantmen are willing to eat the bonus money and want to give young run blockers Butch White and Timothy Lacy total control. With Russell Malave as the #6 lineman, the Merchantmen have a guy who knows the system sitting ready. Where Causey will go is still a mystery, but we hear he's going to be expensive to get.

With a trade of Causey, the Merchantmen are expected to be at about 1.1M under the cap, with still a lot of draft picks to make. Where they want to get the money for other picks, that will be interesting to see. It seems the team is about to make proposals to wideout Bryce Ewald, linebacker Ellsworth Thelen, quarterback Justin MCDavid, cornerback Gus Stoffers and also maybe tackle Wilson Grimaldo to open up another 1M to 1.5M dollars of cap room.

Gossip News will keep you updated.
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Old 09-06-2004, 03:55 AM   #438
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General manager notes
Yes, it's true, I give up on trading up. We were very close with 2 parties for "if my guy is gone, you can have the pick and take Flannery" deals. Further examination of Flannery made me worried about a transition we'd have to made on offense with him. Yes, if he's still on the board at #12, he would gladly pick him, but trading all we have for him to pick him in the top 5, it's too expensive and I think Flannery is not top 5 material. The league by now should know we're eyeing for Louie Flannery at #12 overall, so he's going to be picked in the top eleven, somebody will pay a lot to get him in te top 5 afterall.

So what now? Well, we have some gaps on our team and we have three or four names for the #12 pick. It's very likely we get one of these guys there, so we're going to keep hold on the #12 pick. We're also openly advertising the #23 we recently acquired, it's both a money issue and a nobody worth the pick issue. The #35 could be useful and the #51 as well. Same counts for the 5th rounder we have.

Alvin Causey is about to leave the Merchantmen afterall. He played just two games after recovering from a severe shoulder injury. We are not completely getting what we gave up to get him, but he's not going to win the battle with Butch White, plain and simple. We still have Russell Malave to be the ideal #6 lineman.

We're now talking with people for the #12 pick, in a "guys gone, we trade" scenario. Face it, we have just three guys on our list for that pick, but most teams would probably be happy to trade up to get a guy they wouldn't have been able to get at, say, #25 overall or in the early second round.

The #23 pick has to go, no doubt. We have contacted one of our most loyal trading partners to make an offer I think he can't refuse, unless he's worried about the cap consequences.

Additionally, some personal life happenings have had an impact on the fucntioning of my brains. It seems I've gotten a bit fuzzy with my trading negotiations offers, which I backed out the past 24 hours. Not going into detail, but I have to set up my draft strategy as quickly as possible to be pseudo-active when I am actually asleep. It will be an interesting aspect to get that done, but we'll see if I can get it worked out...
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Old 09-06-2004, 05:05 AM   #439
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Any analysis of the competition in the European Division coming up?
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Old 09-06-2004, 07:05 AM   #440
MIJB#19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3ric
Any analysis of the competition in the European Division coming up?
Yes, but not in 2 weeks. Especially the Gothenburg and Paris rosters are very much subject to change as of now with the draft still to come. Not to mention that the Merchantmen QB situation is still far from a clear thing.

Things that are in the to-do list:
* Merchantmen post draft off-season review
* Intro to the new Merchantmen players
* European division preview
* Merchantmen schedule, overlook on opponents

Other things when I could be bored:
* Analysis of the team
* Preview of roster cuts going into the new season
* The irregular Gossip News rumors
* The irregular interviews with players or other staff members
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Old 09-06-2004, 09:52 AM   #441
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Merchantmen have a busy day in the front office
So far, today was a busy day again for the Merchantmen. In an attempt to create cap room and be able to sign the drafted rookies, the Merchantmen announced two trades today. The gave up a very good player and a decent first round pick for mostly second round selections.

First, the Merchantmen agreed to terms with divisional rivals Bordeaux Vineyards to trade left guard Alvin Causey to sunny France. As five other interested parties either withdrew their interested in guard Butch White, saw negotiations for a trade up from Maassluis cancelled or couldn't match the Bordeaux offer, Causey stays in the same division to show he was worth a starting job.

Alvin Causey's stint with Maassluis has been a strange story. The Merchantmen gave up two third and a fourth round pick in three different drafts to acquire him from Orlando Knights. Causey was expected to miss the whole 2005 season and the Merchantmen hoped to have a steal of starting guard. When recovered, Causey looked like a very good player, but no longer an elite lineman. There were contract issues and eventually the Merchantmen franchises Causey at the start of this offseason. Then Causey signed a five-year deal, only to see the team traded in Timothy Lacy from Fort Worth to make him expendable. Bordeaux give up second and fourth rounders in the 2008 draft.

The mentioned Orlando Knights were the other trade partner today. The Merchantmen dealt away the unwanted #23 overall, they got in a trade for the #28 and #30 overall and where the also acquired the expected backup linebacker and defensive leader Carl Meier. The Merchantmen also gave up their 2008 fourth rounder to acquire the Knights' third rounder in 2007. Bust most notable, the Merchantmen got the #50 and #158 picks in the 2006 draft to have back-to-back picks in the mid second round and the end of the fifth round.

With these moves, the Merchantmen have six selections in the upcoming draft, but they have announced to trade one of their top two picks. If all is said and done, the Maassluis team is expected to have either the #12 or #35 overall, the #50, the #51, the #158 and the #159 overall. The team hasn't given away names, but the word has been spread that only three or four players are marked as potential #12 worthy, while the #35 is their escape route to pick a lesser talented guy at probably the same position. Putting the earlier mentioned "We will draft a quarterback" together with the statements, it makes sense that the Dutch team will pick a quarterback with their top pick.
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Old 09-06-2004, 12:26 PM   #442
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Gossip News: Merchantmen have their what-if deal
Our sources have picked up the scoop from the message board the IHOF owners frequent, the Merchantmen seem to have gotten their what-if deal. Who the team is has not been revealed and the conditions are not clear either. All we know is that the Merchantmen management expect their general manager to be unavailable during the first round of the draft to do trade talks and the team has struck a deal to make it worth the stay at #12 and see whether they can get the guy they want.

We snuck up on lead scout Gabe Avila and heard him say: "Four star quarterback, that's what we'll get." Four star quarterback? Do the Merchantmen have a deal that depends on the selection of quarterback Louie Flannary? But isn't Flannery expected to go in the top five? Boulder (#2, Irvine), Springfield (#3, Lyon), Georgia (#4 & #11, Wilkes), Asheville (#6, Pilkington), they all have their man, but not as talented as Flannery is said to be, while Conyers (#5) are good at quarterback. Ann Arbor (#7) could use a replacement for when Donald Woods retires, Minnesota (#8) recently traded for Edson, Frederick (#9) picked McNown last year, and RayCo (#11) seems to be the most serious option with Brian Hartsock up for retirement.

We already noted that the Merchantmen have identified four worthy quarterbacks. Looking at the top five I the draft, perhaps the Merchantmen have said to their partner: "If all four these guys are gone, you can have the #12 pick." Seth Dwight will go #1, Louie Flannery will be a top 5 pick and RayCo will probably grab Shawn Jahr at #10. That means the Merchantmen will either land Neal Aguillard or trade the pick, simple.

One last thing about the big mistakes in Merchantmen land, we hear they traded Causey after giving him a new contract. That means the team is going to be hit by a big bonus hit in 2007. Fair enough, Causey came to Maassluis bonus free, but the team cut Moe Baxter would giving him a penny. Causey started just 2 games, is that really worth a 2.4M bonus? No way! If they make another mistake, we'll let you know, that's what Gossip News is for.
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Old 09-07-2004, 07:13 AM   #443
MIJB#19
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General manager notes
Well, the day before the start of the draft was supposed to be one without little action, although I wanted to conclude three deals and got lucky, I got three deals I needed. These deals involved the #12, #23 and #35 overall picks and I'll explain wnat happened.

#12 pick
I acquired this pick in a trade with North Plainfield. The goals was to have a good starting point in the draft and #12 seems to be a decent top pick. There's been much interest in this pick. Still, I tried to trade up from here and failed. That means I made a list of four names and tried to find a trade partner if all four are gone. Ironically, my partner expects the list to not run out, but if it happens, there will be a trade of the #12 pick. Who the partner is, I won't reveal.

#23 pick
Acquired in a trade which also brought us linebacker Carl Meier for the #28 and #30 overall. These picks seemed to be too expensive too keep and were just there to be able to trade up. Same was there for the #23. As I decided to stop pursueing a trade up, the #23 got expendable and I offered Orlando a shot at getting two guys they want at #22 overall, while they return us the same favor at #50 and #158 overall.

#35 pick
Acquired in trade for Leonard Lyon. I wanted an escape in case I won't get the guy(s) I want at #12 overall and this pick could have been that. Yet, Outer Banks provided an offer I couldn't refuse and I got good future value to trade down from #35 for to #87. With the two mid second rounders at #50 and #51 still here, I hope our #35 prospect will fall half a round lower. Is it likely to happen? I dunno, but I don't mind gambling on it.

Future draft situation
Yes, that's what has become more interesting now. We almost had a double draft in 2007 going into the offseason, but what do we have now? We have no first rounders, but do have two second and an additional fifth rounder to make up for the loss of a seventh rounder. For 2008, we gave up our fourth, but acquired a second, fourth and sixth round pick. In case the #12 pick isn't used by use, we will improve our future draft situation in 2007 to a very good starting point.

Other things to note?
Well, maybe that I'm still not sure how the overall effect on the loss of QB Lyon, FB Burger, TE Aubrey, LG Causey, DE Wells and DE Chapa will work out. On defense, I hope that either Scot Dick or a rookie will step in at Wells' spot to make up for the loss there. On offense, we have FB Rosenberry, who's as good as Burger, we have RG Lacy, LG White and RT Malave for the loss of Causey, acquired QB Bower to fill in for injured QB McDavid. That leaves us with three gaps, we hope to fill in the draft. With six selections, that should be doable. Draft will start in less then four hours as I write this. Wish us luck to get who we want. I'll let you know how our strategy has worked out after each (double) selection we made.
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Old 09-07-2004, 07:45 AM   #444
wade moore
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I think the acquisition of Bower should make some of the off-season mistakes less painful. I have to think you will not be hurt that dramatically, but only time will tell..

I will be watching the draft like the IHOF groupie that I am...
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Old 09-07-2004, 09:40 AM   #445
MIJB#19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wade moore
I think the acquisition of Bower should make some of the off-season mistakes less painful. I have to think you will not be hurt that dramatically, but only time will tell..

I will be watching the draft like the IHOF groupie that I am...
I really hope so, Bower looks like McDavid's older twin brother so much, you probably can understand why I really wanted him and was happy to lose only the #95 and #100 picks overall. Plus, he knows the Bordeaux system, we need to end that losing streak against the Vineyards.

Bower sadly doesn't come with the cohesion McDavid could show, but his experiences hopefully makes up for that. Or the rookie we pick has to turn out to be better then expected. Yes, we'll bring a QB home this draft, but it ain't sure whether it will be a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 5th round selection.
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Old 09-08-2004, 04:54 AM   #446
MIJB#19
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Merchantmen grab #5 pick, take quarterback Flannery
Today, the Merchantmen made up for a big mistake. They traded a lot of picks to get the #5 pick overall and selected quarterback Louie Flannery. Flannery is inked in as the new starter, with Shane Bower and Mel Atkins as his backups. This comes after Fumblin' Justin McDavid was put on injured reserve and Leonard Lyon was traded to the Springfield Isotopes. A little recap of things.

The Merchantmen entered the league in 2004 with a thin quarterback class. All three drafted players were rookies and Fumblin' Justin McDavid was named the starter. After 15 starts by McDavid and a 1-15 campaign by the team, the Merchantmen knew they needed an upgrade at quarterback. They picked Leonard Lyon at #31 overall, but a quarterback controversy held the rookie benched until McDavid suffered a serious knee injury.

Going into the 2006 offseason, McDavid was immediately put on injured reserve, him being expected not to be completely recovered until 10 weeks after IHOF Bowl III. In a surprise move, the Merchantmen dealt backup Antoine Shepard for Paris Musketeers' Moe Baxter, aggrevating the #2 position. Then Leonard Lyon got a new home a day before the draft class was revealed, as the Merchantmen dealt him for the #35 pick overall and quarterback Mel Atkins. Atkins turned out to be a bust and a specialist as holder.

At that moment, the league was stunned and Moe Baxter was all of a sudden the #1 quaterback on the Dutch team. The Merchantmen grabbed Shane Bower in a trade with the Astoria Heroes and immediately cut Baxter. Bower was called an older version of McDavid and the team was ready to go with him at the starter. With the team still needing a good backup, the plan was obvious, the Merchantmen would draft a quarterback in the 2006 draft.

After swapping picks with North Plainfield, the Merchantmen went into the draft at #12 overall. They sealed an escape deal with the Boulder Blizzard for the pick in case they Merchantmen wouldn't get who they wanted. But as the draft got going, the Merchantmen remembered earlier talks with Georgia Gridlock (#4) and Conyers Condors (#5). These teams didn't want the second rated quarterback in the draft and were willing to trade if their guy was gone.

A monster trade with the Vicksburg Vipers put the Vipers on the clock, picking satey Kerry Horner, while the Gridlock acquired the #5 pick. In a quick move, the Merchantmen persuaded the Georgia management, giving up the #12, #50, #51, #87 picks and the Merchantmen 2008 first rounder. Georgia handed the #5 over, as well as second round picks in 2007 and 2008. What followed was a bug in the software, making the pick show up as used by Georgia, but that was later on restored.

"5 - QB Louie Flannery", that's what the draft board read. The Merchantmen have a new quarterback and returned 9 of the remaining 10 starters on offense, while also returning 10 of 11 defensive starters. In other trades, the Merchantmen improved several backup situations and look ready to go for it in 2006. After the last bidding wars on free agents and the two remaining selections the Merchantmen have at #158 and #159 overall, the roster will read 70 names and ready for the training camp. The only issue to resolves that remains? The Merchantmen have to find a way to pay Flannery's expected cap figure of 2.5 million dollars.
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Old 09-08-2004, 05:43 AM   #447
wade moore
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Join Date: May 2001
Location: williamsburg, va
This moved shocked me. But, it was a solid move.

My only thought is it only somewhat makes up for a mistake. You have traded something to get all three of the QBs on your roster this off-season. So, how much have you given up to get 3 QBs, two of which will not see any starts? So.. could something else have been gained to shore up the rest of the team rather than so much spent at the QB position?
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Quote:
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Maybe I am just getting old though, but I am learning to not let perfect be the enemy of the very good...
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Old 09-08-2004, 06:41 AM   #448
Alf
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Rennes, France
He could have tried get the #1 pick instead ? Couldn't he ?
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Old 09-08-2004, 06:45 AM   #449
wade moore
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Join Date: May 2001
Location: williamsburg, va
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alf
He could have tried get the #1 pick instead ? Couldn't he ?

He did try ...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Subby
Maybe I am just getting old though, but I am learning to not let perfect be the enemy of the very good...
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Old 09-08-2004, 09:39 AM   #450
MIJB#19
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Quote:
Originally Posted by wade moore
He did try ...
It would have cost me 2 of my remaining staters on the front7. Couldn't do that, even with the #1 to get...

What I gave up for QBs this offseason?

I got
QB Atkins & 2.3 & 07.5r
for
QB Lyon & 07.3r

I got
QB Bower & 6.16
for
3.31 & 4.4

I got
QB Flannery & 07.2r & 08.2r
for
1.12 & 08.1r & 2.18 & 2.19 & 3.23

Additionally trade, I got
QB Baxter (cut) & 4.4 & 4.18
for
QB Shepard & 4.23 & 5.19

In total coming dow to, I got
QB Flannery & QB Atkins & QB Bower & 2.3 & '07.2r & '08.2r & 07.5r & 6.16
for
QB Lyon & QB Shepard & 1.12 & 08.1r & 2.18 & 2.19 & 07.3r & 3.23 & 3.31 & 5.19

Let's create some more readability, I got
QB Flannery & QB Atkins & QB Bower & 2.3 & 6.16
for
QB Lyon & QB Shepard & 1.12 & 08.1r & 07.3r & 3.23 & 3.31

To get the 1.12 I gave up
07.1r & 07.2r & 3.30

Add that and I got:
QB Flannery & QB Atkins & QB Bower & 2.3 & 6.16
for
QB Lyon & QB Shepard & 07.1r & 08.1r & 07.2r & 07.3r & 3.23 & 3.30 & 3.31

But, to actually understand the whole picture, I'd rather look at the total picture of how I did this offseason with trading, I gave a lot to get the QBs, but also got a lot for expendable backups and improved about 6 backup spots (not counting QB) while giving up value at DE, backup DE and TE. The FB move is not worth mentioning and LG Causey didn't fit my plans anymore with his lower ratings. I also had to pay the downside of being the most improved team, opponentes in trade talks valued my picks about 20 picks lower then last season's offseason, when we had #1 pick value.

All in all, if Flannery turns out to be a very good quarterback, ratings wise, I'd be happy with how things turned out. If not, ehr, let's just say that at least I didn't sell my whole franchise to get him.
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