[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Start of 2111 Off-Season

DE Richie Piotte has been inducted into the Solecismic Hall of Fame. Drafted in the second round of the 2095 draft, Piotte was switched from linebacker to defensive end and turned out to be one of the best of his generation. He spent 7 seasons with the Maassluis Merchantmen, until cap troubles made us choose a different route. Piotte then played 1 season for the Gothenburg Giants, 3 seasons for the Capital City Blues and spent 2106 in the free agents pool, as his salary demands no longer matched his ability to play elite football. He peaked in his second season, when he made 18.0 sacks, the first of his 8 double digit sacks seasons. It was also the first of his back-to-back All-IHOF second team selections. In 112 regular season games, Piotte made 85.5 sacks for the Merchantmen, the third highest all-time for the franchise. He got subsequently fired by the Paris Musketeers, where he had been the Defensive Coordinator for a couple of seasons. A weird off-season for Piotte for sure.

LS Bennett Brock retired after 8 seasons in Maassluis, which was the second half of his 14-career IHOF career after shorter stints in Hanalei and Fort Wayne. He played 128 regular season games and 4 playoffs games for the Merchantmen, while showing he was one of the best long snapper in the game.

31-year old CB Will Warrick and 29-year old RB Darnell Greenham retired after just 1 season in Maassluis. Both were signed to step in as the new punt returner and both ended up making the roster. Troubled by injuries, Warrick played in 10 games, while Greenham played in the other 6 games. Both proved to be still pretty good at it, but sadly neither felt like playing for another season.

Other noteworthy retirements from the Merchantmen alumni:
CB Dennis Finley, our elite punt returner from 2106 through 2109, the best in the league in that timespan, played in 64 games for us.
DE Deon Rosas, played 116 regular season games (and 2 in the 2104 playoffs), in which he made 27.5 sacks.
CB Donnie Dogins, played 51 regular season games (and 2 in the 2104 playoffs), was our starting nickelback, shined in his 8-interception season 2102, but after trade to Fort Wayne in 2105 his career went into a slump.
WR Herman Jeffries, for 4 seasons one of our special teamers, played 64 games for us.
S Lincoln Taylor, a 1st round draft bust, eventually played in just 12 games for us, all in his 4th and final season in Maassluis.

We hired a new Assistent Coach, 72-year old Zach Miller, he's at the end of a decorated career, including IHOF Bowl victories in 2085 as the Offensive Coordinator with North Plainfield and in 2102 as the Head Coach of the Toronto Lake Monsters.


Lastly, we've been seriously struggling to find a worthy player to add to our Ring of Honor. At the start of every season since the 10-season anniversary, we added a player. The minimum requirement is 100 games played or being a member of the Hall of Fame. Which basically means I have 215 candidates to pick from, but I'm not sure there's one that has been elite in this league and had enough impact on our franchise.

The 2111 pick has become S Bart Guthrie, initially drafted by us in the 1st round of the 2083 draft. Played only 4 seasons in Maassluis, he earned all-IHOF second team honors in 2086, but his salary demands made him unaffordable for a safety. In 2088 he won the IHOF Bowl with the Oakland Black Panthers, beating the Gothenburg Giants. At the Colorado Cutthroats he became a tackle machine, with 129 and 137 in back to back seasons in 2091 and 2092, while also combining for 12 interceptions those seasons. He was still a starter in his 15th and final season in the IHOF, when he played his 1-season stint with the Rochester Razorbacks.


Anyway, we move on to our draft preparation. Long snapper and punt returner look to be our glaring holes this off-season.

We have 7 free agents on the team.
QB Billy Russell wants to move on and I fully expect him to sign elsewhere for a backup role.
FB Randy Julian is on the decline, but we could use him for cohesion on 2-back formations.
FB Kenneth Holse is a restricted free agent, special teams elite to be, I fully expect to re-sign him.
P Jimmy Summers is slowly on the decline, which means one of our goals this off-season is figuring out where we go at his position.
DE Zachary Abueva is a restricted free agent, decent pass rusher, special teamer, worth re-signing.
LB Avery Distel is an excellent special teamer and decent passing downs linebacker or defensive end.
S Jonathan White is an excellent zone defender, but we're deep at those, might get sacrificed in a tight cap situation.