IHOF: Maassluis Merchantmen

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Announce 2011 Roster
Following the always tough roster cut day, the Maassluis Merchantmen want to announce the 2011 roster. 55 players made the final roster, with Marquis Ong and Shaun Shiroma on injured reserve. Including Ong, eleven new faces were added to the team. Here's a list of the players.

pos	#	name	age	since	yr in M.	role
QB	14	Louie	Flannery	29 yo	6th	starter
QB	10	Richard	Bell	25 yo	1st	2nd string
QB	7	Harvey	Nimmons	23 yo	1st	project
QB	3	Justin	McDavid	30 yo	8th	mentor
RB	30	Courtney	Osgood	27 yo	1st	starter
RB	21	Quentin	Hatchette	23 yo	1st	2nd string
RB	44	Scott	Bagley	24 yo	3rd	return specialist
RB	25	Marquis	Ong	30 yo	1st	on IR
FB	49	Jamel	Rosenberry	30 yo	6th	starter
FB	29	Quentin	Malicki	24 yo	2nd	project
TE	86	Jim	Reiser	30 yo	8th	starter
TE	89	Arnold	Ramirez	31 yo	5th	2nd string
TE	82	Winston	Van Pelt	25 yo	3rd	long snapper
WR	87	Bryce	Ewald	30 yo	8th	starter
WR	85	Jewell	Simpson	28 yo	2nd	starter
WR	88	Drew	McConnell	28 yo	1st	2nd string
WR	83	Devin	Henson	29 yo	7th	return specialist
WR	22	Jesse	Vielma	25 yo	3rd	3rd string
C	55	Ned	Cozart	34 yo	2nd	starter
C	54	Brant	Heinrich	29 yo	7th	2nd string
C	57	Todd	Serra	28 yo	1st	project
G	65	Timothy	Lacy	28 yo	6th	starter
G	79	Butch	White	29 yo	7th	starter
G	76	J.J.	Reilly	27 yo	1st	project
G	69	Daniel	Decastro	31 yo	1st	mentor
LT	63	Ivan	Jacques	31 yo	5th	starter
LT	67	Louis	Bell	29 yo	3rd	2nd string
OT	71	Cornelius	Rice	29 yo	5th	starter
P	11	Sean	Smalley	26 yo	4th	punter
K	18	Cary	Coles	29 yo	8th	field goals kicker
K	8	Al	Bettis	28 yo	6th	kickoffs kicker
DE	74	Omar	Gougeon	28 yo	6th	starter
DE	70	Wally	Mattingly	25 yo	3rd	starter
DE	77	Erwin	Baranowski	36 yo	4th	rotation
DE	94	Aaron	Sherrill	27 yo	5th	backup
DT	78	Charles	Gomez	32 yo	8th	starter
DT	72	Frank	Bernard	30 yo	2nd	starter
DT	98	Andrew	Rasmussen	27 yo	5th	2nd string
DT	59	Andy	Weliczka	26 yo	6th	3rd string
DT	90	Shaun	Shiroma	27 yo	5th	on IR
ILB	50	Cody	Cluff	30 yo	8th	starter
ILB	52	Carl	Meier	32 yo	6th	mentor
ILB	99	Terrance	White	24 yo	2nd	project
OLB	56	Bernie	Surry	27 yo	4th	starter
OLB	95	Mike	Kershner	29 yo	8th	starter
OLB	97	Albert	Boggess	29 yo	2nd	2nd string
CB	47	Tai	Wayne	28 yo	7th	starter
CB	38	Sammie	Kennedy	27 yo	4th	starter
CB	24	Brian	Spears	29 yo	1st	nickel back
CB	32	Myron	Stevens	27 yo	6th	2nd string
CB	33	Winford	Endicott	34 yo	5th	3rd string
S	46	Lincoln	Gilmore	30 yo	8th	starter
S	36	Broderick	Schultz	29 yo	4th	starter
S	43	Emile	William	31 yo	6th	2nd string
S	35	Eddie	Cole	25 yo	1st	project

[MIJB#19]

Season Preview: Merchantmen Face Easy Schedule
With the 2011 IHOF Season about to start, it's time to inspect the schedule and opponents. As always there are six games against the European rivals. Additional are four games against the AFC Southeast division, four against the NAC Midwest teams and two more games based on the ranking last season. All in all only two games against teams with a winning record last season. Time to inspect the European rivals and the rest of the competition.

The Gothenburg Giants will be the first opponent in the new season. In 2010 the Giants said goodbye to franchise quarterback Duane Davis after he suffered a devastating knee injury and management feared his physical discomfort would not fit with his salary cap figure. With Ben Randolph still learning, George Edson looks like the 2011 starting quarterback. The Giants always had a strong team, but especially on defense injuries took their toll. Starting the year with a victory is crucial and the Merchantmen should be able to sweep the Giants, like they did in 2007 and 2009. The all-time balance is in Dutch advantage at 8-6.

With the trades of the stars defensive end Harold Wells and wide receiver Virgil Branum, the Bordeaux Vineyards set the tone for their off-season. Salary cap moves got preference and a youth movement has been started. Fears of Joe Johnson getting older are there and the fans are already looking to first round pick Lincoln Manning. It's too early to write Bordeaux off, but a winning season could be far-fetched. The Merchantmen hope to at least split the series, like last season. All-time, Bordeaux has a 9-5 advantage in this matchup, which should tell all about Bordeaux' historical dominace in Europe.

After a disappointing 0-3 finish last year, the Paris Musketeers failed to join the rest of the division with at least one division crown. Even a big win by the Merchantmen against Paris' archrivals, the Vineyards couldn't avoid it. Paris saw some major departures in tackle Howard Bingham, defensive end Grady Kramer and former #1 pick wide receiver Tyrus Shaye. The last two seasons the Merchantmen split the series after years of sweeps. Paris is not to be underestimated, but even a split would be disappointing. The head-to-head series is 8-6 for Maassluis and the week 17 clash could be crucial for the divison title. Note that if Paris takes the crown, all teams will have won once in four years time.

The NAC Midwest was a strange division last season. The Merchantmen face three of these teams late in the season. The Ann Arbor Anachronism started out 0-5, but still managed to win out at 8-8. The Anachronism is still standing strong and will be a tough opponent with two time Offensive Player of the Year Ray Ray Lyle carrying the team. The RayCo Raiders will bring along quarterback Brady Holmes, who seems to be as hot-and-cold like the Merchantmen fans are used to see with their own quarterbacks. The Minnesota Miners are a traditional .500 ball team and the Muscatine Mosquitoes hope to make a shift back to playoff contenders following their name change. The Merchantmen should get out of the series of games 3-1, where 2-2 would be passable and below .500 would be a major disappointment.

In the mid-season period, the Merchantmen will face the AOC Southeast division teams. The Orlando Knights are the defending division champs following a 9-7 season, making them the only team with a winning record in the division. The Conyers Condors have switched personnel a bit, replacing former #1 pick Randy Reagor with IHOF Bowl winning Kurt Basso at running back. Reagor joined the Georgia Gridlock in an attempt to win it all before cap hell breaks loose. Behind the other teams, the Tucker Tigers have been easily the worst team in the conference the past three seasons. But that says nothing, the Tigers have been rebuilding and proclaiming they found their solution in quarterback Shaun Duncan. With historical difficulties to beat the Condors and Gridlock, the Merchantmen would be happy to get out of the series 2-2.

Remain two opponents. The Fort Worth Fury will be faced in week 13 on the road. Last season the Fury beat the Merchantmen to end a losing streak in the head-to-head series. The Merchantmen should be able to win this game, but the Fury could be a darkhorse to upset the league with their first winning season. And in week three the Merchantmen will host the North Plainfield Plague. At 12-4 last season, the Plague are by far the best team to be faces. The Plague lead the head-to-head series 5-0, with the average score of the last four games being 37-8. It would be fun to end that streak, but is far from expected.

All in all, the Merchantmen aim for another division title. Going 5-1 inside the division is crucial and well within their powers. Out of the remaining games they should get 6 or 7 wins, resulting in a 11-5 record. Maybe it's too optimistic to expect that, but it's not impossible. And that should make the division crown a cakewalk. Afterall, the European runners-up never finished better than 10-6...

Complete Schedule
week01 - at Gothenburg
week02 - vs Ann Arbor
week03 - vs North Plainfield
week04 - open
week05 - vs Tucker
week06 - at Georgia
week07 - vs Paris
week08 - vs Conyers
week09 - at Bordeaux
week10 - at Orlando
week11 - vs Gothenburg
week12 - at RayCo
week13 - at Fort Worth
week14 - at Minnesota
week15 - vs Bordeaux
week16 - vs Muscatine
week17 - at Paris

[Kodos]

No Rochester on the schedule? It can't be!!!

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Kodos

No Rochester on the schedule? It can't be!!!

It ain't over until the Fat Lady sings!
There's still week 18. Or 19. Or even better: week 20!

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Start 2011 With A Win
Happy faces on the plane flight back home. The Maassluis Merchantmen survived their visit to the feared Palace Of Ice And Frost. With a 27-19 score, the home playing Gothenburg Giants were beaten in an offenses dominated games. Running back Courtney Osgood had an amazing Merchantmen debut with two big touchdown runs. The bad news came from Linebacker Cody Cluff, who isn't expected to return until early November from injury, for the crucial road game at Bordeaux.

Courtney Osgood. There's a new running back in town and he made himself noticed. Despite getting only 13 carries from the coaches, Osgood made the best of it. Midway the second quarter, the Merchantmen defense recorded the first three-and-out of the game. On the very next play, the handoff went to Osgood, he turned around the left end and ran the ball 63 yards up field for the touchdown. Longest running play in Merchantmen history and immediately the showing of why Osgood was traded for.

But that wasn't all. With the Merchantmen leading 13-9, time was running out. There were only 35 seconds on the clock in the first half. Facing third and ten at the Gothenburg 40-yard line, Osgood surprisingly got the ball again. Run around the left end for another touchdown. Another huge play. Osgood was the player of the game, even though the objective media picked Louie Flannery as MVP.

On the down side was a streak of injuries. Linebacker Cody Cluff was the most prominent name with a broken ankle. Joining him are other starters in linebacker Mike Kershner (sprained ankle), defensive end Omar Gougeon (sprained ankle), tackle Louis Bell (broken finger) and backup defensive tackle Andy Weliczka (hyperextended elbow).

Head Coach Leroy Van Der Woude praised the team: "I know it feels wrong after allowing 424 yards on offense, but fact is that the defense played well. We allowed only two red zone visists and kept them to a field goal on one of them. If Damien Deming hadn't been so great today (Deming scored 56, 52 and 47-yarders), we'd have won by an even bigger margin. And all thanks to Courtney (Osgood)."

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Freakin' Palace Of Ice And Frost!
"A win is a win is a win".

Nope, those are not my words. Those were the words of Bordeaux Vineyards' general manager Alf. They came after the Vineyards beat the Paris Musketeers 23-21. It marked Paris' seventh lose in eight attempts in Bordeaux. The points difference was only two, but following a 3-point losses loaded season, Bordeaux should be happy. And Paris has little to complain as this marked their best season opener ever.

Bordeaux is happy, Paris is happy. One big happy family in Paris. And their smiles grew a little bit more after hearing the news from the game at the Palace Of Ice And Frost. Damn that stadium! The die-hard Merchantmen fans will forever remember Justin McDavid's unfortunate accident, that destroyed his career as our starting quarterback. This time, we returned home with less devastating injuries, but nevertheless, ones that will hurt us short-term. The 27-19 victory has already been forgotten. Cody Cluff is out for half of the season.

Usually I don't worry too much about injuries, barring ones to Louie Flannery, but Cluff was so big last season and we haven't really been tested in the past in our ability to play without him. Charles Gomez has lost some of his power, while Mike Kershner has turned into a weaker, slower and more fragile copy of himself. In the secondary we're missing Borderick Schultz for another game or two. Omar Gougeon will not return until October. But those are things to cope with.

With Cluff out, we have two options. Okay, maybe three if you could in Albert Boggess, but he's replacing Kershner on the outside next week. That leaves good old Carl Meier and last game's emergency replacement Terrance White. By all means, neither is the run stuffer Cluff is. On passing downs Meier or White can live up to our star, but we're gonna need a run stopper te coming weeks. Coming to Maassluis are two strong teams.

Next week the Ann Arbor Anachronism are visiting. The triple A's feature the two-time defending rushing champion and Defensive Player of the Year in Ray Ray Lyle. With a production of 164 yards, Lyle ran all over the RayCo Raiders suspect run defense on week 1 to do his share in the 40-14 victory. The following week the North Plainfield Plague are coming in with superstar quarterback David Conti and Kendall Bakken, who ran for 144 yards as a reliever against the defending IHOF champions, the Syracuse Mohawks.

White will likely get the nod, but don't be surprised if Meier is involved in the mix as well. Looking to the standings, we're having a good start. We're leading the division, but it doesn't feel like we're leading yet. The big tests against our rivals Bordeaux await for week 9 and 15. Hopefully Cluff will be back by then. But first comes a streak of six tough games, of which five are at home.

European Standings:
1-0 Maassluis
1-0 Bordeaux
0-1 Paris
0-1 Gothenburg

Last but not least, here are the first five top performers of the season. Running back Courtney Osgood was clearly the leading story of the week. With his 63 and 40-yard runs for scores, he made the retirement of Randy Harris and trade of Joseph Schoen easy to forget. His total of 121 yards on only 13 carries marked a 9.3 yards average. Behind Osgood, the numbers two through five were quarterback Louie Flannery (21/32, 202 yards), defensive end Wally Mattingly (1 sack, 1 hurry, 4 tackles, 1 assist), linebacker Bernie Surry (2 defended passes, 5 tackles, 3 assists) and cornerback Brian Spears (3 defended passes, 6 tackles).

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Never change a winning game plan?
Cluffy we need you!

Great. Just great. We're playing the best running back in the league and will be missing our top run stuffer. I've been working on a game plan for our game against Ray Ray Lyle and his Ann Arbor Anachronism, but so far I'm wondering what to do. I mean, we've got two plans.

Plan A has two options. Option one is Terrance White. This young middle linebacker is good, but not great (yet?) at all. He could help out, but he's by all means no Cluff. Option two is Carl Meier, the grizzled veteran backup linebacker. But with White being mentored by Meier, White could be the better player in key skills by mid-season. So, it might be time for Plan B.

So, what would that be? The other option is going to a base 4-2-5 defense, rather than the 4-3 front. I'm talking about a 4-3 front, but with the weakside linebacker replaced by our nickelback. Brian Spears looks like the best fit for that role, with his run stopping skills. In that option, we could move Bernie Surry inside and Albert Boggess to his natural strong side position. Or we could stick with Surry on the strongside and add a sixth defensive back in Myron Stevens.

But the more I think about it, how are we going to defend the best running back with only 2 linebackers? A Plan C could be to go 3-3-5. A 3-4 front, but with the weak inside linebacker replaced by the nickelback. We'd be moving Frank Bernard or Charles Gomez to the defensive end position, to take the place of injured Omar Gougeon. Mike Kershner would still be replaced by Albert Boggess and Cody Cluff by Brian Spears.

In the end, as many options as there are, I'm not very confident we can stop Ray Ray, with or without Cluff. Right now, the best thing might be letting him run a bit and just make sure his quarterback Zach Downing sticks below 50% so their offense becomes predictable and unefficient. It'll be a matter of time until they are facing 3rd and 7 a lot, or forced to run after a missed passing opportunity on 1st down. Given some of the upcoming opponents, AAA might as well be the most doable of the stronger ones.

Just make sure to get your tickets. It'll be the first home game of the season and you won't get much more chances to see Ray Ray Lyle in live action in Maassluis. Unless we trade for him.

[MIJB#19]

Irregular Interviewing: Eddie Cole and Terrance White
An opportunity to get playing time. Most young football players have to hope for it. IHOF reporter IHOF_stats reported that only 28 rookies started on opening day. One of the was Eddie Cole, safety with the Maassluis Merchantmen. But he only started because of injuries to the two men in front of him on the depth chart. This week his team is facing the Ann Arbor Anachronism. Cole and second year mid linebacker Terrance White will be asked to stop league star Ray Ray Lyle.

Questioner (Q): Eddie, Terrance, thank you both for joining us for this interview.
TW: No problem.
EC: My pleasure!

Q: How's life in Maassluis? Eddie?
EC: It's windy. And there's a lot of rain. But the trips to the States make you feel you're not away from home a lot.
TW: And don't forget how the organization tries to keep the players and staf happy with all those American product.

Q: So playing football in Europe ain't much different than your respective college careers?
EC: I'm pretty new, so you'd better ask Terrance. But to me it's mainly the adjustment from doing the most fun thing to do all day long. Football!
TW: It really isn't much different, except for the people in the streets. The spring break most of the guys are working out at their hometowns in the States anyway. Only few Merchantmen players brought their wives over to Europe.

Q: How tough is it to go from college ball to IHOF action?
EC: The step was bigger than expected. I felt I was mature enough to break into a starting lineup quickly. I managed that, but the other guys all seem to be so much faster, stronger, intelligent, you end up going from being the best of the team to being what you are: a rookie.

Q: What was your experience in that, Terrance?
TW: Well, unlike Eddie, I didn't get much playing time in my first couple of games. I ended up starting the last two weeks due to injuries elsewhere.

Q: That brings us to the current situation: Cody Cluff is out for a month or two. It's up to you now!
TW: It's a game time decission, coach said.

Q: But the media has been informed that you're the starting middle linebacker against Ann Arbor.
EC: C'mon, are you new to the business? The depth chart is always a mirage to surprise the opponent.
TW: Especially in Maassluis.

Q: That's right, we've seen more of those tricks. But that aside, it looks like you'll be playing, Terrance.
TW: I hope so, but I also know we have a strong group and Carl Meier has so much experience... I want to play, but Meier is a big name here, he's important in the locker room, he's like a mentor to all the other linebackers.
EC: Yeah, I noticed that too. Carl and "Endi" (Winford Ednicott) are well repspected guys here. You don't mess with them or you could get in trouble?

Q: Such as?
TW: You don't wanna know.
EC: Well, stuff like...
TW: You better keep your lips sealed, Eddie, you know what happened to 'Herbie'.

Q: 'Herbie'? Herb Williams?
EC: Oh man, yeah that was cruel. Other subject please.

Q: You two were both third round picks. Most IHOF teams don't starters there, but both of you are starting this week. Who's responsible for that?
TW: Right now? Injuries, mostly.
EC: Maybe, but you can see it a lot more here. Maassluis has a reputation with second day draft picks. I mean, look at the team: Gougeon, Mattingly, Surry, Rasmussen, Sherrill, Weliczka...

Q: Some say it's good scouting, others say it's because the Merchantmen are cheap and don't want to spend money on free agents to sit on the bench.
EC: I wouldn't know about that.
TW: Nah, that's not true. Thad Pilkington cost a lot more than his salary to sit on the bench for three years. From my experience it's just really hard to make the roster here. They say you have to be a potential start or else you won't make it. The team released three drafted guys before the season started.

Q: Eddie, you're joining on of the best pass defenses in the league. The Merchantmen were second last season. What can you do to improve that unit?
EC: Play football. (pause) Seriously! What more can I do? It's awesome to work with guys like Lincoln Gilmore and Tai Wayne. Guys who can make double-digit defended pass can learn me stuff, but I can keep them fresh. And right now I'm starting. It's gonna be hard for Broderick (Schultz) to get his job back.

Q: Are you that confident too, Terrance?
TW: Uh, no. Cody Cluff is Cody Cluff. One of the best linebacker in the world. In Maassluis they say he is the best. The defense is built around him. Maybe also around (Charles) Gomez, but in the end it seems to have worked. I can only hope to be Cluff's long-term replacement.

Q: Because that's why the Merchantmen drafted you.
TW: That's what people told me. They even asked me to switch from the outside to the inside. It helps that we played a lot of zone defense in college. Without that, I wouldn't even be here.

Q: What are your goals for this season and the next, Terrance?
TW: Hard to say. I hope to get a lot of playing time. And winning a division title would be cool. The Merchantmen were pretty good when I played in college. It was disappointing to go 6-10 with the team we had last season.

Q: Eddie, what are your goals?
EC: Get as much action as I can. I hope to be as good as Gilmore at some point. But I'm not going to commit to the Merchantmen for ten years already. At the end of your career, it's things like a championship ring and all league honors that make or break it. This team is loaded with guys who did one or the other, but they all want to get to that ultimate goal: the last game of the season.

Q: Okay, thanks guys. I've got one last question for both of you, though: Why is Terrance called 'Terror II'?
TW: (laughs)
EC: Oh, this one I know. They explained it to me a while back.
TW: Go ahead, tell the story.
EC: Well, it's because of Terrance's name. A couple of years back the Merchantmen drafted Terrance Norris. Norris called himself Terror Norris. But after the draft, the Merchantmen quickly released Norris before training camp. When a new Terrance came around, again a linebacker, it was too good to be true and they put that tag on Terrance.
TW: I don't want to know what would have happened had I not survived roster cuts.

Q: Okay, thanks again. Good luck against Ann Arbor and Ray Ray!
EC: Thanks. We need all the help.
TW: My pleasure!

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Win On Hail Mary Pass
The Maassluis Merchantmen defended Oranje Haven well. With a 13-12 score, they upset the Ann Arbor Anachronism. In a field goals loaded game, the only touchdown came on an amazing fourth down play with 41 seconds left. Jewell Simpson finally did what he was hired for a year ago: making big plays. The sad news were the injuries, most notable to cornerback Tai Wayne.

What a play. Trailing by six points, the Merchantmen had to go for it. Trapped on their own half, Flannery wanted to pass the ball. On third and ten, Ann Arbor defensive end Curtis Dinsmore broke through the line and forced the Merchantmen into a fourth and twenty situation. Fans started walking to the exits, but most decided to take a look at this last chance to win the game. Ann Arbor fielded a four-deep formation, things couldn't go wrong for them with the expected hail mary pass. Here's a transcript from the Merchantmen tv reporter.

"Snap. Louie Flannery steps back. The receivers up field all look covered. He's looking at Simpson I think. He does! But Simpson has two men around him. He catches it for the first down! What's this? Simpson turns around his defender. He escapes! But he's got like 50 yards to go. He's to the 40. The 30. The 20... Oh boy! Here it comes, he's going to make it! Touchdown Maassluis! What an amazing play! What an amazing play!"

Head Coach Leroy Van Der Woude had his own say on things: "Simpson is in his second year with us. You need to give players a year to learn the systen. Today the Flannery to Simpson combo click on a crucial moment. But the gain after the catch was all his work." Van Der Woude also praised the defense: "We knew Ray Ray Lyle could run for 150 yards on us. But the plan was to at least hold up on the pass defense. The guys did well, allowing less than 10 completed pass for about 100 yards. And keeping them out of the end zone."

Despite Simpson's big catch, people still criticize him. Being acquired for a first round pick, he's got big standards to live up to. After a strong start, with 7 catches for 121 yards in his second game, Simpson never had more than 4 catches in a single game. Today he fought back, but it's hard to deny that he's made only 4 catches for 38 yards, excluding his big play. Wide receiver Bryce Ewald said: "Simpson is fast, he's got the brains. Together we're a complete duo."

Injuries hit too again, but not so big as last week. Safety Emile William re-injured his thumb and will warrant some caution. Fullback Jamel Rosenberry is diagnosed with a strained calf muscle and will miss the next three games. Cornerback Tai Wayne hurt his knee and will sit out next week's game against the North Plainfield Plague. And Louie Flannery sprained his ankle. He looked a bit bruised from the six sacks he went through, but was able to walk off the field without much pain. And that's good, because he might be the only guy able to really carry this team.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: We Need More Flannery-To-Simpson.
Us? Lucky? Nah...

And then we were 2-0. The top ranked team in the newly FOF Stats initiated IHOF Power Rankings comes to our house and we beat them. I know it all came down to one big play, but should we be less happy about it? A win is a win and after last season we'd better be happy with sneaky victories like the two we have so far.

Despite our win, we didn't gain any terrain on the rest of Europe. All our rivals decided to show off and win their games. Bordeaux needed an interception return touchdown early in the fourth quarter, Paris needed a fourth quarter comeback from three points down and Gothenburg was never in serious danger in their road game. Europe sweeps the NAC Midwest, who'd have expected that to happen? The standings at least should show us we're not lucky at all:

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

Other noteworthy stuff around the league? How about the San Antonio Volunteers sitting at the bottom of the AOC Deep South? While Vicksburg, Telluride and Fort Worth have all won a game, the Vols are 0-2 and are looking at a six game stretch with Orlando on the road and the four teams from the IHOF's strongest division, the Northeast.

And then there's Jared Brimberry. The Fort Worth Fury quarterback had a great game against the Springfield Isotopes. Brimberry completed seven passes for a touchdown, with the last one being a 55-yarder in the dying seconds of the game. Why it was so special? Brimberry kicked Joey Allen and our very own Louie Flannery off the listof record holders. Allen and Flan' held the record with six touchdown passes in one game. To show you how unexpected it was, Brimberry started 14 games in 2010 and recorded eight touchdown passes, one more than he had in this single game. As you could imagine, Flannery was not amused when he heard about it.

Talking of Flannery, he did well enough to sit on my top five of weekly names for the player of the year race. As he completed 17 of 32 passes, he did guide the team to a gain of 204 yards and threw the only touchdown of the entire game. That immediately makes Jewell Simpson mentioned, who had only 2 catches, but 48 of his 86 yards came after the amazing catch for the winning score. Lincoln Gilmore once again guided the secondary well. Gilmore defended 2 passes and added 1 tackles and 3 assists in run stopping support. Bernie Surry recorded team highs in tackles (6) and assists (3). And Sammie Kennedy played like a true shutdown cornerback, allowing 0 catches, deflecting 1 passes and adding 2 tackles and 2 assists.

Overall standings in my player of the year race, after two games, are: 1. Bernie Surry 6 points, 2. Louie Flannery, Courtney Osgood and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 5. Sammie Kennedy and Wally Mattingly 3 points, 7. Lincoln Gilmore 2 points, 8. Brian Spears 1 point.

So, what awaits next week? A week of opportunity? Not really. We're going to see the North Plainfield Plague come to Maassluis. The Plague are one of ten 2-0 teams and we know the drill, we're 0-5 against them all-time. But then there was some good news. The Plague have a quarterback with some thumb ligament problems. League star David Conti aggrevated the injury in week 2 and it clearly requires cautiousness. In the meanwhile, Bordeaux will be hosting the Syracuse Mohawks, the defending IHOF champions. They'll be without the injured Billy Jamerson. Paris and Gothenburg are playing road games against teams with equal or better records so far. All in all it sounds like we could follow up the sweep with us being swept. But Conti being hurt right now, that might help us end a bad streak against the Plague.

Us? Lucky? Nah...

[MIJB#19]

The Plague, Historical Feared Enemy Of The Merchantmen
What's in a name? When the International House Of Football was established, names of franchises quickly started popping up. One team was founded by Dutch football fan M.IJ.B. and after initial stint with the city of New York located in his homeland. In fact the team was placed in his hometown Maassluis. And in a search for a nickname, people quickly realized that there was no way to deny the Dutch Golden Age as a source for a nickname. The Merchantmen were founded and looked ready to go overseas from time to time and pirate for loot. And in the meantime hold of their European enemies.

After the Merchantmen team was placed in New York, it didn't leave a void there. With the foundation of the Astoria Heroes, Brooklyn Fightin' Bums, Syracuse Mohawks and North Plainfield Plague, the people of New York had plenty of teams to choose from. The Heroes have moved along to Williamsburg as the Colonials, but the other three teams haven't left. The Mohawks are the current defending league champions, but they are sitting in the shadows of the league's juggernaut: the Plague.

The Dutchmen believe that they were the most powerful country in the world in the 17th century. Aided by the money flowing through trade with and colonization of overseas territories, the Netherlands turned into a wealthy country. Science and art were at an all time high. One of the remains of that era is Rembrandt's De Nachtwacht (The Nightwatch). And this was also the time when the Dutch started claiming their fame with the words: "God created Earth, the Dutch created the Netherlands."

But it didn't last long. The surrounding European countries got stronger and eventually the Dutchmen were forced to surrender New York. The 2007 playoff game between the Merchantmen and the Plague in New York resembled that a little bit. After a superb season, the Merchantmen thought to have conquered the world and sailed into New York, expecting to improve their might and power with silverware. No such luck, like the 'black death' in the 17th century could strike on a ship and slash around slaying the majority of the crew, the Merchantmen were slaughtered and couldn't find back after an early 30-0 deficit.

By now, the Netherlands is wealthy again, but not on top of the world wealthy. The plague is no desease to fear anymore, a cure has been found. But as the Plague from New York is looming on the horizon to invade Oranje Haven, precaution is desired. And after the last four battles between these two, the fear has struck hard in Maassluis. Excluding the Plague's 13-10 win in 2004, the average score of the last four head-to-head games has been 37-8. Despite the rumors that David Conti will sit the game out, the orange white and blue are shaking all over, in fear of what is likely to happen.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Finally Beat The Plague
It didn't reverse the outcome of the 2007 AOC Championship game, but a streak of four humiliating defeats was ended. The Maassluis Merchantmen defended their ground and beat the North Plainfield Plague. A Cary Coles kicked field goal with six seconds to go determined the outcome: 19-16, Merchantmen. Hero of the day was Myron Stevens, who made a crucial interception in Plague territory. But the real player of the game was Bryce Ewald, who shredded his own franchise receiving record.

After two games of big plays determining the outcome, this time it was consistent performing that was the key to success. Wide receiver Bryce Ewald had a monster game. He had a personal record 10 reception for 177 yards and the only Merchantmen touchdown. It marked tying the receptions record, set by Jamel Rosenberry last season, but most notably outdoing his own yardage record from a 2007 game by 40 yards. Ewald said: "I felt good today. Everytime Louie (Flannery) threw my way, I managed to get the ball and beat the defense. I never expected to do this against the Plague."

On the other end of the ball, Myron Stevens came up big. The Merchantmen management has always praised the young cornerback for his mentality and crucial plays. Against the Plague he made a big one again. Stevens said: "With Tai (Wayne) injured, I knew this would be my chance to play again. I made the best of it, but the interception was a lucky play. With the score tied, you expect safety. But no such thing, [Roy Keith] took a risk, trying for a pass towards the middle. I got in front of my receiver and knew this play could be the game winner. Courtney (Osgood) did some tremendous running and we get our much desired win over the Plague. The pain of 2007 is slowly going a way."

Kicker Cary Coles looked cooled than ever before. With a four on four, including an early 47-yarder and the game winning 41-yarder, Coles had a big influence in the victory. Head Coach Leroy Van Der Woude praised Coles: "Times like these he proves us right for keeping him around. Cary is scary good. It's no coincidence that he's co-record holder in most converted kicks in one game. And knowing you can rely on him makes play calling so much easier."

Despite all the praise to Bryce Ewald, the defense was the most notable unit all day. The defense held the Plague to 226 total yards on offense, despite the absence of five starters. Defensive tackle Charles Gomez said: "Today we showed we're not dependant on names, we're a unit. If Tai (Wayne) is out, Myron (Stevens) steps up. Omar (Gougeon) hurt? No problem, Aaron (Sherrill) will save the day. We've been together for so long, we know how to play defense."

And that unity will be tested after the bye week once again. Strong safety Lincoln Gilmore is doubtful right now and is expected to sit out all games preceeding the crucial matchup with the Bordeaux Vineyards in week 9. Defensive coordinator Thomas Dotson said: "Until Bordeaux, we'll still be working without Cody Cluff and now Gilmore too. But Gougeon, Kershner, Wayne and Schultz will be back into the lineup after our bye week, that should help a lot. And we've got all confindece in the youngsters to step it up, Terrance White and Eddie Cole are making good progress!"

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: A Miracle, We Beat The Plague!
All Hail To Europe.

Would you look at that, the European division combines for the best record in the league right now. Following our amazing, but well deserved win against the North Plainfield Plague, the rest of Europe decided to keep the pride high too. Well, not entirely, the Paris Musketeers lost 23-3 at Vicksburg and the Gothenburg Giants beat the Telluride Outlaws 16-0, but followed up with a 40-9 loss to the Conyers Condors. Granted, they didn't play that bad, but all the early breaks went to the Condors way. Nope, it's all due to the Bordeaux Vineyards super start, especially following their impressive wins over the Syracuse Mohawks (27-17) and Orlando Knights (29-14). All in all, the 10-4 record is slighlty better than the AOC Southeast's 11-5 and much better than all others at .500 or worse.

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

Yes, that's right, 3-0 beats 4-0 right now. Don't ask me how, I have no clue to be honest. More importantly we're unbeaten ourselves as we prepare for the hard part of the schedule. Tucker (2-2), Georgia (2-2), Paris (1-2), Conyers (4-0), Bordeaux (4-0), Orlando (3-1) and Gothenburg (2-2) await in the coming weeks. I'm hoping we can go 5-2 in tis stretch, but I'm not counting on it. All are teams who seem to be equal to ours. And Georgia and Conyers are teams I fear. But in contrast, we feared the Plague and we did manage to beat them.

How is the rest of the conference looking? Let's start with the disappointments. The defending IHOF champions, the Syracuse Mohawks are struggling and rank third in their division at 2-2. But that's not quite as bad as some other strong teams. The Boston Rhinos are 0-4 in the Northeast. The San Antonio Volunteers are currently ranked last in the Deep South with a 1-3 record. And the highly touted Georgia Gridlock are not living up to their hype of potential division champs with a 2-2 record and sitting in last place so far.

Over in the North American Conference surprises are arising as well. The San Luis Obispo got back to earth te hard way, following a 3-0 start. But aside from that loss, they still have a one-game advantage over the disappointing Fairbanks NorthStars, and two over the Boulder Blizzard. The Ann Arbor Anachronism are living up to expectations, sitting 3-1 and two wins clear from the rest of the division. The Chesapeake Chitterlings are also a major disappointment at 1-3. They've announced a rebuilding season already, in fear of being unable to catch the 3-0 Frederick Red Menace. Last but not least, the Outer Banks had a tough early schedule and are sitting 1-3 and far behind the 3-1 division leading Asheville Axemen and Miami Sharks.

Oh, I almost forgot, I still need to list my top five guys from the game against the Plague. Number one is easy, Bryce Ewald. Ewald set receiving records with his 10 catches for 177 yards and 1 score. He helps Louie Flannery into the top five, as Flan' passed for 276 yards as he completed 23 of 40 passes. Kicker Cary Coles deserves some kudos for his 4 converted field goals. Charles Gomez was back with 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 3 tackles and 3 assists. Myron Stevens misses the cut as I give more credits to Brian Spears' interception, as Spears also added a defended pass. Terrance White deserves some mentioning too, after his 2 defended passes, but with only 2 tackles he didn't live up to our mid linebacker expectations.

Standings: 1. Louie Flannery 7 points, 2. Bernie Surry 6 points, 3. Bryce Ewald, Courtney Osgood and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 6. Charles Gomez 4 points, 7. Cary Coles, Sammie Kennedy and Wally Mattingly 3 points, 10. Lincoln Gilmore and Brian Spears 2 points.

Upcoming for us is a home game against the Tucker Tigers. The Tigers are making some noise in the media and aren't doing all too bad at 2-2. They had a long way to come, after having been the AOC doormat the past three seasons. I wasn't looking forward to this game as a guranteed win at all, though. If it wasn't for the injury to 2010 #1 pick quarterback Shaun Duncan, it'd actually think the game would be an even matchup. They do field the league leading rusher in R.J. Ellard, who has been a breakout players as a former #66 overall pick. But you know us, we let guys run for 160 yards and still win, right, Ray Ray Lyle?

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Still Undefeated After Beating Tucker
The Maassluis Merchantmen remain in pole-position for the 2011 European Division title. With a 37-13 victory, the Tucker Tigers were beaten. Louie Flannery left the game with a sprained knee and is questionable for the next game. Courtney Osgood showed more flashes of his running ability with his second century mark this season. But in the end, interceptions thrown by the Tucker backup quarterback decided the outcome of the game.

"It's going to be a big test," head coach Leroy Van Der Woude said after the game, "Louie (Flannery) has a great season so far. He's probably the only irreplacable player on the team." Flannery twisted his knee late in the game. Initially he decided to play on, but after a couple of snaps, hiseyes went to the sidelines and Richard Bell was thrown into the huddle. An important signal that things don't look good. Early diagnosis is that Flannery can play, but the best thing would be taking it easy for two weeks and be thrown back into the starting lineup for week eight against the only other unbeaten team, the Conyers Condors. Flannery is currently on pace for about 3,700 yards.

In contrast, on the defense everybody seems to be replacable. The entire unit continues to impress week after week. For the fourth time this season the passing game of the opponent was rushed and batted down. With interceptions by Brian Spears, Broderick Schultz and Bernie Surry the Merchantmen gave Tucker quarterback Ira Hanks something to keep awake on the plane flight back to the States.

Defensive coordinator Thomas Dotson doesn't want to take full credit, but does admit that his work is finally coming together: "Everybody kept talking about Bernie Hicks and how he made this defense one of the best in the league. Well, I got news for you: this defense is still one of the best." In recent games, most starters missed one or more games. In fact, six players have started all four games so far, including rookie Eddie Cole, who wasn't supposed to be starting. Dotson: "It shows that everybody can play ball, we're not dependant on the big names. That's what you need to play good defense for sixteen plus games."

Running back Courtney Osgood ran for two scores and moved up into the top six for rushing touchdowns. Osgood said: "The line was doing a great job again. They give me the abilty to run everywhere I want and they will still make the hole in the defense." Despite that, Osgood doesn't show the ability of being a 30-carries back yet. Osgood defends that: "In my first four years I had only five games with over 20 carries. The team said they want me to warm up slowly and share carries with Quentin Hatchette to keep us both fresh. You have to admit, 'Hatch' is doing a great job as the #2 so far and deserves to be in the mix." Hatchette averages 5.0 yards per carry so far.

Upcoming is another tough test. The Georgia Gridlock were early favorites to be the Southeast division champions. But with a somewhat disappointing start (three losses in five games), things don't look so good. But the Gridlock are the only AOC team that has never lost to the Merchantmen. Despite being 8-point underdogs, the Gridlock are the people's favorites, especially if Louie Flannery is sitting the game out.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Enjoying The Momentum
Punch my arm, please.

I must be dreaming. The Merchantmen, 4-0, only the Conyers Condors are with us in the unbeaten category. The victories keep coming and for a change we took a big one to boost our record. Granted, the Tigers kept pace for most of the game, until mister Ira Hanks tossed his first interception. They were forced to pass and couldn't use their league leading rusher. Most crucial was Brian Spears' pick at the Tucker 24-yard line setting up the touchdown to extend the lead from two to nine points. Not to mention Bernie Surry's pick at our 6-yard line on the Tigers' next drive that looked destined to make them score.

So, we won, but how did the rest of Europe do? The Bordeaux Vineyards looked terrible in their visit to the Gothenburg Giants. With a 25-3 humiliation, the Giants pulled the Vineyards down from the undefeated teams to those battling for the wild card spots. In fact, both hold a wild card position right now. Go Europe! And deep down in the division, the Paris Musketeers posted an impressive fourth quarter comeback with 17 unanswered points to move into a challengers role.

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

With Bordeaux, the Frederick Red Menace left the group of unbeatens. With 21 unanswered points in the second half of the game, the Boulder Blizzard pulled the upset and took a 35-28 win over the two-time defending conference champions. That completes an impressive sweep of the Mid-Atlantic top two of Frederick and the Chesapeake Chitterlings. Most notable was wide receiver Eldon Batts, who had only 4 receptions, being a 30-yard score, a 28-yard score, a 46-yard score and a 52-yarder.

Other news around the league are the undefeated Conyers Condors, who beat the Orlando Knights to take an early 2-game lead on their closest Southeast rivals. The Fairbanks NorthStars have bounced back in the Western Division, posting an interesting 40-21 win after an early 21-0 deficit, while the San Luis Obispo Burn posted their second consecutive loss. The Asheville Axemen took the sole lead in the Atlantic Coast division after their win and the Miami Sharks tie with the Minnesota Miners. Last but not least, the Northeast turns into a coin-toss division with Rochester, North Plainfield and Syracuse all at 3-2.

The Georgia Gridlock remain as one of he disappointing teams in the league. At 2-3, there's not much to see from the acquisition of Randy Reagor as their new running back to be a backfield duo with quarterback Nate Sutter. With us as their next opponent, they are bound to bounce back. I mean, we're 0-4 against them all-time. Sutter's average stats against us: 18 of 30 for 213 yards, 2.3 touchdowns and 0.3 interceptions. And given that we'll be gambling if we'd start Louie Flannery, I don't think we stand a chance to win without him, but throwing him in would be dangerous.

Flannery was part of the five best players of the week from our team though. Flannery completed 25 of 43 passes for 256 yards and 1 score, while he added another score on the ground. That's right, pocket-passer Flannery ran for a touchdown. Other stand-out performances came from Courtney Osgood (103 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns), Timothy Lacy (6 key run blocks), Broderick Schultz (1 interception, 3 defended passes) and Sammie Kennedy (2 defended passes, 0 catches allowed).

Overall GM player of the year standings: 1. Louie Flannery 12 points, 2. Courtney Osgood 9 points, 3. Bernie Surry 6 points, 4. Bryce Ewald, Sammie Kennedy and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 7. Charles Gomez 4 points, 8. Cary Coles, Wally Mattingly and Broderick Schultz 3 points, 11. Lincoln Gilmore and Brian Spears 2 points, 13. Timothy Lacy 1 point.

Rookie update? Well, Eddie Cole has been one of six defensive players to start all six games. Granted, he got lucky for the injuries to our top three safeties so far, but our scouting staf reports that he's made some good progress and still ranks amongst the 10 best rookies in the league in terms of run stopping and zone defense talent. Thankfully teams don't throw into his direction, as can bee seen from the only 4 catches he allowed. With 10 tackles and 2 assists, he helps out.

Guard J.J. Reilly is making quick progress and due to Ned Cozart's injury he played 59 downs last week. Reilly brings some additional protection of our quarterback with his pass blocking talent. It looks like he's gonna unseat Butch White this season already as our left guard. Reilly at least formed a perfect supplement to run blocker 'Tiny Tim' Lacy.

Other things to note? The teams we beat combine for a 11-4 record in games not against us. So either we've been extremely lucky, or we are for real. And given that we never started 4-0 before, it must be the latter, no? Knock on wood.

[Darkiller]

LOL @ "and deep down the division" ... [...] The Paris Musketeers ...

;-)

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Darkiller

LOL @ "and deep down the division" ... [...] The Paris Musketeers ...

;-)

There was a bit of a sarcastic tone in there, because it's interesting that the #4 team in this division is 2-2 and on the tail of the two wild card holding teams in front of them. This could be that 4-horse race season we've all been waiting for. (Okay, maybe not, deep inside we all want a 1-horse race )

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Byebye undefeated status.
It was fun while it lasted...

We're back to earth. After a game without Louie Flannery, we're back to the living. And it wasn't even Richard Bell to blame, he played a good game, posting a 90-ish passer rating. Nope, it might have been the run a lot early game plan we used to keep the pressure off Bell in te first half of the game. Or it must hae been the two lost fumbles in our own territory. But then, the defense allowed only 3 points on the Gridlock drives following the fumbles.

Despite our loss, we still hold the lead in the division. The Bordeaux Vineyards didn't play, while the Gothenburg Giants dropped to 3-3 following a heart breaking 12-10 last second field goal loss. The Paris Musketeers smiled, because they traded the game winning kick maker Keith Horne to the Giants' opponents. And on their own, the Musketeers posted an impressive 30-23 win over the Orlando Knights. Ignore the score, the Knights were trailing 30-9 going into the two-minute warning.

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

Despite our loss, I will be able to identify the top five players of the game. The candidates were Quentin Hatchette (85 yards rushing, including a 56-yard touchdown), Richard Bell (completed 21 of 33 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown), Jewell Simpson (a career high 7 catches for 79 yards), Omar Gougeon (2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 4 tackles, 1 assist), Tai Wayne (1 interception for 68 yards and a score, 2 tackles, 3 assists) and Charles Gomez (1 sack, 1 hurry, 1 blocked pass, 7 tackles, 1 assist). The top three for points eventually were Gougeon, Wayne and Bell.

Overall GM player of the year standings: 1. Louie Flannery 12 points, 2. Courtney Osgood 9 points, 3. Bernie Surry 6 points, 4. Bryce Ewald, Sammie Kennedy and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 7. Charles Gomez 4 points, 8. Cary Coles, Omar Gouegeon, Wally Mattingly and Broderick Schultz 3 points, 12. Lincoln Gilmore, Brian Spears and Tai Wayne 2 points, 15. Richard Bell and Timothy Lacy 1 point.

Next up is Paris. We're playing at home and feel we need to win this game. Louie Flannery is probable, but given that he's got a sprained knee, he'll be a game time decission to start or not. But with Richard Bell also hurt, it's a risky decission anyway. Harvey Nimmons doesn't look ready to step in, so we might be running a lot in that game...

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Roll On, Crush The Musketeers
The Maassluis Merchantmen continue to impress. With a returning Louie Flannery, the Paris Musketeers were beaten 31-3. Where Paris' E.J. 'The Great' Lumpkin threw 3 interceptions, Flannery threw 3 touchdown passes and could easily be replaced early in the fourth quarter. The Merchantmen humiliated Paris with a sequence of quarterback substitutions.

Flannery's back. Despite missing only one game, football critics start wondering how the Merchantmen are ever going to survive without their interceptions prone passer. Flannery completed 17 of 24 passes for 150 yards and 3 touchdowns. Still nursing a sprained knee, Flannery was replaced early in the fourth quarter, yet the fans decided to honor their star with the player of the game title.

Backup quarterback Richard Bell was sent in to replace Flannery, but after one snap he limped back to the sidelines. Bell said: "Last week at Georgia I bruised my heel and when coach said it was my turn, I thought I could play." Bell was immediately replaced by rookie Harvey Nimmons. Nimmons probably wants to quickly forget his first regular season game time, as he completed only one of his four passes, While he was intercepted once and sacked twice.

Despite the victory, the team took some hard hits. Wide receiver Jewell Simpson, who scored two touchdowns, strained an abdominal muscle and is doubtful. Left tackle Ivan Jacques aggrevated his triceps muscle injury, while Charles Gomez strainded a quadriceps muscle. Head Coach Leroy Van Der Woude said: "They're all key players, but we should have enough depth to replace them and show what we're worth against the undefeated Conyers Condors."

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Time To Get Ready For The Big Game
The Condors are coming to town!

With a splendid performance. Every time the Musketeers looked ready to score, one of our defenders intercepted a Lumpkin pass. 31-3 was a little bit over the top and using our rookie third string quarterback in the fourth quarter was a little bit of a humiliation. But we'll take the win.

The extra good news is that the Bordeaux Vineyards and Gothenburg Giants lost. Bordeaux got unlucky in a close battle with the Conyers Condors, losing by a meager field goal. The Giants looked lost against the Orlando Knights, losing 29-3. Their only field goal came after the two-minute warning, go figure.

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

A big week is coming for the division. We're in a heavy battle with the Southeast divison for the crown of the AOC as the best divison. Paris will be visiting the Tucker Tigers (3-3) in hopes to bounce back to above .500. Bordeaux will be visiting the Georgia Gridlock (3-3), who are better than theiur record. Gothenburg has a bye, leaving us. Yes, we're playing in what is arguably the game of the week, and so far the game of the season, as we're hosting the Conyers Condors, te only remaining undefeated team.

Right now, the team is doing a great job. On defense, we manage to disorient any quarterback that faces us. Nope, you got to run to beat us. Well, not entirely true, because history tells us that we're a tough team to run against. Except next week, when we're missing the entire backbone of our run defese in Charles Gomez, Cody Cluff and Lincoln Gilmore.

Star of the week for us were easy to identify. Louie Flannery gets the first kudos for his 3 touchdown passes. Courtney Osgood is an easy candidate with 126 yards rushing for a 6.3 average and a score. Timohty Lacy added 6 key run blocks to boost the running game. Jim Reiser played a great role, making 3 key run blocks, on top of his team high 5 receptions. On defense, Tai Wayne was big again, with a team high 2 defended passes. The interception makers Emile William, Eddie Cole and Brian Spears played well too, but won't make the top five of the week.

Overall GM player of the year standings: 1. Louie Flannery 15 points, 2. Courtney Osgood 14 points, 3. Bernie Surry 6 points, 4. Bryce Ewald, Sammie Kennedy, Timothy Lacy and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 8. Charles Gomez and Tai Wayne 4 points, 10. Cary Coles, Omar Gouegeon, Wally Mattingly and Broderick Schultz 3 points, 14. Lincoln Gilmore, Jim Reiser and Brian Spears 2 points, 17. Richard Bell 1 point.

For those wondering, the Condors are the sole team at 6-0, but we're not alone at 5-1. The Vicksburg Vipers continue to impress and currently have a 3-game lead in the Deep South division. Next up is a big test for them as they'll be visiting the Northeast leading Rochester Lake Monsters, who are 5-2. The Lake Monsters hold off the defending IHOF Champions, the Syracuse Mohawks, on tie breakers. And two wins behind those two, the North Plainfield Plague are the shock of the season, being 3-4 and unable to win without quarterback David Conti. They last loss came to the also disappointing San Antonio Volunteers, who improved to 2-5.

Over in the NAC, the Federick Red Menace are on pace for threepeat. At 5-1, they look impressive as always. The Ann Arbor Anachronism are their main competition, after the triple A's held of the double A's. The Asheville Axemen fumbled their way to 5-2, while the Anachronism improved to 5-1 and to a virtual three and half game lead in their divison.

Pretty sweet that we beat those guys earlier. Almost as sweet as posting that big win over the Musketeers.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Spanked By Conyers Condors
A painful defeat. The Merchantmen are used to going through one game of total inability to play football. Apparently they decided to have one again in their own house. The Merchantmen lost 28-0 to the Conyers Condors. It was the second shutout in team history, the first in Maassluis. After the game the fans gave the players a long "boo", but the staff members were more worried about the injuries to pretty much every key player for the next games.

Kurt Basso is the name. Basso scored all four of the Condors touchdowns. His overall production wasn't even that impressive, but the scores camouflaged it well. It marked a nice pay back for Basso's first encounter with the Merchantmen defense, when he was held to 1.5 yards per carry on 27 ball touches. Basso had a 2.8 average on the ground, but with 89 yards rushing and 41 yards receiving he was the team's most productive player.

On the Merchantmen side, the running backs looked lost. Courtney Osgood and Quentin Hatchette combined for 58 yards. Osgood said: "It was a freaky game. We just didn't get much chances to do any damage. Every time we got the engine roaring, we managed to turn the ball over and give [the Condors] a cake walk to another touchdown."

All concerns in and around Maassluis were aimed at Louie Flannery. Flannery left the game early with a strained calf muscle. At that point, Flannery had completed 4 of 8 passes and was sacked 3 times already. Merchantmen manager M.IJ.B. was angry at his offensive line: "Everybody played like a bucnh of rookies! Except for the one true rookie on the line, it's pretty bad if J.J. Reilly is our best pass protector of the game. I hope 'Indestructable' Ivan is back soon, the line looked like melting chocolate today. They allowed Flannery to get beat up and got him hurt. Freaking unacceptable."

First diagnosis on Flannery is that he'll miss two games. The first being the all-important road game at the Bordeaux Vineyards. The next being a road game at he Orlando Knights. Head Coach Leroy Van Der Woude said: "Injuries are always badly timed, but this is Flannery's second hit of the season. So far we managed to survive through missing players, but it's starting to look like Flannery is irreplacable. But then, maybe Richard Bell will do his trick as against the Georgia Gridlock and again post a passer rating of 90." He'd better, because a loss to Bordeaux would make the race all open again, while a victory would basically give a three-game advantage to Maassluis.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Speechless
No comment.

We lost. Paris won. Bordeaux lost (thank you Georgia!). Gothenburg slept through the week.

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

I don't usually complain about injuries, but right now it's just a simple fact that we lost due to that more than anything. On defense, everybody seems replacable. Even those who always looked irreplacable (Cody Cluff, Charles Gomez, Lincoln Gilmore) have sat out games that we won. Even won some big time. But when I have to put Ivan Jacques on inactive, I feared the worst. He's the pass protection leader, without him, the line falls apart. It showed, Flannery got sacked 3 times early, left the game hurt and we were done. Final score 28 to zero. Zero. Ugh.

Player of the year race? Do I really need to hand out points? Okay, Omar Gougeon stood out with 1.5 sacks, 2 hurries, 7 tackles and 1 assist. Tai Wayne defended 2 passes and added 3 tackles and 2 assists. Backup defensive end Erwin Baranowski also gets some kudos for breaking up 4 passing plays and adding 2 tackles and 1 assist.

Overall GM player of the year standings: 1. Louie Flannery 15 points, 2. Courtney Osgood 14 points, 3. Omar Gouegeon, Bernie Surry and Tai Wayne 6 points, 6. Bryce Ewald, Sammie Kennedy, Timothy Lacy and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 10. Charles Gomez 4 points, 11. Cary Coles, Wally Mattingly and Broderick Schultz 3 points, 14. Lincoln Gilmore, Jim Reiser and Brian Spears 2 points, 17. Erwin Baranowski and Richard Bell 1 point.

With Flannery out, I have to think hard about what to do against Bordeaux. Right now, I'm leaning towards a run heavy offense. Especially given the forecast of the weather, as the weather channel says it will be a stormy night in Bordeaux. But then, we're playing Bordeaux, the kings of running over teams. And as we know, we've beaten teams that ran all day. We even beat the Anachronism. But then, with Courtney Osgood and Quentin Hatchette we've got the most productive running back tandem we've ever had. 832 yards combined, 6 touchdown, over 4.4 yards per carry each. We have to use them. Especially with our top receivers Jewell Simpson and Jim Reiser banged up.

On defense, I won't worry anymore. Cody Cluff is back, Lincoln Gilmore is back, Charles Gomez will be rushed into action. Heck, even Myron Stevens is starting again, although that's mainly because Sammie Kennedy is still on the injury lists while Brian Spears is hurt too and hasn't been all impressive so far. Losing Mike Kershner hurts though, because Albert Boggess has been terrible against the pass so far. It'll be a bummer for rookie Eddie Cole, who is one of three defensive players to start every game so far, but we need to reunite Gilmore and Broderick Schultz. He'll get his playing time as a backup though. That kid has great potential.

That reminds me, in seven games time, only six players have started in every single game. Only six. They are running back Courtney Osgood, backup center Brant Heinrich, backup left tackle Louis Bell, defensive tackle Frank bernard (who played one game hurt), linebacker Bernie Surry and third string safety Eddie Cole.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen March On, Beat Bordeaux
The Maassluis Merchantmen came a little bit closer to their third European championship. After a convincing 17-10 victory at the Bordeaux Vineyards, the gap has increased to two games and a superiour divisional record. Richard Bell guided the team to victory in his second start, while Harvey Nimmons finished it in the enclosing minutes. Drama of the day was Brian Spears, who's expected to be out for the remainder of the season.

No Flan', no fun. That's what the fans expected. But things went differently. Richard Bell performed well and connected well with his receivers. Well, mainly with Bryce Ewald, who accounted for 130 yards and the touchdown. But still, Bell completed 14 of 18 passes with 173 yards and a score, marking one of the best passing performances in franchise history.

Head Coach Leroy Van Der Woude got all the eyes opened for a surprising move late in the game. With the Merchantmen leading 10-7, Richard Bell was suddenly pulled and replaced by rookie Harvey Nimmons for the final 10 minutes. Van Der Woude said: "It was a tactical switch. We pulled out the run-a-lot game plan and Harvey was the perfect guy to surprise the Vineyards with some passes."

Despite all the good play, the Merchantmen didn't look so sure to win. The game winning touchdown came in the last minute of the game by a 3-yard run from Quentin Hatchette. Hatchette said: "We trained on this play. The blockers ran their routes and I ran through the hole and scored. I was happy with the score, especially because it was the winning play."

Brian Spears didn't cheer on the winning play. The cornerback badly hurt his rotator cuff and the medical staff fears the worst. He's expected to miss the remainder of the season. Spears was replacing Sammie Kennedy, who got hurt earlier. Whether the Merchantmen will sign a replacement remains to be seen, but early signals are that Myron Stevens and Winford Endicott will move up to right corner and nickel back duties.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Europe Is Ours Again
Dutch Bowl IV, here we come!

Voila, we're at the mid-season point and took a big lead on the rest of Europe. As we beat the Vineyards, the two teams that beat us earlier this season did us a favor. The Conyers Condors improved to 8-0 with a welcome victory over the Paris Musketeers. The Georgia Gridlock handed the Gothenburg Giants their fifth loss of the season.

Standings
6-2 Maassluis
4-4 Bordeaux
4-4 Paris
3-5 Gothenburg

The standigs don't tell you the whole story. The current win total make you believe that the French teams are within 2 games, but due to divisional records (us being 3-0, them having 2 losses each), the gap is a little bit bigger. In fact, I have a strong feeling that head-to-head wins against both French teams will pretty much clinch the division title.

As we managed to upset our own expectations, we improved to 6-2 and tied for second best record in the league. The Ann Arbor Anachronism dropped a game at home against the now 2-7 Springfield Isotopes. The Frederick Red Menace also recorded their second loss of the season in their road game at the Fairbanks NorthStars.

Players of the game? Well, it's not all that hard to identify those who played well, but it's a lot harder to order them from one to five and below. Richard Bell deserves some consideration for his passing game (14 of 18 completed for 9.6 yards per attempt and a crucial touchdown). Bryce Ewald was important with his 6 catches for 130 yards and a score, marking his second 100-game of the season, his first season with two of those. Brant Heinrich posted 3 key run blocks and gets the mentioning for the entire OL.

On defense, Tai Wayne was big again, with no catches allowed, 2 defended passes and 3 tackles and 3 assists. Cody Cluff defended a pass and recorded 5 tackles and 2 assists in his comeback. Omar Gougeon made a crucial sack and added 2 tackles and 1 assist. Lincoln Gilmore was the tackle master again, posting 8 tackles and 1 assist.

Overall GM player of the year standings: 1. Louie Flannery 15 points, 2. Courtney Osgood 14 points, 3. Bryce Ewald and Tai Wayne 11 points, 5. Omar Gougeon 9 points, 6. Bernie Surry 6 points, 7. Sammie Kennedy, Timothy Lacy and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 10. Charles Gomez 4 points, 11. Richard Bell, Cary Coles, Wally Mattingly and Broderick Schultz 3 points, 15. Lincoln Gilmore, Jim Reiser and Brian Spears 2 points, 18. Erwin Baranowski and Brant Heinrich 1 point.

Next up are the Orlando Knights. Historically, the Knights are the team we have the best results against. For Dutch Bowl IV we're heading across the ocean to show whatwe're worth. The Knights are 5-3 and have a unique combo of two strong running backs and two elite wide receivers. Two of their three losses came in France, meaning this game can be important for tie-breakers. Their victories haven't been impressive, aside from the 29-3 spanking of the Gothenburg Giants three weeks ago. Vegas puts the line at even.

Our main rivals are having home games against 3-5 teams. The Bordeaux Vineyards are hosting the Tucker Tigers. The Paris Musketeers are facing the Gothenburg Giants. I'm not even going to dream of their losses, but they could very well ease things even more. But really, I'd rather see two of our European friends sneak into the playoffs with wild cards than see teams like Syracuse, North Plainfield or Georgia make it.

[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Richard Bell Persona-Non-Grata In Maassluis
The alarm bells are ringing again, there's a quarterback controversy coming up. Sure, Louie Flannery is the obvious starter in Maassluis, but after Richard Bell's performance this season as a starter, he's pushing for promotion. But it isn't easy when rookie Harvey Nimmons is stealing playing time. Because why did Nimmons take over for the last ten minutes of the most important regular season game? And where does 'Fumblin' Justin McDavid stand?

A little refresher. Maassluis leadingthe division by one win over Bordeaux. A loss would mean falling to second place based on head-to-head record, a win slashing a huge gap. With Maassluis leading 10-7, it looked like a won game. But then, all of a sudden, Richard Bell is pulled from the field and replaced by rookie Harvey Nimmons. The same Nimmons who completed only 2 of 8 passes, with 1 interception to date.

Aside from Nimmons horrible passer rating of 7.6, the rookie did something better than Richard Bell. We've picked up snippets of discussions between head coach Leroy Van Der Woude and Bell about the pass/run ratio. Apparently the Merchantmen coaching staff wanted Bell to hand the ball off as much ans quickly as he could. But instead Bell decided to pass, and with success. Despite his success, Bell was pulled from the game and humiliated. Nimmons finished the game with over a dozen of hand offs and only four pass attempts.

While management and players were unwilling to respond, our inside sources are giving away a lot. Former Merchantmen quarterback Josh Webb commented on the situation saying: "[The Merchantmen management loves] Nimmons and try anything they can to promote him. If you ask me, it's pretty obvious. Richard (Bell) has too much personality for their taste, they want a robot at quarterback, a guy like Flannery,who has no personality at all."

Webb has been with the Merchantmen for two seasons and three training camps and told us more about the quarterback situation. "Why do you think Justin McDavid is still around? It's a public secret that someone in management had a relationship with McDavid. He's the fanboy, everybody loves him. Don't ask me why, all he can is run with the ball. And sell replica's of outfits."

Last but not least, Webb saw a trend with the intelligence of Merchantmen players: "Bell is too smart. The general manager is afraid of players who are smarter than him. I mean, look at Quentin Malicki, he's one of the smartest guys ever to put on the orange jersey. He played like 10 downs in 2010. I'm afraid Bell will be demoted to a #4 role soon, despite his performance. Correction, because of his performance. It's scary to have two potent quarterbacks. I should know, they didn't release me because I'm from Utah..."

[Alf]

congrats on the win the the backup QBs Matthijs.

[MIJB#19]

Brian Spears On Injured Reserve, Tom Richmond Signed
Cornerback Brian Spears' 2011 season is over. Following a ruptured rotator cuff, Spears is diagnosed to be out until February, meaning he wouldn't be fit in time for IHOF Bowl VIII. Spears had been a key player to force turnovers, leading the team with 3 interceptions. In mostly nickelback duties, Spears added 7 defended passes, 22 tackles and 5 assists so far. His roster spot has been given away to newly signed Tom Richmond. The fourth-year pro cornerback played 48 games for the Volunteers, in which he recorded 3 interceptions and 8 defended passes.

[MIJB#19]

Futility Bowl Update
With Dutch Bowl IV coming up (Orlando versus Maassluis), it might be interesting to figure out the chances on Futility Bowl VIII taking place this season. As you might know, in every season since the IHOF started, the Maassluis Merchantmen faced the Rochester Lake Monsters once. The Lake Monsters lead the series 4-3. And just like in the 2008 season, the rivalry will have to continue in a playoff game. With the current standings, the Lake Monsters would make the playoffs as 5th seeds in the AOC, while the Merchantmen would make it as 3rd or 4th seeds. If the Merchantmen make it as 4th seeds, the wild card round matchup would see a head-to-head, while as 3rd seeds it would require both teams to reach the AOC Championship game. Given the remaining schedules, chances are good both teams will make the playoffs. And given current records, there's a good posibility the two will play head-to-head in the wild card round.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Another Shutout Lose
Blech.

Just when you think the team can win games without Louie Flannery, they get shutout for the second time in four games without him. Okay, technically he did play in the first shutout, but he was carried off the field early in that game with an injury. The closest we came to the end zone was the Orlando 29-yard line. Field goal range you'd say, but not after your quarterback gets sacked on third down at that position. It was our only chance to score and back then the score was still 0-0. Oh well...

The good news is that the Bordeaux Vineyards managed to lose to the Tucker Tigers. Joe Johnson completed only 11 of 21 passes to guide his team to the fifth loss in as many games. Meanwhilst, the Paris Musketeers beat the Gothenburg Giants, despite 3 intercepted passes from E.G. 'The Great' Lumpkin. It does mean Paris is still on our tail and that our week 17 head-to-head game could be the European Championship game.

Standings (in brackets the Euro record)
6-3 (3-0) Maassluis
5-4 (1-2) Paris
4-5 (1-2) Bordeaux
3-6 (1-2) Gothenburg

The good news is that Louie Flannery, Ivan Jacques, Ned Cozart and Sammie Kennedy are back to full health now, while Jim Reiser and Charles Gomez are fit enough to start against the Giants in week 11. A win at home against them would really ease things and I'll admit that I rested the injured star players to have them at full strenght today, is I value all divisional games as double games. Additionally Bordeaux and Paris will play head-to-head in the French capital, meaning one of them will fall to 3-3 in European games. That loser will be stuck with a terrible tie-breaker situation.

In a terrible game on offense, we were forced to punt on every drive except the one where Richard Bell was intercepted, it makes only sense that the offense doesn't get representation in the players of the week, right? Wrong, rookie J.J. Reilly played admirably well with 3 key run blocks, while the sacks were on the other end of the line. He'll be stuck behind Cody Cluff (10 tackles, 5 assists, welcome back!) and Tai Wayne (2 defended passes, 1 catch allowed) though.

Overall GM player of the year standings: 1. Louie Flannery 15 points, 2. Courtney Osgood 14 points, 3. Tai Wayne 13 points, 4. Bryce Ewald 11 points, 5. Omar Gougeon 9 points, 6. Bernie Surry 6 points, 7. Sammie Kennedy, Timothy Lacy and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 10. Charles Gomez 4 points, 11. Richard Bell, Cody Cluff, Cary Coles, Wally Mattingly and Broderick Schultz 3 points, 16. Lincoln Gilmore, Jim Reiser and Brian Spears 2 points, 19. Erwin Baranowski, Brant Heinrich and J.J. Reilly 1 point.

Reilly is quickly turning into a the surprise of the season on our team. The rookie guard is performing better than former first round pick Butch White and already reached the pass protection skill level of the rest of the line, aside from stud Ivan Jacques. His run blocking isn't all that great, but unlike what our scouting staff said after the draft, Reilly did have potential for growth and he's made progress in that area too. I'm planning to give him the start against Gothenburg over 2005 first rounders White and Brant Heinrich. Not bad for a third round pick, I'd say!

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Fail To Beat Giants
The Maassluis Merchantmen are falling. After a 13-10 loss to the Gothenburg Giants, the team is tied again with the runner up in Europe. Louie Flannery returned to the lineup, but struggled with only 183 yards passing, 1 interception and getting sacked 5 times. And never mind a fumble at the Gothenburg 3-yard line, which should have turned the tide of the game.

"Back to the drawing board," head coach Leroy Van Der Wounde said, "we're still giving the ball away. Maybe we should try to pry Louis Griggs (who recorded both turnovers of the game and 3 sacks) from the Giants." Excuses or not, the Merchantmen gave it away, but big plays from Griggs and a 55-yard field goal by Damien Deming gave the Giants revenge for the loss in week one, when the Giants were arguably the better team.

Louie Flannery returned to the lineup, but had to worry about the pass rush too much and never got the passing game going. Flannery said: "This loss will haunt us for the rest of the season. We pretty much forfeited last week's game and this is what you get for paying no respect to other teams. They beat you and bring you back to earth. We realize that we're not the best team in the league and winning the European division is not going to be a cake walk." Let's hope they can keep that realistic thought.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Earth To Maassluis: Welcome Back!
Yeah, good day to you too.

Okay, they beat us last season, they beat us this season. The Giants have a good team and we clearly underestimated them a bit. Okay, not concerning our personnel, we played everyone able to walk, unlike the game against the Orlando Kinghts a week ago. That said, this loss will count, because it will make the week 17 game so much more important now. That game is against the Paris Musketeers and guess what, they beat the Bordeaux Vineyars and moved back into contention for the division.

Standings:
6-4 (3-1) Maassluis
6-4 (2-2) Paris
4-6 (2-2) Gothenburg
4-6 (1-3) Bordeaux

Wally Mattingly, Cody Cluff and Lincoln Gilmore were my players of the game. Leading to the following GM player of the year standings: 1. Louie Flannery 15 points, 2. Courtney Osgood 14 points, 3. Tai Wayne 13 points, 4. Bryce Ewald 11 points, 5. Omar Gougeon 9 points, 6. Wally Mattingly and Bernie Surry 6 points, 8. Cody Cluff, Sammie Kennedy, Timothy Lacy and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 12. Charles Gomez 4 points, 13. Richard Bell, Cary Coles, Lincoln Gilmore and Broderick Schultz 3 points, 17. Jim Reiser and Brian Spears 2 points, 19. Erwin Baranowski, Brant Heinrich and J.J. Reilly 1 point.

Upcoming is the so-called easy part of the schedule, leading up to the grand European finale versus Paris. First we visit the RayCo Raiders (3-7) and Fort Worth Fury (3-6-1) who both field a young talented quarterback. We don't fear them much, but we're no longer in a position to think any game is in the pocket before it's played. The Minnesota Miners (3-6-1) lack a good quarterback, but their defense is a typical bend-but-don't-break unit. Then the Bordeaux Vineyards (4-6) will visit us, followed by the Muscatine Mosquitoes (4-6), which team has some young quarterback and wide receivers, but they are getting better by the week. And after those five games, we fly to Paris for what could be the all-decisive game for the 2011 European Championship.

But before we get there, we have to beat the RayCo Raiders. We got the better team and should be able to matchup well with them. But qith quarterback Brady Holmes you never know what he'll do, he can tear apart any secondary at will. The Paris Musketeers are visiting the Ann Arbor Anachronism (8-2), which could result in Paris' fifth loss in six road games so far. Gothenburg and Bordeaux host Minnesota and Muscatine respectively, so both teams could move up to 5-6 and a little bit closer to the real divison title race. In this division anything can happen, so I'm not counting them out yet.

[Kodos]

We'll try to knock Paris down a notch for you on Monday. In the interest of the Futility Bowl.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Kodos

We'll try to knock Paris down a notch for you on Monday. In the interest of the Futility Bowl.

Good plan!

And I'll try to update my dynasty report somewhere in the next 9 days of IHOF vacation time. These weddings, football games on tv and beach volleyball tournaments make a slacker out of me. No wait, I was that before I started this thing already.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Another Loss...
At least we're still leading the division.

Following a 20-10 loss at the RayCo Raiders, I'm really wondering what can be done to fix this team. The offense is just incapable to win games, it's all depending on the defense. And usually the special teams unit helps out, but after allowing a blocked punt recovery in our endzone, it's clear that we can't always rely on them either. We still choked a 10-7 lead, after the Raiders star quarterback Brady Holmes was substitued due to injury. Louie Flannery even returned to old habits with 3 interceptions, almost doubling his season total.

Behind us, the Paris Musketeers aren't really showing their desire to win the division. When they get a chance to catch up, they lose as well. Granted, the Ann Arbor Anachronism are becoming a juggernaut this season, but two fourth quarter touchdowns cost them a 20-10 lead and they even failed to force an overtime. But in contrast, the Bordeaux Vineyards and Gothenburg Giants did win and the division is turning into a coin flip division.

Standings:
6-5 (3-1) Maassluis
6-5 (2-2) Paris
5-6 (2-2) Gothenburg
5-6 (1-3) Bordeaux

Next up for us is a game against the Fort Worth Fury. Sure, they are 3-7-1, but they have a dangerous quarterback in Jared Brimberry, who broke the single game touchdown passes record already this season and leads the league in scoring passes. Their defense is similair to ours, using a zone defense system and leaning on a strong defensive line, including a familiar name in Harold Wells, ex-Merchantmen and potential future Hall of Famer.

Player of the year race? Albert Boggess, Charles Gomez and Bryce Ewald played well enough to get some points, creating the following GM player of the year standings: 1. Louie Flannery 15 points, 2. Courtney Osgood 14 points, 3. Tai Wayne 13 points, 4. Bryce Ewald 12 points, 5. Omar Gougeon 9 points, 6. Charles Gomez, Wally Mattingly and Bernie Surry 6 points, 9. Cody Cluff, Sammie Kennedy, Timothy Lacy and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 13. Richard Bell, Albert Boggess, Cary Coles, Lincoln Gilmore and Broderick Schultz 3 points, 18. Jim Reiser and Brian Spears 2 points, 20. Erwin Baranowski, Brant Heinrich and J.J. Reilly 1 point.

I really don't have much else to report right now, we got to get back into winning football after the streak of three consecutive losses. Our schedule looks easy on paper, but you can never write a game down as a victory before it's played. We had a good start, but need to keep working on our play to hold that division lead so we can claim our third European title in week 17 of this season. Futility Bowl VIII and other potential playoff matchups will be for later, it's way too early to worry about could-be games.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen End Losing Streak
Things are all good again in Maassluis. With a 21-7 victory at the Fort Worth Fury, a three-game losing streak was snapped. With a dominant victory, the orange-white-and-blue turned the tide and resumed sailing into the right direction. But despite the good showing, there's much room for improvement.

Louie Flannery looked back. The popular quarterback completed 27 of 39 passes for 298 yards and threw a touchdown without interceptions. Flannery said: "I thought I would miss Jewell Simpson's big play abilty, but Jesse (Vielma) picked it up well, while (Jim) Reiser and (Bryce) Ewald gave me more than enough passing options."

Despite Flannery's solid passing game, the offensive line struggled to protect him as he was sacked 7 times. The Merchantmen moved into a huge lead in sacks allowed with 42 sacks in 12 games, versus number two at 32 sacks. Flannery alone has been sacked 32 times this season, resulting in several minor injuries. Flannery said: "Ivan Jacques has been fighting with injuries all season. He's crucial, without him, the line misses experience."

Running back Courtney Osgood got more protection from the line. With a stellar 155 yards on the ground, Osgood set a new personal record and came only 2 yards short to tie the franchse record. Osgood said: "I had a good day. I had a couple of big runs, which is always cool and of course helps improve your numbers. Things are starting to click." Osgood was given a greater percentage of the carries and paid back with a good showing.

Most notable for the big win was the defense. That unit played a tremendous game, allowing only 11 yards rushing and holding Jared Brimberry to only 16 completed passes on 43 passing plays. Especially cornerbacks Tai Wayne and Sammie Kennedy were praised after they combined for 5 defended passes and holding the wide receivers duo Blades-Evans to just 2 catches.

Following results elsewhere, the Merchantmen slightly improved their lead in the division title race. Upcoming is another road game, this time at the 4-7-1 Minnesota Miners. With 16 point per game, they rank third from the bottom in scoring, but they field a stout defense and should be a dangerous trap game for the oft-struggling Merchantmen offense.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Alone At The Top Again
But it's still a four-horse race.

Telluride. In my upmost excitement to see my team win again, I insulted the Fort Worth Fury by calling them Telluride. Granted, they play in the same division and they are battling it out for the #1 draft pick, but confusing one team for another is a dumb mistake. Imagine someone mistaken us for the Paris Musketeers, wouldn't that be weird?

Talking of Paris, they are starting to choke again. With a 16-13 loss to the Rochester Lake Monsters, they're no longer level in wins with us. The worst news of the day was about their quarterback Edmundo Lumpkin. He severly hurt his shoulder and is diagnosed out for the remainder of the regular season. Byebye Paris?

Even if this would hurt Paris big time, the division is still a four-horse race. After the Bordeaux Vineyards (27-17 at the San Antonio Volunteers) and Gothenburg Giants (13-6 against the Boston Rhinos) posted impressive wins, all teams are within a single victory. We actually spoiled the possibility to have all four teams tied at 6-6!

Standings:
7-5 (3-1) Maassluis
6-6 (2-2) Paris
6-6 (2-2) Gothenburg
6-6 (1-3) Bordeaux

Paris holds second place on head-to-head-to-head tie-breakers with a 2-1 record, while Gothenburg ranks third due to a 1-0 record versus Bordeaux. Still, anything is still possible in this division. It's going to be a close race and the division winner will be at least 9-7, I'm sure about that.

As we visit the Minnesota Miners next week, we know the lead is on the line again. Sure, if we lose, we still have the tie-breakers, but I'd rather have us clinch the division as quickly as possible. Just like the Ann Arbor Anachronism, who clinched theirs in week 11. They are the Bordeaux Vineyards' opponents next week. The Gothenburg Giants wil lwelcome home Duane Davis, who recently signed with the RayCo Raiders. The Paris Musketeers hope to stay in the race with a win over the Muscatine Mosquitoes.

In the player of the year race I had another moment of tough decissions to make. Everytime we lose it's hard to even make a top three, but when we win, there always seem to be more than five guys worthy of points. Courtney Osgood has to be in it after he ran for 155 yards. Louie Flannery has to be too after his 298 yards passing game. Omar Gougeon posted 2 sacks, 2 hurried passes and 4 tackles. Tai Wayne defended 3 passes while Sammie Kennedy defended 2 passes.

GM player of the year standings: 1. Courtney Osgood 19 points, 2. Louie Flannery and Tai Wayne 16 points, 4. Omar Gougeon 13 points, 5. Bryce Ewald 12 points, 6. Sammie Kennedy 7 points, 7. Charles Gomez, Wally Mattingly and Bernie Surry 6 points, 10. Cody Cluff, Timothy Lacy and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 13. Richard Bell, Albert Boggess, Cary Coles, Lincoln Gilmore and Broderick Schultz 3 points, 18. Jim Reiser and Brian Spears 2 points, 20. Erwin Baranowski, Brant Heinrich and J.J. Reilly 1 point.

Last but not least, according to the scouting staff, rookie guard J.J. Reilly has almost fully developed. With 11 key run blocks he's helping out, but with 6 sacks allowed, he's doing as bad as the rest of the line. That said, the scouting staff ranks him second on the team in pass protection abilty. And result of Reilly's progress is a disgruntled Butch White, our former first round pick. Additionally our right tackle Cornelius Rice isn't happy with backing up Louis Bell, while Daniel Decastro wants more than just mentoring Reilly. Let's hope a division championship will make they stop complaining.

[Kodos]

You're welcome.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Kodos

You're welcome.

Thanks again! Now go make sure to get that #5 seed so you can keep that promise to lose Futiltiy Bowl VIII this season.

[albionmoonlight]

Congrats on bringing my man Courtney Osgood his first 1,000 yard season.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Win As Osgood Runs Over Minnesota
The Maassluis Merchantmen continue their journey to a thrid European Championship. With a 23-15 victory at the Minnesota Miners, the Merchantmen improved to 8-5 and remain untied division leaders. Courtney Osgood set a new franchise record as he ran for 188 yards against the Miners. Scoring went to two connections between Louie Flannnery to Bryce Ewald, while Cary Coles converted three short field goals.

"A great showing" Head Coach Leroy Van Der Woude said, "we knew Osgood could be a good one, but didn't expect him to be this good. He's been a great weapon for our offense the last two games." Osgood was happy about his showing and additionally clinched his first 1,000-yard season as he moved up to eleventh in the league with 1,046 yards. Osgood said: "If we keep this up, maybe we can clinch that division crown next week against Bordeaux. I'd love to be part of getting deep into the playoffs with this team." Osgood has one championship ring as a member of the 2008 Fairbanks NorthStars team.

Despite Osgood's great running, it was the defense once again that set up the victory. While wininng the turnover battle 5-1, the Merchantmen offense didn't have to work hard to score points. With 2 interceptions, safety Lincoln Gilmore made the lionshear of the takeaways. Cody Cluff and Broderick Schultz added an interception each, while Myron Stevens recovered a fumble.

But the defense did more. While allowing 42 yards rushing for a 2.6 yards average, the pass rushers broke up 10 of 43 passing plays and the pass defense added 6 defended passes to the 4 interceptions. Defensive tackle Charles Gomez said: "A stellar performance by everyone. Maybe the Miners don't field a strong offense, but we were focussed and want to prove week in week out we are the best defense in the league."

Upcoming are crucial games against the Bordeaux Vineyards and the Paris Musketeers. The Vineyards visit Maassluis next week, while the Musketeers will host the Merchantmen in week 17. In between, the Merchantmen will play host to the Muscatine Mosquitoes, but the division title will be determined in the games against the French teams. But general manager MIJB asured the fans: "We won't rest our stars in week 16, we're still aiming for a bye week in the playoffs and we need to go 3-0 to manage that."

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: All Hail To Courtney Osgood
Poor Randy Harris.

It was a record breaking day in the IHOF again. Retired legend Randy Harris must have had mixed feelings watching the games. First, Anaheim's Gerald Harris forever became THE Harris, as he broke through the 10,000 mark rushing. And at the end of the day, the single-game rushing record for the Maassluis Merchantmen switched ownership. Randy out, Courtney Osgood in.

Thansk to our victory our division title chances are getting bigger. The Bordeaux Vineyards stayed one win behind us with a 17-7 over the Ann Arbor Anachronism (9-4). The Paris Musketeers struggled without Edmundo Lumpkin at quarterback and lost 21-16. The Gothenburg Giants lost 28-10 at home in an amazing game. The RayCo Raiders fielder Giants' legend Duane Davis at quarterback, and despite Davis' struggling offense, two defensive touchdowns helped the Raiders go from 10-0 down to a victory.

Standings:
8-5 (3-1) Maassluis
7-6 (1-3) Bordeaux
6-7 (2-2) Paris
6-7 (2-2) Gothenburg

Next up comes a crucial week. As we host the Bordeaux Vineyards, we can actually clinch the division. With a victory, we do our share of the deal, but we will still need some help. As always, the Gothenburg Giants have to win to save our season, as the Giants have the weaker tie-breakers and can eliminate the Paris Musketeers, who have winning tie-breakers over us. An exciting weekend, but we're going for it. Still, since we are technically still in the race for homefield advantage or a bye, we're going to try to go 3-0.

Elswhere in the league, things are pretty close. The top five teams in the Atlantic Ocean Conference all show a 9-4 record going into week 15. Some of them beat us already, meaning our hopes for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs are very dim. Getting a bye will be hard enough already, but we'll try as long as we're not too injured and in the race for that. A wild card is out of the options already, I think, unless the Tucker Tigers manage to finish second in the Southeast division. Granted, at 10-6 we should still be able to make it, but with so many 9-5 teams, the wild card will likely go to 11-5 teams.

Over in the North American Conference things are closing down to six teams already. A bunch of teams have already been eliminated, while two teams clinched a playoff ticket through a division title, being the Ann Arbor Anachronism and Fairbanks NorthStars. The Frederick Red Menace, Outer Banks Ospreys and Asheville Axemen should follow shortly, while the Williamsburg Colonials and Chesapeake Chitterlings will likely fight it out for the last wild card in their week 17 clash.

Merchantmen player of the year race? What do you think? Cortney Osgood is undeniable with his 188 yards rushing as the top points receiver. Behind him, Lincoln Gilmore (2 interceptions), Wally Mattingly (4 hurried passes), Cody Cluff (5 tackles, 1 interception), Ivan Jacques (4 key run blocks) and Cary Coles (3 field goals, 2 extra points) get my "kudos".


GM player of the year standings: 1. Courtney Osgood 24 points, 2. Louie Flannery and Tai Wayne 16 points, 4. Omar Gougeon 13 points, 5. Bryce Ewald 12 points, 6. Cody Cluff, Sammie Kennedy and Lincoln Gilmore 7 points, 9. Charles Gomez, Wally Mattingly and Bernie Surry 6 points, 12. Cary Coles, Timothy Lacy and Jewell Simpson 5 points, 15. Richard Bell, Albert Boggess, Ivan Jaqcues and Broderick Schultz 3 points, 19. Jim Reiser and Brian Spears 2 points, 21. Erwin Baranowski, Brant Heinrich and J.J. Reilly 1 point.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Claim Third Division Title
Following a thrilling 18-17 win over the Muscatine Mosquitoes, the Maassluis Merchantmen clinched their third European Division title in five years. Kicker Cary Coles converted a 50-yard field goal in the last minute to edge his team past the opponents. The win followed on a hard fought 17-12 win over the Bordeaux Vineyards a week earlier.

Head Coach Leroy Van Der Woude was very pleased: "We did it again! It feels good to be back in charge of the European continent. We've still got trouble scoring touchdowns, but the defense is amazing and pulls us through week in, week out. We're ready for the playoffs and still hope for that bye week."

Courtney Osgood was regarded the big guy once again, running for 135 yards against in Oranje Haven. Osgood recorded his seventh 100-yard game of the season and is on pace to break the Merchantmen singel-season rushing record. Osgood did record his first fumble of the season, saying: "It was a freak play. Good thing (Arnold) Ramirez was on it and bailed me out."

Louie Flannery got hurt for the fourth time. Pretty early in the game he sprained the thumb of his hand, but he played through the pain. Flannery said: "It didn't look all too bad, so I played on. The pain is there right now, but we've got another week until the playoffs start." Flannery is expected to sit the last game of the regular season against the Paris Musketeers, despite the team figthing for a bye in the playoffs. Flannery: "It's not within our power to make the Vicksburg Vipers lose. We're expecting a third seed and a home game in the wild card round.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: The Best Of Europe
Another division title!

We're back at it. The die-hard IHOF fans will remember the amazing 2007 season, when we turned from a .500 team into a 13-3 juggernaut and reached the AOC Conference final. After that, we played .500 ball again for three years. Sure, we won the European crown in 2008 again, but we really eaked into victory, needing the Gothenburg Giants to bail us out by beating the Bordeaux Vineyards. This time around, the Paris Musketeers fell short in December and we took advantage, claiming the division back.

The division itself got less interesting after week 15. As we beat the Bordeaux Vineyards, the gap was two games to all of the rest. The Paris Musketeers won two in a row, but came short afterall. The Gothenburg Giants managed to upset the 10-5 Ann Arbor Anachronism and could end up at 8-8. The Vineyards have gone into youth development mode after falling short for the division crown and hope to set an interesting feat: having two 1,000-yard rushers.

Standings
10-5 Maassluis
_8-7 Paris
_7-8 Gothenburg
_7-8 Bordeaux

For the final European standings, not much can happen anymore. Maassluis clinched first place, Paris clinched second place. The Gothenburg-Bordeaux winner takes third place, knowing that a tie game will keep Gothenburg at third. Nope, the division outlook isn't interesting anymore, it's the playoffs we are looking at now.

In the Atlantic Ocean Conference the six contenders are known now. The Georgia Gridlock, Vicksburg Vipers, Syracuse Mohawks, Conyers Condors and Rochester Lake Monsters are the five teams we will have to beat. Well, two or three of them. With all at 10-5, aside from the 11-4 Gridlock, it's a close race for the seeding procedure. We can finish second at best and need a win and a Vicksburg loss to get there. Conyers and Georgia still fight for the division crown, with the head-to-head winner taking it. Syracuse and Rochester don't play head-to-head, but the division title is still on the line, with a potential bye luring if Vicksburg and Maassluis lose.


The current setup of things matches up with the Rochester Lake Monsters. Yes, unlike the expectations, Futility Bowl VIII is around the corner and we're destined to play at home again. This game would be the perfect pay back for the 2008 loss in our house and a win would tie the series at 4-4. Again, if this game will be scheduled in one of the playoffs rounds, it will continue the league's strongest inter-divisional rivalry of the IHOF. Well, maybe not the strongest, but it's been a real rivalry and one of few inter-divisional games played every season so far. And a 2012 edition has already been scheduled due to the Europe-Northeast divisions clash.

With two games to report from, the player of the year race needs some updating. I'll start with the stars of the game against te Bordeaux Vineyards. Jewell Simpson had 5 catches for 92 yards and 2 scores to get some serious consideration. Louie Flannery shined as he completed 20 of 33 passes for 199 yards and 2 scores. Ivan Jacques had 4 key run blocks and guided his line to 0 sacks allowed. Charles Gomez made the team's only sack and added 2 hurries, 6 tackles ans 2 assists. Lincoln Gilmore defended a pass and lead the team with 7 tackles.

In the game against the Muscatine Mosquitoes it was Courtney Is-so-good again. Running for 135 yards and a 9.6 yard average, he deserves the kudos. Bryce Ewald saved the game with a couple of big catches, including a 43-yard one, adding up to 71 yards on 3 catches and recovering a team fumble. Cary Coles converted 4 field goals, including the game winning 50-yarder. Cody Cluff was back to his old form with 12 tackles and 2 assists. Cornelius Rice returned in the lineup and paid back with 4 key run blocks and no sacks allowed.

GM player of the year standings: 1. Courtney Osgood 29 points, 2. Louie Flannery 20 points, 3. Tai Wayne 16 points, 4. Bryce Ewald and Omar Gougeon 13 points, 6. Cody Cluff and Jewell Simpson 10 points, 8. Cary Coles 9 points, 9. Lincoln Gilmore and Charles Gomez 8 points, 11. Sammie Kennedy 7 points, 12. Ivan Jaqcues, Wally Mattingly and Bernie Surry 6 points, 15. Timothy Lacy 5 points, 16. Richard Bell, Albert Boggess and Broderick Schultz 3 points, 19. Jim Reiser, Cornelius Rice and Brian Spears 2 points, 22. Erwin Baranowski, Brant Heinrich and J.J. Reilly 1 point.

With the team performance going well, it's time to look a bit at statistics. We're currently ranking as the league's top defense in least yeards allowed. With a gap of over 100 yards to the second ranked team, it looks like a secured title. But we want more, we want to finish the season first in least points allowed as well, which will require a shutout of Paris and a high scoring game for the teams in front of us.

On the personal front, our team is looking good too. People are pushing Courtney Osgood for the Breakthrough Player of the Year Award. Well, maybe he is a good candidates, but I'm not 100% convinced. Personally, I'm more impressed by Tai Wayne, who ranks second in the league with 21 defended passes, while allowing only 24 catches. His only interception endedup in a 68-yard return for a touchdown. Additionally, Cary Coles has converted 29 of 29 field goals. But after missing a second extra point he might be a bit less of a good candidate for a Special Teams Player of the Year award. But, you never know. Let's try to keep teamspirit high, win against Paris with some backups and see how far we can get this season.

[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Beat Paris, Miss Bye
The Maassluis Merchantmen are ready for the playoffs. With a convincing 23-13 victory over the Paris Musketeers, the Merchantmen extended their winning streak to five games. No serious injuries occured, meaning the team is relative healthy going into the wild card round. But it won't be easy, playing host to the IHOF champions, the Syracuse Mohawks.

Louie Flannery was a surprise in the starting lineup against Paris. In preperation for the game, Richard Bell was expected to start due to Flannery's sprained thumb. Flannery said: "In the end the doctors said it looked good. We really hoped to get a bye week in the playoffs and we needed to win this game." Leading 10-6, Flannery was replaced by Bell for the fourth quarter.

Courtney Osgood had a bit of an off day. Following a couple of big 100-yard games, the Musketeers defense held Osgood to 48 yards. All in all, it couldn't prevent him from breaking the 1,300-yard mark, but did keep him 5 yards shy of tying Randy Harris' franchise record. Osgood said: "I didn't think about that record. I mean, Harris is a legend in Maassluis, I can only hope to become as popular as him."

The Merchantmen defense completed their wanted feat. They had their seventh game in a row of holding the opponents to below 300 yards total offense. With 177 yards allowed today, it added up to enough to end the season with 284 yards allowed per game and in first place in the IHOF. They were 16 yards better than the second ranked defense, the Gothenburg Giants.

Upcoming is a very tough mission. The Merchantmen will play at home, but their opponents are the Syracuse Mohawks. Last season, following a late season rally, the Mohawks sneaked into the division title and fared all the way to the league title. In 2011 they lost the division on the last weekend of the regular season to the Rochester Lake Monsters. But as defending champs, the Mohawks are probably the toughest team one would have to play. And with that team pretty much fully healthy, chances to win look slim.

[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Syracuse It Is
Down with the champs!

What a disaster. Nobody expected this to happen. No, wait, I'm not talking about the Paris game. We won that game with once again an impressive defensive performance. Nope, our team looks ready, despite that Flannery and his receivers are ranked last in the league in yards per pass attempt and yards per completion. And I'm not talking about Cary Coles' first missed field goal of the season, meaning he won't go down as the IHOF's first perect field goal kicking season. A streak of 41 consecutive scored field goals ended today, dating back to week 11 of the 2010 season.

Nope, I'm talking about our first playoff game. We knew we'd be playing at home, but our hopes were on the Rochester Lake Monsters. With them, we'd get a fun team to play and about a 50-50 chance to advance. Then, we were also hoping for a bye, but needed the Telluride Outlaws to upset the Vicksburg Vipers. That didn't happen.

So, Syracuse it is then. The 2010 IHOF champions. Our chances to win look very slim, given the history of the league. To date, only one defending champion failed to reach the playoffs, but all other defending champs managed to return to the conference final. Well, take a look, we're still two rounds away from that game, we need to end a league trend to make it.

In return, we have a league trend to defend. Since the Rochester Lake Monsters won their division (congrats!), they managed to get the fourth seeds position. And that means that Futility Bowl VIII will have to wait for the Atlantic Ocean Conference final, or the 2012 refular season. We'd love to keep the annuality of the rivalry alive, and I bet they do too, but I don't think either of us expect it to continue.

Final European standings? It has been a weird season, to say the least. Bordeaux and Maassluis took the early lead with 4-0 starts. But as Bordeaux collapsed into a six-game losing streak and Maassluis struggled through injuries, Paris moved into the challengers role, right behind Maassluis. Gothenburg had a strong season finish, but in the end Maassluis stayed strong and managed to hold the division lead from the first week to the last.

Standings
11-5 Maassluis
_8-8 Paris
_8-8 Gothenburg
_7-9 Bordeaux

Maassluis claims their third division title. Paris claims their third second place, their second in a row. Gothenburg had only two worse seasons before, being last season's fourth place and the 2004 campaign, when they finished third with a 6-10 record. Bordeaux had a historical low season. Their record was better than in 2007, when they finished 6-10, but never before were they last in Europe.

Looking around in the playoffs, the names of the division winners see a remarkable trend. In the North American Conference, all four 2010 division winners managed to repeat. The Ann Arbor Anachronism, Fairbanks NorthStars, Frederick Red Manace and Outer Banks Ospreys all kept their title. Over in the AOC, all four defending division champs failed to repeat. The Georgia Gridlock, Rochester Lake Monsters and Vicksburg Vipers all claimed their first division title. How's that: Maassluis has as many division titles as the three other AOC division winners combined!

That said, there is no doubt that it will be an exciting playoffs race. It could be any team's title in the AOC as all six playoff contenders look pretty equal and every single one of them stands out in some area of football. Georgia and Vicksburg took the bye weeks, meaning Maassluis host Syracuse and Rochester hosts the Conyers Condors. A winning Maassluis will play at Vicksburg, a winning Syracuse at Georgia. The other wild card round winner will play the other bye week team.

Over in the NAC, the wild cards went to the Williamsburg Colonials and the Asheville Axemen. With Frederick and Ann Arbor as the top seeds, it will be Williamsburg at Fairbanks and an Atlantic Coast Division clash in game between Outer Banks and Asheville. If Outer Banks win, they play at Ann Arbor, if Asheville wins, they play at Frederick. The other winner will play the other higher seed.

Also note that every team with a winning record went into the playoffs this season, it's the first time to happen in the IHOF. Also for the first time is the feat that the eigh teams with the best records all won a division title. Oh, and the North Plainfield Plague missed the playoffs for the first time, meaning from here on no team made it into the post-season in every IHOF season. Also, no IHOF team managed to have a winning record in every season so far.

Oh, the GM Player of the Year race. Against Paris it was an all-defense day. Wally Mattingly receiver player of the game honors with 1.5 sacks, a blocked pass, a hurried pass and a team best 5 tackles. Terrance White recorded 4 tackles, 2 defended passes and 1 sack, which is very good for a backup player. Cody Cluff returned an interception 11 yars for a touchdown, on top of his 4 tackles and 4 assists. Frank Bernard added 2 tackles and 3 assists to his 1 sack and 2 quarterback hurries. But my star of the game was Tai Wayne, who had 3 defended passes, no catches allowed and supported with 2 assists.

GM player of the year standings: 1. Courtney Osgood 29 points, 2. Tai Wayne 21 points, 3. Louie Flannery 20 points, 4. Cody Cluff 14 points, 5. Bryce Ewald and Omar Gougeon 13 points, 7. Jewell Simpson 10 points, 8. Cary Coles 9 points, 9. Lincoln Gilmore, Charles Gomez and Wally Mattingly 8 points, 12. Sammie Kennedy 7 points, 13. Ivan Jaqcues and Bernie Surry 6 points, 15. Timothy Lacy 5 points, 16. Richard Bell, Albert Boggess, Broderick Schultz and Terrance White 3 points, 20. Jim Reiser, Cornelius Rice and Brian Spears 2 points, 23. Erwin Baranowski, Frank Bernard, Brant Heinrich and J.J. Reilly 1 point.

[Kodos]

We're very concerned about Conyers. They whupped us pretty good in the regular season when Williamson was out. Hopefully, he can make a difference this time.

Beat the crap out of the Mohawks!!!

[Vince]

Keep the faith. I mean heck, WE beat the Mohawks

[MIJB#19]

Right now I've got two ideas on how to play against Syracuse. There's no guarantee either will work though. Either way, I wouldn't put money on Maassluis to upset he champs, not even while being 4-point favorites. On Rochester-Conyers, the Condors looked impressive in their 8-0 start, but after the recent 2-6 slump, Jackie Williamson is one of those guys able to tear open and abuse that secondary. And in the NAC, Fairbanks could be upset by Seth Dwight's WIlliamsburg, while Outer Banks should complete the three-game-sweep over Asheville. No team in IHOF history overcame a regular season sweep by beating their foes in the playoffs.

[Kodos]

The good thing about the AOC is that there is no juggernaut team out there. Every team has a legitimate shot of making the IHOF bowl.

[cthomer5000]

Go Maassluis, Go Rochester.