Hey guys. I was able to piece it together tonight. Hope you enjoy it, if anyone wants to help me write, all help is welcomed. Sorry, I had to be a homer and write about the Great Plains D, but it really has been solid, until I jinxed it after a poor performance to Oakland today. Anyways, enjoy.!
So Good It’s Scary
Sure they aren’t a playmaking D, but the Reaper D Might Be Good Enough to Get the Team to the Championship
“Ay Tubby, that’s your 4th burger tonight, take it easy ballplayer” says Great Plains cornerback Rolando White, as big nose tackle Tubby Tank eats another cheeseburger stacked with so much lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno etc etc., it’s a wonder how anyone could fit this in their mouth. Perhaps, “eats” is too generous of a word, more like a devour by the 323 pound, level 13 all-star at a small burger joint in downtown Hartford, the night before the Reapers big game against the Hellhounds.
It’s not just greasy burgers that Tubby is devouring, it’s perhaps every running back, every quarterback, every center/guard that stands in his way. The man has already won two Western Conference Defensive Player of the Weeks, he has caused four fumbles, to go along with 4 sacks and 20 tackles (as of print date, May 8th). Although that might not be his biggest contribution. Tank can draw double teams and be such a force up the middle, something that many league execs and scouts believe can’t be matched anywhere across the whole A#7 league.
As good as he is, we haven’t talked about the other parts of this stringent defense. Over there, lined up in the corner, with a built 273 pound frame, in Quinton Storm known to his teammates as “Mr. 4th Quarter”, who has such a rare mixture of strength and speed, it is plainly something you do not see everyday. Although there have been whispers around the league that he doesn’t play hard throughout the full 60 minutes, there is no doubt the man makes stops when he needs to, with 2 of his 3 sacks coming on pivotal drives that could have tied the game or have the opposition take the lead on the Reapers, he is somewhat of a Mr. Clutch.
The linebacker core with Skull Crackers, Hugh B. Wang and Husker Kaiser are all very sure tacklers. While the secondary ain’t shabby with solid corners in Omar Ruckus and Octavius Glove (who later in the game against Hartford had 1 INT, and a forced fumble on back to back drives at a pivotal time) plus Nic Wirrz, who is a hard hitting strong safety who can make the interception, or make a big tackle (As he did make a tackle vs. New Brunswick that did, in fact, save the game).
But perhaps why the Reapers don’t get too much credit on the defensive side of the ball is because they don’t really have a playmaker who can take a chance, step in front of a ball and take it to the house. They run more of a bend don’t break, keep the receivers and backs in front of you at all time, and trust EACHOTHER that you will make the tackle. It has worked well for them. They didn’t give up a touchdown until a 3rd quarter TD against Hartford in their 6th game. That means 343 minutes of no touchdowns given up. (They did slip in the first half vs. Oakland and lost right before print, but we wont talk about that now. J)
The question, though, is how long can they keep it up? Although their secondary is good, they have shown they can be beat a few times on medium range passes (see: Oakland) and at times, their struggling punting game leaves them starting their defensive possessions in their own territory, and after awhile stamina has to take over doesn’t it? As the season progresses, the barometer of success might depend on how far this defense will bend… without breaking.
Here Comes the New Guy
With Dire Changes Needed to the Organization, Grand Haven Trades Franchise Face QB Ricky Cannon, for a Career Back-up, Dave Hemkin here comes your close-up.
God, it was awful. You ever been in a public setting where you see a husband and a wife who just seem to hate each other? It was almost as bad. It’s not like the husband and the wife both don’t have their own good separate traits, they were simply not meant for each other, but they still painstakingly work through it, and you wonder why the f*ck did you guys marry one another?
Perhaps it’s an exaggeration, yet you could tell Ricky Cannon and the Grand Haven Mist really didn’t like one another. And the product on the public setting (the football field) was ugly. How ugly? Try 1 touchdown in 5 games for the offense, and for Cannon the TD to INT count was 0:6. In infamous week 4, Ricky had the worst performance of all… 7/66! It just seemed that the two were on different pages at the same time. Cannon wanted to play for a contender, Grand Haven is just looking for a fresh restart. It was the perfect divorce.
In comes GM Valhalla trading Ricky Seo Jr. and Guess Who (couldn’t find these players profiles for some reason?) for cash, and on the same day he finalizes the divorce and sends Ricky Cannon to the San Juan Ridgerunners, a South American AAA powerhouse for a career back-up named Dave Hamkin. Hamkin isn’t bad, just unproven as he sat behind a level 15 QB in Lester McCurdy in San Juan. It seemed like now even Dave could prove that he can play as the main guy.
Throughout the first two games Hamkin hasn’t been lighting up the scoreboard or anything 23/49 with 2 INT’s but you can tell there is a change in culture for the whole organization. This was proven an emotional 13-0 win over the Miami Cyclones on Thursday, for Grand Haven’s first W. With a strong defense, and new leadership there might be more W’s on the way.
Don’t expect Mr. Hamkin to light anyone up yet, his supporting cast is too weak around him frankly. Yet for a team that is rebuilding, and trying to rebuild the right way, he is a QB you might be able to build around as he continues to get better with every snap he takes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team that looked atrocious at the start, finish with a 5-11 record, all thanks to a new attitude that everyone across the conference has come to respect.
Thoughts
What the hell is RGB thinking? I write a feature article on Johnny Awooga and in the four games since in this past week he has gotten 15, 17, and 14 (twice) carries, leading the Berzerk to muster only 13 offensive points, obviously all turning into losses. You really begin to question if this team actually wants to win… It’s time to give Cody Wilson and the Oakland Wizards their due, these guys are good. They made the stingy Denver, er, Great Plains defense, look plain and mediocre. In their only loss, to Waco, they scored just 3 points, that shows you just how good Waco’s D is. Imagine how interesting a rematch between these two teams would be if they were to meet in the conference final… Let’s not forget Dallas, the last time we spoke they started off 0-2 and allowed 41 and 27 points to Hartford and Oakland, respectively. Looking at their starters, they don’t exactly blow you away, but it goes to show what good coaching can do, but perhaps they were brought back down a little bit after tying with Scottsdale. Nonetheless, don’t be surprised if they are pulling upsets as the season goes on… The tie story brings me to another thing, I know Bort and the fellas are hard at work on GLB and they can’t make everything flawless, but wouldn’t you like to see some other system? Kind of leaves a sour taste in your mouth to tie someone in American football,, the college system sure would be interesting.
Back To Reality
Who’s your Quarterback?
It’s another gorgeous May afternoon in Colorado, what am I doing? I’m on my computer, looking at the GLB Forums of course, I spot something very disturbing. (Warning: If your ego is extremely high or low when it comes to females you shouldn’t click this link.) http://goallineblitz.com/game/forum_thread.pl?thread_id=177949&page=1
Girlfriends in GLB, eh? There are enough funny replies to the point where I think I need not add anything. Although, it does beg one question. What kind of people are on your team?
Perhaps I might be the only one, but don’t you wonder time to time who you’re communicating with? Or even better, what he looks like? It has become regular in American pop culture to assume a quarterback be synonymous with the good looking kid who gets the hottest cheerleader (Thanks to stupid high school movies dating back to the 80’s. Thank God Superbad came in and changed that whole stereotype.). Yet, what’s to say that your star quarterback on your team is some douchebag with zits all over his face, and hasn’t even kissed a girl/woman with the exception of family members?
What about your general manager, is he the type of guy who talks on his cell phone at an obnoxious volume in public settings who repeats the same phrases over and over again because of his “reception” (“Hey, are you here? Are you here? Hey dude, I think I see yo- wait nevermind. Are you here? Where are you?”). How about your running back, is he the type of fella that coughs or sneezes on you almost blatantly?
You ever think your linebacker is the guy who gets way too drunk at your house and eats all your frozen pizzas, all your Keebler’s Peanut Butter Crackers, and all of your Flamin’ Hot Cheetos (Zach! stop rubbing your red ass cheeto fingers all over my mom’s furniture!)? Perhaps I just think too much. Maybe we all really do have no life, and this is GLB is all we have. So if anyone needs to PM me, just get at me at about Friday-Saturday night at about 9:00ish. I’ll just be the guy who looks up the next game’s scouting report instead of leaving my house.
So Good It’s Scary
Sure they aren’t a playmaking D, but the Reaper D Might Be Good Enough to Get the Team to the Championship
“Ay Tubby, that’s your 4th burger tonight, take it easy ballplayer” says Great Plains cornerback Rolando White, as big nose tackle Tubby Tank eats another cheeseburger stacked with so much lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno etc etc., it’s a wonder how anyone could fit this in their mouth. Perhaps, “eats” is too generous of a word, more like a devour by the 323 pound, level 13 all-star at a small burger joint in downtown Hartford, the night before the Reapers big game against the Hellhounds.
It’s not just greasy burgers that Tubby is devouring, it’s perhaps every running back, every quarterback, every center/guard that stands in his way. The man has already won two Western Conference Defensive Player of the Weeks, he has caused four fumbles, to go along with 4 sacks and 20 tackles (as of print date, May 8th). Although that might not be his biggest contribution. Tank can draw double teams and be such a force up the middle, something that many league execs and scouts believe can’t be matched anywhere across the whole A#7 league.
As good as he is, we haven’t talked about the other parts of this stringent defense. Over there, lined up in the corner, with a built 273 pound frame, in Quinton Storm known to his teammates as “Mr. 4th Quarter”, who has such a rare mixture of strength and speed, it is plainly something you do not see everyday. Although there have been whispers around the league that he doesn’t play hard throughout the full 60 minutes, there is no doubt the man makes stops when he needs to, with 2 of his 3 sacks coming on pivotal drives that could have tied the game or have the opposition take the lead on the Reapers, he is somewhat of a Mr. Clutch.
The linebacker core with Skull Crackers, Hugh B. Wang and Husker Kaiser are all very sure tacklers. While the secondary ain’t shabby with solid corners in Omar Ruckus and Octavius Glove (who later in the game against Hartford had 1 INT, and a forced fumble on back to back drives at a pivotal time) plus Nic Wirrz, who is a hard hitting strong safety who can make the interception, or make a big tackle (As he did make a tackle vs. New Brunswick that did, in fact, save the game).
But perhaps why the Reapers don’t get too much credit on the defensive side of the ball is because they don’t really have a playmaker who can take a chance, step in front of a ball and take it to the house. They run more of a bend don’t break, keep the receivers and backs in front of you at all time, and trust EACHOTHER that you will make the tackle. It has worked well for them. They didn’t give up a touchdown until a 3rd quarter TD against Hartford in their 6th game. That means 343 minutes of no touchdowns given up. (They did slip in the first half vs. Oakland and lost right before print, but we wont talk about that now. J)
The question, though, is how long can they keep it up? Although their secondary is good, they have shown they can be beat a few times on medium range passes (see: Oakland) and at times, their struggling punting game leaves them starting their defensive possessions in their own territory, and after awhile stamina has to take over doesn’t it? As the season progresses, the barometer of success might depend on how far this defense will bend… without breaking.
Here Comes the New Guy
With Dire Changes Needed to the Organization, Grand Haven Trades Franchise Face QB Ricky Cannon, for a Career Back-up, Dave Hemkin here comes your close-up.
God, it was awful. You ever been in a public setting where you see a husband and a wife who just seem to hate each other? It was almost as bad. It’s not like the husband and the wife both don’t have their own good separate traits, they were simply not meant for each other, but they still painstakingly work through it, and you wonder why the f*ck did you guys marry one another?
Perhaps it’s an exaggeration, yet you could tell Ricky Cannon and the Grand Haven Mist really didn’t like one another. And the product on the public setting (the football field) was ugly. How ugly? Try 1 touchdown in 5 games for the offense, and for Cannon the TD to INT count was 0:6. In infamous week 4, Ricky had the worst performance of all… 7/66! It just seemed that the two were on different pages at the same time. Cannon wanted to play for a contender, Grand Haven is just looking for a fresh restart. It was the perfect divorce.
In comes GM Valhalla trading Ricky Seo Jr. and Guess Who (couldn’t find these players profiles for some reason?) for cash, and on the same day he finalizes the divorce and sends Ricky Cannon to the San Juan Ridgerunners, a South American AAA powerhouse for a career back-up named Dave Hamkin. Hamkin isn’t bad, just unproven as he sat behind a level 15 QB in Lester McCurdy in San Juan. It seemed like now even Dave could prove that he can play as the main guy.
Throughout the first two games Hamkin hasn’t been lighting up the scoreboard or anything 23/49 with 2 INT’s but you can tell there is a change in culture for the whole organization. This was proven an emotional 13-0 win over the Miami Cyclones on Thursday, for Grand Haven’s first W. With a strong defense, and new leadership there might be more W’s on the way.
Don’t expect Mr. Hamkin to light anyone up yet, his supporting cast is too weak around him frankly. Yet for a team that is rebuilding, and trying to rebuild the right way, he is a QB you might be able to build around as he continues to get better with every snap he takes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team that looked atrocious at the start, finish with a 5-11 record, all thanks to a new attitude that everyone across the conference has come to respect.
Thoughts
What the hell is RGB thinking? I write a feature article on Johnny Awooga and in the four games since in this past week he has gotten 15, 17, and 14 (twice) carries, leading the Berzerk to muster only 13 offensive points, obviously all turning into losses. You really begin to question if this team actually wants to win… It’s time to give Cody Wilson and the Oakland Wizards their due, these guys are good. They made the stingy Denver, er, Great Plains defense, look plain and mediocre. In their only loss, to Waco, they scored just 3 points, that shows you just how good Waco’s D is. Imagine how interesting a rematch between these two teams would be if they were to meet in the conference final… Let’s not forget Dallas, the last time we spoke they started off 0-2 and allowed 41 and 27 points to Hartford and Oakland, respectively. Looking at their starters, they don’t exactly blow you away, but it goes to show what good coaching can do, but perhaps they were brought back down a little bit after tying with Scottsdale. Nonetheless, don’t be surprised if they are pulling upsets as the season goes on… The tie story brings me to another thing, I know Bort and the fellas are hard at work on GLB and they can’t make everything flawless, but wouldn’t you like to see some other system? Kind of leaves a sour taste in your mouth to tie someone in American football,, the college system sure would be interesting.
Back To Reality
Who’s your Quarterback?
It’s another gorgeous May afternoon in Colorado, what am I doing? I’m on my computer, looking at the GLB Forums of course, I spot something very disturbing. (Warning: If your ego is extremely high or low when it comes to females you shouldn’t click this link.) http://goallineblitz.com/game/forum_thread.pl?thread_id=177949&page=1
Girlfriends in GLB, eh? There are enough funny replies to the point where I think I need not add anything. Although, it does beg one question. What kind of people are on your team?
Perhaps I might be the only one, but don’t you wonder time to time who you’re communicating with? Or even better, what he looks like? It has become regular in American pop culture to assume a quarterback be synonymous with the good looking kid who gets the hottest cheerleader (Thanks to stupid high school movies dating back to the 80’s. Thank God Superbad came in and changed that whole stereotype.). Yet, what’s to say that your star quarterback on your team is some douchebag with zits all over his face, and hasn’t even kissed a girl/woman with the exception of family members?
What about your general manager, is he the type of guy who talks on his cell phone at an obnoxious volume in public settings who repeats the same phrases over and over again because of his “reception” (“Hey, are you here? Are you here? Hey dude, I think I see yo- wait nevermind. Are you here? Where are you?”). How about your running back, is he the type of fella that coughs or sneezes on you almost blatantly?
You ever think your linebacker is the guy who gets way too drunk at your house and eats all your frozen pizzas, all your Keebler’s Peanut Butter Crackers, and all of your Flamin’ Hot Cheetos (Zach! stop rubbing your red ass cheeto fingers all over my mom’s furniture!)? Perhaps I just think too much. Maybe we all really do have no life, and this is GLB is all we have. So if anyone needs to PM me, just get at me at about Friday-Saturday night at about 9:00ish. I’ll just be the guy who looks up the next game’s scouting report instead of leaving my house.
