It's Over!

Halloween came and went. Thanksgiving is done. The season is over. The championship trophy has been handed out. Now, it's time for retooling.

Obviously the big issue for the UFL is going to be who comes back and who doesn't, but there will be plenty of time to talk about that. Right now, I'm just talking about this blog. What? No, BFGF isn't over. Think of the past few months as its inaugural season, played with only a few posts and without a sense of whether or not this will become an independent blog or a feeder blog for some much larger blog. More specifically, I'm thinking of retooling the feel here. I've been opting for safe and straight-laced (admittedly with a side of scandal) and somehow it feels a bit dull.

I think what the UFL needs now is a comedy option. We'll just have to see where it goes from here. Scheduled updates would probably be a plus, as opposed to updates whenever I feel I have time. Maybe some bright and noisy banner ads in case you wanted thousands of smilies, or to save 13% on car insurance, or to get your degree in homeopathic phrenology from the University of Pittsburgh. The potential here is endless.

UFL Championship 2010

23-20. All came down to a blocked field goal. Wow. Hell of a game. Amazing that the past two UFL championships have come down to a field goal, and a hell of a way to cement a rivalry. Florida and Las Vegas are now 3-3 over the past two years, and you could see it in how chippy the players were getting in the first half.

Congrats to Vegas. Although, just a short reminder that Hartford beat the two-time UFL champions the past week. We'll see em' next year.

Score!

Great to see the Colonials finish strong with their 27-14 win over the championship bound Locomotives. I've had an enormous amount of fun at Rentschler Field, and I'll be renewing my season tickets when the time comes.

Second plus of the night: Several people near my left without their free seat cushions. Score!

Spoke Too Soon

According to this this Las Vegas Review-Journal article, Michael Huyghue never stated that the UFL would be enforcing the transfer fee that has lead some to worry that the league may have difficulty finding willing players. Hugyghue has been quote as saying "From Day One, our policy has been the same -- once a team's season ends, any player is free to go to the NFL," Huyghue said Wednesday. "We want our players to go to the NFL. I'm not sure where that rumor on the Internet started, but there's no truth to it."

So perhaps all the hullabaloo was one of Mike Florio's "league sources?" In any event, I think it's good news for players.

Players for Sale! Fresh Players for Sale!

 Huyghue says, "Whoa, wait a minute buddy."

Not sure how I feel about Michael Huyghue enforcing the transfer fee. On the one hand, $150k seems like nothing to an average NFL team. On the other, most of these guys would be 2nd or 3rd-string, and some would be practice squad fodder. Assuming that some of the 3rd-4th year guys get signed, why should any team want to fork over an extra 20-50% of what their contract will likely be worth? This goes double for the practice squadders, who make significantly less than that. A squaddie with UFL experience is suddenly two or three times as expensive

Some guys with storied NFL careers (Culpepper, Garcia) or who've put some good tape together while in the UFL (Lorenzo Booker, Nick Novak) might convince front offices to pony up the extra cash, but I have to imagine that this means fewer of the younger guys will be getting looks.

The end result is that the decision keeps talent locked up in the UFL, which could turn into a positive or a negative. You could argue that this keeps the UFL strong by creating a scenario where its players can't just jump ship, keeping the same players around to build for next season. On the other hand, it possibly creates an antagonistic relationship with NFL. And I think that the league might be too young to get on the bad side of the nation's largest football enterprise.

It's hard to say whether or not players will avoid the UFL because of the transfer fee. For some at least I think a definite $50k and a job would be better than a possible $300k (pro-rated down for missed time) and sitting around by the phone. Although some guys who might have been had on the cheap may not get looks by some of the NFLs stingier owners.

Catch You Next Year

It took me some time to get my thoughts together after Thursday night’s loss to the Tuskers. 41-7 is pathetic. There are numerous things wrong with the Colonials right now, but it looks like coaching is the root of many of their problems. In the first half they played seemingly without any motivation or spark, which is amazing given that the team still had a shot at the championship. After Harrison fumbled away the long drive that Ryan Perriloux had led, it was clear that they had completely thrown in the towel. Take a look at the replay on Dominic Rhodes’ 30-yard touchdown run near the end of the half—the defense was getting close but nobody was even attempting to take him down. Multiple defenders took half-hearted dives at the Tusker’s RB, but none made even a cursory attempt to wrap up.

             And where was Lorenzo Booker during the game? Tory Harrison had most of the carries early on, and while the score quickly got so out of hand that Hartford eventually had to abandon the run, why would you not put your top playmaker in? One has to assume that this is part of Palmer’s disastrous “play everybody” decision that has done nothing but prevent a core group of eleven players from getting in sync, and made it impossible for anyone to get into a rhythm.

             It’s a shame that the run had to be discarded; Josh McCown hasn’t seemed mentally ready to lead the Colonials since about week two. He has no pocket presence and refuses to throw the ball away when nothing is open, preferring instead to take a sack or to throw into traffic. Part of the blame lies with his offensive line. It must be hard to throw with any confidence when defenders are getting pressure a split second after the snap.

            If there’s one phoenix to rise from the ashes of the dumpster fire that was Thursday night’s game, it’s that we’ve finally gotten to see Ryan Perrilloux in action. At this point in the season, and given that coach Palmer has made it clear that he wants to develop the young QB, I sincerely hope that Perrilloux will be starting against Las Vegas on the 20^th. His mobility negates at least some of the pressure that the line gives up, and he’s proven that he is at least as accurate as McCown. Furthermore, #11 didn’t seem rattled even when the line in front of him was getting blown up by the Tusker’s backup D-line.

            So, that’s it. The Colonials are done for the season, and may have been since week #2 despite pulling out a second win over the Mountain Lions, and despite two very close losses. We can now begin to look to next season, and ask ourselves what needs to change.

Coaching: Chris Palmer will hopefully not be with the team next year. Despite having more wins than last year’s New York Sentinels, there’s a very real chance the team may have just as many losses. He has a hard time motivating or disciplining his players; look to Thursday night’s special teams’ penalty for forming a wedge as a strong hint at that. It’s a rule that has been in effect in pro football for years now, an incredibly simple rule that nobody should break. Hell, in order for it to happen, multiple players must ignore it. How is it that the team didn’t get the hint? And cornerback Ryan Palmer’s backtalk to the coach during the Las Vegas suggests that the players aren’t afraid to get in his face. Looking back, one wonders what Taurus Johnson might have done to upset the team enough to lose his job.

As a former QB coach, Palmer may very well have been brought in to help develop Ryan Perriloux. That’s all well and good, and perhaps he’s fine as a position coach, but his decisions are baffling, and I don’t want to see him heading the team next year.

Quarterback: Josh McCown’s nerves are shot and he’s making too many bad decisions. Maybe he’ll regain some composure if the offensive line gets shored up in the offseason, but it’s hard to say, and even if that does happen, many of the mistakes he’s made belong to him alone. Perrilloux has quick feet that should help him get away from pressure. He’ll develop if he’s given a chance to play.

Runningbacks: Booker had been phenomenal, and the team may lose him to the NFL in the offseason. Harrison has seemed solid, if unspectacular. Andre Dixon is going to need to learn from a good vet if he wants to make a name for himself.

Recievers: White and Carter are reliable. The team is fine here as long as they can hold on to the two in the offseason. Chery and McBride are serviceable. Syndric Steptoe has too many drops. Taurus Johnson looked above average, and it’s a shame the team lost him.

Tight Ends: DeVree is serviceable, but will drop a few. Same for Ronnie Ghent. If the team can’t get decent lineman, they may want to look into finding a strong blocking end to compliment the line.

O-Line: Pete Clifford needs to be removed. None of the Colonials tackles have shown much promise, but Clifford has been particularly bad. Keith Gray is decent at center, but occasionally has a bad snap. Our guards are middling at best.

Defensive Line: The line began slow but is finishing strong. There aren’t really any standouts, but Fountain, Spicer, Seawright and Oghobaase have shown promise, particularly in the waning weeks of the season. Oghobaase’s first step is incredible, but he has trouble getting past the line.

Linebackers: Lansanah is a decent enough player, but he occasionally makes some bad decisions and gets called for dumb penalties. They’re mostly young guys (the most experienced of them, injured vet Tank Daniels has only four years experience), and might take a little time to really develop.

Defensive Backs: Ryan Palmer has two interceptions on the year. He’s competitive but completely undisciplined, and is often responsible for terrible penalties. Demps hasn’t been with the team long enough to quantify. There’s a lot of speed on the team. If they’re allowed to play close, I think they can beat opposing receivers. They’re been playing with huge cushions in most games however, and I think that’s hurt their play. Of course, that’s a coaching decision.

Special Teams: Mehlhaff is obviously gone, and kicker Saw Swank is still an unknown. Jy bond has been below average as a punter—he’s dead last in yards per punt. As for kick returners, Steptoe has been sub par on punt returns, and Lawson about average at best. The team should begin searching for replacements for its key special teamers next year, or expect poor field position on offense and defense.

Any of these names might end up playing for the NFL. A few (like Markee White) may return to Arena ball. There are some solid players on the Colonials roster, but it is still a work in progress. Hopefully we can retain our key players and make a strong showing in 2011.

Safety First!

Tonight is the night we get our first view of former Philadelphia Eagles safety Quintin Demps, who was released from that team earlier this year along with safety/cornerback Victor "Macho" Harris. As an Eagles fan, I have to say I was surprised that Harris got the nod over Demps. It's hard to gauge #39 on his limited play, but he always seemed to have a better grasp of his assignments when out on the field, while Harris often looked confused.

For the Colonials, Demps replaces former CFL safety Ryan Glasper. I'll admit that I didn't think Glasper was doing all that poorly, but Demps is solid and provides a kick return threat that Hartford simply hasn't had all year. As a Colonials fan and an Eagles fan, I'll be looking forward to seeing him in action tonight against the Tuskers.

Your Virginia Destroyers! *

Only several hours old, the United Football League's newest team,the Virginia Destroyers, is already awash in controversy. Former TD Ameritrade chairman, Joe Moglia, has been announced as the team's head coach and president.

If there are some bells going off in your head, dear reader, there should be. It seems like too strange a coincidence that next year, the Omaha (where Mr. Moglia currently lives) Nighthawks will be moving into the brand new TD Ameritrade park, or that a man whose last coaching position, as a defensive coordinator at Dartmouth college was twenty-seven years ago, would be given the keys to a football team when his only recent experience has been as an adviser to the head coach of the University of Nebraska's Cornhuskers in 2008-2009.

Moglia was apparently hired directly by commissioner Huyghue himself, which can be taken as either a supreme vote of confidence or as an asset-motivated move. Destroyers GM Doug Williams apparently had no say in the hire, which seems strange to say the least.

Did Moglia buy himself a position with the team? I'm not going to answer that one. What I will do is speculate on the consequences of the move. It's been argued that no publicity is bad publicity, and this will certainly make some waves in the sports world. But even if there hasn't been any sort of collusion, the situation can certainly be spun that way, and the league may have see a loss of credibility either way. If there was a monetary gain, I hope it was enough to offset the negative publicity, or that said publicity was worth it.

That's to say nothing of the product on the field. Can a man with no experience as a head coach and almost no recent experience in the game successfully lead an expansion team? It's hard to say. Even if the Destroyers are sunk in their first season, a brand new team is a tough deal in any league. Even if Joe doesn't make a serious splash in his first year, I think he'll be given the benefit of the doubt. He'll need to come out with guns blazing to silence any doubters however, and I think that burden is now squarely on his shoulders.

Update: For what it's worth, in an interview with CNBC, Moglia has stated that he has not invested any money in the Virginia Destroyers. Whether this will turn down the volume on the critics remains to be seen, but he still has a tough road to hoe as a head coach.

Lay it on The Line

Since the UFL began its season in September, there's been a lot of nervous talk about the quality of the league's offensive lines. I'm not here to put any of those worries to rest. The following are pictures from the Colonials' outing in Las Vegas on October 23rd.

This here? This is right tackle Pete Clifford and left tackle Orrin Thompson letting pressure in off the edge. Thompson wasn't all bad, but Clifford was getting pushed back, beaten and blown up all day.

First quarter. Third and one. A run up the gut results in a two yard loss.




Finally, if you look at the center of this picture, left guard Jacob Bender (#72) is tossed like a rag doll by Locos defensive lineman Ryan Boschetti. Boschetti hurled the six-foot-six, three-hundred and fifteen pound guard what looks like a good five feet, and while Bender's play throughout the day was not quite as offensive as Cliffords, it's pretty damning that he could be negated that easily.

You could argue that there are plays like these in just about every football game broadcast during the week, UFL or NFL, and you'd be right. The trouble here is that these images are pretty much representative of the play of the O-line during that game, and frankly, during others. Lump me in with Paul Maguire if you want, but the fact of the matter is that even the NFL is having trouble finding and developing quality offensive lineman. Ask Jay Cutler about the Bears' offensive line play... if you can find him. Even Cutler probably doesn't know where he is right now. And the Bears are not the only team. The Lions and Redskins O-line woes are pretty widely known. The Eagles and Seahawks have inconsistent lines, with talent uneven from one side to the other, especially after injuries.

Truth is, it's hard to find those guys that are athletic, 6'3 or taller and with the right frame to hold 300+ pounds. There aren't that many definite natural talents out there. What this means for the UFL is that they're going to have their work cut out for them finding the "maybe's" out there and doing what they can to develop them into solid players. Clifford, for example, is listed as at 6'7 and 312 pounds. He has the size, but is consistently overpowered and beaten. I can't help but think that his place of birth (he's a New Hampshire native) had more to do with this particular New England team's decision to give him a shot than did his ability.

I'll play the optimist here and suggest that some of what we've seen this season has been a lack of cohesion; these players have not had the luxury of spending years and years as part of the same unit. They haven't had much time to gel, and hopefully this is something that will be resolved as the UFL gets a few more seasons under its belt; working on cutting those diamonds in the rough into shape, and just cutting the rest.