ANCHORAGE BRUINS [GM YOUNT]

[Talon]

I've received the budget, lets add to our tribe.

[Talon]

Salutations from the Skybear and all that stuff!

With the free for all starting now, here is what I have on our team sheet.  Please note this does not factor any signings we may or may not have made and failed to league office, so if we have signed a player recently but not yet sent his deal to the league office, I do not count that.   

Currently I have us with:

7 Open Roster spots.

30.95MM Remaining Salary.

2.5MM Remaining Bonus.

2.4MM Remaining Off-Season Bonus.

2.5MM Remaining International Bonus.

This will be our only roster/budget update for the rest of the off-season, so if you have a discrepancy we need to speak in private and compare sheets and comb the league office to make sure we are on the same page.

[GM Dario]

I like it Shay.

Good to get into the swing again. Hook me up with Eli Harris, please.

****
ELI!!! It's Dario in KC. I need two minutes of your time.
I got 10 Million reasons why I want DE Stephen Butler in Skybear Country for the next 3 years. 
Plus it would be a good-get to have Butler go back against his former team twice a year.

Can we make a deal-
3 Years, 10 Million for Butler?

[Talon]

We'll take that action.

[GM Dario]

Boom!!  That's what I like to hear.
Appreciate it-

****

Shay- see if Bobby Shapiro is free please.

****

Bobby!  It's Dario . Back at it again ya know.

Listen - I'm lookin' for a Tackle to shore up the OLine.  Michael Roth has caught my eye. I'd like to get him for 3 years at 5M per if we can swing it.

Yay or Nay?

[Talon]

 

You've got a deal.

[GM Dario]

That's how we do it Bobby. Big Dub on that one.


****

Shay- I need Steve Rosenhaus if ya please

****

Mr. Rosenhaus!  It's Dario in Kansas City, lookin' for an established back to put in the Skybear's Run Game. John Provost looks like a good fit for us as a Change of Pace Back

I'd like to get him for 2 years at 4M per season

This work for the two of ya?

[Talon]

 

Good deal, baby.

[GM Dario]

That's what I like to hear.

While I got ya, I wanna take a flyer on QB Allan Wilkins.
2 years at 1.25M per season.

Can I get another "Good Deal, Baby!" From ya?

[Talon]

 

Allan showed what he can do with the ball last season, he's worth $4MM as a primary back up.

[GM Dario]

A little more than I wanted to spend when I have Hensley as my QB2.

But we may talk again on Allan.

Thanks Stev-o

****

Shay, let's see if Mike Maker is available please.

****

Mike!!! It's TD!! How are ya!

We've talked a couple times about William Dalton.

I really like what he brings to the team on and off the field. It's like havin' another coach on the roster. He plays well with everybody and Myles Jack liked him on the roster last season so I'm willing to make a 3 year deal $4 million per year, fully guaranteed, to keep Dalton in Kansas City.

[Talon]

 

I'll keep it in mind, but right now I'd rather land a starting job with better pay.

[GM Dario]

I get ya, Mike. Thanks for keepin' me in mind.

****

Shay, I need somebody from the Campanelli clan on the phone please.

****

Mr. C or Lady C, it's Dario in Skybear Country.

I'm lookin' for a young QB to keep on the roster and Nick Byrd would be a good fit.

I'd like 2 years. 1.5M this year and a team option at 2M in S18, if ya please.

[Talon]

   

Forget about it, he's in.

[GM Dario]

'Preciate ya, Lady C.

One of your clients is also from Nick's alma mater of Texas A&M.
DT Marvin Swanson would look good in KC Colors.
Just a 1 year Deal at 1M for the 6 year vet.

This good too?

[Talon]

 

   

We'd do $2MM.

[GM Dario]

For you, Lady C, I'll do 2.

"Preciate ya once again.

****

Shay, let's see if Wander Worldwide is available.

****

Dubya Dubya!!! It's Tylen Dario in Kansas City.
Can't remember the last time we talked so figured I'd make the call.

You gotta kid, Gregory Patel, that I could use as a third TE for the Skybear.
I'd like a 1 year deal at the Vet Min of 1M please

[Talon]

DEAL

[GM Dario]

Gracias, Mista Dubstep. I like the way ya work

****

Shay, I think we're about done for the moment.
But let's try Pupi Saofaiga for a call.

****

Mr. Saofaiga, good to see ya continuin' with Professional Football on the other side of the coin.
Ya did good work as a player, and I'm sure ya are gonna be a top flight agent as well.

I've got some interest in one of ya clients.
Guard Artorian Westerlund has been in San Antonio for the past couple of years. 
I'm hopin' a change of scenery might work out for him and Kansas City.

I'd like a 2 year deal. I'll go 1.25M per with a 250K bump to 1.5M in year two if he gets 30+ Pancakes in year one.

[Talon]

 

   

Sounds good, TD. 

[GM Dario]

Now we're cookin', Pupi.  Thanks for the deal.

****

Shay, that's got me at 53 with 6.2 and 2.5 left to spare.
Cap compliant over the 90% limit as well.

Since we're not locked in yet, I could get a couple more to the roster for trainin' camp, but we have to be under the cap, then at 53 for Week 1, correct?

[Talon]

 

That's what the rule book says.

[GM Dario]

Gotcha Shay, Lets see if Eli Harris is available.

****

Eli, I'm lookin' for a couple guys to battle for spots on the roster.  You've got a Safety named Shad Tarver that I'd like to add for 1 year at 500K,

Doable?

[Talon]

   

Deal.

[GM Dario]

Thanks much, Eli.

****

Shay, can we see if Scott Forrest is available.

****

Mr Forrest, congratulations on your Retirement as an active player.
I'd like to talk with you about Martini Lewis from the FemFL.
I think we could use her as a Return Specialist in SkyBear Country.
I'd like to start with 1 year at 1.5M with a team option on year two at 2.0M

This work for the two of ya?

[Talon]

 

   

We will do 1 year at $2MM.

[GM Dario]

I'm good with that. Thanks.

****

Shay, here's a check for 100k, per your contact as Head FemFL Scout.

'Preciate all the hard work.

[Talon]

 

Anytime, boss.

[GM Dario]

Kansas City Bruins: Season 17 Training Camp Edition

PR CAMPAIGN

#FellOnBlackDays Campaign - For Season 17 Home Games, Kansas City will forgo the normal SkyBear Teal and Golden Arches Uniforms and use the Alternate Black with Teal and Gold trim as their home uniforms.  Fans are encouraged to join in and 'Paint the Wigwam Black', turning the SkyBear Casino Stadium into an Abyss for the Opposing teams.


MUSICAL LICENSES (GM MUST COMPLETE THIS TASK)

1.  Tech N9ne (w/ Serj Tankian): "Straight out the Gate 'The Scott Stevens Remix' "
https://youtu.be/wlSvZXFwrdo

Chorus Plays during Offensive Drive Starts and Defensive Stands.

2. Diplo (w/ French Montana, Lil Pump & Zhavia Ward): "Welcome to the Party"
https://youtu.be/QgOXIEhHU1Y

Chorus Plays during after all Scoring Plays


**LOCKED IN BABY!!!**

[Talon]

Hey!  here we go!

[GM Dario]

S17 - TRAINING CAMP PRESS CONFERENCE

*Your team has just broken camp.  The long off-season is over, your team has trained to get into shape and be ready for the regular season and you have just completed your team evaluation meeting with your coaching staff.  The pre-season is about to begin, but first you must address the media.

1. Welcome back, what was the most challenging part of the off-season, and where do you think you did the best as GM of this club?

Mannnnnnnn!!!!!! It's good to be back here with y'all pressers as the Reignin' Defendin' Undisputed Points Champion of Season 16!!!!!  This is where the fun is, Baby!!!!

The most challengin' part is tryin' to maximize talent and minimize cost. Ya know ya can't get somethin' for nothin', but you don't wanna overpay if ya don't have to.  Flip side of that is that the guys on the field want as much as they can get. So it's a fine line we gotta walk. I don't mind payin' out if the return is good or if the future return is on the upswing.

Coach Graham emphasized makin' some changes on the D End spot. We brought in Butler, spent a number one on Ray-Thom, brought back Damico on a solid trade, and still have Big Bear holdin' down the wigwam. 

I think I did the best on gettin' back quality hands for the ones that we lost. Lost Plunkett. Lost Blodgett. Lost RW. Brought in Soliman, Rose, Provost.  We got some new faces in new places but I think we're gonna be better than last year.

2. After a long off-season, the regular season is within reach.  What is your view of pre-season?  Valuable or Pointless?

Preseason is Very Valuable to the SkyBear's team. Ya got some many new faces on our team, ya gotta see how the communication is. Ya gotta see some ROI from the peeps. Better to do it in preseason than figure out 3 games into the season that ya got major problemos.

3. Will you completely sit any of your players for the pre-season, or is it all hands on deck in the traditional pre-season limited capacity?'

I'm not plannin' to sit anyone specific. We have 55 on the roster. We need to see who is gonna step up and who's gonna get cut. Can't do that if everyone ain't involved.

4. Having just met with your boss, the team's owner; what do you think about their expectations for you this season?

There's a coach on one of the McFadden Classic teams that had a 3 word sayin'.

"JUST WIN BABY!!!"

It's simple but true.   Wins make everythin' better. We got a taste of bein' over 500 last year. And I know we all wanna get more of it. I know the HIghchief does. I know I do.


5. The fans are clamoring, what should they expect this season from a record stand point?  Are you thinking this is a rebuilding season?  Is this a season where you will be middle of the pack and near .500?  Is this a club that should win 10+ games?  Is this team a lock to win the division, or is this team simply a real-deal Impact Bowl Contender and everything else is trivial?

You know me too well about #KeepinItCrystal so I'm not gonna play smoke and mirrors with y'all.  There's a big 'PEG that's in our way in the Division. Everybody with a pulse figures they're the team to beat in the West and in the Division, and until someone does like Vegas did last year, it's still gonna be true. One of the media boys thinks we're a 6-10 team, but I think that's based on the value of the pieces, not the sum of the parts.

Last season, we did quite well to start, had a bad run in the middle, but woke up at the end. It's gettin' rid of that Middle part and keepin' the other two that we need to do.

I think this is a 10 win team. It'll take 10 to get into the playoffs. If it all falls right, 12 should win the division. Right now, we're lookin' at .500, then 10 wins, then playoffs. Everythin' else is Gravy, baby!

6. What's the biggest position competition you're looking forward to with your team's pre-season games?

We're gonna be lookin' at the OLine to start. We wanna see who's gonna step out the four guards we have and which of our new centers is ready to take that bump up.  We may even get creative and rotate across the line to try and find the best combo of guys to keep AMac upright and York and Company down the field on the runs.



7. Look across the league, which team from the opposite conference do you think will be competing for the Impact Bowl when it's all said and done?

Miami is strong top to bottom. Bama has the Cheat Code. Cleveland has Cheat v2. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's not a Music City or New Jersey or Detroit that you see from the East Side at the Impact Bowl. 

8. Make a bold prediction about this season:

Dario's gonna be the BACK-TO-BACK,  TWO-TIME, TWO-TIME Reignin' Defendin' Undisputed Points Champion!!!

Any Questions?

[Talon]

  Before you speak with Coach, just going to let you know that since we will be setting a lock in that spans all three pre-season games (we just set our depth chart and the coaches handle the subs and making sure back ups play a lot)  we will be needing to take two players and make them inactive, since we probably want to evaluate our unknowns I'd recommend a few sure-thing veterans that we don't need to risk injury with during pre-season.  You'll do that in the lock in.

[GM Dario]

Gotcha Shay. Keepin' me on my toes as always.  Let's bring in Coach Graham for a chit-chat.

****

Coach, good to be back into the daily grind. Wanna talk with ya about a couple things before we set the Preseason Lineups.

First off, #KeepinItCrystal,  I know last season Coach Shoes handled the Defensive Play Calls, which is a little more relaxed than your aggressive slant. This year, at least to start, I wanna see if we can't get more reward with you callin' the plays. If it works in preseason, should we continue with ya makin' play calls? If it doesn't work, would it be an issue to have Coach Shoes back at play callin' duties? 

Thoughts?

[Talon]

I love calling the plays, Dude.  I'm happy to do it, to be aggressive, and to see if we have the chops to put the heat on the ball carriers on every play.

[GM Dario]

I agree with ya on this one. We need to cause some turnovers and short fields and get the Offense in position to get points.

A lot of the naysayers are pointin' at the OLine not bein' capable, especially in pass blocks.

But I've looked at a lot of other lines and, on paper, we aren't that far off from some of the elite.

Is it that we have a lot of run maulers with Jett, West, Sargent, Kaminski and Stinnett as our startin' 5? 

[Talon]

They remind me of the old Carolina Panthers of the 2022-2023 time period.

[GM Dario]

That is a veiled reference if I ever heard it, but unfortunately I do understand it.

And I'm guessin' there's no improvement with Roth, Westerlund or Castaneda plugged into the line?

[Talon]

Sargent is our long term center if we can keep working his strength.

I think all of our guards are only temporary, nothing we can do with them, you can't just fix everyone.

Stinnett still has a lot of room to grow and I think he's progressing, Roth has upside too but is farther off due to his lack of strength and not being as good as a pass blocker; Jett has just reached 30 so he hasn't got much more upside, so while he'd be an okay RT on some teams, as our top tackle its just underwhelming.

[GM Dario]

Good stuff Coach. Needed to know why that red flag was firmly placed.

One more thing that pops to me is that we might be short on offensive team speed.  York, 'Tini and Jeudy have the jets but are we close to bein' in the same boat as we were a couple years back?

[Talon]

Not quite as slow, but we're still not one of the blazing teams either.  Its not like we're running out there with a bunch of old timers in hover rounds.

[GM Dario]

Gotcha. Coach Zhang mentioned that we're lackin' some Leadership on the O Side of the Ball.
Would a Veteran Player help with that issue or do we just need someone to help motivate who we got already?

[Talon]

I'm not sure that adding leadership now really does anything for us unless its also a talented player, leadership can help rally the locker room at times if morale gets low, but also a leader who's morale is tanking can hurt the locker room.  Its just intangibles.

[GM Dario]

Understandable, Coach. Just sorta spitballing' ideas to bump what we got. Igotta think a lotta teams are in the same boat as us, tryin' to fine tune without completely muckin' it all up.

I know for quite a while, in basketball, there was some coach or former coach who use ta help teach Centers how to improve their technique, a big man camp. Would it be worth Shay makin' a couple phone calls to see if we can find a Pass Block or OLine Camp while we're in Preseason?

[Talon]

 

No. That is what our o-line coach is for.  there is no quick fix.

[GM Dario]

Gotcha, Coach.  We'll just trust the process and maybe ask for a little SkyBear intervention on the side.

As for Preseason,  there's 2 we gotta slot on the Inactive List.  My first thoughts are to give it Myles and Lars.  Myles is the eldest LB and we would then get time to see if George Michel could step in to the fold.  Lars would give us a chance to see Campbell and Patel at TE1 and TE2. My hopes were higher on Patel being a 3rd TE but we could go with Atherton or Duran on the Heavy Jumbo mode.  Thoughts?

[Talon]

 

That makes sense, to me.

[GM Dario]

Good for me as well.

So let's do the dang thang!

Regular Lineup

Except-

TE1 Campbell
TE2 Patel

LB1 Marks
LB2 Brandon
LB3 Michel
LB4 Martino
LB5 Mooney
LB6 Tarver

TE Veldwijk & LB Jack  - Inactive

*** LOCKED IN BABY!!! ***

[GM Dario]

S17 - PRESEASON GAMES PRESS CONFERENCE

1. What did you take away from this slate of pre-season games?

ALRIIIIIIIIIGHT!  Let's do tha thing here.  Love the preseason to get some looks at peeps that we wouldn't normally get some realtime stuff from. We can do practice all we want, but to get into game time sitches and see how people go, it's good mojo to work with.


2. Which player stood out the most to you from your team?

Simply, Martini Lewis.  Everyone on the coachin' staff, in the office and most of the roster wanted to see how 'Tini would hold up as a lighter player than most of the league.   Was it perfect or outstandin' on the stat sheet?  No, but that's what preseason is for. I think 'Tini passed with flyin' colors and we're lookin' forward to usin' her on the field in a full capacity.

3. Did anyone surprise you and earn a starting job?

Most of our expected starters were locked in before Game 1. It's a matter of rotations, situations, and drop off from starter to reserve. I like what a lot of the guys and girls brought to the games, and we got through relatively injury-free so that's the biggest DUB on our preseason.

4. Does the pre-season change your feeling about your team's potential this
season?

Not in the least. I think we're better than the experts say we are. I'm gonna press all 53 and the staff as well to prove the experts wrong. I like this team and I like our chances this year.

5. Talk about your opponent for week 1, and what it will take to win.

Smarter Football comes to the Wigwam on Openin' Day.  A definite test for the SkyBear's team, Portland's bringin' in some quality on both sides of the ball. This was a playoff team last year and they look to make it again this year. I'm lookin' at our team to say 'Nah Nah' to those playoff chances, and start us off with a Big DUB in Week 1.

Questions from anyone??

[Talon]

Game time, REAL game time bro.   This is what I live for.

[GM Dario]

Game Time Baby!!!

Thought we looked alright during preseason. But we got two to cut.
I'll handle that before we lock up.

Question for you- how good or bad are Martini's hands? 
Preseason showed she got lost in the runs 'tween the tackle but was good on returns in open space. I didn't know if spendin' some cheddar for Wide Receiver trainin' might help us if we can get her in space on swings and screens or as a WR6.