ST. PAUL LYNX [GM GATES]

[GM Eli]

Talk about your wildcard game, how does it feel to advance to the Divisional round?

"Every team in this league preaches winning by any means necessary. Sometimes the way you win isn't the prettiest in the world. But I'd rather win ugly and be here than play a beautiful game of football and end up sitting at home. There are a few teams today that fit that bill and I don't envy them at all.

How do I feel, though? Proud. I'm so proud of how hard our guys fight even when nothing is going right for us at all.

Beyond that, though, I feel for King Lindsey. I can't imagine what he's going through psychologically now and I certainly hope he recovers soon from the unnecessary assault from fans who let their emotions get the best of them. Hopefully GM Justin condemns the acts of those fans in the strongest terms possible."

What is the key to advancing to the Conference Championship?

"We just have to find a way to rise to the occasion. The Killer Whales are well coached and helmed by an Impact Bowl winning General Manager. It is going to be a tough test but we've faced a lot of tough tests this year and more often than not we've found a way to overcome.

Nobody else believes in us. But we believe and we'll do everything in our power to find a way to win."

[Talon]

 

That was... I don't even know what that was.

[GM Eli]

"It was a win. Maybe not the way I would have wanted to get my first playoff win as a GM, or the way I wanted you to get your first playoff win as a head coach. But it's a win either way and it means that regardless of what anyone else has to say, we're one of the 8 best teams in the league this season.

And we have the opportunity to be top 4 now.

So.. with that said... how would you say Beard matches up with Max ability wise these days? If Al is good to go are we better off slotting Max in as our WR2 and letting him take over the responsibilities as our WR1?

[Talon]

 

He might be there; he might be ready.

[GM Eli]

"Do you think it would help Max out production wise to put him in that position?"

[Talon]

I really don't know.. You would think being on a slightly lesser corner might help, but you also know Max's pride is pretty strong.

[GM Eli]

"For sure. Lets get Max in here. I want to talk to him real quick and get a feel for where his head is at."

[Talon]

Hey boss, what's up?

[GM Eli]

"You know how it is, just trying to make some final decisions on the gameplan for Miami and I need for you to give me an honest assessment of how you're feeling. We're going to need for you to be the Max Ramos that has blown the doors off the league this week and I want to put you in the best position to be able to do that. So I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you can still be that guy for us.

There's no shame if it's not in there anymore. There's no shame in letting the kid step up and be THE guy and you be his support...you be the Robin to his Batman.. if that's what needs to be done.

I think you've still got it in you to be the Max Ramos that put corners in the dirt. The Max Ramos that left corners in the dust. The Max Ramos that took his vengeance on every single team that doubted him and told him he wasn't good enough.

But do you still believe it?"

[Talon]

 

I am still that man.. I AM STILL THAT MAX RAMOS. 

[GM Eli]

"Good.

Then you're going to be the one to talk to the team this week. Because that Max Ramos inspires everyone else to be THAT version of themselves too.

Coach and I will meet you down on the practice field in a minute."

-----

"We'll stick with the one that got us to the dance, Coach. I'm a believer. How about you?"

[Talon]

Its our best vs theirs!  Time to lay it on the table.

[GM Eli]

"Lets go talk to the guys then."

-----

"Gentlemen. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it was the prettiest win in the world. It wasn't. But it was a win and at this stage, that's all that matters.

What I will tell you is that I'm proud of each and every one of you for leaving it all out there on the field to make sure we have this chance right now. And while it may be true that nobody else in this league believes in us or who we are. I do.

I had a talk with Max just a little while ago and he assured me that he is still THAT Max Ramos that can set the world on fire. I believe him. But you know what, I think the same of each of you. I BELIEVE that we are still THAT team that can beat anyone, anywhere at any time. I believe we are THAT team that will rise to the occasion.

I believe in him. And most importantly...

I believe in you.

Come talk to them, Max."

[Talon]

YO! 110% ain't good enough.  Not for guys like us.  Not for guys who weren't the #1 overall draft pick.

19 Undrafted Players are in this locker room!  only 10 Guys on this roster went in the first round; the rest of us?  We been doubted since day one!

7 of our STARTERS were undrafted, Me included.. that means we've been giving more than 110% every day for year after year after year after year!

You know how many of us have a Championship right?  Merle Hogg, Doyle Brady, Nathaniel Woodson, and Me...  1 First rounder, 1 Seventh rounder, and  2 undrafted guys... 

Championship teams are made of us underdogs with HEART!   So lets go show our FREAKING Heart out there and put the #1 Seed in our rear view mirror and go on to the Conference Championship!

[GM Eli]

Doyle Brady to LB1 (MLB1)
Terry Poe to LB2 (OLB1)
Aaron Harris to LB3 (MLB2/OLB2)
Ben Pipkin to LB4 (OLB3)
Theodore Rock to LB5 (OLB4)
Kenneth Flores to LB6 (OLB5)

Any other adjustments are Coaches Decision.

Lock In

[GM Eli]

Talk about the game this week.  What went right and what ultimately went wrong?

"It was a defensive battle through and through. The biggest problem was that we couldn't score touchdowns when we got within a few yards of the goal line. But we were playing statistically the best defense in the league. Still, we needed to make those plays. It's easy to second guess and try and retell things through a what if lens. Doing so would take away from the performance of the Killer Whales and they deserve all the praise.

I'm still proud of our guys. We fought to the very end."

When you look back on this season, where do you think you missed the move that sends you to the Conference championship game?

"I think the problems with our offense stem from me and the simple fact of the matter is I made things worse when I fired Lionel Tomlin. My intention was to try and wake us up offensively but in hindsight I think I just hurt our team chemistry."

Who was your best player this season?

"Willis McNasty. Hands down."

Grade the job you did this season as well as that of your coaching staff.

"I'll give myself a C+. Coach Mackey I'll give a B. Coach McFadden I'll give an A. Our defense was lights out for us all season and he deserves the praise."

What is next for you and this club?

"I'll have a brief conversation with Coach Mackey and then meet with Ms. Snow and after that I'll be gearing up for the offseason. I'm sure it will be an interesting one like it always is."

[Talon]

 

I'm embarrassed, if you want my resignation just say the word man... I let this club down.  My team should not be held without a TD for two full games worth of playing time.

[GM Eli]

"We all bear responsibility but I'm not going to ask you to do that. When I first came to St. Paul I didn't know what players I wanted or how I wanted to construct the roster, but I knew that you were the guy I wanted to be my head coach here and that hasn't changed. As long as I'm part of this organization and you want to be here, you're going to have a place here.

From what I understand going forward you're going to be in control of building the coaching staff out. We'll have more conversations about that later on, but rather than me guessing at what might make things click better that will be left in the hands of one of the brightest offensive minds in the league. Yours.

Shrug off the disappointment and the embarrassment. There's a lot to be proud of with what we've built here."

[Talon]

 

Alright, Bet.   We're going to make some tweaks and comeback with a vengeance then.  I don't lose, that's not my game.

[GM Eli]

"Good. We'll talk more after the Impact Bowl. Take a breather, process the grind that this season has been, and I'll see you then.

Gotta go talk with Ms. Snow now."

------

"Elsa, if Ms. Snow is around I'm ready for that end of season conversation again."

[Talon]

Eli, it was an interesting year.  Obviously we didn't expect to be a wild card, and we certainly didn't expect to see that loud mouth rival of yours take the crown; but in the end our offense just wasn't right.

I appreciate you trying to fix it and being aggressive to do so, but clearly nothing you tried worked which in itself is a concern, but you're under contract and we are still a team that everyone should fear, lets just make sure we fix our offense and see some positive gains. I don't know how many more 6-3 games I can sit through.

[GM Eli]

"I'm not sure that it is something that I can sit through much more of either and I know that Coach Mackey feels the same. In our recent conversation he was willing to offer his resignation if that was what I wanted. I declined, because I believe he is the right man to lead this team and I believe in him to fix the issues that we had this season.

At the same time, you shouldn't feel beholden to me if you think that the team would be better served to have a new set of eyes in the GM seat. So I will make the same offer to you that Coach Mackey made to me. I will tender my resignation if that's what you wish. I want to be here, but if it's what you think is necessary to get the Lynx to the next level I do not want to be the one that stands in the way of that. I owe that much to the organization, the coaching staff and the guys in that locker room."

[Talon]

I've got to say, I didn't expect this..

How confident are you that you are going to fix this offensive problem next year?

[GM Eli]

"It's a tough question because I don't know where the problem is with the offense. It could be our offensive line. It could be our receiver talent. It could be our quarterback. There's no reason to think it's any of those things on paper and yet, we both saw what we saw.

I have a plan going forward for where I think the fix needs to come, but like you observed the strings I pulled this season in trying to fix the problem didn't work. We still achieved a number of our goals but it was ugly getting there.

This is all a long way of saying on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not at all confident and 10 being completely confident... I'm probably at a 7."

[Talon]

 

You know what, I am not sure if this is the right call or not, but sometimes I just want someone who is going to walk in and slap me with the confidence of a GM Wayne.

GM Eli, I appreciate the work you have put in and the contributions you have made to this organization, but I do believe this is the time to make a change.

I will accept your resignation.

[GM Eli]

"Like I said, I understand and there are no hard feelings. I appreciate the opportunities you've afforded me here and I wish you the best of luck going forward."

[Talon]

Good luck, Mr. Weber.

[Talon]

Yo, GM Bennett, good to meet you.. Welcome to the North East where real football is played bruh..

I currently have us with $43.5MM in available salary cap and $38MM in Bonus funds for S16.  Our bonus may flex depending on how you decide to handle our coaching staff obviously and we currently do not have a head coach at all.

I have us with 17 open roster positions at this time. 

I have our draft picks as follows:

S16 1st - STP
S16 2nd - DAL
S16 2nd - PH
S16 3rd - DAL
S16 4th - DAL
S16 4th - PH
S16 5th - STP
S16 6th - STP
S16 7th - STP

We have all of our own draft picks for S17, and all of our own picks for S18

We do not owe any taxes, so our off-season bonus money is ours to do whatever we'd like!

Our available off-season bonus money currently is: $3.75MM ($3.5MM from your GM Contract + $250K from your S15 budget rollover).

I have our off-season team sheet copy here. Feel free to edit/use it if you would like.  If you have questions or disagree with my notes please let me know and we will get to the bottom of it!

[GM Bennett]

Elsa good to see you again. This is gonna be a busy ass off season for us so let's go ahead and try to find out new Head Coach.

Call up Coach Cuvier from LSU for me right quick, let's see what he thinks about leaving college ball.

[Talon]

  GM Bennett, appreciate your call.. what can I do for you?

[GM Bennett]

Coach Cuvier, my man! Thanks for taking my call. Full disclosure my brother, I am searching for a new Head Coach here in St. Paul to embark on this new journey along with me. I have you in my Top 3, Coach but you are the first man I'm getting on the phone with.

While I was in Music City I had my eyes on you and your program seeing how you were doing things down there in Louisiana. I loved what I was seeing and I love seeing the talent you and your staff was able to develop. Ever since I was playing ball I've had this belief that defense wins championships, even though I was playing at the tight end position. I believe if you have a strong defense you have the best chance of winning it all. But don't get me wrong Coach I sure love me an exciting offense just as much!

I know you're a defensive minded coach first and foremost but I know you're pretty well rounded regardless. We have us some stars on defense here, but I want to be able to develop our young guys as well as add to those ranks. But most importantly I want to get the most out of our offense just as much. We've got us a Top 10 QB and some studs are the receiver position....Not to mention of the if not the best RB in the league today. We got the tools, Coach. And my new boss and myself WANT to win. Hell at this point I need to win. I'm starving for a championship ring. I got a GM Of The Year win on my resume but that don't compare to a championship.

My question to you Coach, well actually I have more than one question. First are you at all interested in stepping up to the pros? Also if you were to join us here in St. Paul what do you think that you can bring to the table to ensure we achieve our goal of winning the chip?

[Talon]

 

  I believe myself to be a talented coach; one who can get young men to play better than they had before.  I believe I can bring out their inner talents, especially on the defense.   

How that translates to being a pro coach, I don't know.. I have never done it before, and I have always surrounded myself with talented offensive coaches to make sure our offense stayed explosive.

[GM Bennett]

That's the details I like to hear, my man. Stepping into the pros from college is different, yes. But as long as you sir are willing to move onto that next chapter in your coaching profession then I'd be willing to do give you that chance. I know leaving LSU would be tough to do but I'd want to do anything I could to see you succeed here and make you feel comfortable in your transition and give you the best staff we can get for you.

That said Coach, I enjoyed this conversation and I hope we can potentially revisit this conversation again after I speak to these other two gentlemen. I'll let you think about if you want to step up to the pros or not if you are for sure my guy then we will get a job done and continue our conversation.

---

Elsa, let's call Coach Jay Cole real quick.

[Talon]

 

  What it do?

[GM Bennett]

My man! What's going on? As you already know, I just got here in St. Paul and we no longer have us a head coach or a coaching staff at all for that matter. Full disclosure Coach, I am considering three guys for his heac coaching position. Before I make a final decision on who I want to name that guy I want to do my due diligence and speak to each guy and get to know their strengths and what they think they can bring to this ball club.

As currently constructed I believe we have some stars on both sides of the ball as well as special teams. But there are some improvements I'd like to make to the roster to ensure we achieve our goal of winning a championship.

The boss wants to win. She wants to win ASAP, and I know that's a lot or pressure but I too want to win. I'm starving for it my man and I wanna do whatever it is I can to achieve that.

So can you tell me a little about yourself? What's your coaching style and what can you bring to this team that yuou think will help us reach our goals?

[Talon]

 

  I'm more of the strong silent type from a personality perspective, cool under pressure, calculating.  I run a 4-3 defense that looks for top end corners that can play in mixed coverages. I love to build a front seven that suffocates the run and dares the offense to pass on my scheme; so versatile linebackers are a must.

I like to stay unpredictable and mix up the blitzing.  Offensively I prefer a power-run game but I'm pretty hands off with the offense.  I put a big focus on attention to detail; discipline, and flexibility.  D-Line and DBs are my specialty from positions.

[GM Bennett]

I love that, Coach. Love every bit of it. As I said before I am looking to speak to three guys before making my final decision but you just made one helluva argument for you to potentially be the next Lynx head coach.

Coach, thanks again for taking my call my man.

---

Well shit...This is gonna be tough. Elsa, last man we need to call...Coach Alberto Kidwell, please?

[Talon]

GM Bennett; let's talk... What do you want to know?

[GM Bennett]

My man, Coach Alberto! Thanks for taking my call, brother. I wanna know everything about you my good sir. As you know along with me being the new GM for this organization we also no longer have a coaching staff. So we're starting off fresh a bit here and I'm looking for a head coach that wants to win it all and embark on this new journey along with me.

Full disclosure too my man, I have three coaches that I am considering for this position and you my man are one of them.

My man I know it must be real nice down under in Sydney but I just wanted to know if you were at all interested in stepping up from being a coordinator into becoming a head coach? With that being said let me know about what kind of coach you are, what's your approach to the game and a roster like ours? What do you have that you think can win us a championship?

The new boss here wants to win, as do I. I'm starving for a championship and pissed I was never able to do it in Music City. Now I'm here still tryna get there. What makes you best guy for this job to help us all get there?

[Talon]

 

Now I don't know who else you've been talking to, but with me you're getting a man that knows this game inside and out.  I was trying to become an owner before I became a coach, I love ball; it's my life.  Offense, defense, special teams.. I'm about it all.

If I had to point at some weaknesses to my game Im not the most discipline driven coach, I believe in playing with fire and passion and aggression so it comes out sometimes; and Im not a O-Line/D-Line developer; but I can help almost anyone else with their game.  Special teams and Skills positions are my specialty since I was that elite WR/KR in the game when I played; but man I just believe in myself, my ability, and my ability to bring out the best in everyone I coach. 

Look at what I've helped guys do in Sydney.  Smitty Smoke, Courtney Crawford, Stephen Hudgins; I've helped them elevate their games to elite levels; and I can do that here too.

[GM Bennett]

My man...what would you say to a 5 Year deal for $14MM per season deal to become the new St. Paul Lynx Head Coach? I love your passion as well as knowledge for the game. Your weakness can be offset by a quality coaching staff which I want to do whatever possible to get us the best coaching staff. What do you say?

[Talon]

 

This division better Ice Up, because we're comin' to reclaim that crown as the best in the North East!

[GM Bennett]

Happy to have you with us my man!

I want you to have final say on who we bring in for your coaching staff, Coach. But if I could make a suggestion at Defensive Coordinator I would say you should give a call to Coach Jay Cole. He was one of my candidates for the head coaching position so I'm not sure how he'd feel about a DC offer but he made a strong impression nevertheless.

Beyond that though, what do you need me to do to ensure you have the best coaching staff?

[Talon]

I'll keep it in mind; I just need you to set my budget for offense and defense and I'll get to work.

[GM Bennett]

Do you have a preference or would you like for me to set it on my own?

[Talon]

 

The more money the better; but you choose how we spend the money, I just fill out the coaching staff, man.

[GM Bennett]

Say no more, my man. I'll see you when you get into town. Call Elsa if you and ya family need any help finding a place to stay.

[Talon]

 

Appreciate it; I know a nice spot, I played my last season in St. Paul so it's a little poetic to come back and coach; only thing better would be if it were in Oakland where I made my career.

[GM Bennett]

Well shit, this is sort of a homecoming for you then. Maybe...Maybe this was fate?

Ahem, anyways that's great Coach, I bet the fans are happy to see you return.

[Talon]

Hello GM Bennett,   I am Thomas Reese, the investigator looking into the recent allegations made against your former boss.  Do you have a few minutes to answer a few questions?