ST. PAUL LYNX [GM GATES]

[GM Jon]

I'm not sure about my future at this time. I'll sit down with Ms. Snow and we'll talk about that.

As for Jerry, man I love that guy. First off, what a performance he put on. 9 sacks is just ridiculous and I imagine it'll be an Impact Bowl game record that will stand for quite some time. I don't blame him in the slightest for turning down the MVP award, while I'm sure he's proud to be recognized for a great game, it's just something that doesn't sit right when you fall just shy of achieving a dream.

[Talon]

 

GM Jon, I appreciate you returning from retirement to help lend a steady hand in the front office. I believe your arrival helped Alberto Kidwell become the head coach we knew he could be when he was hired. 

I'd love to see you return and put your skills in the off-season to use to help us not only return to the Impact Bowl, but win it.

I would like to offer you a two year deal worth $5MM per season, with the option for you to step away if you need to at anytime.  I believe Mr. Kidwell is capable to run the team as you would want it done if/when you have to be elsewhere, especially if you are able to provide him with some guidance as to what you would like done.

What do you say?

[GM Jon]

I'm sorry we came up short of lifting up that trophy. But I'm determined to bring St. Paul a championship it deserves. I humbly accept your offer and I'm looking forward to continue working with you, Coach Kidwell, and the rest of the organization.

[Talon]

 

We went from early-season favorites to written off... then we stormed the playoffs and made a run that set records in the Impact Bowl.  I want that trophy more than anyone, but I am proud of this team's resilience.

Make sure to league office your new contract effective S17, and I'm going to be pushing the $4MM we discussed for this season to your off-season bonus budget.  Your new deal will go into effect for next year and if you need to negotiate any extensions you have some time before we have to close our Season 16.

Good luck GM Jon, and welcome back.

[Talon]

Word pops, I got this for you, Here is our budget and roster outlook going into the off-season including what I have down for our draft picks.  Please contact me if you see anything out of place.

[Talon]

 

Hello!

I am Sophia -- Self Optimizing Processor w/ Human-like Intelligent Abilities  Advanced Utility for Resource Optimization, Reporting, & Administration model 1 of 1.

I am now interfacing with your systems.  This will only take an estimated time of 45 minutes.

:

:

:

:

:

Purging.

:

:

:

:

:

hmm... that is interesting.

:

:

:

:

:

Analyzing.

:

:

:

:

:

Rerouting connection.

:

:

:

:

:

Rerouting successful!

:

:

:

:

:

Terminating link.

:

:

:

:

:

I am now testing functions within your system to ensure successful restoration of operations.

:

:

:

:

:



Your systems have been restored!


Goodbye!

[Talon]

 

Hey, need to get our budget squared away when we can. 

[Talon]

BUDGET RECEIVED

[Talon]

Yo, what it do?!

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:

13 Open Roster spots.

10.7MM Remaining Salary.

4.5MM Remaining Bonus.

4MM Remaining Off-Season Bonus.

0 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.

[Talon]

 

GM Jon, That deal for Brothers you offered. 2 years at 8.5MM ... lets sign.

[GM Jon]

Bobby, just want to make sure you are ok with the money being distributed as:

$4MM offseason bonus money signing bonus
$4.5MM salary per season
$2MM bonus money per season

That still comes out to a total of $17MM in total, but wanted to make sure you and Travis are ok with that.

[Talon]

 

That's fine.

[GM Jon]

Thanks Bobby.

—————

Elsa, can you get JTC on the line please.

—————

Mr. Crain. Didn't hear back from you on our offer during free agency, so wanted to touch base and see if (LB) Antoine Hall had any interest in joining the Lynx on a 1 year, $500K UDFA deal.

[Talon]

   

Sorry about that, we'll take it.

[GM Jon]

Can we do the same thing for (CB) Keith Lewis? 1 year, $500K UDFA deal?

[Talon]

   

Yes we can, it feels like de ja vu.

[GM Jon]

Thanks Mr. Crain.

-----

Elsa, can you get LaVar Jackson on the line please.

-----

LaVar, hope things are well. Calling to check on bringing Peter Haney to St. Paul. 2 years, $3MM?

[Talon]

We'll do a year at that price.

[GM Jon]

We have a deal.

-----

Elsa, can you get JTC on the line again please.

-----

James, can we do a UDFA deal for (G) Steve Williams at 1 year, $500K?

[Talon]

 

Deal!

[GM Jon]

Thanks!

-----

Elsa, can you get Eli Harris on the line please.

-----

Eli, can we do a UDFA deal for (DT) Gregory Mitchell at 1 year, $500K?

[Talon]

Done deal.

[Talon]

Yo my Dog,  we can bulk offer our final spots.  I think Coach is hoping to get everything ready for Training Camp by this weekend.  I also heard your boy Quan Black is hoping for a phone call after being amnestied, for real.

[Talon]

 

Yoooooo, check this shit out!   B. T. Dub... we need to set all our off-season strategy mess before pre-season, aight?

[GM Jon]

Thanks for covering down, here is our training camp lock-in sheet. I'll meet with the press here shortly.

[Talon]

 

Chyeah!   Thasswassup.

Media is ready when you are, Gramps.

[GM Jon]

SEASON 17 - TRAINING CAMP PRESS CONFERENCE

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?

"Thank you all for being here as we're about to kick-off the 17th season in HIFL. Most challenging part this off-season for me was replacing a lot of key players that we lost to free agency. Unfortunately we had large amount players on contract years and just were not able to afford to re-sign them all. That meant we had to get creative in free agency to bring in talent to replace what we lost and I felt I did a decent enough job in making sure we'll be fielding a competitive team this season."


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

"I think it can be an informative process, but more than anything, it's a chance for players that may not get a lot of field time during the regular season to get some exposure. I would lean towards valuable."


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'll leave that up to the coaching staff on how they want to handle that, but I think it's safe to say that most of our team will see some action during the pre-season."


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

"The expectation is to get back to the Impact Bowl and finish the job. We got a little taste and now we want the whole pie."


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?

"We're probably in the toughest division in the league, so we are no means a lock to win it, but we are a real-deal Impact Bowl contender. 10 plus wins is something that should be attainable by us, but whatever gets us into the playoffs with that opportunity is all that's truly important."


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

"I'm not sure we have any crazy position competitions we'll be focused on per say, but a few depth positions that are going to be fought for. A good pre-season doesn't necessarily mean a player will win a position battle, but it certainly helps when the decisions are being made prior to our week one game."


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?

"It's tough for me to say any team outside of Vegas. I think they potentially could be better than they were last season, which is saying something. I would love nothing more than an opportunity to right the wrong and beat them in the Impact Bowl this go around."


8. Make a bold prediction about this season:

"St. Paul Lynx... Impact Bowl Champions. That sounds nice, doesn't it? I like the way it rolls off my tongue. Say it with me ya'll... St. Paul Lynx... Impact Bowl Champions."

[Talon]

 

St. Paul Lynx, Impact Bowl Champions.  Damn right, Son!

Lets get to work. 

[GM Jon]

Any preference in how we handle the preseason games? I lean slightly more towards playing back-ups, but if you'd rather see starters, I'm quite okay with that as well.

[Talon]

 

I don't think we have anyone who should sit the entire time.  So just a traditional mix of starters and back ups, with a heavier lean to the back ups later in the game.

[Talon]

 

I'm ready when you are.

[GM Jon]

Ok Coach, we are good to go. Sorry for the delay.

Preseason Strategy: Coaches Decision
No depth chart changes.

PRESEASON LOCK IN

[Talon]

AUTO-LOCKED UNTIL JON RETURNS FROM SEA

[GM Jon]

S17 - WEEK 2 POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

1. Talk about your teams performance this week.

"We know how tough Cleveland is defensively and when they are able to shutdown our run game the way they did and make us a one dimensional offense, it makes for an uphill battle. I thought our team fought hard and battled to the final whistle but we came up short in this one. Credit to the Mustangs on a game well played."


2. How do you feel about your team after two weeks?

"We sit at 1-1 with two very different performances. We know we are capable of beating any team, but we also know the league as a whole is pretty good. Not a lot of easy wins out there. We just have to keep on improving week after week and clean up mistakes."


3. Can you do the Orion Belt touchdown dance? 

"Oh wow, no... I don't think my body moves quite like that anymore. But what a performance he had out there. 500 passing yards? I'd say he deserves to create a touchdown dance."


4. Talk about your opponent for week 3 and what you will need to see from your team.

"We finally get to play at home and we're looking forward to playing in front of our fans. Michi... err... Detroit comes in boasting a solid and balanced offense, but they have had some struggles defensively that I hope to capitalize on. We'll need to control the tempo early, establish our run game, and make them play from behind. Confident we can get a bounce back win here".   

[Talon]

 

Cleveland brought their A game and still only beat us by a TD and we had the ball on the last drive, but just ran out of time.   The run game got stuffed by their elite run defense, but I don't doubt Willis gets back on track this week against Detroit.

[GM Jon]

We'll worry about making the necessary adjustments in our second matchup against them, but I don't see the need to make any dire adjustments based off one game. Detroit is a pretty balanced offensive team, I do worry a little bit about their playmaking wideouts. I think it makes sense to stick Apollo on Gorham as a shadow if possible to match his size. Lights is a speedy slot wide receiver, who we'll just have to do our best at jamming him up at the line of scrimmage. Am I seeing that right or do you have a different plan of attack?

[Talon]

 

Nope, we're on the same page there.  They have game changers at receiver, but if Worthington can get some pressure early, I like our chances to disrupt their timing.

[GM Jon]

Alright Coach, time to get this W!





Game 3 vs. Detroit Fury

Player Rotations: Mostly Starters
Play Calling: Coaches Decision
Game Plan: Coaches Decision
Strategy: Coaches Decision




Winter. Is. Nigh.

[GM Jon]

S17 - WEEK 3 POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

1. Talk about your teams performance this week.

"What a gutsy, grimy, and gritty victory. Obviously, we want to be a little more effective in the offensive side of things, but the two late scores to close the first half was all we needed. That's thanks to a great performance from our defense. Limited their explosive air attack and kept them contained in the run game, not to mention forcing three turnovers. Our division is going to be nail-biting game after nail-biting game, so to be on the winning side of one is always something to celebrate. And I will say, puts us all in a great mood heading into our early bye week."

2. Do you feel a particular coach has stood out on your staff, and why?

"I have to give some public praise to the job Eric Saylor has done with our pass defense. I know a lot of people questioned our ability to defend in the secondary, but we have shown the ability to limit high functioning passing offenses and a big credit goes to Saylor."

3. How do you feel about having such an early bye week?

"Well it's certainly not where we'd like to have our bye week if given the choice, but we drew the short straw this season and will make the very best of it."

[Talon]

 

Bad timing for a bye week but at least we go in coming off of a win and it gives us a chance to get some extra scouting on New Jersey.

[Talon]

BUMP

[GM Jon]

The extra week to focus on New Jersey and rest those early season bruises is better than nothing. Wasn't going to do much over this bye week but make a few phone calls prior to locking things in but I'll save that for another time. Enjoy the bye week Coach.


LOCK IN

[Talon]

 

The league is really sent for a loop this week. If you have anything we need to do, just let me know but if not I've got nothing that can't wait.

[Talon]

AUTOLOCKED WEEK 5

[Talon]

LOCKED UNTIL JON RETURNS FROM SEA DUTY

[Talon]

24 HOUR WARNING -  IF PRESS CONFERENCE IS NOT COMPLETED IN 24 HOURS, THERE WILL BE A $100K BONUS POOL FINE

[GM Jon]

S17 - WEEK 9 POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

1. GM Jon, good to see you back. Where have you been and how pleased are you with what the team has accomplished in your absence?

"It's great to be back here in front of all you. I was dealing with some family matters I'd rather keep private at this present time, but I appreciate all the love and support from the St. Paul organization and the Lynx fans from all around the world. The team has been doing outstanding and we are in the thick of the division race and the playoff race. I couldn't ask for much more than that. Very pleased with the job Coach Kidwell and the staff has done."


2. After the devastating injury to Willis McNasty, how clutch was Steve Dunlap and do you think he had extra motivation with it being against his former team?

"It was an absolute awful thing that happened to McNasty, but I know how hard of a worker Willis is and if there is anyone that come back even stronger after such an injury, it's him. As for Dunlap, man what a performance. I don't know if the game being against the Stars was any extra motivation, but it was a much needed offensive jolt after McNasty was hurt."


3. It's the midway point in the season now, who would you say is your team MVP currently?

"Oh ok, coming at me with the hard ball questions now, are we? This is always a tough one to answer because we have a plethora of players I could name here, but it has to be Willis McNasty. His explosive running ability, his dynamic pass catching, and his elite blocking are things that are going to be very difficult to replace. Are record isn't what it is without Willis and now we have the difficult task of attempting to continue our success with him sidelined."


4. The team is currently 5-3 and in 2nd place in the division. Happy with where the team is currently at? And what has been the biggest surprise so far?

"Very happy with our current position, but I know we are still capable of winning this division with a strong push in the second half of the season. I really don't know about biggest surprise, being away from the team for most of the first half, get back to me at the end of the season and I'll have a better answer for you."


5. Grade the job Coach Tibbetts has done so far this season?

"Oh a lay-up question... Coach Tibbetts has performed remarkably well. To do what he's had to do without me being here is a testament to how talented he is as a game planner, play caller, and his ability to make adjustments on the fly. I know he wants to be on top of the division by ourselves right now, but to be tied with Cleveland, super proud of the job he's done. It's a solid A for me."

[Talon]

 

Stupid media, how they don't know my name by now is just... man, it gets me hot!

[GM Jon]

Man am I an idiot, that's on me Coach, I should've caught that media flub and instead played right into it. Massive apologies there.

Great job with the team while I've been away. But this McNasty injury is pretty brutal. Should we consider a change of our offensive approach or do you feel Dunlap can slide right in?

[Talon]

I got love for Dunlap, but he is definitely not going to bring what Big Willy did, but we do run a balanced look, so I don't think we'll ask too much of him if we just maybe tick up our pass percentages but 5% or so?