CLEVELAND MUSTANGS [GM DOUG - LOA]

[GM Wayne]

Bet. Take care brother.

Halle, last meeting and then we can take off for the week. I'd like to talk to our center, Bruce Hudson, and our esteemed cornerback Woodrow Britt.

Wayne waits for both to arrive.

Guys, no need to sit I just wanted to touch base with you real quick. It's the bye week so I'm going to give you the opportunity to say no but as we've got a little bit of money left to spend I was thinking of using it to provide you both with some position specific training just to help you both hone in on the technicalities of your respective spots.

If you'd rather take the week off and relax, that's fine we'll save the money and look to use it elsewhere. But it's your call.

[Talon]

BOTH ARE WILLING TO DO THE WORK

[GM Wayne]

Great. Lets get after it then.

Have a good week, lads.

Halle, let's get out of here. See you when we get back to work next week.

Lock In

[GM Wayne]

Obviously our bye week came at a much needed time. It allowed us to get a little bit healthier after leaving Sydney pretty banged up. It also gave us a chance, as I see fans are already noticing, to pull the trigger on honoring the great James Taylor through a jersey retirement ceremony. We're pretty excited about that but more importantly we're focused on St. Paul in their building this week.

This is one we have to win. Period. We need to come out of the bye week firing on all cylinders ready to do whatever we have to do to close the distance between us and them. That's all there is to it.

Wayne finishes answering any questions the reporters might have for him before returning to his office to meet with Coach Blitzer.

Coach, we gotta be ready for this one. Any word on how Britt and Hudson did in their positional training?

[Talon]

 

Great gains for both, Britt likely doesn't need anymore, he should top himself off organically this season or off-season, Hudson made good strides but still has room to work.

[GM Wayne]

That's good to hear. And with the other traits I've heard a couple of our guys picked up, we should be in position to really make a run at things in the second half of the season but we both know it has to start this week with St. Paul.

I'm going to wait until news breaks from Pancho's efforts with Ace this week before we lock in, just in case.

[Talon]

 

No worries here. I'm ready when you are.

[GM Wayne]

I'm ready. Lets fucking get after it.

Lock In

[GM Wayne]

Wayne arrives at the press conference looking quite pale, almost as though he had seen a ghost.

Look, usually I would have a lot to say. I'd have a lot of trash to talk. It was a big win. Great performances out of our squad across the board and all that. Love Hollywoodrow's insight and assessment of our upcoming game with the Preds.. but...

Instead lets just... lets just not talk about wins, losses, rivalries or anything in between right now and just give our thoughts, prayers, vibes, or whatever to A.J. Campanelli. Get well soon, kid.

Wayne exits, not taking any questions or anything else of the sort instead heading back to his office where he slouches down into his chair and stares blankly at the wall before him, trying to get the image of the injury to the Amsterdam QB out of his mind.

[Talon]

...I hope this isn't a bad time, but I'm here to discuss how The Big Guy feels about your performance and also to pass along a message.

One game out of the playoffs via wildcard and division lead, you helped our cause with that big win over St. Paul.   My boss is very pleased with your resilience and refusal to let a slow start stop us from contending.  However he is very unhappy about these rumors of Michigan snooping around, so if you are contacted by the Monsters organization, be sure to let me know immediately so we can take appropriate action.

[GM Wayne]

Wayne snaps himself out of the daze and sits up a little straighter in his chair when Cyrus speaks.

Apologies, Cyrus. That injury just... oof. Hard to imagine how anyone gets back to any kind of normalcy at an elite level after that.

But, yes. The Michigan news. I'm sure it's just nonsense. Vane.. excuse me... Miss Waters has made no overtures to me whatsoever about her organization and I have my eyes squarely set on getting this team to the playoffs and, specifically, the Impact Bowl. Seven games left and we've got to fight desperately for each one. Assure Mister Lancaster that that is where my focus remains.

[Talon]

 

Excellent. Then there is little else for us to discuss.  Good Luck.

[GM Wayne]

Thank you, Cyrus. It has been a pleasure as always.

Wayne taps on his intercom.

Ms. Halle, please send Coach Blitzer in.

Wayne waits for the coach to arrive.

That was a huge win, Coach. A monumental win. It kept us right in the middle of this race with an important win with the biggest threat in our division.

Now we've got three straight home games and a chance to really get comfortable in with our playoff push. I know the guys are ready but lets make sure we've got all outside distractions on lock. Speak with the captains and make sure they know that it's up to them to keep this shit tight from here on out. We win the next seven and the division is ours. I know it's a tall task with some tough competition along the way but this is what we're here for.

[Talon]

 

You're speaking my language.  I'll make sure things are tight.

[GM Wayne]

I know I am. So lets keep our focus and take care of business. Good luck this week. Rinaldi wants to embarrass us? Fuck him. Lets get this win.

Any changes are coaches decision.

lock in

[GM Wayne]

Wayne arrives to the press conference with a "Dante Rinaldi Is My Son" t-shirt on underneath a nice blazer.

Hope everyone is having a lovely afternoon. I surely hope it was as relaxing as our game against Pearl Harbor was. I mean lets be honest after all the talk about how great a quarterback they've got there in Pearl Harbor, I'm glad Woodrow could go out there and remind him that he aint...

A member of the PR team clamps their hand down over the microphone, leaning in to whisper something in the GM's ear. Wayne gives them a gracious nod.

I think you all get the point. It was a big win for us, honestly. We needed this one to keep. It's got us off the bubble and back into the playoff picture if everything ended today so our fate is in our own hands now. If we win out there is nothing anyone can do to keep us out of the playoffs now.

We'll continue to focus on things one game at a time with that being our ultimate goal. Now we turn our attention to an Amsterdam team that is wounded but you know they'd love to play spoiler to our plans. It's on us to make sure that doesn't happen.

When Wayne finishes answering questions he returns to his office to speak to Coach Blitzer.

Excellent job, Coach. Just fucking spectacular. We really didn't even have to try in that second half. Too bad we didn't hold on to that shutout but it's still a sweet, sweet victory.

[Talon]

 

Seems like the chaps are coming together at the right time, and that's what its all about, this time of year.

[GM Wayne]

"Out here looking like we knew we had the potential to look. But we can't rest on that right now. Lets keep shit going and not let this Amsterdam game be a trap for us. Trevino can be a good QB when he has time to throw but all in all this feels like one that we should be able to expect a victory out of.

[Talon]

 

I've got our defense believing they can take anyone down, a good showing this week will only re-enforce that attitude.

[GM Wayne]

I love hearing that, Coach. I fucking love it.

Imma let you get back to doing what you gotta do in that respect. I need to make a couple of phone calls and then I'll get us locked in for the week.

Wayne gives the coach a nod as they wrap up their brief convo and then taps on his intercom.

Ms. Halle, I need to speak with Jay C please.

Wayne waits for the call to connect.

Jay C, my man. Hope you're doing well. So listen, I'm a big fan of Bruiser Elliot and what he brings to our defensive line and wanted to get a feeling for where his, and your, thinking is at in regards to him signing here long term.

[Talon]

 

I'm good to get Bruiser locked down here in Cleveland, if you're ready to make the right deal.  I'm looking for 3 years at $24MM per season, break it down how you want, but that's the figure I'm lookin' at.

[GM Wayne]

How flexible are you on that number? I don't think we're that far off with what I was looking for. I was thinking a figure of 21 million for the same 3 years but fully guaranteed.

[Talon]

 

My number is firm right now, but we can also come back to the table in the off-season before free agency begins.

[GM Wayne]

Sounds good. We'll chat then, thanks.

Wayne ends the call.

That's it for the week, Halle. Tell Coach Blitzer that, as usual, he coaches and I GM so any adjustments he wants to make are his call.

Lock In

[GM Wayne]

Another one down and we keep on rolling. It's unfortunate Michigan wasn't able to do us a favor and knock St. Paul off last week but we get a chance to take the division lead for ourselves this week. It's a big big game on our home turf. We're looking forward to the challenge.

Regarding Justin Fields, you'll forgive me if I don't immediately comment on such a vague headline. I'll have a talk with our staff to see what this is all about and we'll go from there. But be reminded that Justin has been a pillar of the Cleveland community since getting here. He has been a consummate professional and until he gives anyone a reason to do otherwise, we're going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

So.. if there's nothing further...

Wayne returns to his office.

Coach, great job. These games where we can take it easy a little bit in the second half are wonderful. We can't expect that this week though because we know how North East football always plays out.

So lets talk Justin and what the hell exactly went on with whatever this shit is. I assume you have your finger on the pulse of this?

[Talon]

Of course.   So here is what happened.   Justin felt like the referees weren't making some calls during the game and didn't appreciate taking a hard hit from Fellows that the ref told him and later me was not late; even though we both felt like it was.

So after the game, Justin lost himself for a moment and had some words for the ref and threw the ball into his chest hard enough that the league office called us saying the official had filed a complaint.

We took action and the league said since we were handling it, it was done.   We haven't decided the punishment yet since that is your job, but we didn't want the league to have to step in and hand down the punishment.

[GM Wayne]

These fucking cunt referees.. I swear.

Alright, let me deal with this real quick and then we can talk about St. Paul.

Wayne taps his intercom

Ms. Halle, please have Justin Fields stop up and see me. Thank you.

Wayne waits for the Quarterback to arrive.

Justin, have a seat just for a minute. I honestly don't even need you to explain what happened. I have plenty of feelings about these fucking referees that I'm going to keep to myself. But listen, when I had words for them earlier this season I was forced to pay a fine. So i'm going to fine you the same 500K amount that I'm having to pay out of my own contract, just to keep the league off our backs. But I need you to trust me when I tell you that it'll be taken care of come this offseason.

[Talon]

I hear what you're saying boss, it stings but I'll trust you on this one.

That ref was just a tool though man, that shot I took was late, I know it was.

[GM Wayne]

Oh I know it was. Coach Blitzer has your back on that and so do I. These fucking refs.

But I appreciate you understanding. It'll be made right in the offseason, and if I have anything to say about it it will be made right sooner than that.

You focus on St. Paul, though, and I'll handle this shit on our end. Good win this week now lets take control of our division.

Wayne gives a nod to the QB to let him know he was free to get back to practice, tapping his intercom and speaking to his secretary as he does so.

Halle, would you get the league office on the line. I don't know if it's Ms. Wilkinson, Kate or whoever the fuck but I want to speak to whoever I need to speak to to file a counter complaint against this shitbag ref.

And let Cyrus know I'm probably going to need his help as well.

[Talon]

 

GM Wayne, John McLeod here from the league office. 

Wh-hat can I do for you today?

[GM Wayne]

John, nice to talk to you. First, thank you for allowing us to resolve the matter with Justin in house. He's going to be paying a fine for his actions after the game, and he acknowledges that he needs to be better going forward. But.. at the same time both he and Coach Blitzer are adamant that he had been hit late by James Fellows and it wasn't called. I'm sure you can understand how that might be upsetting to a quarterback who has dealt with a number of injuries in his career, and after what we all witnessed A.J. suffer early this season.

Seeing has this referee couldn't simply let bygones be bygones and understand a players frustration and instead filed a formal complaint, I would also like to file a formal complaint for gross negligence and dereliction of duty on the part of this referee and the rest of his crew. I don't know if I have any real course of action here, but it is detestable that these fat fingered fu-..

Wayne pauses and takes a deep breath, collecting himself.

Excuse me. These individuals can fail so miserably at their jobs and there never are any consequences for it. So, please, on behalf of one of the young faces of this game.. look into this and if you see what my well respected head coach sees, and what my Quarterback assures me happened, take appropriate action.

[Talon]

 

Consider your formal complaint, formally received.  My office will take a closer look at how the official called the game and any other Cleveland games for that matter and we will take appropriate action if we find that his work has been negligent.

During this process, I need you to NO-OOT speak about it to the media.  Once we make a ruling, you can say anything you'd like as long as it does not violate the league's media relations guidelines.

This review should only take one or two weeks.

[GM Wayne]

Thank you, John. I look forward to hearing from you in a week or two, then.

Wayne ends the call.

Halle, could you get Coach again please and thank you.

Once Coach Blitzer is present Wayne continues their conversation.

Well, that's taken care of for the time being. I know you're chomping at the bit for this game. I think the guys are ready for it too. God knows the fans are.

[Talon]

Always ready for a division battle, bring the bloody fireworks!

[GM Wayne]

Then lets fucking go! I'll have the lock in for you in just a minute.

Wayne taps the intercom for Halle again.

Hey, do I need to league office this fine for Justin? Or do you take care of all that behind the scenes?

[Talon]

 

League office it, please boss.

[GM Wayne]

Done. Thanks, Halle.

Lock In

[GM Wayne]

We won the battle but the war is far from over. Our prize? Controlling our own destiny. I think the game this week is a testament to what North East football is all about. Some GM's who like to cut and run liked to talk about being about North East football but at their core they didn't really love it. I do. I f-... I really love the football we play here in this division. I love the rivalries and the intensity of them. Hell, I'll be honest I even miss Bruce Fosters and talking trash with him already. It's kind of a tough thing to do now with two senior citizens being the active agents pulling the strings on the other teams in the division. But I was glad we were able to help GM Jon and the Lynx take their medicine this week, it was certainly a fight though.

It might not have been our best performance but we were efficient and we got a little lucky with Joseph Douglas being a distant relative of King Lindsey. Now we move onto the next one and we focus on getting a victory over the Charlotte squad. One win at a time. We've worked hard to get back to the top of the division and the last thing we want to do is hand it right back to the Lynx.

Wayne returns to his office.

Great win, Coach. It always feels good to beat a division rival.

[Talon]

 

It feels like ages ago that I was a DC there in St. Paul, but its always satisfying to remind them of what they could've had, you know?

[GM Wayne]

I'm sure Barbara Snow would love to have both of us there after how we've treated her team the last couple of years. They've got talent and maybe with GM Jon now they've even got a strong leader. But heart? They don't have any of that shit. But we do and we keep showing that if you want to keep us out of the playoffs you're going to have to play perfect football until the final whistle. Nobody is doing it and I want that to continue this week against the Crows.

Nothing about our schedule the rest of the way is easy. But I wouldn't have it any other way. When we get to the playoffs we're going to be as battle tested as anyone else in this league.

[Talon]

 

Bloody Damn Right.

[GM Wayne]

Lets keep it rocking, Coach. You handle the adjustments as you see fit.

Lock In

[GM Wayne]

1. Talk about this weeks game and result.

We performed well against a good defense, and we kept an offense that has been on fire relatively in check through pressure and having what is, in my opinion, the best defensive backfield in the league. More than that with St. Paul dropping their game to New Jersey it was imperative for us to come out of Charlotte with a win. We've got a tough stretch run with Miami, Music City and Michigan on the horizon. Still, we accomplished our goal. One game at a time. One win at a time. It might not have been the flashiest game we've ever played but beating playoff contenders proves we deserve to be in the conversation.

2. With three games to play, what are you expecting to see from your club?

I expect us to not be worried about anything other than the Killer Whales, and getting another important road victory this week. It won't be easy. But then nothing about getting ourselves back to where we are right now has been easy. We don't want easy. We want the smoke and we're gonna bring it ourselves. One game at a time.

I would like to add my congratulations to Clint Dickey. Beyond simply doing us a favor with his performance against the Lynx, to become the all time career leader in catches is a testament to his longevity and consistency. I look forward to seeing him inducted into the Hall of Fame one day. It will be a well deserved honor.

Any other questions?

[Talon]

 

It could have been cleaner, but this time of year a win is all that matters.  Bloody good work from our men since the bye week, but we have to finish strong.

[GM Wayne]

This is one I want after we let last years playoff game slip away from us in our own house. This isn't just about finishing strong, it's about revenge and putting pressure on the Killer Whales and not letting them just coast into the playoffs with the #1 seed.

[Talon]

If we want to prove we can win it all, we've got to be the the best teams, and right now they're supposed to be the bloody best.  Lets show them that WE are the best.

[GM Wayne]

That's right. We've got that Ric Flair mantra about us. So lets go handle our business as we have been.

Lock In

[GM Wayne]

One game at a time and one win at a time. It felt good to get the one we let slip away from us last year in the playoffs back. We can't rest on that win though. We have to turn our attention directly to Music City and an old rival in GM Franchise, and do so a little banged up. Hopefully our team physicians can get some of those guys ready to go by game day but regardless of who dresses and who sits this is another must win game for us. Win here and we can feel confident that we have secured our place in the playoffs and at the top of the North East. This game is the only thing in the world that matters right now.

Wayne goes back to his office after the press conference

Great job, Coach! It's getting repetitive saying that but it's the best kind of repetitive. Now lets talk Music City. Their defense is really good this year and with Peerless their offense has been lights out as well. I know we're up to the task, though.

[Talon]

Its a tough task to take on that type of defense, but if anyone can do it I believe in Justin Fields.

[GM Wayne]

So do I, Coach. So do I.

And we've got that type of defense too.