MIAMI KILLER WHALES [GM JUSTIN]

[Talon]

Team Information
City: Miami, Florida
Conference:  Eastern
Division: South
Team Owner: Clay Biggs
Team Secretary: Selina Swims

Official Colors:

Black (#000000)
White (#FFFFFF)

Team History:
The Miami Killer Whales are an "expansion" team for the HIFL in season 8.  Coming over from the American Premier League, the team has history prior to its arrival in the HIFL. In the S15/16 Off-Season Willy Freeman was found to be participating in a scheme with other owners to commit fraud and embezzlement.  He went into hiding and the team was sold that off-season as a means to repay the league for the money he had been found to have embezzled.  The team was purchased by South Beach Billionaire Clay "Big Money" Biggs in season 16.

2012: 8-5
2013: 7-6
2014: 3-13
2015: 8-8
2016: 4-12

Season 8: 4-12
Season 9: 8-8 [GM Garcia]
Season 10: 11-5-0 [GM Garcia]
Season 11: 10-6-0 [GM Garcia]
Season 12: 12-3-1 [GM Garcia]
Season 13: 10-6-0 [GM Garcia]
Season 14: 11-5-0 [GM Gates]
Season 15: 10-6-0 [GM Gates]
Season 16: 12-4-0 [GM Gates]
Season 17: 7-8-1 [GM Gates]

Playoff Appearances:
2012: Conference Champions
2013: Secound Round
2015: Second Round

Season 10: 1-1 (Divisional Round)
Season 11: 1-1 (Divisional Round)
Season 12 : 3-0 (Impact Bowl Champions)
Season 14 : 0-1 (Wild Card Round)
Season 15 : 3-1 (Impact Bowl Runner Up)
Season 16:  1-1 (Conference Championship)

RETIRED NUMBERS
None

 

[GM Gates]

S15 MIAMI LOCK IN

MINI-CAMP ASSIGNMENTS GM's MUST COMPLETE THIS TASK

OFFENSE:
1.Ryan Hallquist - IQ
2.Fernando Marler - Pass Blocking
3.Elliott Williams - Strength
4.James McClary - IQ

DEFENSE:
1.Herbert Peters - IQ
2.Gordon Haynes - Conditioning
3.Francisco Berlin - Agility
4.James Paris - Agility



STRATEGY GM OR COACHES DECISION ON ANY/ALL


OFFENSE
Attitude: Aggressive
Focus: Coaches Decision
Tempo: Coaches Decision
Passing Focus: Coaches Decision
Pass To: Coaches Decision
Primary Receiver: Jayson Little
Running Focus: Coaches Decision
Running Backs: Coaches Decision
Backfield Focus: Committee
Tight End Focus: Coaches Decision

DEFENSE
Attitude: Aggressive
Focus: Coaches Decision
Primary Coverage: Coaches Decision
D-Line Focus: Coaches Decision
Linebacker Focus: Coaches Decision
Player Radio: Samuel Chow
Match CBs to WRs?: Coaches Decision


Playing Time: Mostly Starters





TEAM CAPTAINS GM's MUST COMPLETE THIS TASK
1.Ryan Hallquist
2.Craig Watkins
3.Gary Fenton
4.David Freese
5.Maria Crews
6.Samuel Chow



OFFENSE MASTER DEPTH CHART GM's MUST COMPLETE THIS TASK (You may attach up to 4 additional Copies of this Chart for various "Packages" in your offense.)

PACKAGE NAME: Master

QB- Ryan Hallquist
QB2- Michael Givens
QB3- James Sanders

RB1- Maria Crews
RB2- Christopher Knox
RB3- Frederick Cross

FB- John Peyton

TE1- James McClary
TE2- Elliott Williams

WR1- Jayson Little
LWR4- Sam Crawford

WR2- Joseph Hickson
WR5- Gavin Wilcox
WR7- Nelson Jackson

WR3- Jonathan Hanson
WR6- Cedric Hill

LT- Gary Fenton
LT2- Jesus Young

LG- William Bender
LG2- John Bear

C- Quinn Sumner
C2- Fernando Marler
C3- Jeremy Tuggle

RG- John Bear
RG2- Pasquale Lawson
RG3- Jeremy Tuggle

RT- Jesus Young
RT2- David Brill
RT3- Ricardo Millard


DEFENSE MASTER DEPTH CHART GM's MUST COMPLETE THIS TASK (You may attach up to 4 additional Copies of this Chart for various "Packages" in your defense.)

PACKAGE NAME: 4-3

DT1- Ali Muhammad
DT3- Ricky Sandoval

DT2- Merlin McLendon
DT4- James Kaplan

RE1- David Freese
RE2- Benjamin Wallace

LE1- 2Face Obaje
LE2- Gordon Haynes

MLB1- Stephen Cotter
MLB2- Samuel Chow

ROLB1- Samuel Chow
ROLB2- Herbert Peters
ROLB3- Joseph Foley

LOLB1- Herbert Peters
LOLB2- William Sherwood
LOLB3- Earl Sturdivant

CB1- Rodney Greenwood
CB4- Daniel Coleman

CB2- Daniel Coleman
CB5- James Gonzales
CB8- Jared Owens

CB3- James Gonzales
CB6- James Paris
CB7- Donovan Orr

FS1- Francisco Berlin
FS2- Oscar Cotton

SS1- Craig Watkins
SS2- Troy Garcia
SS3- James Pack

SPECIAL TEAMS MASTER DEPTH CHART GM's MUST COMPLETE THIS TASK

K- Brent Skipper
P- Maurice Alcala

KR1- Sam Crawford
KR2- Christopher Knox
KR3- James Paris
KR4- Frederick Cross

PR1- Sam Crawford
PR2- Christopher Knox






PLAY CALLING GM Chooses who calls plays, and assigns desired percentages if not left up to play calling coach


OFFENSE RUN/PASS RATIO

Play Caller: Head Coach
1st and 10: Coaches Decision
1st and Short: Coaches Decision
1st and Long: Coaches Decision
2nd and Short: Coaches Decision
2nd and Long: Coaches Decision
3rd and Short: Coaches Decision
3rd and Long: Coaches Decision
4th and Short: Coaches Decision
4th and Long: Coaches Decision
Goal Line: Coaches Decision
Last 2 Mins (Ahead): Coaches Decision
Last 2 Mins (Behind): Coaches Decision

DEFENSE BLITZ RATIO

Play Caller: Defensive Coordinator
1st and 10: Coaches Decision
1st and Short: Coaches Decision
1st and Long: Coaches Decision
2nd and Short: Coaches Decision
2nd and Long: Coaches Decision
3rd and Short: Coaches Decision
3rd and Long: Coaches Decision
4th and Short: Coaches Decision
4th and Long: Coaches Decision
Goal Line: Coaches Decision
Last 2 Mins (Ahead): Coaches Decision
Last 2 Mins (Behind): Coaches Decision



MUSICAL LICENSES (GM MUST COMPLETE THIS TASK)

1. Lose Yourself by Eminem
Played pre-game to get everyone ready for the game that is about to come.

2. Whiplash by Metallica
Will play as we enter into the 4th quarter.


COIN TOSS PREFERENCE

Heads
Receive




1. Welcome back, lets talk off-season.  What was your off-season like, what was your biggest addition to your team, and who is someone you wish you didn't lose?

It was a good offseason for us. First one where we weren't working with financial penalties so we didn't have to make those reservations. We added a lot of talent to the roster this offseason, one of the biggest being Ali Muhammad who we brought in to help replace the void left by Darren Glaze, who was one of two players we lost who we didn't want to lose. The other one was Larry Herzog, but in both cases, we were able to bring in some talent to offset those loses. We have Muhammad and McLendon at defensive tackle and McClary and Williams at tight end who should be impact players for us this season. The losses sucked, but it is part of the business of the sport and sometimes you just have to move on.

2. Take us back to Draft Day, what lead to you taking the player you took with your first pick?

Offensive line is always a spot that needs depth. The last thing a team wants is to get hit with a big injury and have to watch a season implode because they can't keep their quarterback upright. We scouted a lot of offensive line talent and what led us to take David Brill was his versatility. He isn't just great at one type of blocking or the other, but he's good at both with the tools to get even better.

3. Coming out of Training Camp who is the player you wish you would have seen on your "most improved list" that you didn't see?

If I had to pick one, I'd say Francisco Berlin. Not because he had a bad camp, but he just didn't have a particularly amazing camp. He's still young and has the time to improve his craft, so there's no panic there yet.

4. If you were to improve one position on your team with a trade before the season starts, what position do you target, and are you looking to trade picks or players to get a deal done?

I like our team as is, but if I were greedy, I might want to add another impact skills position player. Maybe upgrade at receiver, something like that. But then again, we've got some nice playmakers there with our current crop of wide outs, and bringing in two nice playmaking tight ends should help there as well. Or maybe I'd just be looking for some depth on defence, who knows. We have a good team already it might just need fleshing out.

Either way, to answer your second part, I'd say I'd be open to anything, but some of the other GMs think that means you're open to a ridiculously low offer for star players which isn't the case. Any trade has to make sense.

5. How many wins should your fan base expect this year, realistically what should fans expect to see?

I don't see why we can't win at least 12 or 13, if not more. We won 11 last year with - few games decided in the final moments or in overtime, and I feel like we have better personnel to bring those types of games home. And with a lot of our core players taking big steps, we should be poised for a great season that will have us getting into the playoffs.

[Talon]

Here we go, a new season and a chance to start hot out of the gates.

[GM Gates]

That's the goal, coach. Get out hot and keep that going. We've got the players to do it, now it's just a matter of doing it. Outside of the depth concerns at certain spots - which I am looking to address - I guess the only big change I wanted to run by you was slotting Crawford into the slot/WR3 spot over Hanson.

[Talon]

I think it gives us the best chance to succeed right now, while Hanson has more room for growth, Sam is definitely the better option today.

[GM Gates]

Excellent. And with McCary and Williams at TE it gives us some more weapons to go with our receivers.

How did Hallquist look to you in camp, coach? Do you think he's shown you improvement where he could handle your aggressive play calling? Last season we had to dial it back so I was just wondering if he's shown you positive steps.

[Talon]

I do believe he is ready to have some of the cuffs taken off.

[GM Gates]

That is what I was hoping to hear. I'm going to leave it as we had it in camp, and we can adjust if we need to.

What can you tell me about Gordon Haynes' progress? Maybe that's better for Coach Peterson, but I know he was raw coming out of the draft and just wanted to see how he's been coming along.

[Talon]

 

He's struggled at times to adapt, but I think we're getting some progress out of him.  I still believe he can be a very high upside player for us.
 

[GM Gates]

Excellent. Glad he's still showing some progress. We knew it was a long play but at least he is progressing and has that very high upside.

Roster wise I am looking into potentially bringing in a free safety to provide some better back up and potentially a starting option down the line but outside of that I think we have everything in place for this season.

[Talon]

I think we're on the same page.

[GM Gates]

Excellent. So looking ahead, Coach Peterson mentioned free safety and defensive end as areas of concern due to depth. How urgent do you think a solution to those depth issues is? Like should we look to fill them soon or wait until something happens?

[Talon]

 

I would keep a vigilant eye, but unless we are getting crushed on defense, only jump on "the right" move.

[GM Gates]

That sounds good to me, coach. I've had some talks but nothing seemed to fit right.

But for now, let's head into week 1 and start this season off with a bang.

——————

Strategy/Depth Chart Changes:

WR1: Jayson Little
WR4: Jonathan Hanson

WR2: Joseph Hickson
WR5: Gavin Wilcox
WR7: Nelson Jackson

WR3: Sam Crawford
WR6: Cedric Hill

Lock In

[GM Gates]

1. Discuss your week 1 results, what were you happy with, what were you disappointed with?

A convincing win over the Woodpeckers. It seemed like we had everything working on offense and by the end, we were able to put the points up when we needed them. Our defence held its own and really helped us keep them from scoring. So I was happy with that.

What I wasn't happy with were the 8 or so 15 yard penalties we were taking. I know heat of the moment and all that but still, we need to be smarter there.

2. How do you feel about not having pre-season this year?

I didn't notice it's absence much this year. Maybe that's because pre-season is good for seeing who can win a position battle or what a rookie has in the tank, but since most of our team is the same, we didn't have those needs.

3. What did you think of Alejandro McGhee's comments about the Bay Area Sea Lions being able to beat any HIFL club? 

Any HIFL club? I doubt that. Maybe they'd get lucky over some teams but not any team. Though it would be interesting to see them try.

4. Discuss any news that interested you, if you had team specific news address it first.

Some interesting news coming out of Alabama. Unrest within a team can lead a team down a dark path. Not liking a coach and wanting a change for a team that is perennially a playoff contender...you have to wonder who wins out there, the coach or the player.

5. Discuss your next opponent and game.   How likely do you feel your team is to win this contest?

We take on Orlando. It's always nice to get the Florida Cup started though they aren't going to be at 100%. That doesn't mean we can overlook them though. I think the past few seasons have shown that anyone can win on any given week, so we just need to be prepared and be ready for what they are going to bring to the game. We have the offence and defence to get the job done we just have to go out there and do it.

[Talon]

  Solid week 1 win but it could've been better and it will be as we move forward.  We need to take care of business against Orlando this week, though.

[GM Gates]

Yeah there were some things I would have like to see better, but I'm sure you and the staff will address them as the weeks go. We can't look past Orlando though. They might not have their starting QB, but we can't underestimate what they can do.

[Talon]

 

  You can never take a rivalry game lightly, no matter who is starting.  We'll be ready.

[GM Gates]

I know you will have the boys ready. I don't have much else to go over from last week so for now I will let you head to practice.

——————

Selina, Ryan Hallquist please.

——————

Ryan, thanks for coming to speak with me. Great game you had  last week. You've taken some major steps forward this off season, and week 1 was just the beginning. I feel like there are big things in store for you and the team this season.

[Talon]

I'm thrilled about this season boss, I believe we're going to take the division and then make that climb to the top of the mountain this year.

[GM Gates]

I love the attitude, Ryan. Keep it up and keep up the great work out there. Thanks for coming to speak with me, I will let you get back to practice.

—————

Selina, Coach Peterson please.

—————

Alright coach, as I get things ready for Orlando I wanted to pick your brain. Obviously with Greenwood out we will shuffle out corners up with Coleman and Gonzales occupying CB1 and 2. Probably going to roll with James Paris as the CB3.

We've also got the potential to be without Obaje. After pre-season you mentioned some options so wanted to see what you wanted to try in the event Obaje is out. Do we slide Wallace in there or slide down one of Cotter or Chow and give Sherwood a start?

[Talon]

I think we're best off having Chow move to DE and give Sherwood the start on the outside.

[GM Gates]

Sounds good. I'm hoping Obaje can play but in the event he can't, at least we have a plan in place. Thanks for speaking with me coach.

—————

Selina, here is the weekly information for the coaches.

—————

Strategy/Depth Chart Changes:

CB1: Daniel Coleman
CB2: James Gonzales
CB3: James Paris
CB4: Jared Owens

LDE1: 2Face Obaje
LDE2: Samuel Chow
LDE3: Gordon Haynes

ROLB1: Samuel Chow
ROLB2: William Sherwood
ROLB3: Earl Sturdivant

Lock In

[GM Gates]

1. Discuss your week 2 results, what were you happy with, what were you disappointed with?

The guys played a good game out there against Orlando. The Stampede have some weapons on both sides of the ball so they made it tough but we were able to overcome and come away with the win. Better then that, we really cut down on our penalties from week 1. We turned the ball over a bit more but we didn't let it hurt us too much, and managed to keep ourselves in the game until the end when we pulled away. 

2. After two weeks do you feel your team is where you thought they would be, if not what is the biggest area of improvement needed?

2-0 is where I thought we would be, so yes, we are right where I thought we would be. I believe we have a lot of room to grow still and are only going to get better as the season goes along.

3. Are you happy with the play of your quarterback so far? Where do you rank him across the league's 32 starters?

Of course I'm happy with the play of Hallquist. He's taken some big steps this past off season to reach the heights we know he is capable of and he is only scratching the surface of that. He's a great QB and we love what he does for this team. To me, he's right near the top of the league.

4. Discuss any news that interested you, if you had team specific news address it first.

A big rivalry game like Alabama-Miami is going to bring out some talk, which is what happened. It gets the guys going, it fuels them, I don't see anything wrong. Little is a great receiver and has the ability to make great cornerbacks looks mediocre.

Beyond that, I'm happy to see Boatwright coming into his own. Too often we see teams I've up on their first round picks because they don't do what they want to to do stat wise right away. Sometimes you have to put the effort in.

5. Discuss your next opponent and game.   Where is your biggest advantage?

Miami and Alabama. The type of game that everyone circles on their calendar. And while a lot of people talk about Ortega this and Ortega that, they don't give us enough credit. We've got a lot of talented players all over our roster on both sides of the ball and we are ready for this battle. We have depth to make life difficult and have a lot of weapons where we can attack you. And I think that's what sets us apart. You take one of our options away, and the others will be there to hurt you. Same thing on defense. So we have to use that depth to throw Ortega and the Nighthawks off their game. We do that, and it will be a Miami win.

[Talon]

 

It's time to make that next step and put Alabama in their place, we're #1 in this league and this is how we prove it.

[GM Gates]

Damn right, Ryan. We are #1 and I know you and the guys will show just that this week. We are just scratching the surface of what we are capable of.

[Talon]

Between us boss, I think we could lean into the run game a little more at times, I feel like we're not giving Maria and Knox enough touches so far this year.

[GM Gates]

I don't see why we can't. Both Maria and Knox have shown they can do great things when given the opportunity. I will discuss it with the coaches and see what we can do.

[Talon]

 

Good stuff, thanks for hearing me out

[GM Gates]

Always willing to hear you out, Ryan. Thanks for coming in, I will let you get back to practice now.

——————

Selina, is Coach Jose available? If so can you send him in?

——————

Coach, 2-0 is a great place to be but now we've got our tough test against Alabama. And we should have everyone outside of Greenwood available.

The only change I might like to work in is some more use of our running game, but other than that I think we are pretty set for this match up.

[Talon]

What did you have in mind for a percentage?

[GM Gates]

Not sure what our percentage is at now, and I know game script comes into play, but would a 60/40 or 55/45 pass/run split work for you?

[Talon]

Here is our current breakdown, now that I look at it, it is pretty pass heavy...

1st and 10 - 83%
1st and short 67%
1st and med 80%
1st and long 80%

2nd and short 71%
2nd and med 73%
2nd and long 71%

3rd and short 67%
3rd and med 87%
3rd and long 87%

Goal Line 66%

[GM Gates]

It does scale that way. I will lower the pass percentage for each situation then, allow us to utilize Knox and Maria more. We know they are extremely dynamic when given the ball.

[Talon]

 

Right on, Im fine with whatever you want to do, boss. I'm not a dick like some coaches.

[GM Gates]

That's one of the things I like about you, Coach.

I don't think I have anything else I need to go over, unless you've got something about the team you want to discuss.

[Talon]

 

I'm good boss.. all that's left is to put it in the lock in and BEAT BAMA.

[GM Gates]

Then let's do just that coach. Let's go out there and BEAT BAMA!

———————

Strategy/Depth Chart Changes:

Updated Pass Percents:
1st and 10 - 65%
1st and short 55%
1st and med 60%
1st and long 80%

2nd and short 55%
2nd and med 65%
2nd and long 80%

3rd and short 60%
3rd and med 70%
3rd and long 87%

Goal Line 45%

Lock In

[GM Gates]

1. Discuss your week 3 results, what were you happy with, what were you disappointed with?

We lost to Alabama in the dying seconds of the game, in a game that we could have - no should have - won. What I was happy with was how we managed to get after and disrupt Ortega. We fought all game, made some big plays and were in the drivers seat.

What I did not like were the moments where we basically handed the Nighthawks the win. Their first drive we gave them far too many chances and too many free first downs in moments where we had them stopped. We had some odd clock management in the last two minutes, but we also did nothing to stop Ortega and company from marching down the field in the last minute. It's just frustrating knowing we had that game won and gave it away.

2. Have you and your coach made any major adjustments so far this season, if not do you feel you need to after this week?

We made some significant changes to our splits last week, so I don't think we are looking to make more changes, yet, but I'm sure the possibilities will be discussed.

3. The league has discussed a potential league-sponsored event to give free agent offensive linemen the chance to showcase themselves to HIFL teams, what do you think of this idea?

Great for those players who want to land a job. Gives them a chance to show everyone what they can do. Gives some teams an easy out who didn't get the depth in the off season.

4. Discuss any news that interested you, if you had team specific news address it first.

It sucks to see GM Gators resign but sometimes you have to follow your true passions in this world. It's not as long as we think it is, so you need to do what you love. I'm sure the subsequent fire sale will get a lot of people itching for some big moves to try and pull apart that teams best pieces.

5. Discuss your next opponent and game. What is something about that team that you wish you could emulate?

We welcome New Jersey to town. They have had a decent start to the season so far, so they are a team we can't overlook. Especially after this loss, we can't scoff them off. They have a lot of weapons that will make things tough, and can be explosive on offence if given the chance. We have weapons as well and can be explosive, I just don't think we've hit our stride. So we have to watch out for them while trying to ignite our own offence a bit, so that we step into the team we know we are.

[Talon]

 

Those infamous Ortega rally drives... damn

[GM Gates]

Tell me about it. It is comforting to know we can keep the Nighthawks in check but man we should have won that. And likely would have if Greenwood were healthy and we weren't relying on Paris and Owens on the regular.

[Talon]

 

On the positive side, we got flashes of great play from the young guys, but yes.. We need them more as depth right now than as a starters.

[GM Gates]

Oh no doubt. Those interceptions were key, but they also showed signs of being young. Good pieces to have though.

Looking ahead to New Jersey...we've got to rebound strong here. I don't want to drop back to back games so we need to be on point again. Do we need to make a move to bring in a more experienced corner if Greenwood can't go?

[Talon]

 

I don't think its critical.  I respect Reg in Jersey, but they aren't the dangerous offense that Alabama is.  I think we'll manage with what we've got.

[GM Gates]

I think that's what I needed to hear, coach.

Offensively how do we look? We changed up some ratios last week, but with the way the game went I don't think we really saw the change as well as I'd hoped. Any adjustments we need to make?

[Talon]

I liked the changes, lets give them a few games to get real sample size.

[GM Gates]

Young going down stings a bit. Basically out a month. Has Brill shown you enough that your comfortable with him as next man up?

[Talon]

While he's far from being polished, at least he's balanced in his skill set so he shouldn't be exposed in any one spot.

[GM Gates]

Good enough for now. We've still got the rest of our line so hopefully the playing time does him good.

I've got some stuff I want to take care of, so for now I will let you get back to practice.

——————

Selina, Mike Maker please.

——————

Mike, how's it going? I wanted to talk to you about an extension for your client John Peyton: a 3 year extension - starting Season 16 - worth $2 million a season to stay here in Miami.

[Talon]

 

I know he's "just" a fullback, but that's not really a needle moving contract offer to not at least test the market.