MIAMI KILLER WHALES [GM JUSTIN]

[GM Gates]

Ah then never mind with that. Was hoping it might fix some of our coverage issues. Speaking of what kind of coverage do we run? Is it a mix or is there one that we do most of the time?

[Talon]

 

It's a mix.

[GM Gates]

Good to know.

At this point it very much sounds like we've just got to get back out there and try to turn this season around. So hopefully the bye week allows the team to give their heads a shake and play the rest of the season in winning fashion.

I've sent in some scouting to maybe get an idea of where we can go from here. Maybe some additional training, find out where the deficiencies lie. I'll let you handle that and get this team ready to play some great football.

——————

Selina, can you send in Samuel Chow please?

——————

Sam, thanks for coming by. I know this isn't the season we are used to, not the type of season we want. It's fair to say a lot of stuff has just gone to shit early on.

The coaching staff brought the idea to me to have you play some DE coming up and I wanted to run it by you. Is that something you'd be okay with? Maybe even welcome to try and get this team going?

[Talon]

 

Hey, I love hitting the QB and I've always been happy to drop a hand in the turf, bring it on baby.  Lets get this season right.

[GM Gates]

Love to hear it, Sam. Can't wait to see you do you thing out there after the bye week. Thanks for coming in to speak with me.

—————

Selina, let's lock in our bye week.

[GM Gates]

We had a productive bye week. We took some time to get some things right and made a move to put ourselves in a better position going forward. I've maintained all season that this team is too talented to be where we are, and we need to turn things around to start to climb out of this funk we are in. With the bye week behind us, we have to put the first six games behind us and focus on what is coming up, focus on winning each game, and putting ourselves into the playoff picture.

We get a good match up against Music City and with their own struggles, we should be in a good position to win. I've heard the experts talk about the security of Trevor Jose's job and in reality, the way this season has gone, no one is really safe. Myself included. I will say that as of this moment I am not planning on making a change this season and that Trevor Jose is our coach.

But the more important thing is that we have to turn this season around and get back to our winning ways. And that starts this week with Music City.

[Talon]

 

Alright.  Time to get things on the track we want.

[Talon]

GM Gates, your trade with Kansas City included retained salary from the Bruins, the retained value exceeded the value allowed due to your remaining salary. The $100K difference has been deducted from your salary cap as a result, and you have also been fined $500K from your bonus fund as punishment.

If you believe this not to be correct, we can discuss the numbers on my private line at your earliest convenience.

[Talon]

 

After reviewing your documentation, the league agrees that you are not in violation, but please remember what we said; in the future any issue that is not corrected by the time your official team sheet is posted from training camp is no longer excused, meaning the training camp team sheet is the official salary figures for all contracts in question.

Thank you for doing your part to find the discrepancy.

[GM Gates]

Thank you Kate. I will keep that in mind for the future.

—————

Sorry about that coach, minor hiccup.

We've moved some guys out and brought some new faces in. In no way have I thrown in the towel on the season, and I plan to tell the team that as well before this weeks game. I just feel like these moves will help us now and going forward.

But let's talk about our line up.

I'm going to slide Chow down to DE as we discussed, so is it as simple as having Garrido fill in Chows spot on the left side with Brito in the middle and  Peters on the right? Or is there a better configuration?

[Talon]

 

I think Brito in the middle, Peters on the left, and Garrido on the right is the way to go.

[GM Gates]

Good to know coach.

I'll restrain myself from asking about our new arrivals and focus on who we know best.

For wide receiver I was thinking of running Kidwell and McDonald as our top two and when we put out three receivers, I was going to list JVD as our WR1. Does that work?

[Talon]

We can give it a shot.  If JVD gets too many targets and it stunts the production ,we push Clyde to WR1 in the set.

[GM Gates]

Yeah there's always that. I'll play around with it a bit in my head prior to this weeks game.

How's the teams overall morale? Are there any players that are just going through the motions, slipping on the wrong side of positive?

[Talon]

 

Kitchen isn't feeling great, and i get it.  He expected to come in and be an MVP and instead the year has really been rough.

Moya, Kidwell, Hunter, Greenwood, Agholor, Akin... all of them are pretty down in the dumps for one reason or another.

[GM Gates]

That's good to know. Thanks for that Coach.

For now I will let you get back to practice. If anything else springs to mind I will give you a call.

—————

Selina, Aaron Kitchen please.

—————

Aaron thanks for coming in. I know the season hasn't been what we had hoped, though we have shown flashes lately of being the team I think you and I expected when you signed here.

We've changed our pass focus to long but I know there have been times on your career where the teams were focused on deep passes. Is that something you would want to see us commit to?

I'm just trying to see what we can do to make sure that the team is firing on all cylinders.

[Talon]

 

Stretching the field and making plays is what I do best.  It's where I am most comfortable.

[GM Gates]

I'll make the change then for this week. Thanks for stopping by. Head back to the practice field, and I'll see you there shortly.

—————

Selina, please have the team gather on the practice field.

—————

Thanks for taking a moment to gather. I just wanted to touch base with you all as we head out of our bye week.

I know you've all seen the trades that we've made, but I want to assure you all that by no means have I thrown in the towel on this season. The trades we made were done with the purpose of bettering the team going forward. I am still committed to this team making a push for the playoffs and winning the Impact Bowl.

This start hasn't been great but we still have a championship caliber team. A team that I know can rattle off a bunch of wins and put ourselves in a position to make some noise in the playoffs. So let's start that streak this week.

Killer Whales on three.

One..

Two..

Three!

Killer Whales!

——————

Strategy/Depth Chart Changes:
Goal Line RB: John Peyton
Pass Preference: Deep
Primary Receiver: Clyde Kidwell

Master Depth Chart Changes:

QB2: Danny Hoak
QB3: Michael Givens

RB2: Nathanial Payne
RB3: Britni Fierce

WR1: Clyde Kidwell
WR1b/WR4: James Van Driver

WR2: Hunter McDonald
WR2b/WR5: James Van Driver

WR3: James Van Driver
WR3b/WR6: Dan Burley
WR3c/WR7: Cedric Hill
WR3d/WR8: Jannet Fields

LT1: Gary Fenton
LT2: Eugene Jett
LT3: David Brill

RT1: Eugene Jett
RT2: David Brill
RT3: Earl Hathaway
RT4: Michael Seals

LDE1: David Freese
LDE2: Glenn Everson

RDE1: Glenn Everson
RDE2: Saquan Bademosi
RDE3: Pat Bryant

DT1: Jared Miller
DT2: Noah York
DT3: Marvin Swanson
DT4: James Brown

CB1: Rodney Greenwood
CB1b/CB5: Willian Gray

CB2: Willian Gray
CB2b/CB6: Patrick Brookins

CB3: Patrick Brookins
CB3b: Kevin Agholor

CB4: Kevin Agholor
CB4b: Shehu Akin
CB4c: Greg Juarez
CB4d: Leonard Hollis

SS1: Jaime Marquez
SS2: Philip Calabrese

FS1: Francisco Berlin
FS2: Kevin Hughes


OFFENSE

Spread
QB - Aaron Kitchen
RB - Maria Crews
TE - Elliott Williams
WR1 - James Van Driver
WR2 - Clyde Kidwell
WR3 - Hunter McDonald
LT - Gary Fenton
LG - William Bender
C - Fernando Marler
RG - Thomas Moya
RT - Eugene Jett

Shotgun
QB - Aaron Kitchen
RB - Maria Crews
TE - Elliott Williams
WR1 - James Van Driver
WR2 - Clyde Kidwell
WR3 - Hunter McDonald
LT - Gary Fenton
LG - William Bender
C - Fernando Marler
RG - Thomas Moya
RT - Eugene Jett

DEFENSE

4-3 Base
DT1 - Jared Miller
DT2 - Noah York
DE1 - David Freese
DE2 - Samuel Chow
LOLB - Herbert Peters
MLB - Bryce Brito
ROLB - Jose Garrido
CB1 - Rodney Greenwood
CB2 - Willian Gray
FS - Francisco Berlin
SS - Philip Calabrese

5-2 Base
NT - Noah York
DT1 - Jared Miller
DT2 - Glenn Everson
DE1 - David Freese
DE2 - Samuel Chow
LB1 - Bryce Brito
LB2 - Herbert Peters
CB1 - Rodney Greenwood
CB2 - Willian Gray
FS - Francisco Berlin
SS - Jaime Marquez

3-3-5 Nickel Base
NT - Jared Miller
DE1 - David Freese
DE2 - Samuel Chow
ROLB - Herbert Peters
MLB - Bryce Brito
LOLB - Jose Garrido
CB1 - Rodney Greenwood
CB2 - Willian Gray
CB3 - Patrick Brookins
FS - Francisco Berlin
SS - Jaime Marquez

4-2-5 Nickel Base
DT1 - Jared Miller
DT2 - Noah York
LE1 - David Freese
RE1 - Samuel Chow
MLB1 - Bryce Brito
LOLB1 - Herbert Peters
CB1 - Rodney Greenwood
CB2 - Willian Gray
CB3 - Patrick Brookins
FS - Francisco Berlin
SS - Philip Calabrese

Lock In

[GM Gates]

That wasn't a pretty win, but it was still a win. Our defense stepped up at times and really held the Kings at bay and had them settling for field goals. We struck when we needed to and held on for the win. McWhorter got the better of us but we held everyone else in check. Kitchen overcame his two interceptions to lead us into the end zone when we needed it.

We made a lot of changes coming out of our bye week and it was nice to see them pay off. A big change like moving Samuel Chow to DE is one that definitely paid off and gave us some consistent pass rush from both sides of the line. Garrido moved into the lineup seamlessly at times and we had some nice contributions from our defensive backs. We had solid contributions from everyone within our new look line ups.

Now it's time to play Atlanta. It won't be an easy game but I think we can replicate what we did this week. Maybe with some changes and some work here and there but I feel confident that if we get that same pass rush we should be able to give the Underground fits.

[Talon]

 

The win is nice, but it was a tough one to get.   Proud of our defense for keeping them out of the end zone more often than not.

[GM Gates]

For sure, the defense really bailed us out. And if we want to have any kind of success we need to figure out a way to get our offense going.

is there something we are just missing on offense that might help unlock it all or is it just that it's just not clicking? Is it the wrong personnel?

[Talon]

 

I wish I knew the answer.  I love our personnel. Im happy with our coaching staff. I'm not sure whats not clicking.

[GM Gates]

Perhaps we just need to ride it out. It is frustrating that our defense is as good as it is and our offence is bottom of the league. I'm hesitant to make anymore changes scheme wise to see if it can work itself out. But I just look at this team and feel like we should be able to put up more points then we have been.

Obviously this week takes a bit if Kidwell is out so hopefully Burley is ready to step up as our WR3.

[Talon]

 

I  agree, we need to keep the system in place and let the players step up.

[GM Gates]

Exactly. We could also look to change the voice making the calls. That is to say, give you the play calling duties over Coach Spuds. I know you've mentioned how good of a play-caller he is, but do you think a change to you would make a difference?

[Talon]

 

It might?  I have no issue calling the plays, if thats waht you want.

[GM Gates]

I plan to leave Spuds as the pay caller for now but just wanted to ask that. There's bound to be a point where it's either going to become a true option or we're going to be trading away some of our pending UFAs and retooling for next season. And maybe we are already there, but the competitive side of me wants to wait until at least week 10 or 11 to make that call.

One thing we didn't talk about last week was position training for Chow at DE. Does he need some? He came out the gate rolling so I don't know if it's worth it and wanted to pick your brain on it.

[Talon]

 

No, he's played so much DE in his career that he's fine.

[GM Gates]

Excellent. I'm just wrapping up some business and then I should be good to go this week. For now, I'll let you head to practice.

——————

Selina, could you send Maria Crews up please.

——————

Maria, thanks for stopping by. I know this season hasn't necessarily gone the way we had hoped, but I know we've still got the team to make a run here. How are you holding up this season?

[Talon]

  I'm frustrated with our record and with our stats in general, but I believe in the team.  It's been 6+ years and we've always been able to make that run when we need it.  I wouldn't mind a few more carries per game if needed, last year I was getting 21 per game and this year I'm around 14 per game, so don't be afraid to give me the rock.

[GM Gates]

I don't think anyone on the staff, or myself, are afraid to give you the rock. I think there was an idea that if your carries were reduced you could stay fresher. We brought in Darby to help take some of the load off of your shoulders, however I don't think he ever really fit in with the team.

The game script hasn't exactly dictated running the ball since we've found ourselves behind a lot, so hopefully that starts to swing back the other way. But we can definitely see about increasing your carries some.

Speaking of, do you feel like another big bodied rusher in the running back room could be useful or do the three of you feel pretty content with the way things are set now?

[Talon]

 

Honestly, I don't think we need a big power guy, we run it outside and get the edge when we can, and we can do that in the red zone too.

[GM Gates]

Fantastic to hear. Makes things a bit easier going forward.

One other thing I wanted to discuss with you is your contract. I had planned either this week or in coming weeks to speak with your agent about an extension to keep you in Miami for the foreseeable future. Before I do, I just wanted to check and make sure that is something you were interested in.

[Talon]

 

I hope I retire a Killer Whale, I don't want to play anywhere else.

[GM Gates]

I don't want you to play anywhere else either.

Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. I'll let you head back to practice.

—————

Selina, could you get me in touch with Amber Molina please?

—————

Amber, how's it going? I wanted to call you and talk about extending Maria Crews' contract. I want to make sure she remains a member of the Killer Whales. What kind of number were you and Maria thinking of to make that happen?

[Talon]

We'd gladly sign a new deal worth $15MM per season.

[GM Gates]

I could do something like $13 million in salary and $2 million in bonus, starting S18. For 4 years?

[Talon]

 

Perfect.

[GM Gates]

Pleasure as always, Amber. Take care.

——————

That's all for this week, Selina. Let the coaching staff know we're ready to roll.

——————

Lock In

[GM Gates]

Well I guess that's better than a loss, but it's definitely not the kind of game I hoped for when we set out onto that field. We had a few moments where we could have put the game away, or made a field goal to put us ahead for good and we missed. We threw away a game we could have and probably should have won. Not to take anything away from Atlanta, but that's a game that we let slip away.

Maria Crews had herself a game though. Fresh off of signing an extension, she goes out and racks up 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving. She had a great performance out there.

What did you make of Aaron Kitchens comments after the game?

You mean when he mentioned that the offence needs to step up to match Maria's performance? I think there's some truth to that. Our offence has been pretty inconsistent all year and we really need to figure ourselves out if we want to start climbing over other teams in the standings. And that starts from the top down. Better ball protection, better decisions, better routes, better efforts. Everything. We are capable of doing just that, we just have to put the effort in on every play. I know this past week we were missing Kidwell, but we haven't had many games where we've lit it up offensively even with him. So yeah, maybe the entire offence needs to step it up so we can make a run here.

What do you make of the standings at this point of the season? What has surprised you the most so far?

Did we see ourselves being last in the division and ninth or tenth in the conference after 8 games? I know I didn't. This season hasn't been the type we are used to here in Miami, hell, I'm sure a lot of experts out there didn't see it coming either. And if you were to ask me what the biggest surprise to me was, it would be that we are last in the division. There's still a lot of runway to turn things around but if we wait too long to start doing so, we are going to be left out in the cold. This team is much better then what we've shown so far, much better then last in the division, and it's time we showed that.

Who is your MVP so far this season?

I'd probably say our MVP is Maria Crews. Every game she's doing a great job and is definitely been trying to pull this team along. She's probably been one of the more consistent offensive players for us all season. Though it's tough to really focus on someone being an MVP of a team that has spun its wheels most of the season. I'd love to have been able to name three or four other people here but the season hasn't gone that way for us.

How would you rate your head coach after  your first 8 games of the year?

Even though our record isn't there, I will say that Coach Jose has been adaptable to changes that need making as the season has gone along. Maybe I've tried tinkering too much, but he's been honest with me about things that may need to be adjusted. Overall though the results haven't been there so I'd rate him as a C overall. High grades for adaptability and flexibility with the system but then a lower grade because results just haven't been there.

Talk about your upcoming game against Long Beach.

The media has labeled this game against Long Beach as a must win for both teams and they aren't totally wrong. It seems like both Long Beach and us have been a bit inconsistent this season so hopefully we are the team that finds it and puts it together this week. Hopefully we can build off of the tie to Atlanta and come out firing for a win against the Mermen. It's not going to be easy. I mentioned inconsistent, but Long Beach has the kind of players who can go off at any moment in any game. So we have to limit what they are able to do and limit their overall damage. And like I mentioned earlier, our offence has to make better decisions, we have to protect the ball better and we have to protect each other better so that we can put ourselves in the best possible situations to succeed.

[Talon]

Gates, we talked about expectations at the beginning of the season and right now I'm not seeing the results we expected.

The only saving grace to me is that we're 3-1 at home.  We need to figure out how to right the ship or parts of that ship might burn.  Am I clear?

[GM Gates]

Crystal clear, Mr Biggs.

I'm right there with you. If the results don't start pointing in our favor the next few, there are going to be parts burning and people being thrown overboard.

[Talon]

 

Lets just make sure it doesn't get to the point where there is a new captain at the helm of the ship.   All my contacts have told me you're one of the best, so I don't want to have my hand forced.    Make the changes if its needed, or I will and it will start at the top at that point.

[GM Gates]

Heard loud and clear, sir. I will make the changes if they are needed.

[Talon]

 

...Hopefully it wasn't too bad of a sit down with the big boss;    Alright, we're a game and a half out of first place but we also know we have to finish ahead of everyone, with that tie we have no way for a divisional tie unless someone else gets a draw this year. Long Beach has shook things up lately so instead of focusing on where we can beat them, I think we need to focus on getting our passing game in gear to support Maria and Kitch.

[GM Gates]

Oh you know, just the usual 'fix it however you can or you might lose your job' speech from the boss. Typical shit for where we are.

But you're right instead of focusing on how to beat them we need to get ourselves right. Get the offence clicking to match the efforts of Crews and Kitchen.

What more can we do, though?

[Talon]

 

I've got a couple of suggestions.   First would be to move JVD to WR2 and slide McDonald to WR3.  We're running a lot of 3WR sets, but getting JVD deep more often could play to his strengths.

The other idea is to reach out to Charlotte and look into either a rental like Boatwright would could benefit from a change of scenery or a cheaper option like Omarion Green-Beckham who could give us a big bodied 50/50 ball type threat who could be a Max Ramos type target for Kitchen.

[GM Gates]

Both good ideas. I thought I had a few packages where JVD was outside but they might have been changed so I will make sure he is out WR2 and outside. McDonald was doing great on the slot as our WR3 anyways so makes sense.

The other one might be a bit tricky. I know last time I spoke to Charlotte they were hesitant to do much so I will see if they are changing their tune.

If not, hopefully just moving the WRs around can give us some more length and scoring to our offence.

[Talon]

 

We still have some packages, I was thinking more of a fully commitment to the move so we know whats on the field at all times.  The downside of lots of packages is you dont know which ones are productive and which are not if you have guys playing all over the field.

[GM Gates]

Oh for sure, I will definitely make sure to get him out there full time so we know that him and Kidwell will be on the outside.

The only other thing I could think of would be our line not getting the protection for Kitchen to make the reads necessary. Has that been an issue?