MUNICH GRIFFINS [GM WRONG]

[Talon]

 

Well honestly, this season has sucked. No sacks, not many wins, it's just been a grind..  Im getting offered $20MM per season for 5 years to go to the Raleigh Ruckus, but they don't have any wins this season so it's not like that is going to be fun, but $20MM a year? ...That's not bad money.

[GM Mike Powers]

I appreciate you being real with me, so I will return the favor and be real with you.

You're right, $20MM is a ton of coin. And I'm not going to come close to matching that.

I will tell you one thing though - I view you as an anchor of this defense, and I 100% planned on trying to extend your contract moving forward, keeping you here in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future. My current plan is to focus on the D line in the off-season - draft and/or free agency - to help free you up so that you can rack up the sacks that we both know you can.

You've known me for about 5 minutes, and I've been in Milwaukee about 6 minutes.  I'm not even going to bother trying to sell you on loyalty or anything like that. You just need to ask yourself what it is you want?

If you want more money and you don't care about the level of competition you're going to face, then you should loop your agent in - please, loop Scott in, do NOT burn that bridge - and sign with the PFL. I won't try to stop you. In fact, I'll understand.

However, if you want to be what I want you to be - an anchor of this defense for years to come, playing against the absolute best football players in the world, while still being handsomely compensated - then your place is here with the Barons.

[Talon]

 

I've thought it over and...





I'm headed to Raleigh.   Appreciate you understanding.

[GM Mike Powers]

Best of luck. Hope to see a fruit basket from Raleigh come Christmastime.


*****


Coach Dobbs please.


*****


Well Coach, Cleveland defected. Fucking dumbass GMs that Gates selected puffed out their chests instead of doing business and here we are.

[Talon]

 

That league is so starved for receivers I got a call asking if I wanted to play...

...bastards.

[GM Mike Powers]

Well they could certainly do a helluva lot worse, you and me both know that.  I'm going to sign us a replacement DE and get us locked in for the week.

*****

Can I speak with Bobby Shapiro please?

*****

Bobby....it's been a wild couple of weeks my man. Since you're getting fucked in this PFL madness too, I thought I'd look out for you when it came time to sign a replacement for the player they poached. Get you your percentage - big dog's gotta eat right?

Let's talk your boy DE Saquan Bademosi. I believe he is a free agent still? $3MM for the rest of the season?

[Talon]

 

Why not the same money to help my man Robert Cervantes get out of Indy?

[GM Mike Powers]

I hear you my man, and I clearly want to help - hence me specifically looking at your client list - but I'm trying to stay out of the HIFL/PFL drama. I feel like right now they're just throwing darts, almost at random. But at some point they are gonna take aim with the cannons, and the GM Kirk's and GM Rebel's are gonna take it hard. I'm not trying to get on that list, at least not voluntarily.

Can we do the deal for Saquan? I'll even add another year of security to it for piece of mind. Cool?

[Talon]

 

Sure.

[GM Mike Powers]

Thanks Bobby. We'll talk soon bud.


*****


DE Depth Chart:
1 - Richard Johnson
2 - Dele Obaje
3 - Saquan Bademosi
4 - Jacob DeMarco


Lock in

[GM Mike Powers]

1. Discuss your game and the results this week.  What stood out? 

I mean....what exactly do you want me to say? It's been a long season, and we have to make improvements on both sides of the ball. It doesn't help that one of our most talented defensive players walked out to join the PFL.


2. What is your take on the PFL/HIFL war?

It never should have happened. I was a GM Gates proponent, but he screwed the pooch here. The motley crew that he selected for that summit - embarrassing choices. And now we're up the creek without a paddle.


3. Where you pro-Gates treaty or anti-Gates treaty, and why?

The best choice was clearly to sign the treaty - once that was finished, THEN the GMs could've gone after Orlando and GM Rebel for restitution. How things got here is just maddening.


4. What was your opinion on the choices of GMs selected for the summit?

Individually they're....fine, I guess. But they were clearly the wrong choices for the summit and as a group.


5. What do you think of GM Pancho being voted in as interim GM Rep?

He has the tenure and the pedigree. Let's just hope he listens more than he dictates.


6. Discuss the news this week, anything that stood out, especially if it related to your team.

We're not selling tickets the way we once did. We've got to give the people a product that they want to see. When we do, the crowds will come.


7. It is mid-season, who has been your teams MVP?  Who needs to step up and show you more in the final half of the season?

The team MVP is Coach Dobbins, hands down. Despite our record, despite our failings, the man just keeps grinding. He is clearly a winner, and he brings that swag with him every minute of every day.

Who needs to step up? I mean, not to be cliche, but who doesn't? We're probably looking at a Top 5 draft pick. Maybe even 1st overall. With the team performing at this level, nobody is irreplaceable. You gotta show us something, know what I mean?


8. The trade deadline is fast approaching, what should fans expect from your office?

We're not panicking. If the right deal comes along, we'll pull the trigger. But we're not gonna unload just to unload.


9.  Discuss this weeks game.

GM Kirk and the Crows come to town. I'm trying to imagine what things would be like if Kirk were at that summit, or if he were GM Rep....GM POWERS CHUCKLES TO HIMSELF AS HE WALKS AWAY FROM THE PODIUM

[Talon]

Alright boss, If I could help us get more out of one spot on offense, what would that be?  We've lost Van Hoose to the PFL, which isn't the biggest loss, but even if we can't fix the entire team at one time, I feel like I've got to pour myself into something and show I can do it.

[GM Mike Powers]

Well, all things being equal I'd say QB. Milt has been inconsistent to say the least, and the biggest boost we could have would be with him.

That said, I know that your wheelhouse is more the skills positions than the Quarterback. If you think you can Coach Milt up to the next level, I'd vote for that. But if you think it's more realistic that I choose a receiver or back, let me know.

[Talon]

 

This is me digging into my bag of tricks, so I can go for Milt.  Good stuff.

[GM Mike Powers]

If I threw a little money from our bonus pool at it, could you do a better job? I want to set you up for success as best as possible.

[Talon]

 

No need on this one, but maybe in the future.

[GM Mike Powers]

Word. Appreciate you stepping up like this Coach. You're a helluva Coach, and an awesome leader.

Anything else we need to discuss? If not, I'm gonna look for a replacement for Van Hoose.

[Talon]

 

Nothing else from me.  I know the pickin' are slim but I'd consider looking at Aleman, Elrod, or even Roman as options, I can work on those types of guys.

[GM Mike Powers]

Appreciate the push in the right direction. Talk to ya after this week.

*****

Can I speak to Eli Harris please?

*****

Eli, how are you doing my man? I'm taking a look at signing one of your clients. Would wide receiver Joshua Elrod sign for 2 years at $1.5MM?

[Talon]

 

I'd do it with a player option for year 2, so if El pops off we aren't locked into a bad deal.

[GM Mike Powers]

Sounds good to me - if he goes off, we'll sit back down and hammer out a fair deal.

Thanks Eli, talk to you later.

*****

Depth Chart Changes:

WR 1 - Dobbins
WR 2 - Young
Slot - Issacs

WR 4 - Elrod
WR 5 - Busby
WR 6 - Baptiste

Lock in

[GM Mike Powers]

Well I've said it a bunch of times this year and I'll say it again. The wins and losses don't matter. The growth we are exhibiting does, and Milt showed up to play didn't he? You noticed, I noticed, his teammates noticed...hell, the world noticed. Coach Dobbs is working hard with Milt, so I expect to see more progress as the latter half of the season unfolds.

Also of note is the agreement between the PFL and HIFL. It cost us our starting defensive end - through no fault of our own - but at least it's over. Nice job GM Rep Pancho.

That's all for this week, have a great day every-

GM POWERS CHECKS AN ALERT ON HIS PHONE

....Fosters got traded again!?! Hopefully they divert his plane and drop him off in the middle of nowhere. Did y'all know I didn't even know where I was when that happened?!? My wife was waiting for me! We had dinner reservations and....hey, where are you all going?

GM POWERS CONTINUES TO RANT, FOLLOWING THE MEDIA OUT OF THE ROOM TOWARDS THE ELEVATOR

....she come across as nice, but poof, she'll trade you away just like that! I took that team to the Impact Bowl! I thought I bought more time than that, but oh no.......

THE ELEVATOR DOOR CLOSES, POWERS CONTINUING TO TALK

[Talon]

 

The INTs hurt, but we saw some spark.

[GM Mike Powers]

Absolutely. I take it that Milt is super engaged in the work you and he are putting in? Giving it 110% as it were?

[Talon]

 

Absolutely. He's such a competitor.  Team USA QBs are always grinders, its a staple of what that staff demands out of a starter and Milt brings that in spades.

[GM Mike Powers]

Keep up the great work Coach.

*****

Please send Milt up to see me.

*****

Hey Milt. Not the season we envisioned from the jump, but I think we can make something out of it before it's all over.

Coach Dobbs tells me you're a helluva competitor, always grinding. That is exactly the wok ethic we need, and exactly the precedent to set for the locker room. Keep at it my man.

[Talon]

 

I was born to compete, and I want everyone to do the same on my team and in my locker room, so I'll keep pushing everyone to be at their best.  I came to the HIFL to win Impact Bowls.

[GM Mike Powers]

And that fire, along with your talent, is why I pursued you to be the Quarterback of this team. Out-fucking-standing.

Give 'em hell this week.


Lock in

[GM Mike Powers]

Hello everyone. I'm sure you all heard Haywood's comments. I'm grateful to have established such a trust and a connection with a terrific young talent. He says I'm his guy - well, the feeling is mutual.

Another rough game for us. I could give you all platitudes like "trust the process" or whatever. The truth is, losing sucks. We were under no false impressions going into this season, but working through it is tough. But, we're all professionals, so we will soldier on.

Thanks for coming.

[Talon]

 

Hey man, its year one of a tough rebuild.  We're seeing guys show their true colors and that's a good thing to see. 

[GM Mike Powers]

It shows character for sure. Who is impressing you with how they're handling it, and who isn't?

[Talon]

 

Its tough to say, because losing makes things hard for everyone; the biggest poor performers in the realm of handling the transition is Dele Obaje, James Steed, Kurt Dietz, and Rawdog McQueen.

[GM Mike Powers]

Those names aren't too surprising. Vets, most of which are used to winning. Is anyone doing the opposite? Being real strong and positive in the locker room, despite the losing?

[Talon]

 

Its mainly been the offense; Dobbins, Young, McLendon, and Kirkland.

[GM Mike Powers]

Makes sense. Well unless you have anything else, I think it's about time to get what's comin' to me from our esteemed owner.

[Talon]

  Well, this first bombing run has not been successful, we're not on pace to improve our record, we're not on pace to improve our points per game, and we are not on pace to lower our points allowed per game.    I want your time here to be more than one brief flyby, so lets show some signs of life.  We don't want to crash and burn, GM Powers.

[Talon]

YOU FEEL THE NEED, THE NEED FOR SPEED.

[Talon]

THE TRAIN IS LEAVING THE STATION. CHOO CHOO!

[GM Mike Powers]

10-4 Mr. Barone. I may have underestimated the state of a team post-Franchise, but I won't let that get me down. This year may suck, but next year will be better!

*****

Coach, gonna switch some things up see if it ignites a spark.

Increase the pass 10% across the board

RB 1 - Patrick Jenkins

KR1 & PR1 - Robert Coombs

Lock in

[GM Mike Powers]

Excellent job on offense today. Clearly we have a ways to go, especially on defense, but it was great seeing such a burst of life from the squad.

We've got Cancun coming up, and GM Cut n Run has all but thrown in the towel on the season. He may be thinking that he is playing 4D chess by strategizing his way to the #1 pick, but all he is doing is showing he never had the mettle for the type of ball we play up here in the North East.

Have a great day everyone.


*****


Coach, great job with the offense. Clearly we need to prioritize defense in the off-season, that much is a given.

How about the o-line though, how well are they protecting Milt?

[Talon]

 

Overall the line has been fine, nothing extraordinary, but outside of Ford's high missed blocks totals, nothing alarming.

[GM Mike Powers]

Good to know. The demotion seems like it lit a fire in Ramse and put a chip on his shoulder in a good way. I think we'll keep things as is and see what happens. Agree?

[Talon]

I agree.

[GM Mike Powers]

Okay, let's roll on.

Lock in

[GM Mike Powers]

You know that old saying, anything that can go wrong, will? That's how this season is shaping up. Every time we have another win in sight, some disaster happens and we lose.

Trying to take positives away from the season.....it's character building. We're really seeing how great a lot of our younger players are, how much drive they have, despite our record. It's good information to have when building a team, that's for sure.

*****

Coach....what can I say. It is what it is.

[Talon]

 

I just feel bad for our guys. They played hard to win that game and get into field goal range late and then to lose the ball like that, without a shot at the kick, I know that pain and it sucks.

[GM Mike Powers]

Yeah, it's a damn shame. This team, especially the offense, isn't as bad as our record implies. I guess we need to discuss the elephant in the room. A discussion nobody wants to have....the tanking discussion.

Looking at some other teams and the moves they are making, it's clear that they're tanking. Let me be clear about my feelings on intentionally tanking. Fuck. That.

Would it be nice to have the 1st overall? Absolutely. Am I willing to make moves to intentionally try and lose? Nope. That isn't to say we can't or we won't move things around. The back end of a lost season is a great time to see what some players have. We just won't be starting our 3rd QB against MB, and running 'punt return' for each defensive play, shit like that.

Jenkins for example gets one more shot as the primary back, and if it goes the way the last few games has, that'll be the end of it and we can see what Coombs has. Is there anyone else you want to get a closer look at in a starting role? Offense or defense?

[Talon]

 

That's what I want to hear boss, I can't be expected to give my all if you are back there rooting for us to fail so we get the top pick.  The draft isn't about where you pick, its about who you pick.

Round 1 sells tickets. Rounds 2-4 win games, but Rounds 5-7.. thats where you win championships.   DEPTH. QUALITY DEPTH.  You put that behind your stars and you can't lose because of an injury.

I'd like to see Johnson and Luna get reps at guard, both could be long term options for us.   I think Melendez getting some reps at tackle would be good too, Ford has kind of let us down in a big way, so I think letting him walk is the obvious choice to save some money.

I'd like to give Busby and the other receivers some reps in and phase Loren out of the offense, he'd be a good trade or amnesty option, he just isn't fitting our offense.

Same with using Moody and Muse in some spots and phasing out Steed at linebacker. 

Maybe Council at Free Safety?

[Talon]

AUTOLOCK WARNING -- 1700HRS TODAY EST

[GM Mike Powers]

Sounds like we're speaking the same language Coach. Please let all the players who are losing playing time know that it doesn't necessarily reflect on them. We are just seeing what building blocks we have for the future and getting some guys playing time. Here's what we'll do this week:

Depth Chart Changes:

RG- Preston Johnson
RG2- Mauro Luna
RG3- Daniel Cowley

RT- Clifford Glass
RT2- Richard Melendez
RT3- Robert Love

WR1- Robert Dobbins
LWR4- Keith Van Hoose

WR2- Haywood Young
WR5- Chang Lam

WR3- John Busby
WR6- Loren Isaacs

MLB1- Michael Moody
MLB2- James Steed

ROLB1- Kurt Dietz
ROLB2- Roger Toliver

LOLB1- Octavio Muse
LOLB2- Keith Blackburn

FS1- Jim Council
FS2- Bruce Snodgrass
FS3- Thomas Bone


Lock in