TUCSON STARS [GM PANCHO]

[GM Dougie]

Ms. Morningstar, can you get Thomas Maldonado in real quick please?

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Thomas, congrats on the new contract. We see you as the leader of the Stars for years to come and that commitment needed to be in writing. Its done today. We see you leading us to the promised land for years to come and we're glad you are on board to do the same.

[Talon]

I'm thrilled boss!  Its great to hear praise and confidence in the media, but we all know that every GM blows that kind of smoke to the media, but to see that contract come down with the chance to earn that much more on performance goals?!  I can't wait to earn my keep and elevate this organization to new heights! 

It's game time!  Get your sunglasses GM Fresh, these Stars are about to SHINE!

[GM Dougie]

We want nothing but the best for this team and all of its players and we are showing you will be the one to do it. Have a great week of practice and go out there and show them why you just got that deal!

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Ms. Morningstar, I'm off to go talk to Coach Knight now.

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Well that's some business done. Tell me about the team. Big win. What are we doing to not let that euphoria cause us to have a let down against this Dallas team?

[Talon]

 

We'll start with the elephant in the room... I don't think Maldy is our quarterback of the futr---

I'm just pulling your leg, brother.  Anyways, we're really focused right now.  The team looks better than I've ever seen.

[GM Dougie]

I deserve that. Good rub.

Just wanted to be sure you had nothing specific to talk about before this game. I see how these things go where a team gets a big win and then the next week loses a game that they could have won.

But I'm convinced we're alright. You said morale is good and it showed. If you say focus is good then I trust you 100%

Win this on the road and we have a strong position in the division. Go get it!

Lock In

[GM Dougie]

1. Discuss your week 6 results.

Well good afternoon once again. I cannot speak enough to these young men and what they're accomplishing every week. This was a gritty game and the box score wasn't pretty. Can we give game balls to the entire defense for pitching a shutout? We can? Ok we're doing that. This was a needed statement game. We're doing exactly what we need to do to be in it when the regular season ends. This team is mentally tough, hungry, not getting lost in the moment, and ready for any challenge which we know many more loom each and every week. There's always room for improvement and our coaches know that. Dallas played us really tough especially in the trenches and we responded but we had one of our least disciplined games of the year with those 8 penalties. Thankfully it didn't turn into any points. We're really happy with where this team is at, sitting atop the conference and undefeated in our division. While at the same time, staying under the radar and being able to be within ourselves.

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

Kind of going along with that point, sure we're a headline this week...we're an underdog against Lincoln. Our guys love that. That's bulletin board material. And trust me, I keep receipts. We'll talk about that in a bit. As for the rest of the league, you know its my preference that we keep things focused on what's in house and shut out the noise, but I will be curious how the representative of the general managers responds to the allegations of his teams' players being dirty as we general managers have to show that our actions are in the best interests of the players and the league as a whole.

3. Discuss your next opponent and game. What is your biggest advantage in this contest?

As I said, I keep receipts. It will be two years ago today...exact same week of the season...exact same location on the road in Lincoln. Let's talk about that game. We started that game up 14 in the first quarter. And then Lincoln ran up 33 unanswered points. Smoak smoked us. They sacked a rookie Maldy 3 times. They got 3 turnovers. They dominated the line of scrimmage as we had 31 carries for 22 yards. We had 8 penalties. Only reason the final was a 12 point difference was that legendary Luigi caught a touchdown in the last garbage minute.

This is the biggest advantage we have in this contest. We know who we are...and we know where we came from. This Tucson team is not that team two years ago. And the rest of the league will know that if they haven't figured it out already. This is going to be a tough game, in Lincoln, against an efficient, well coached team.

We're 5th in the league in points scored. We've given up less points than Lincoln despite playing one more game. We're physically and mentally tough. I think we match up closely on both sides of the ball. Our coaches will put our players in the best position to win this game.

[GM Dougie]

Well coach, tell me how you feel about matching up with Lincoln this week. I think they might be one of the best offenses we've seen this year.

[Talon]

Lincoln is in the upper crust of the league this year, but so are we.  They have piled up yardage, especially with the run game. Harris gives them that Ortega-dynamic at times and Jarvis/Jones is already one of the premier rushing tandems the league has ever seen.  That's my biggest concern.  We are 30th against the run and they are 3rd.  We have to stuff them and deter them from grinding us down from the start.  The onus has to be on the run defense.   

They are weak in the secondary right now, so if Maldy can make his throws and we can punch them in the mouth in the run game that's going to be our path to victory.

[GM Dougie]

Well I think we've done well the past couple weeks against the run. Perhaps those teams aren't the best measuring stick for that but hopefully its some positive momentum. I know teams are going to want to run on us all year. First off, how's Peacock doing? Probable is a good thing but if something freak happens during practice this week and he can't go that will really hurt us against the run.

I'm still under the impression that there isn't really a lot we should do with the roster right now but in your opinion, areas of weakness in any positions or depth?

[Talon]

We have three great guards with Roush, Smith, and Rousseau.

We have great depth at tackle with Lopez and Rosser being outstanding backups.

Luckily we have decent depth at backer since Sapp is out but we're playing well with him down, I don't see a big time weakness we need to improve on brother. 

I'd love a superstar running back to help our game, but 4.4 YPC for Stevie is just fine and CJ gets into the end zone when we need it, so it's workin'

[GM Dougie]

No need to try and fix what isn't broken. So we know we have to be stout against the run, continue to play great defense, and keep scoring. Sounds good to me.

I'll let you back at it. I'm going to tend to a little business before we keep going.

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Ms. Morningstar, Scott Forrest please.

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Good morning Scott. As always I appreciate doing business with you. I'm just putting a feeler out there on Frank Cleveland. We've got plenty of time as well as the option for next season. I'm just curious on what you all were looking at in terms of staying in Tucson long term. We're winning and we're the kind of market that's out of the spotlight. Frank talked about that day one how he wasn't interested in being in a big market place and just wanted to focus on football. We love having him.

[Talon]

As is my policy with all of my clients, I prefer to allow all 32 teams to express their interest in my clients when their contracts expire, but I will tell you that with Frank market size is not a driving force, like you know, he actually prefers less spotlight, however money is the ultimate deciding factor.  He will want to be fairly compensated and I will make sure that he is.

[GM Dougie]

I promise you I knew that coming into the question. It still helps to know that he appreciates being in this area and on this team. He'll be getting a raise next year in the form of the option and we'll go from there.

Thanks so much for your time Scott it is a pleasure.

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Coach, so based on our previous conversations, the plan of attack seems to be to keep going strong and be in it every game. If something happens over the next couple weeks and we need to address something via trade or the market to help you out, we'll do that.

Any adjustments you'd suggest going into this big game?

[Talon]

 

No changes here brother, we're going to give them the Hard Pass.

[GM Dougie]

Make them swallow their pride.

Lock In

[GM Dougie]

1. Discuss your weeks results.

That was a really tough game. Lincoln is a great football team. We absolutely knew that coming in and there were two objectives, make sure we play better than the last time we went in there, and win. We accomplished one of those but unfortunately had to walk away with the loss. They're complete and we're not quite there yet. I don't really have a bad thing to say about our guys. They're gutsy, not afraid to come from behind, the numbers were definitely there and perhaps on our field or neutral it goes a different way. We had chances to win but didn't get it. The one thing we really weren't able to do this game was get to the quarterback and we know you gotta get better there. Its a delicate balance to find in this defense. If you're too aggressive then the running back makes you pay. If you hold the line, the QB gets that extra half a second to make you pay. We've gotta make plays and we're getting there day by day. I hope we see Lincoln again in the playoffs and show the improvement we will make.

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

I'm just going to put this media-infused narrative to bed right now. There aren't many Waylon Hagan's out there. If you had him on your team and he retired, you'd miss him too. He's a guaranteed sack or two a game and an absolute legend. It just so happens his specialty is in an area where we're lacking so Maldy's comment is being seen as a negative. I miss Waylon Hagan. Maldy is a leader and plays his heart out. End of story.

That's probably the most interesting news to me. We get that headline and its all b.s. and not about how good this team continues to be.

3. Discuss your next opponent and game. What is your biggest advantage in this contest?

We're back at home against what looks to be a San Antonio team finding its stride. Division games have been tough on this team the past couple years and the Knights have really had our number. To be who we want to be this year, just like against Vegas, we have to vanquish those demons. We are going to have to find a way to stop their currently surging offense but we know we can score on them as well. Its going to be a hard nosed division game and being in front of our home crowd will certainly make a difference. This San Antonio team will no doubt be a challenge but we can walk away with the win.

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Coach Knight. Everything I've heard about the team morale has been nothing but amazing. Is there anything I should know after the loss or was that storyline in the news just grasping at straws like I suspect?

[Talon]

 

I think it's all bullshit, brother.

[GM Dougie]

Kinda what I figured.

This week we've got a big game. What are your feelings? Their offense has been explosive. A win at home would certainly contribute to keep the division out of anyone's reach but there really is no such thing as comfortable.

[Talon]

 

They can score, but they aren't a complete team, we should take care of business.

[GM Dougie]

Anything from your offensive coordinator given his ties to our opponent's head coach?

[Talon]

 

Such a funny situation there.. We have Vince as our OC, he was the HC at Texas Tech with his younger brother Kelly as his OC, but Vince gets our OC job and Kelly gets a HC job in the HIFL??!??  how backwards is that, brother.

Tell you what though, both guys know how to run an offense.  They're nephews of the legendary Benson Stark who used to HC in New Jersey, which I think means they are also related to GM Stark in New Jersey now... but anyways,   Vince and Kelly worked on their systems together, so yes we have a little insight there, but they will have a little drop on our schemes as well.

[GM Dougie]

Well, we keep doing what we're doing and take care of business. Get us a big home win.

Lock In

[GM Dougie]

1. Discuss your weeks results.

No one is happy that we let that game slip through our fingers especially at home. We were up 17-3 and let them go 21 unanswered. With the aspirations this team has, that's the kind of thing that has to be cleaned up. Credit goes to San Antonio nonetheless as they've always had a trump card on us in recent years. We will get them back. There's going to be a narrative that continues to talk about our sacks and I'll get to that later but we did get Smoak twice. There were situations that pressure could have made a difference and we didn't get that pressure but its not an all game thing every game. We're a great football team and these setbacks are only going to make us stronger. What matters now is that we're not comfortable which opens the door to evolution. We did a lot of the right things on both sides of the ball. Next game will be better.

2. Discuss any news that interested you, also what are some of the stats and/or stat leaders that have surprised you at the mid-point of the season?

Some of the stat leaders don't surprise me at all. When I stand up here, I choose to advocate for our team...our guys. So here's some stats you might be interested in hearing about that aren't on the news wire.

We've scored the 5th most points in the league.
We're 8th in points per game.
We're 3rd in turnover differential.
We're 2nd in the league in both interceptions and forced fumbles.
We're 4th in pass yards allowed.
We're 7th in points allowed per game.

But because we're in the bottom 5 in sacks, our defense gets slack in the league circles. I'd suggest a lot of those defensive stats say otherwise. Jody Smith is having a great year he's in the top 10-15 in the league in both interceptions and forced fumbles.

And as for some of guys on offense, Dunlap is on pace for another 1200 yard season. Maldy is tied for 5th in TDs. Eugene and Finch are top 7 in catches. What a year Eugene is having...the model of consistency. He's 2nd in the league in touchdown catches and has the best catch rate of any player with more than 43 targets.

That consistency will show at the end and why we'll be in the conversation whether anyone wants us there or not.

3. Discuss what you hope to achieve this week.

The bye week came at a great time. Two losses to good teams will give us some tape to watch, some growth to create, and an opportunity to get back on track for when we hit the road to Portland. We'll have good practices, good conversations, and watch how the league unfolds this coming week. Every minute provides an opportunity to get better.

[GM Dougie]

Not a good feeling going into a bye with two losses coach. But a good time to assess nonetheless. Tell me if there's any immediate concerns you have if any about the recent state of play.

[Talon]

 

The Knights loss bothers me more than the Lincoln one, but we didn't play badly, we just had another week where we couldn't make it happen coming out of halftime.  I don't know if thats good adjustments on their part or bad ones on ours, either way we have to be more successful in the 3rd quarter, which we have been all year long.  Of course I'd love to see us add more pass rush it's been Layton or bust, we need Frank to step up and play like he did last season, if he does then our solution is in hosue.

[GM Dougie]

Tell me more about Frank. I know the potential is there. He's a good player. How much of it was being opposite Hagan versus how much of it was him having more of a breakthrough year?

[Talon]

 

He still needs to keep working on his power and power moves in general for his pass rush, but he's got all the tools.  I thought he was going to be a 10+ sack guy this year again, but so far it just hasn't clicked.  I'm thinking of trying to shake things up on the line a bit and give some other guys reps, maybe it rests him enough to make plays and motivates him to get back to his best.

[GM Dougie]

We can definitely do that.

Speaking of rotating guys, do you think Sapp has a chance to be back after the bye week?

[Talon]

 

I'm expecting him to miss another week realistically, but if we get lucky with his rehab, we might get him back sooner.

[GM Dougie]

Alright. I think that's it for now. Enjoy the bye week. Make sure the guys get some good practices and good camaraderie.

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Ms. Morningstar, Anthony Campanelli please.

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Anthony my guy. Eugene McReynolds is having yet another solid campaign. Retirement talk comes and goes with a player of his caliber and experience in the league and currently he's set to be a free agent after this season. I wanted to see if we could add an option year to his contract. We want him to know that should he want to keep it going after this year that the Stars would want him to stay. Of course we can make it a player option because he deserves the respect that his future is his decision.

[Talon]

Paisan!  That's what I'm talkin' about!  Respect shown, respect reciprocated!   You've gotta deal, fuggettaboutit!

[GM Dougie]

It is my pleasure sir. We hope Eugene decides ultimately to stay with us another year.

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Ms. Morningstar, Coach Knight please.

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Coach, as you can see, not only did we tack on an option year for Eugene, but I just brought in Anthony McLaughlin from Las Vegas to assist with the Defensive End position. He has gotten some sacks this year and hopefully this bolsters what we see from the pass rush.

[Talon]

 

We'll get him in a rotation right way, hopefully it sparks the rest of the boys to do better as well.

[GM Dougie]

Love it. Keep it up. I'll get back to business.

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Ms. Morningstar, Eli Harris please.

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Eli, Douglas Fresh here. We haven't talked a lot so it's good to speak about business. Edward Bailey has been productive in this system. We know his deal is up this year and I wanted to see if you've talked to him about his interest in staying here in Tucson.

[Talon]

 

GM Fresh, I hear you're a good man to work with so I'll lay it out clean.  We're looking for 4 years at $13MM per season.

[GM Dougie]

First and foremost thank you for being forward. And you know as with all GMs, we maintain a tight budget with guys to pay but I try my best to make it fair and I understand regardless of the outcome.

So here's what I'm looking at. Happy with the 4 years. I can go similar to what we did with Darwin. $10MM per season. I'll also make the last year a player option. AND I'll increase his current S15 salary by $2MM because he deserves a bump. That way he gets a little extra right now and gets a long term deal to stay with a winning franchise for years to come.

[Talon]

 

My man!  We have a deal.

[GM Dougie]

I'll send it to the league office. Thank you!

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Ms. Morningstar, Eugene McReynolds please

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Eugene, thanks for coming in. Let me be real with you.  I can't type a report for shit. I'm far better with numbers. And there's no doubt that you're a man who would own up to mistakes. I am as well. I apologize for the error.

That said, you're having a great year and we want you to stay here. The option is still in your court regardless of my gaff as a sign of respect. My apology is a sign as well.

[Talon]

 

  Aye lookily William Wallace's spirit won't come to haunt those who desecrate Scottish names...

...seriously, it's all good boss, I really don't care. I've been in this game for 15 years, I've seen and heard worse.

[GM Dougie]

Nonetheless it matters to me especially to someone who has done so much in the short term for the Stars and long term for the entire league. Thanks for coming in Eugene. Have a good rest of the bye week!

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(Talks to himself)

Well I think for now business is fine. Lets hope the team comes back from the bye week ready to go!

Lock In

[GM Dougie]

1. Discuss what piece of news was most surprising to you.

Well I think hands down most of us are going to say that the massive trade with Seattle and Louisville is a headline grabber. GM Gooch is a good one and I imagine at the end of the day this benefitted both sides because when general managers are in trades, there's not just short term incentive for it.

2. Discuss any news that interested you, what do you make of the recent GM moves around the league?

I think the fact that our fans are clamoring for something just re-emphasizes the interest they have in the success of this franchise. A few years ago, they were just talking about the next year and the uncertainly about keeping guys like a Jody Smith on this team. Now that's an expectation and the job of a general manager is to find the balance between fostering talent, keeping talent, acquiring talent, and making it work with in a budget that isn't imaginary like in some other professional leagues. Its a hard job but I try to do the very best I can for our players, coaches, and fans. I feel bad when any general manager loses his job which brings me to GM Cure and hopefully he lands in another job quickly.

3. Rate your teams activity level this week when it comes to the Trade deadline, should fans have their notifications on for a big deal, or is it likely to be quiet?

I always tend to be in the middle between cautious and aggressive. The right opportunities have to present themselves. We did do a deal already to get some help up by bringing in McLaughlin from Las Vegas. I won't say we're done and I won't say we're not. It just has to be right for the team.

4. How safe do you feel you are right now, is your job secure?

No doubt in my mind. Not even a question worth asking at this presser.

5. Discuss your next opponent and game. What is your biggest advantage in this contest?

This certainly has the look of a get right game. We need to rebound from our two losses which we were competitive but they're still losses. We're heading to Portland who we know from last year can always be tough but one advantage is that they haven't won a home game yet this season. But perhaps a bigger one is that we're fresh, we're hungry, and we're looking to be back on track on our march to the playoffs.

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Ms. Morningstar, can you give me what you have on financials? I want to make sure mine matches yours before I go any farther.

[Talon]

  Hello GM Fresh!  I have us with $6.1MM in salary available and $5.5MM in bonus.. sounds like just enough to make a splash in the trade pool, if we wanted!

[GM Dougie]

Many thank yous Ms Morningstar

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Come on in coach.

What are your thoughts on the roster as a whole? Biggest areas of weakness?

[Talon]

I assume we're talking about in the here and now; potential aside, where are we weak in this years roster for making a run at the championship?  If that's the case here is what I think:

QB - we are set.

RB - We could upgrade from a talent POV obviously, none of our guys "rate" high, but they're averaging 4+ YPC and getting in the end zone, so its a question of ow much better are we with a "top end" RB?  Does a Robles or Zeke Elliott come in and add 5-6 TDs to our totals? 

Guard - We have probably the best depth and great starters are guard in the league, Smith, Roush, and Rousseau is an embarrassment of riches.

Tackle - We could do better than Brown at RT, but he's doing just fine, depth is great.

Center - No changes.

Tight End - We're fine.

Wide Receiver - My only complain is we lack a burner, same situation as a team like Miami, we have a lot of talent but we don't have that game breaking speed.  Spear is fast, but he doesn't have elite speed anymore.

Corner - We could upgrade our CB3 to a more starter-quality guy, Reed is going to be good for us long term, but we could add a more legit guy there for this push.

Linebacker - We're fine, not elite by any means, but solid top to bottom including depth.

D-Tackle - Fine.

Defensive End - We've talked about this a lot, we've added McLaughlin, hopefully that helps us enough.

Safeties are great... no need to change. 

[GM Dougie]

Ok so there's some things to look at. I plan on gathering some intel around the league before making any final decisions. It feels good to know that we're very strong throughout the squad.

In the meantime...Portland this week...any reservations? I feel like on paper we're in a very good place this week.

[Talon]

 

The only concern I have is the losing streak, I don't think we're in a position to lose this week, but momentum is a scary thing.

[GM Dougie]

I hope it equals motivation and focus.

Welcome in Brian Wong to the CB room. I was able to get that done to help the CB3 spot. Still listening to other things but running out of manageable resources. I'll keep on the line for a day or two before calling it.

[Talon]

Love it, getting Wong gives us a great addition to fortify the defense.  Now just go grab us one of those stud pass rushers from Seattle and we're golden!

[GM Dougie]

Ms. Morningstar, please send a personal letter to Frank Cleveland and his agent expressing my sincere thanks to his time served with the Tucson Stars, I want him to know I wish him the very best and with considering this trade, it was important to us that he was able to go to a team that also is in a similar market that fits his preferences. I have nothing but high hopes for his future success.

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Travis come on back in.

You got your wish. Arthur Matthews is with us for years to come. It was essential we put something together that did this right. I hope that you won't have any difficulty with the game plan with the quick addition.

[Talon]

 

A player like Matthews is plug and play, we're better for the move, even if it stings to say goodbye to a young kid like Frank. 

This is a deal we needed to make, I believe.