VANCOUVER WOLFPACK [GM DAZZ]

[Talon]

...well that was a swift kick in the balls.   AMC running well opened up a lot of passing lanes and our lack of pressure against their o-line was just a bad mix.

[GM Dazz]

Yeah. I think we need the LBs supporting the run and I would suggest dialing back the aggression one notch until we're comfortable with the fundamentals. I'm also tempted to switch to a man marking scheme while the lads get used to each other and the coaching staff. Just really simplify things for the next few weeks before building them up again.

[Talon]

 

That makes sense.  We can make this big switch and then gradually make changes back and see what takes.

[GM Dazz]

That was my thought process. I think that's a big enough change without switching out players or anything else. The only other point to raise is discipline. It's one of the reasons I want to drop back the aggression a notch but is there anything else we can look at to address that?

Offensively things worked great so no need to change there.

[Talon]

 

That is the only thing we can change from gameplanning stand point to try to get the discipline in check.

[GM Dazz]

OK. We'll go with these changes and see how things develop. Thanks Coach.

Strategy changes:
Defensive attitude: balanced
Coverage scheme: man
Linebackers: attacking

lock in

[GM Dazz]

S17 - WEEK 2 POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE


1. Talk about your teams performance this week.

It was great to get our first win of the season and the new era. It was even better to do that in our first home game against a division rival. It was another great offensive performance from the lads and we were much better defensively as well. Obaje was excellent again and sets the standard for the lads around him. There are still things that we need to improve but it's still very early and the team needs time to gel together. I think there's only 1 starter in our front 7 who was here last season. That we were able to get the win against a very good team and do that relatively comfortably in the end shows we're on the right track. I'm very pleased but there's still a lot of work to do.

2. How do you feel about your team after two weeks?

We're still learning who we are as a team and the lads are still getting used to all of the changes around here so it's difficult to say much one way or the other. I can definitely see a lot of potential here but I'm also seeing some concerning signs that may need correcting sooner rather than later. We'll need to hold off though and see how things develop over the coming weeks. I'm not one for chopping and changing for the sake of it so we'll wait for a bigger sample size before I make any judgments. I will say, though, that we seem to be a very good offensive team already so our games should at least be fun to watch.

3. TALK ABOUT A NEWS STORY THAT INTERESTS YOU

There seems to be a lot of knee-jerk reaction in the media and fandom of some teams already. It's 2 weeks and fans are already turning on players, players are turning on other players or previous GMs, journalists are writing teams off and already predicting the first GMs to lose their jobs... it's madness. It's only 2 weeks. I'm not sure I've seen so much drama this early in a season before. I guess it sells column inches but it all seems a bit much if you ask me.

4. Talk about your opponent for week 3 and what you will need to see from your team.

Well if you believe the media reports we're about to face a team that are destined to have a perfect season and represent the East in the Impact Bowl. If you're a bit more reasonable you'll see that we're about to face a very good team managed by a talented GM who will probably represent the East in the Impact Bowl. I think I picked London as a team to watch a few weeks ago and so far they're not disappointing. Obviously we're aiming to disappoint them this week and if we play to our strengths offensively we can definitely do that. We'll need to do a much better job of defending against the run though if we want to set ourselves up for success. We can't keep letting running backs rush for 200 yards and expect to win games. I'm sure that improvement will come with time and familiarity but we'll need to find other ways to manage things in the meantime. If we can get out to an early lead and dictate the tempo it might help us to limit their rushing by forcing them to chase the game through the air but that's probably everyone's plan most weeks. Failing that we'll just have to outscore them in a shootout and I wouldn't put that past us.

[Talon]

  Loving Mazza's ball security and accuracy so far.  81%, 0 INTs.   No pun intended, but he's playing some real smart football.

[GM Dazz]

It's a big part of why he was the top name on my list at QB this year. He was pretty accurate in Atlanta as well. He kind of reminded me of Hudgins but with more deep ball threat so if we can keep him upright he could be in the MVP conversation by the end of the season. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves at this early stage in the season. I also don't want to make too many changes between games this early unless things go really wrong so we'll go again this week. Thanks Coach.

Lock in

[GM Dazz]

S17 - WEEK 3 POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE


1. Talk about your teams performance this week.

I know it was a loss and the fans probably won't be feeling great but I saw a really good effort from the lads out there. To go into London... half way around the world... and to take one of the top teams in the league to overtime in their own home shows a lot of heart and it shows that we're on the right track. Some excellent performances this week from lads on both sides of the ball, not just Obaje on defence either. The LBs and secondary are starting to join in more now as well so if we can fix our one Achilles heel I think we'll be a really tough team to score on. We're improving week by week so there's a lot of encouragement that can be taken from that game. Being 1-2 at this stage isn't where we want to be but performances are showing a lot of promise and I think the fans can be excited about where we're heading. Offensively we're looking great on the ground and great through the air so we've got lots of ways to hurt our opponents. If we keep playing like this we'll outscore most teams in the league.

2. Do you feel a particular coach has stood out on your staff, and why?

It's been 3 weeks. What is with these questions? Last week you wanted me to tell you how I feel about my team having played 2 games and now you're asking me to evaluate coaches after 3. Save these questions for mid-season because at this point we've still not played much football and I've been in Vancouver all of 5 minutes. I'll tell you what though, between now and our bye week Coach Graham has a great opportunity to show what he's all about. We have a group of young DTs who have a lot of growth in them so I'm expecting to see our run defence improve dramatically over the next few weeks. If Coach Graham can work on their tackling and get a couple of them up to the standards we need by week 8 we'll be in a great spot heading into the second half of the season.

3. Talk about your opponent for week 4, do you see any holes in their game that you can exploit?

Things don't get any easier with the visit of Long Beach this week. Now that I'm not in the same division I can probably admit that they are a very talented team with a unique GM who clearly knows how to put a roster together. Do I see any holes in their game? No, I don't. Does that make them unbeatable? No, it doesn't. I think we've shown in all of our games so far that we're able to put up a lot of points and to play competitively against the best teams in the league. We're very difficult to scheme against because of how balanced we are offensively. We've been able to consistently get pressure on the QB, mainly through Obaje but also through some of the other lads this past week. 13 sacks in a single game doesn't happen by accident. We need to believe that we can beat anyone, and we should be able to with the talent we have on this team. It's just about consistency now and making sure we play 4 good quarters every game. It'll be another tough game for us but it should also be another great watch.

4. What do you make of Mazza being in a small group of top yardage QBs with no interceptions?

I think it shows he was underestimated in his first stint in the league and a big loss to the HIFL while he played in the PFL last year. I'm delighted to have him on the team and I'm not even remotely surprised that he's started so strongly. When we analysed the available QBs in the off-season he stood out as a guy who ticked all of the boxes of what I was looking for in a franchise QB. He looks after the ball fantastically, he's a great athlete and he has a great arm as well. He's really leading by example already this season and he's going to quickly become a fan favourite. We're really pleased with his performances and can't wait to see how he grows with this group around him.

[Talon]

 

  I felt like our corners played a really good game, but two times we got beat and two times they took massive 70+ yard touchdowns..  Its that brutal game within the game.  We're asking our guys to be right all the time, and the receiver just has to be right once to make a game changing impact.

[GM Dazz]

I don't blame the corners for that. I see it as a symptom of our struggles defending the run. If we're having to bring a safety in close we lose some cover over the top. Sort out our d-line issues and we should see less of those deep shots. I want us working heavily on tackling with our DTs if possible and I'm going to put Vance in for Taylor full time. He seems to get more penetration which should help.

[Talon]

 

  Understood, we'll put a bigger focus on fundamentals and dial back some other training to make it work.

[GM Dazz]

I think that's consistent with the approach we discussed a couple of weeks ago. Work on the fundamentals until we get really good at those and build up from there. We'll look at marking scheme again in a week or two and look to move to a mixed scheme but I don't want to confuse players by constantly changing what we're doing. Thanks Coach.

Strategy changes:
Vance to DT2 in all formations

lock in

[GM Dazz]

S17 - WEEK 4 POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE


1. Talk about your teams performance this week and through out this first quarter of the season.

It's always disappointing to lose, particularly at home, but there is so much for the lads and fans to be proud of from that performance. First quarter aside, which was absolutely unacceptable, we played a great game and fought back from adversity to wipe out a 21 point hole and force overtime against a great team. We showed a lot of heart and ability to do that and what I see here is a group that refuses to give up. That will take you a long way on its own. We can't be giving teams a massive head start like we did but the reaction to that shows that we're on the right track. There's a very talented team in here waiting to break out. Defensively we were much better again, other than the 1st quarter. The way we defended the run was the best we've seen this year and the big total was purely down to volume of run plays. Our record is bad but our performances have been much better than that and we've been able to compete with the best teams in the league. I think there's a lot to be positive about here. 

2. How do you feel about your players placement in the league leaders, a quarter of the way through the season?  Who is an unsung hero on this roster?

Offensively we're sitting very nicely in a number of positions. Mazza tops the league for TDs and still has zero interceptions so he has to be in the early conversation for MVP. We have Marcus Johnson ranked top 10 for receiving yards and tied for 3rd in TDs, I believe. What should stand out though is that 4 of our offensive linemen have 1 sack allowed and only 4 missed blocks between them across 4 games. If you want to talk about unsung heroes then I'll always point you towards the linemen because those lads are a huge factor in whether your offence works or not. So far they're doing a great job of keeping Mazza on his feet and are creating holes for our running backs to do their thing and I'm delighted with how they've been performing so far. People were predicting we'd struggle at T this year but the whole o-line has been excellent.

Defensively we're not looking great, other than Obaje who has been consistently living up to his own high standards, but if you look game by game there's clear progress from a lot of these lads. Nakamura is a great example for this actually. He started slowly, which is to be expected on a new team, but he's already clawed his way into the top 15 for sacks and I expect his performances to only improve over the remaining games this year. I don't think we're currently set up to get the best out of them but we're learning a lot about the team and I have a few thoughts on what we can do to change things. I do have to single Obaje out because he's only 2 sacks and 2 TFLs behind Wilkinson so far this season but seems to get no love from the media, which is ridiculous.

3. Talk about your opponent for week 5, do you see any holes in their game that you can exploit?

We host Kansas City this week who will be desperate to end their winless streak, which makes them a very dangerous opponent. You really don't want to be the 1 in a 1-4 record. That said, they're not a bad team and they played the Crows close this past week so they'll come in believing they can get something from this game. I don't think we need to worry about complacency with our own 1 win record and we also need to get our season going so I'm expecting our lads to give it their all once again. If you're looking for holes in the Kansas team then it's probably in their run game but our weakness for much of the season has been defending the run so it's not something we can get overly confident about exploiting. We need to keep working hard on improving our game and keeping our standards up for all 4 quarters if we want to turn this season around but I've seen progress every week so I'm confident we'll continue to get better.

[Talon]

The league is really sent for a loop this week. If you have anything we need to do, just let me know but if not I've got nothing that can't wait.

[GM Dazz]

There are some things I want to cover in some detail but I understand the mood around the league and I'm happy enough to leave it another week before going into the analysis. I do want to make 2 changes this week anyway though.

Strategy Changes:
Larry Villanueva to be primary backup to Tuilagi in all formations (Girogos Papadimitriou keeps his role as goal line RB)
Primary coverage: mixed

Lock in

[GM Dazz]

I said at the start of the season that we'd be fun to watch this season and I think we're delivering on that promise. I'd be much happier blowing teams out every week but there's something to be said for the exhilaration of a last minute TD to win the game. Offensively we were outstanding again but this week we got the result we deserved. I'm really starting to sound like a broken record but Mazza was fantastic and was robbed for offensive player of the week once again. This was probably the best performance from our talented offensive line as well which allows us to do so much of what we do. There's a lot to be excited about here.

Kansas didn't make it easy for us and I thought McGhee played really well. He had one of those performances that deserves to win a game but our lads don't have any quit in them and we fought back one last time at the end to win it. I can understand his frustration though and we could very easily find ourselves in a similarly frustrating spot. We've only scored fewer than 30 points once this season, and we only missed that by 2 points, and we've only won 2 games. As fun as shootouts are to watch it's incredibly frustrating to keep scoring points only to watch the opposition go down the other end and cancel that out immediately. When your offence is as good as ours is, or as good as McGhee was this week, all you're asking for from the defence is for them to be decent. They don't need to be great or elite or shutdown ballhawks or anything like that, they just need to be good. What's frustrating me at the moment is that we're seeing plenty of good individual performances or we're playing well in parts of games but it's not translating into good team performance or consistent performance across 4 quarters. This game was the same. 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, only 1 defensive penalty and yet we've allowed almost 40 points and over 450 total yards. There were plenty of good individual performances but overall it didn't translate into a good team performance defensively. It could have undone a great offensive performance but fortunately we were able to win the shootout. If we can figure it out we'll be a top team but as things are it's a bit of a coin flip whether we win any individual game.

This week it's Lincoln and they are another really good team that are going to push us all of the way. Once again they're probably weakest on the ground but we just made Kansas look elite in that regard so it's not an advantage we're able to capitalise on at the moment. I think we're in for another shootout and in those types of games there's always a chance for us to get the result we want.

[Talon]

Hey boss, just between us, I wanted to thank you for bringing me back to the HIFL.  I'm doing my best to prove you were right making the move to sign me instead of the other names on the market.

[GM Dazz]

We're delighted to have you here but I really appreciate you coming and telling me that. You're doing a great job of proving me right so far and I'm just glad we're able to give you that platform to prove some other people wrong. The only thing that has surprised me is just how quickly you and this brand new receiving corps have gelled but you lads are setting the standard for everyone else. Keep up the great work. I'll let you get back to practice but the door is always open to you if you have anything you want to get off your chest.
------

Anna, can I see Coach Joseph please?
------

Coach, I'm not going to sugar coat things. We are not good defensively and it's not like we're even just struggling in one area. We have a lot of really good players right across this group but only a few of them are playing up to expectations. To me that suggests there's something in our system that isn't matching up right and we need to get to the bottom of that. If it's the blitz ratios I set before the season then I'm happy for you to adjust those to suit your style. Beyond that, none of the other tweaks seems to have made much of a difference so I'm struggling to understand where the problems are originating from. Where do you think our core issues are?

[Talon]

 

Its tough for me because as a primarily offensive coach I don't have much of a preference on the defense. 

Coach Joseph likes a 4-3 defense with top notch corners playing mixed coverage.  The D-line focusing on pass rush, and the linebackers nave to be run-first sure-tacklers.

That's the best I can do there.  He likes a balanced aggression, and he works better with veterans than young players.

[GM Dazz]

Let's get Coach Joseph in here and see if he can share any insight.
-----

Anna, can you ask Coach Joseph to join us please?
-----

Coach Joseph, we were just discussing our defensive issues and I wanted your opinion on what we might still change to try and improve performance. I think we're pretty much set up the way you want things, other than the d-line focusing on run support but I think we need to. The only thing in the stats that stands out to me is that, despite blitz ratios averaging around 51%, we're only really seeing pressure from the d-line and Nakamura. If we're not even generating extra hurries from blitzing perhaps we shouldn't do it so much and try to keep things in front of us instead. We haven't touched the ratios so far so I'm thinking we drop our blitz ratios by 10% across the board. What sort of impact do you think that would have?

[Talon]

It would mean we have a few less plays where we send extra rushers.  I don't mind that.  Less blitzing should help the run defense as most blitzing plays are designed to attack the QB and if you run against the blitz you can cause them to over pursue and create holes.

[GM Dazz]

Let's go with that then. I was also thinking of switching up the linebackers in our 4-3 set. Nak is playing well but we're not currently getting the best out of either Pope or Laney. Looking at the stats, Laney isn't contributing in coverage so I'd rather use him in a more predominantly pass rushing Sam role. Pope isn't getting much penetration at the moment so I'd like to see him move into a Will role to see if we can get more out of him. With Nakamura being well rounded I'd like him in the middle. Does that work for you or am I placing someone in a position they're not suited for?

[Talon]

 

Nak is very comfortable in the middle, so I think that does make a lot of sense.  Pope is able to play anywhere so I don't think it will hurt us.

[GM Dazz]

That sounds like a plan then. I'm not expecting to see these changes suddenly turn us into an elite defence but hopefully we'll get some signs of improvement this week.

Strategic Changes:
Reduce blitz ratios by 10% across the board

4-3 formation
Will: Pope
Mike: Nakamura
Sam: Laney

Lock in

[GM Dazz]

Well a draw is never an ideal ending and I'm not sure anyone comes out particularly happy about the result but again there's plenty to be encouraged by in the performance. For the third time this season we took one of the best teams in the league to overtime and we even managed to avoid defeat this time. We made a few changes to the way we set up defensively and this was probably our best defensive performance of the season so far. I think the new position suits Pope better than playing in the middle and he had a huge impact on the game. We also saw much better production from lads on the d-line so I'm confident we're making the right changes now to get the best out of them. I still don't think we're making enough plays in the secondary and we seem to be very reactive but we were able to restrict the deep ball a lot better than we have been earlier in the year. Hopefully that trend continues but what concerns me is the lack of production from a unit that is rated as one of the best in the league by the pundits. There's still work to do but signs of improvement are there to see.

I saw the news about Garcia having to delete his social media accounts and I have to say I'm very disappointed in the way people have chosen to hound him off of there. I understand why people might be upset at the missed kicks but you can't put the blame for not winning that game on Garcia's shoulders alone and you can't expect a kicker to make every kick over 50 yards. You can expect them to make kicks under 50 and we should have had more of those opportunities but, and this is where I personally put the blame, we gave up stupid penalties at key times to make those kicks harder than they needed to be. I'm sure Garcia will bounce back quickly from that performance but what worries me more is the lack of discipline from our players. There are other games we should have won this season if not for stupid penalties and it needs to stop. I spoke before about our defence being too passive but that's because we can't play a more aggressive style due to the poor discipline from the lads. It is something I expect the coaches to get on top of sooner rather than later but each player on this roster needs to take responsibility for their own mistakes in this regard. We can't be giving away so many yards on lazy mistakes like false starts, holds and facemasks. It's unacceptable and I'll be making sure the captains are reminding the players of that this week.

Discipline is going to be even more important as we take on our biggest rivals this week. Emotions are going to be high and the fans will be calling for blood so it's vital that the players are able to stay calm and do their jobs professionally. Winnipeg have probably the strongest defence I've seen in a long time so we can't afford to be gifting them yards and we need to be efficient with any opportunity we're given. Garcia needs to be on form so we need the fans to get off his back and get behind him instead. Our defence needs to work extra hard to restrict space and put pressure on a weakened offensive line. We need to be at our absolute best in this one to show the league what we're capable of and to give the fans something to get excited about heading into the bye week the week after. I know I don't have to worry about motivation or heart from these lads and we definitely have the ability to compete with the best. What we need to see is all of the different parts of this team finally coming together and performing for 4 full quarters. Do that and we can upset a favourite for the Impact Bowl and get some momentum back into our season.

[Talon]

You're spot on about us needing to do better than settling on long field goals, but damn, I felt like at some point he had to get it right.  He's a good kicker, so to see that happen to him was just like... Damn.

[GM Dazz]

I couldn't say it in front on the press because I don't want to pile on but a kicker of his quality has to make at least 1 of those. What worries me is where his head's at considering he's deleted his social media. Kicking to me seems to be a lot about mental resilience and confidence so we need to make sure we're building him up again rather than blaming, which is very different to how some other GMs handle these things.

The other thing coming from the game, which I did mention, was costly penalties at key moments. I know there's not much we can do about it but with this being a rivalry game I thought it worth mentioning. How much would it impact your system if we slowed the tempo a notch?

[Talon]

 

I believe flexibility is important, so I'm fine with a tempo change if it helps us get things settled down.    I've told the coordinators to put an emphasis on disciplined play this week and going forward, so hopefully that reflects in our penalties as well.

[GM Dazz]

Sounds good, thanks Coach. The tempo change might not be a permanent thing but I think it'll help us to keep the ball out of Winnipeg's hands. I'll let you get back to practice. Could you send Garcia up to see me when you get there please?
-------

Bryant, thanks for coming to see me. I just wanted to let you know that myself and the coaching staff are 100% behind you despite all the social media nonsense you've been having to deal with. We know you're far more talented than your performances so far this season and we have faith that you'll turn it around. The key thing at the moment is that you keep believing in yourself and you just focus on the next kick. I'm sure you'll find your form again and what better time to do it than in a rivalry game against Winnipeg? I did want to give you this opportunity to let me know if there's anything we can do to better support you and help you get back to where you were last season. 

[Talon]

 

I appreciate the show of support. I am embarrassed with how poorly I've kicked this year, but I am working now to recenter myself and find my range.  Deleting all the socials has helped me stay in a good place and Im not staying up late at night scrolling that filth.

I think this week starts a huge comeback.

[GM Dazz]

I think that's a very healthy attitude. I don't do social media myself and can only imagine what might be said about me on there on any given day. Anyway, I can't wait to see you back at your best again. Thanks for your time and good luck this week.
------

Anna, could you ask Eddie Pope and 2Face Obaje to come and see me please?
------

Lads, thanks for coming to speak to me. I won't keep either of you long. 2Face, I wanted to congratulate you on how well you've settled into this team so far this season. It's been a very impressive start and we're delighted to have you here. I know the results haven't been where we want them so far but I hope you can see the improvement in performances and where this team is headed. Eddie, I thought that was a real breakout performance from you for this team against Lincoln and I hope this new position continues to suit you as the season goes on. This week against Winnipeg is a very important game for this city and the fans and a great opportunity for us to show everyone just how good we are. I don't think many people expect us to win but with Colt Williamson out there's absolutely no depth behind him at tackle. I think between the two of you there's a great chance to chase the single game sack record this week and put down a marker the league will have to take notice of. Their defence is ridiculously good so it's going to be important that we don't let their offence get comfortable when they have the ball. I hope you guys are hungry because I think there could be a feast of QB on offer.

[Talon]

We're both hungry and we've got that Dawg in us to go play big... This Wolfpack has some DAWGS.  Some Wolf Dawgs!

[GM Dazz]

This is a Wolfpackindahouse after all. That's great to hear anyway and I'm excited to see you feast this week. Cheers lads.
------

Strategy changes:
Tempo: Normal
Emphasis on discipline

lock in

[GM Dazz]

S17 - WEEK 7 POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

I don't think anyone expected us to put an end to Winnipeg's perfect season but here we are. The key to this victory was heart and having a group of players that won't ever give up and that will be a huge part of what makes us successful over the coming years. This is always a huge game here in Canada so it's great for our fans to be able to come out of it with a win to be proud of. They absolutely should be as well because the lads worked so hard throughout the game to make it happen. Going down 20 points early would have killed off most teams but we dug deep and simply refused to lose. Yes we'll hear a lot about the injury to Owen and how they would have done this or that if he'd stayed healthy. Those arguments might be right but I would point out that they only scored 2 TDs off of 2 deep balls and we kept them to field goals for the rest of the game, including a full quarter with Owen in. I'd also point out that we scored 29 points on a team that has been very difficult to score against all season. That's one of the things I want everyone to remember here. This win is important not just because of Winnipeg being our rival but because they are such a good team and the standard against which all teams are measured. It's a big day for everyone connected to Vancouver football and the fans should be allowed to celebrate that. We're aiming to make it just one of many big days for this franchise and we have to be setting our sights higher than just getting the odd victory over the rivals. 

I really loved what I saw in the press from Mazza with him giving credit to the coaches for his excellent form so far this season. He's an absolute joy to work with and not like some of these other QBs who see themselves as elite and demand that everyone worships them. Mazza takes it all with the humility of a real leader and someone who knows what's needed to get even better. He won't take the credit himself but he absolutely deserves the praise he's getting and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves when the season ends. He's right about the coaches as well, just to be clear. Coach Action and his team having been doing great work all season and you can clearly see the improvement in the team week after week.

This week we head into the bye week and while the players and coaches will have some time to refresh and to let the Winnipeg win sink in I'll be working hard on setting up the team for next season and the seasons to follow. We've already made one trade that might have fans worried but I'd like to take this opportunity to assure them there's no fire sale here like at other teams already. I also promise to be much much more careful with the paperwork in future. There may be one or two similar trades still to come but we're only going to make moves that help us reinvest from areas where we're spending too much to boost areas where we need to be spending more while trying to impact the current squad as little as possible. Losing a player like Tuilagi would be a big blow for any team but I think we're set up well to cope with that.

[Talon]

Proud of our team after that one.

[GM Dazz]

And I'd say you're right to be. You should be proud of your own efforts too. Particularly after Mazza spoke so highly of you to the press. I still think there's more to come from this team but it was a statement victory nonetheless. I think the lads deserve a few days off after that and then I will let you decide on how to use the rest of the week. I have a few contracts to try and tie up and potential trades to look into so I'll let you enjoy a well deserved break. Thanks Coach.
--------

Anna, could I speak to Amber Molina please?
--------

Ms Molina, I hope you are well. I'd like to speak to you about your client RB Larry Villanueva and extending his contract. I feel like he works well in tandem with Giorgos Papadimitriou so I'd like to keep them together for the next few seasons. I can offer a 3 year contract at $7million starting in season 18.

[Talon]

 

I was originally thinking $7.5MM so for 3 years we'll do the $7MM.

[GM Dazz]

That's perfect, thank you. Always a pleasure doing business with you.
-------

Anna, could you get me in touch with Mike Maker please. Thank you.
-------

Mr Maker, I'd like to speak to you about an extension for 2Face Obaje. Would he take an equal deal to our franchise QB at $26MM over 3 years, split $23MM and $3MM?

[Talon]

 

Three years, $23+3MM, we'll sign that today.

[GM Dazz]

Perfect, thank you. Just to make sure we're both on the same page before I send the contract through to the league office, that extension at the new salary will be starting in S18. I'm sure that's how we both understood it but I wanted to confirm.

[Talon]

 

We're on the same page, much obliged.

[GM Dazz]

Excellent. Thanks for that.
--------

Anna, I think I've extended all of the contracts I wanted to and I'll not bother the coaches with any further questions this week. I'll just be going over game footage now so feel free to take the rest of the bye week off. I'll see you at the start of next week.
--------

Depth chart changes:
Larry Villanueva replaces Tuilagi in all formations
Julius Robles to be added to the depth chart where Villanueva was previously

Lock in

[GM Dazz]

S17 - WEEK 8 POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

We had a really good bye week this week by normal standards but if you look at what's happened around the league I guess I'd say we had a fantastic bye week. None of our players picked up training injuries and we managed to extend deals for the players I wanted to. I would like to have seen our 2 remaining niggling injuries finally get sorted but we have enough depth to cover both so we'll not be rushing anyone back or panicking in the trade market. I do see that trade season is in full swing again now and there were a few names that piqued my interest so we'll keep an eye on things. I still think there's some salary that we need to free up before next season but I'm not going to throw away a decent position this year to do it.

Speaking of our position this year, when you look across the league it's probably one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory so far. There aren't many divisions sewn up already and plenty of teams sitting around .500 or thereabouts. We're currently 1.5/2 games back from Salt Lake... I don't quite understand how draws impact standings if I'm honest... so it's a great chance to drag ourselves back into the Division conversation. Conversely a loss this week could make it difficult to catch back up and perhaps my attention moves more firmly towards next season. Fosters has done a really good job with Salt Lake this season and they're the ones setting the pace so it won't be an easy game but we're coming in with a lot of confidence after beating Winnipeg and I know we can score against anyone. The injury to Villanueva might raise a question mark over our ground game but I think it'll be a great opportunity for Robles to show just how much the scheme in London was holding him back. The big question will be whether our defence can repeat the second half performance against Winnipeg and keep Rogers in check. He's a really talented QB but on paper we have one of the top secondaries in the league. We could do with them showing that on the field this week and if they do we could be set for an exciting second half of the season.

[Talon]

 

We had a good bye, I'd love to see Reigns be cleared for game day, but its a toss up, but other than that we're looking ready.    With Mazza keeping the ball safe, we can take it to Salt Lake, especially with their o-line depth getting thin.  2Face and Joaq could have big days.

[GM Dazz]

Hardwick always filled in well when I used him in Vancouver so I expect the line will still be fine even if Reigns can't play but obviously we'd be better with him. I'll make sure to specify that we use Hardwick in the lock in, unless you've seen any particular improvement in Ponce in practice. On that topic, with him on a long term deal I'd like to do whatever we can to help him develop into the player I guess GM Lucas thought he was. Is there a particular area, or perhaps a couple of them, where he has scope to make that sort of improvement?

[Talon]

 

His pass blocking and conditioning are terrible, but honestly boss so is his work ethic.  He's going to be a long project if we're trying to make him into a real serviceable starter.

[GM Dazz]

Well that's frustrating. I don't think it's worth the effort in that case.

Moving on, I expect Robles is coming in with something to prove after his time in London so I'm expecting him to be pretty motivated.  Papadimitriou seems to be having something of a breakout season though so I'm tempted to put him in as our primary back while Villanueva recovers but on the other hand he's thriving in his current role. How has Robles looked from a confidence and motivation angle since joining? Does he look ready for a major role this week?

[Talon]

 

Robles does look motivated, his speed is the closest thing to Villanueva that we have and he is great in the pass game if used properly.  He's a perfect 3rd down back for us if nothing else.

Papa D has the power and size and is really looking too good to not let get the starting not in my opinion.  But I think they'll compliment each other well too.