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The 2004 season was full of hope for the Hartford Grizzlies. They returned all of their key contributors from the previous year, and added some key cogs on the offensive line, and the return of Scott Nelson heralded great things ahead.
Unfortunately, the season got off to a rocky start. The Grizzlies were outscored by 42 points in the first two games. After Scott Nelson went down in the loss to Cleveland, that put the Griz at 1-3, Jerome Mueller stepped under center. The rest is the stuff legends are made of.
Although his stats were not the best, his TD to INT ratio of 5 to 1, and his high completion percentage were exactly what the Grizzlies needed on offense. After a tie with Boston, the Grizzlies got down to business. They defeated the top teams in the AC in Witchita and West Virginia. However, they slipped a bit against Louisiana and Norfolk. Going into the last two weeks of the season, their playoff prospects did not look good. Road games at NC West leading Reno and AC East rival Boston had Grizzly fans singing the blues. Again, as he had so many times during the season, Jerome Mueller led the Grizzlies to the Promised Land! Had West Virginia not managed to eek a win against Norfolk in the waning seconds of the game, the AC East title would have been theirs.
Going on the road for their first two playoff games, Hartford defeated a solid St. Louis team and then defeated rival West Virginia. Then disaster struck, the Anchorage head scout poisoned the avocado dip at the team buffet, and crippled the Griz going into their final playoff game. Despite being with out 2 of their top 3 LBs, their starting RDT, TE, and RB, they managed to only lose by 7 points.
With the majority of star players locked up for next season, the Grizzlies should contend for another AC East division title.
Unfortunately, the season got off to a rocky start. The Grizzlies were outscored by 42 points in the first two games. After Scott Nelson went down in the loss to Cleveland, that put the Griz at 1-3, Jerome Mueller stepped under center. The rest is the stuff legends are made of.
Although his stats were not the best, his TD to INT ratio of 5 to 1, and his high completion percentage were exactly what the Grizzlies needed on offense. After a tie with Boston, the Grizzlies got down to business. They defeated the top teams in the AC in Witchita and West Virginia. However, they slipped a bit against Louisiana and Norfolk. Going into the last two weeks of the season, their playoff prospects did not look good. Road games at NC West leading Reno and AC East rival Boston had Grizzly fans singing the blues. Again, as he had so many times during the season, Jerome Mueller led the Grizzlies to the Promised Land! Had West Virginia not managed to eek a win against Norfolk in the waning seconds of the game, the AC East title would have been theirs.
Going on the road for their first two playoff games, Hartford defeated a solid St. Louis team and then defeated rival West Virginia. Then disaster struck, the Anchorage head scout poisoned the avocado dip at the team buffet, and crippled the Griz going into their final playoff game. Despite being with out 2 of their top 3 LBs, their starting RDT, TE, and RB, they managed to only lose by 7 points.
With the majority of star players locked up for next season, the Grizzlies should contend for another AC East division title.
