The Seals' Source

[spunkywhitebread]

The end is here! The end is here! Yes, the end of the 2006 Portland Seals' season is here and what a rough one it was. Not that I'm spoiling anything for the two readers who read this column, but the Portland Seals lost and then lost some more in 2006. I'll attempt to do some sort of post-season analysis in the next installment of the Seals' Source, but for now I'll close out the 2006 regular season with a quick recap of the game against Anchorage.

WEEK 17, ANCHORAGE AT PORTLAND

With three seconds left in the game, Anchorage kicker, Jake Carter chipped in a 29 yard field goal to end Portland's season on a losing note, 20-17. That of course is nothing new to the Seals as they managed only 5 wins all season, but it adds a bit of dramatic flair to the article wouldn't you say. As for the game itself, Portland had no answer for Lynx QB Leslie Steiner who threw for 300 yards and a touchdown. WR Ward Emerson snagged nearly half of Steiner's passing yards as he finished with 143 yards and a touchdown. Seals of note included RB Derrick Prescott and WR Tyrell McCoy. Prescott saved his best for last as he rushed for 100 yards for the first time this season. McCoy was just as productive as he finished with 124 yards receiving.

UP NEXT, WATCHING THE WINNERS

The Seals have nothing else left to do but watch the IFL playoffs and wonder what could have been had they not sucked.

[spunkywhitebread]

Portland Seals 2007 Preview - Part 1

With training camp over and the IFL preseason underway, I figured it was about time to pull my weary head from the pillow and throw some thoughts down on paper and call it a column. That is after all why they pay me the small pittance my boss calls a salary.

COACHING STAFF

REUBEN ALLEN – Coach Allen is surprisingly still at the helm of the Portland Seals' franchise. You would assume after last year's dreadful showing that we would see Mr. Allen outside Seals' stadium selling tickets, but once again he's on the sidelines. To be fair, he did have the Seals playing competitive football by the end of the season. But losing is losing and Coach Allen seemed to be too good at it last season.

J.B. ROMO – The newest addition to the Seals' staff is defensive coordinator, J.B. Romo, who coached with the Albuquerque Matadors in 2006. Seals' fans are hoping Romo can improve one of the worst defenses in the IFL.

DERRICK SALAZAR - Another surprise is Derrick Salazar retaining his duties as the offensive coordinator of one of the most inept offenses in the 2006 IFL season. With only one season remaining on his contract, this could be Salazar's last chance to prove his mettle in Portland.

Let must just say that this isn't a coaching staff that inspires confidence. A lot of things went wrong last season and that normally leads to walking papers. Portland's management is either very patient or very stubborn. You pick which one you prefer. The addition of J.B. Romo could help, but probably won't due to the lack of talent on the defensive side. Derrick Salazar keeping his job may be the final nail in the coffin for Head Coach, Reuben Allen.

UP NEXT, THE OFFENSE...

[spunkywhitebread]

Portland Seals 2007 Preview - Part 2

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACKS – The starting quarterback for the Seals in 2007 will once again be third year quarterback, Jay Caro. The coaching staff feels confident that the 2007 season will be Caro's breakout year. Backup quarterbacks, Harvey Bryant and veteran Mark Rowe, are practice fodder and if Caro goes down then the Seals are in a world of trouble.

RUNNING BACKS – Terrence Greeley looks to once again be the starter after his 800 yards in 2006. Derrick Prescott, Andrew Hirst, and Brady Parrish will all see the field as they share carries when Greeley takes a breather. It's not the strongest group of runners, but they can be productive in the right situation.

FULLBACKS – When Terrence Greeley moved to running back after 5 games in 2006, Jon Fredrickson took advantage of the opportunity and became the starting fullback for the Portland Seals. The 2007 season should see Fredrickson back in the starting lineup with rookie Rich Aguiar as his backup.

TIGHTENDS – The 2006 season was very good to Alan Bryant as he was named to the All-League First Team. The 2007 season could potentially be better as he and Caro look to continue their connection. Backup John Lemire has proven to be productive when Bryant is off the field. The tightend position is one of the few strengths on this Portland squad.

WIDE RECEIVERS – The 2007 IFL draft brought three new faces to the Seals' receiving corps. The number seven overall pick, Dominic Field, should pay immediate dividends as a starter and a potential favorite new target for Jay Caro. Second round pick, Blake Ameche, could find himself in the starting lineup or at least near the top of the depth chart while third round pick, Dexter McKeown, will return punts for the Seals' on special teams. Veterans Nathanael Clare and Edmund Mertz round out the receiving corps and provide not only depth, but experience. It's an upgraded unit from 2006, but that isn't nearly as impressive as it sounds considering the lack of talent at receiver last season.

OFFENSIVE LINE - Archie Hooten, Jack Wallace, TJ Doser, Don Webb, and Joseph Reynolds will all be manning the Seals' offensive line. The offensive line had their share of struggles both in performance and injuries. I'm not expecting a lot from this group so I certainly won't be disappointed when they struggle.

KICKERS – Veteran Marquis Wolters and rookie Wally Bourgeois are battling for the Seals' kicking duties. The favorite is said to be Wolters, but Bourgeois will have an opportunity in the preseason to show his worth. I wouldn't want either one lining up for a game winning 50 yard field goal.

[Cringer]

RUNNING BACKS – Terrence Greeley looks to once again be the starter after his 800 yards in 2006. Derrick Prescott, Andrew Hirst, and Brady Parrish will all see the field as they share carries when Greeley takes a breather. It's not the strongest group of runners, but they can be productive in the right situation.

FULLBACKS – When Terrence Greeley moved to running back after 5 games in 2006, Jon Fredrickson took advantage of the opportunity and became the starting fullback for the Portland Seals. The 2007 season should see Fredrickson back in the starting lineup with rookie Rich Aguiar as his backup.

I'm watching the Greeley-man, I like to see how FBs do put in the RB slot. He seems like a good one for it so far.

[spunkywhitebread]

I'm watching the Greeley-man, I like to see how FBs do put in the RB slot. He seems like a good one for it so far.

Yeah, I normally wouldn't start a FB at RB, but the simple fact is he's our best runner in Portland. And thus far, he's been productive so I'm not going to complain. Hopefully he'll continue his success from 2006 into 2007.

[spunkywhitebread]

Portland Seals 2007 Preview - Part 3

DEFENSIVE ENDS – Richard Weathers and Stanley Flora look to start at the defensive end positions. Weathers played sparingly for the Madison Demons last season, but was productive when he did play. Seals management is hoping Weathers can make the move from backup to starter, but that's easier said than done in most cases. Flora, on the other hand, was a rookie who started every game for a porous Seals' defensive line. The Seals need Flora to produce in 2007 or they must look in a different direction in 2008 for defensive line help. Deion Wynn and Andy Maas are the primary backups.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES – Another one of the rare strengths of the Seals is at the defensive tackle position. Gary Davis and Wes Goad are turning into quite a combination for the Seals' defense as they terrorize the opposing backfield. Eric Holstein and Ricardo Hoffman are capable subs, but the drop-off is deep after Goad and Davis leave the field.

LINEBACKERS – The Seals have some solid talent at the linebacker position with the likes of Cletus Bodnar, Daniel Stickney, Mark Segura, and rookie Andre Munoz. The question is can they be successful as a unit and thus far the answer is no. The coaching staff still needs to figure out the best way to use these talented tacklers.

CORNERBACKS – Gary Montiel and Leonard Phillips lead this ragtag group of athletes that the Seals' front office consider corners. It's probably the least talented secondary in the IFL and that is certainly not a good thing. Geoffrey Joe and Gilbert Fonseca provide the depth, but both are just cannon fodder at this point in their careers.

SAFETIES – Season ending injuries to Jose Henley and Williams Dietrich left the Seals' scrambling for bodies to plug into their already weak secondary. Erik Collins and Raymond Klotz are both capable athletes at the strong safety position. On the other hand, Robbie Adams and George Devin are simply serviceable at the free safety position. The safeties are the strength of the Seals' secondary, but as we saw in the cornerbacks' preview that's not a strong statement.

The defense will most likely not be a strength for the Seals in 2007. There just doesn't seem to be enough quality talent to keep opposing offenses from scoring loads and loads of points. The linebackers and defensive tackles are IFL material, but every other position is in need of major improvement next off-season. Defensive Coordinator JB Romo will have his hands full in trying to keep teams from dropping 20-30 ppg on the Seals.

[spunkywhitebread]

An 0-2 start is probably not what head coach Reuban Allan envisioned when he assembled this shell of a team in Portland. The rest of us in the media certainly expected it, but coaches like Allan have a tendency to see the glass a quarter full. The question is what can Coach Allan due to right the boat before he's no longer the captain?

WEEK 01, PORTLAND AT ALBUQUERQUE

The Seals' running backs, Terrence Greeley and Derrick Prescott, led the charge with a combined 150 yards rushing on 21 carries, but it wasn't enough as Marquis Wolters' 45 yard field goal missed wide right and gave the Matadors a 24-23 win. Don't blame the loss on Wolters though as he kept the Seals' close with three field goals, one of which was a 55 yarder. The real culprit was the Seals' defense which allowed the Matadors' a total of 378 yards of offense.

WEEK 02, DAKOTA AT PORTLAND

Last week it was the defense and this week it's the offense. It was a rough outing for the Seals' offense as the Spirit handled them in every possible way and left Portland with a 10-7 victory after limiting the Seals to just 272 yards of total offense. TE Alan Bryant and his 96 yards receiving were the only positives for the anemic offense. The defense played well enough to keep Portland in the game, but losing is losing.

UP NEXT, BOSTON AT PORTLAND

Like the Seals, the Dragons come into Portland with an 0-2 record after falling to Norfolk and Vermont. The Dragons starting QB Reuben Sante has struggled in his first two outings of the 2007 season, but facing a toothless Seals' defense could be just what he needs to regain his confidence. And with talent like RB Tory Wigfall, WR Josh Sullivan, and WR Brian Christie surrounding him, it's only a matter of time before Sante breaks out of his slump. Seals' QB Jay Caro will need to play smart to keep Portland within striking distance.

[Suicane]

Good write ups man. Enjoyable reads.

[spunkywhitebread]

The start of the 2007 IFL season has certainly been a struggle for our hometown Seals. It wasn't until week five when the Seals saw their first win of the 2007 season and that was against the like wise struggling Louisiana Voodoo. So is there another win in the near future or should we just be happy with the one we have?

WEEK 03, BOSTON AT PORTLAND

The Dragons' dynamic running duo of Tory Wigfall and Tony Moriarty pounded in a combined 131 yards and three touchdowns to defeat the Seals 27-24. The Seals ground game could never get into gear and Dominic Field's 135 yards and Jay Caro's 3 touchdown tosses weren't enough to make up the difference. And once again, Mr. Anti-Clutch, Marquis Wolters, had an opportunity to hit a last second field goal, but as has been his usual modus operandi the 52 yard attempt fell short.

WEEK 04, BYE WEEK

WEEK 05, PORTLAND AT LOUISIANA

A strong showing by the Seals in the fourth quarter was the only difference between Portland and Louisiana as the Saints won it late by a score of 37-27. Until the fourth quarter both squads traded points as the Voodoo led 24-23 due to a missed extra point from Wolters in the second quarter. The Seals then gave up an early field goal to the Voodoo before locking it down and scoring 14 straight points from Jay Caro tosses. Caro passed for 309 yards with two touchdowns while his favorite target Allen Bryant finished off with 123 yards receiving.

UP NEXT, MURFREESBORO AT PORTLAND

The Mules bring a 2-3 record into Portland as well as the very talented second year QB, Otis Peterson. This will be the first time we'll see both Peterson and Caro on the field at the same time and it will likely be a shootout between these two talented young quarterbacks and their respective offenses. These may not be the best teams, but it should prove to be highly entertaining.

[Kobeck]

I don't have access to the game now, but I remember Wolters being solid while he was with the Mules. He was definatly a CAP casualty

[spunkywhitebread]

Kobeck,

Wolters has been very steady for us this season aside from missing a few clutch kicks. In all honesty, I believe the missed clutch kicks have more to do with a poor holder than Wolters himself, but the kicker will still get the blame in the media. I would have put a higher emphasis on a holder in the offseason had I known we'd be as competitive as we have been this year.

[spunkywhitebread]

ImperialFL 2007 Season

Two weeks and two wins have certainly changed the mood here in our lovely city of Portland. The Seals have managed to right the ship since their IFL bye week, but things won't get any easier with Houston and St. Louis coming up on the schedule. Enjoy it while you can Seals fans because there are some rough waters ahead.

WEEK 06, MURFREESBORO AT PORTLAND

The week six battle between Otis Peterson and Jay Caro was as good as billed. Peterson's three touchdown tosses was nearly enough to win, but Caro's 359 yards passing didn't fall short as he helped set up Marquis Wolters' game winning 34 yard field goal with no time on the clock. The week six shootout was not only kind to Caro and the Seals, but was awfully nice to rookie receiver, Blake Ameche. For the first time this season, Ameche topped the century mark with his 139 yards receiving which led all receivers in the game.

UP NEXT, PORTLAND AT HOUSTON

Recently acquired veteran QB Gerald Sanders leads his new Renegade teammates on the field as he hopes to make it three wins in a row for the Houston franchise. Houston running back Wilford Timmerman has a streak of his own as he has topped 100 yards in his last five games. The Seals defense could be in for a very long day.

[spunkywhitebread]

SEGURA AND STICKNEY EXTENDED

MLB Daniel Stickney and WLB Mark Segura recently inked contract extensions to keep both players in Seals' gear for a few more years. That's good news for Seals fans as both players have been key to limiting opponents to a 3.41 yard per carry average this season.

The nine year veteran, Stickney, signed a 3 year deal for $10.5 million after having one of his most productive seasons of his career. After 10 games, Daniel has a league leading 92 tackles to go along with his 3.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, and one forced fumble. The Seals front office is certainly counting on Stickney to have a couple of quality years left in his tank.

Fifth year player, Mark Segura, signed a 5 year deal worth $21.5 million. Like Stickney, Segura is also having one of his most productive seasons as displayed by his 68 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles in 9 games. The Seals love the idea of Segura and Andre Munoz manning the linebacking corps for seasons to come in Portland.

INJURY UPDATE

The Seals have been dealing with a rash of injuries this 2007 IFL season. SS William Dietrich has almost certainly seen his last season with the Seals as he isn't expected to recover from MCL knee surgery for another 38 weeks. Starting LT Joseph Reynolds is out with repetitive concussion syndrome for an estimated 62 weeks. Reynolds is certainly the biggest injury loss of the season at this point in time. Rookie WLB Andre Munoz is anticipated to be out four more weeks with a broken tibia. Munoz had started his first seven games, but has had his share of rookie struggles. Another rookie, this time WR Dexter McKeown, is out of action for three more weeks with a broken ankle. McKeown has been paying his dues by returning punts for the Seals in his rookie campaign. There is some good news and that is SS Jose Hensley is finally cleared by the medical staff to practice. Hensley will not return until the 2008 season as he was placed on injured reserve for the 2007 season.

WEEK 11 AFC WEST DIVISION OVERVIEW

Albuquerque (8-2)

The Matadors bounce back after last week's stunning 14-10 loss to the Louisiana Voodoo when they earned a very workman-like win over the Fresno Chaos by a score of 30-20 in week eleven. Although he didn't toss a TD, QB David Humphrey's 291 yards passing kept the Matadors going in the right direction and earned him MVP honors in the game. The Matadors have a tough match-up in week twelve when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the 6-4 Power.

Anchorage (8-2)

The Lynx continue to nip at the Matadors' heels as they sit in second place in the division with a four game winning streak that includes a 26-20 road win over the Seals in week eleven. QB Leslie Steiner was untouchable as he threw for 283 yards to go along with his three touchdown passes. It only gets tougher for the Lynx in week twelve when they head home to battle the 7-3 Madison Demons.

Portland Seals (4-6)

Portland continues their up and down season as they lose a close one to the Matadors after winning a tight one in Fresno in week ten. If the pattern holds then the Seals are due for a win in week twelve when they visit the 4-5-1 Ogres of Lansing. The Seals are going to need more than a “pattern” if they hope to leave Lansing with a win.

Fresno Chaos (3-7)

Fresno has lost their last four games, but a winnable game against the 4-6 Dakota Spirit is on the schedule for week twelve. With a win and a Seals loss in week twelve, the Chaos could pull the Seals back into the AFC West basement.

[BuddaKINGII]

The Lynx continue to nip at the Matadors' heels as they sit in second place in the division with a four game winning streak that includes a 26-20 road win over the Seals in week eleven. QB Leslie Steiner was untouchable as he threw for 283 yards to go along with his three touchdown passes. It only gets tougher for the Lynx in week twelve when they head home to battle the 7-3 Madison Demons.

Hey good game spunky looks like we got lucky in that one. Figured you would pass the hell outta me but you ran more on us which eventually wore us down. With a couple of more key players and more experience you could be top-dog in the AFC west. We still have a bunch of issues so im not real confident against Madison.

[spunkywhitebread]

Hey good game spunky looks like we got lucky in that one. Figured you would pass the hell outta me but you ran more on us which eventually wore us down. With a couple of more key players and more experience you could be top-dog in the AFC west. We still have a bunch of issues so im not real confident against Madison.

Thanks. I was hoping to catch the Lynx defense off guard by running the ball a bit more than usual. It worked out some what, but that didn't stop Steiner from torching my defense.

We're probably a few seasons away from competing for the AFC West. The two A squads (Albuquerque and Anchorage) aren't going to give up their spots without a fight. It's going to be a fun challenge though.