Boston Dragons - 2007 season

[kingfc22]

Week 4 vs. Iowa City (2-1)
Record: 1-2, 3rd AC East

After a hard fought win in Portland, we were finally returning home to play in front of our loyal Dragon fans. We knew we would have to stop Beamer on the ground to have the best chance of winning.

The game started out decently has we forced IWC into a punt after their 8 play drive stalled around midfield. On the first play from scrimmage Sante decided to throw an INT. With the ball in our own Red Zone Iowa City wasted little time to capitalize on our turnover. Sammy Matthews found Cory Harris on a 16 yd. strike to put the Snipers up 7-0.

On the next possession, Sante led the offense from our own 32 down to the Snipers 25 when he threw another INT. This guy needs to learn to not throw the ball to the opposing team!!!!!!:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: Our defense did manage to get a 3 and out to give us the ball back.

Iowa City scored early on in the 2nd quarter and we managed to punt the ball away on 5 straight possessions.

Down 21-0 late in the 3rd quarter, we managed to put a decent drive together and Garland hit a 37 yd. FG to make it 21-3. The defense then got a quick 3 and out as they held the Snipers to -3 yds. on the possession. A poor punt gave us great field position and we drove the ball down to the Snipers 1 yd. line.

Too bad our coaching staff is full of fricken morons as they decided to kick a FG instead of try to get the TD. So now we are down 21-6 with 7 minutes left and we decide to kick an onside kick. If we are not going to go for it on 4th and 1 from the 1 yd. line then why the hell even bother to attempt an onside kick.

Needless to say, we did not recover the onside kick and it led to a FG for the Snipers to put them ahead 24-6. Iowa City's prevent defense allowed us to march 80 yds. for a score, but we did not get the 2-pt. try to succeed.

Following the game, Sante was seen yelling and screaming at some members of the offense who refused to allow their names to be reported.


Key Dragons:
QB Sante - 15/35, 241 yds, 0 TD, 2 INT's
RB Wigfall - 11 carries for 34 yds.
WR Sullivan - 3 REC for 47 yds.

Rookie Dragons:
DE Webb - 1 TKL, 2 AST, 2 hurries
RB Moriarty - 15 carries for 69 yds.

Injury Report:
T Antonio Laird - torn calf muscle (out 8 wks.)

[kingfc22]

Sante On The Move


After 3 1/4 seasons in Boston, the Sante experiment is over. GM David Gonzalez traded Reuben Sante to the Newark Bulldogs this afternoon for a 2nd Rd. pick in 2008 and QB J.B. Fogarty.

Boston will look for Jerald Burdette, Dana Mason or Fogarty to fill the void left by Sante.

Sante's career stats include a 62.8 QB Rating, 26 TD's and 49 INT's.

[kingfc22]

Week 5 vs. Hartford (2-2)
Record: 1-3, 3rd AC East

As the crowd entered the stadium for Sunday's AC East division battle their was a buzz that hasn't been in Boston for awhile. Many fans were still wearing their Sante jerseys, but they seemed to be non-committal on their feelings of the move that was made during the week.

Reuben Sante had been traded to the Newark Bulldogs in return for a 2nd Rd. pick and QB J.B. Fogarty. Coach Sammy Harvey had been quiet all week on who would take over the reigns of the Boston offense. Eventually, Jerald Burdette was given the starting nod, his first of his career, and he played well.

The game started off with Hartford winning the toss and electing to receive and 2 plays later they were inside the Boston 10 yd. line. Jim Hickman was able to connect on a 48 yd. pass and the Boston secondary looked shaky again. It only took two plays for Hartford to get the ball in the endzone afterwards and it was 7-0.

Burdette came out firing. He completed 5 passes on the opening drive and led the Dragons to the Hartford 28, but Carter Garland continued to struggle as he missed the 45 yd. FG.

Hickman led the Grizzlies down the field again and he capped the drive off with a 3 yd. TD pass to rookie Tito Hernandez. It was Tito's first career TD reception.

Normally this would have been when Sante gets the ball and tries to force passes and INT's happen. However, the newly appointed starting QB Jerald Burdette responded to adversity much better than Sante ever had. Down 14-0, Burdette led another drive into Hartford territory and this time Garland was able to connect on the FG attempt.

The teams traded 3 and outs and Hartford was able to add a FG late in the 2nd quarter to take a 17-3 lead into the half.

On our first possession of the 3rd quarter, our favorite coach Sammy Harvey made another bone head mistake. We had the ball 3rd and 1 at our 44 yd. line and we ran Wigfall into the line for no gain. Instead of punting and trying to gain some field position advantage, Harvey decided to run the exact same play and we were stuffed. Lucky for us, Dallas Perrone forced a fumble and we got the ball right back.

We went 3 and out again and Booher added another FG for the Grizzlies. 20-3.

We regained possession late in the 3rd and Burdette led a 48 yd. drive for a score as Brian Christie hauled in the 21 yd. pass. 20-10.

With 2:25 left in the game, Booher finally missed a FG and it set us up with pretty good field position. We took full advantage and we marched 62 yds. in only 4 plays. Moriarty had a big 25 yd. run and Burdette connected with Josh Sullivan on a 28 yd. TD pass. 20-17.

With 1:41 to go and 3 timeouts left we had two choices. Kick it deep and hope for a three and out. Or we could onside kick. We elected to onside kick, but we were unsuccessful. The defense came up huge and did not allow a first down. However, Booher calmly stepped up and nailed a 51 yd. FG to stick a dagger in the hearts of the Dragon fans in attendence. 23-17.

Instead of having 55 seconds to try and go 30 yds. to attempt a tying FG, Burdette would now have to go 73 yds. in 37 seconds to win it with a TD. A miracle didn't happen and we lost a close one against a division rival.

Burdtte might have changed some of those Sante loving holdouts minds about whether or not the team made a good move.

Notes:
On offense we finally had a proficient passing attack that lasted an entire game. Our running gmae was held in check however. On defense we slowed down the Hartford running game, but our secondary continues to get abused. Also we committed 10 more penaties and we need to get that under control.


Key Dragons:
QB Burdette - 20/31, 245 yds, 2 TD's, 0 INT
RB Wigfall - 16 carries for 54 yds.
WR Christie - 7 REC for 91 yds, 1 TD
LB Valley - 9 TCK, 1 sack

Rookie Dragons:
DE Webb - 3 TKL, 1 AST
RB Moriarty - 6 carries for 32 yds.

Injury Report:
No new injuries

[MrBigglesworth]

I think it was a mistake to trade Sante without having a back-up plan. I know he wasn't performing well, but now your season is, for all intents and purposes, over. The teams you had lost to before the trade are a combined 12-2-1, may as well keep Sante in there to have him develop a little more, or try a different gameplan. I know he was in his last year of his contract, but you could always franchise him and trade him right at the beginning of next year. Now you are looking at drafting a QB in the first round (hopefully there are some good ones coming out) or trading for someone, fighting with Dakota, Houston, Montreal, and West Virginia.

Just my opinion anyway.

[Warhammer]

Also, you did a good job defending the run, but don't forget, my best run blocker went out after the first play of the game. That had a big effect on the running game on that side of the line.

I also agree on Sante, he had some tough games, but he also put some gems together against me when our pass d was pretty decent.

[kingfc22]

Weeks 6-9
Current Record: 2-7, 3rd AC East

In week 6, we travleed to Montreal. Going into the game I thought we had a great chance of winning. Burdette sparked the team and almost got us a win against Hartford. In his second game as a starter for the Dragons, Burdette went 18/22 for 155 yds. and a TD. Tory Wigfall gained 106 yds. on 26 carries. It marked the 11th time that he gained over 100 yds. in a game. Last year's number one draft pick, Josh Sullivan, has also taken a liking to Burdette. He caught 6 balls for 73 yds. which was good for his 2nd best game of his young career.

Week 6, also marked the return to respectability for our defense. We were able to hold Montreal to a mere 179 total yards of offense and we got our 2nd shutout in franchise history. We totaled 5 sacks and forced 4 turnovers. #2 overall pick, Raymond Webb managed 2 sacks and 4 tackles in what might be looked back on as his breakout game.


In week 7, we travled to Wichita. We went into the game a little worried that we did not match up well against Outlaws even thought they only had a single win on the season. Another advantage they had was they were coming off a bye week. Through 57 minutes we looked like we had a win wrapped up. We had a 14-9 lead and our defense was able to hold Winston Scott in check. However, Scott led the Outlaws on a 7 play-77 yd. drive in 2 minutes to give the Outlaws the lead and the win. This loss all but ends our hopes of making a run at a wild card spot.

In week 8, we travled to the home of the defending IFL champs. Norfolk was 6-1 and coming off a loss to Iowa City. In week 1, we lost to the Vipers 14-24. This would be a good test to see if we really had improved since trading away fan favorite Reuben Sante. The game was close throughout, but once again we lost the game on the opposing team's final drive. Lozier led the Vipers on a 55 yds. drive in the final 5 minutes of the game for a score to break the 10-10 ite. Some untimely penalties and a costly INT inside the RZ hurt our chances to win against such a strong team. The Vipers stifled our running game and Burdette had his worst game as a starter, yet the defense was able to keep us in it.

In week 9, we finally returned home after 3 road games. We got the task of facing the Clawz upon our return. Cleveland is an interesting team. They are 5-2 with a young QB and 4 rookies starting on defense. We missed out on a bunch of opportunities in the RZ in this one. We had three drives that stalled out and we had to settle for going 2/3 on FGA by Carter Garland. On defense, we forgot to show up for the first half and allowed Cleveland to march up and down the field. In the second half we held them to only 59 total yards.


Key Dragons:
QB Burdette - 18/22, 155 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT (Wk. 6)
RB Wigfall - 26 carries for 106 yds. (Wk. 6)
WR Sullivan - 6 REC for 73 yds (Wk. 6)

QB Burdette - 17/28, 155 yds, 1 TD; 6 carries for 27 yds, 1 TD (Wk. 7)
RB Wigfall - 20 carries for 85 yds. (Wk. 7)
CB Morehead - 7 TKL, 3 AST (Wk. 7)

QB Burdette - 21/36, 175 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT's (Wk. 8)
RB Wigfall - 18 carries for 37 yds. (Wk. 8)

QB Burdette - 20/35, 266 yds, 1 TD, i INT (Wk. 9)
RB Wigfall - 17 carries for 75 yds (wk. 9)
WR Sullivan - 4 REC for 78 yds. (wk. 9)


Rookie Dragons:
DE Webb - 4 TKL, 1 AST, 2 sacks (Wk. 6)
RB Moriarty - 10 carries for 21 yds. (Wk. 6)

DE Webb - 6 TKL, 3 AST, 1 sack (Wk. 7)
RB Moriarty - 8 carries for 18 yds (Wk. 7)

DE Webb - 3 TKL, 2 AST (Wk. 8)
RB Moriarty - 7 carries for 24 yds. (Wk. 8)

DE Webb - 3 TKL, 1 AST, 2 hurries (Wk. 9)
RB Moriarty - 8 carries for 23 yds. (Wk. 9)

Injury Report:
CB Larry Morehead - abdominal strain (doubtful)

[kingfc22]

MIDSEASON REPORT

OFFENSE - Grade C+

At the QB position, weeks 1-4 were marked by countless Sante INT's. Since then, we have handed the playbook over to Burdette who has kept us in our games and he has found a way to get our receivers involved. Burdette is on pace to have the best QB rating in franchise history. He is currently the 12th rated QB in the league, while Sante is rated 30th.

Our running game has been led by Tory Wigfall. He is on pace to rush for over 1000 yds. for the 4th consecutive season. He is averaging 3.94 YPC this season. His freshness late in games can be attributed to the carries the rookie Tony Moriarty is able to take during the game.

Our receiving corps is very happy to have Burdette playing behind center. They had a combined 23 receptions with Sante playing QB. Since then, they have 54 receptions. Brian Christie is leading the way with 28 receptions and Josh Sullivan has added 22 for 357 yds.

The O-line has been hit for two key injuries early in the season. T Antonio Laird and G Drew Waters both will have missed more than 4 games by the time week 12 rolls around after our bye. The main benefit to the injuries has been the ability to see Jewel Hershey and Riddick Hammond in action. We have only given up 13 sacks on the season, which places us 15th in the league. Our running game is ranked 16th right now.


DEFENSE - Grade C

4 weeks ago, I would have given this unit an F. This was supposed to be the stong point of the team, but they certainly did not play like it. However, the past 4 games we have only allowed 14.3 PPG. We have forced 12 turnovers which is good for 14th in the IFL.

Our D-Line has been led by Fritz Gaddis. He started the season very strong, but has only managed a half a sack in the last 6 games. His 4 sacks this season is already a career high. Rookie sensation, Raymond Webb has totalled 3.5 sacks and 22 tackles. He is trying to beat Wichita's Wes Martin and Iowa City's Freddie Swift for DROY.

Virgil McIver led the league last season in tackles, but he is currently on pace for only 82 tackles. Andrew Valley has been the guy that has been making the most plays from our LB position. He leads the team with 51 tackles and he has also added 3 sacks. Jonathan St. Louis has been fairly unproductive since returning from injury.

Our secondary has been a source of concern all season. We have given up the big play at the wrong time way more than I would like. Willie Ames leads the team with 2 INT's, but he has only 4 pass defensed. On the other side, Larry Morehead has knocked down 9 passes which is only 2 behind the leader in the IFL. Unfortunately, Larry got hurt in week 8 and will be out until week 12. 2nd year safety, Leslie Harris has 24 tackles, a sack and an INT so far this season. Rookie, Quinn Surdyk has recorded 4 tackles and has defended a pass in his limited action this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Grade C

K Carter Garland was so solid last season as he hit 95% of his FGA. This season he is only 12/17 and is in jeopardy of losing his job. P Jason Oaks has an avg. of 40.6 which puts him in the bottom half of the season, but his 19 punts inside the 20 rank him in the top 10.

Brian Christie is 7th in PR avg. and 15th in KR avg. His counterpart on kick returns is Josh Sullivan who is 11th in the IFL in KR avg.

[kingfc22]

The 2007 season has come to an end in Boston and we finished with a 5-10-1 record which was good for 3rd in the AC East.

However, this team has much more to look forward to in 2008. We have found a solid, yet not spectacular QB to lead our offense. We have a defense that can make the big plays and we have some youngsters continuing to develop.


2007 SEASON REPORT


OFFENSE - Grade C+

QB Jerald Burdette took over the reigns of the Dragons offense in week 5 and he giuded us to a 4-7-1 record. He went 210/337 for 2149 yards. He threw 10 TD's compared to 6 INT's and had a rating of 82.9. His QB rating was the best in team history.

Our running game was led again by Tory Wigfall. He ended the year with a career best 1207 yards. It was the 4th year in a row that he reached the 1000 yd. plateau. Tory was also good out of the backfield as he caught 42 passes for 340 yards. Rookie Tony Moriarty spent the year as a backup yet he still managed to gain 518 yards and lead the team with 6 TD's.

Our receiving corps is highlighted by 2nd year man Josh Sullivan. He improved his game in his sophomore season gaining 15 YPC. His 40 receptions was good for 3rd on the team, but his 5 TD receptions was the most. Brian Christie led the team with 53 receptions and benefited from the double teams the Sullivan draws. TE Weldon Brownell benefitted from Jerald Burdette playing QB as he caught 36 balls this season for 327 yards compared to only gaining 150 yards last season.

The O-line is where we will look to upgrade during the offseason. Only LG Judson Standley played in all 16 games this season as the line was hit with several multiple week injuries. Our running game was ranked 17th in the league as we gained 2000 yds. The O-line also allowed 27 sacks which was 19th in the league. We will need to increase our YPC and decrease the number of sacks to make this a more efficient offense.


DEFENSE - Grade B

Our D-Line was led by the efforts of Fritz Gaddis. Fritz had a career best 60 tackles, however he did not manage to get a sack in the final 10 games of the season. #2 overall pick, Raymond Webb tied Gaddis for the team lead with 4 sacks. Those two will look to put more pressure on opposing QB's in 2008.

Virgil McIver had a strong 2nd half of the year and once again led the team in tackles (93). Andrew Hulse also had a good season with 86 tackles and 3 INT's. Andrew Valley had a huge year after 2 subpar seasons. He had 86 tackles and 4 sacks which tied for the team lead.

The young secondary really came on in the second part of the season. We ranked 7th in passing defense and 4th in turnovers forced. 3rd year CB Willie Ames had 4 INT's this season and on the other side Larry Morehead had 12 passes defensed. FS Leslie Harris added 3 INT's and he will have to continue to improve to beat Quinn Surdyk for the starting spot next season.


SPECIAL TEAMS - Grade C-

K Carter Garland was so solid last season as he hit 95% of his FGA. This season he only hit 27/39 and his job may be in jeopardy. P Jason Oaks had a 41.1 average and he was not able to capture the magic he had before he left the 06' season with a tore ACL.

Brian Christie was unable to break out any long punt returns and finished with a 9.2 avg. Josh Sullivan led the team with a 26.2 KR avg.


SINGLE SEASON TEAM RECORDS
- 33.8 rush attempts per game

SINGLE SEASON INDIVIDUAL RECORDS
- 82.9 QB Rating (Jerald Burdette)
- 327 rushing attempts (Tory Wigfall)
- 1207 rushing yards (Tory Wigall)
- 27 FG's (Carter Garland)

[spunkywhitebread]

Good stuff kingfc.