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In our inaugural addition of the Inferno weekly we sit down with Fire head coach Marty Pearson and discuss the team, the trade deadline, and the future.
Inferno Staff - Coach Pearson, thanks for taking some time out of your busy schedule to sit down and talk about the team with us.
Coach Pearson - No problem at all, with the bye week coming up it was perfect timing.
Inferno Staff - What was the deal with the recent rumors that star QB JC was on the trading block?
Coach Pearson - Well as you know, sometimes tough choice have to be made. And the decision to place JC on the trading block was not something that was done easily. But there was growing issues between JC and Sanders, so we knew one of those players would have to go. Lucky for the team and their fans we where able to trade Sanders and pick up some young talent to help mold the future of this franchise.
Inferno Staff - Break down the trade that sent Sanders to Houston?
Coach Pearson - Simply put we went out on the trade block with the thoughts of moving either JC or Sanders for young talent. We did that in the trade to Houston by getting the Young QB Deron Markel and RB Mercury Buckner. Markel will come in immediately as the Fire's new backup QB, and he has mentioned his excitement of learning the game behind an IFL legend of JCs caliber. Buckner brings a young, fiery attitude to a running game that could use a major boost. I had a chance to speak with him after the trade was completed yesterday, and let’s just say that Mercury is looking forward to his chances to start in the IFL. He played behind a great back in Timmerman while at Houston, and he really feels this is his chance to show what he can bring to a team. We are very excited about having him in the backfield.
Inferno Staff - What about C Mahler who was part of the trade, and why did you take on another center with Cole developing so well?
Coach Pearson - Cole is the future of this franchise at center. The only problem is that he can not stay healthy; he has not played a complete season to this date. We have him working with our training staff to see why he is missing so many games. But with that uncertainty we felt adding Mahler would help bring some consistency on our line.
Inferno Staff - Do you feel that these moves will help the fire rebound this season?
Coach Pearson - Of course we do, no team makes trades and does not think it will help there team. It is just a matter of the team starting to play together like they have the last few years. If we can re-ignite that fire, our staff feels that we can make a run like Oakland did last season.
Inferno Staff - Finally, Where do you see the team heading? Do you feel you can make the playoffs this year?
Coach Pearson - Only time will tell... We are playing in one of the toughest divisions, and teams like Tulsa and Texas have really stepped up to that challenge. We really feel that Texas has the best chance to win our division. But we do feel that there is a real strong chance that we can address our mental issues during the bye week, and come out swinging for the rest of the year. We still have 5 games in our division so anything is possible. We have the talent to complete and win, it is just a matter of us poring that out onto the field each week.
Inferno Staff - Thanks for your time coach, we hope to get a chance to talk with you again soon.
Coach Pearson - Anytime.. Thanks for the time.
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