Boston Dragons - 2008 season

[kingfc22]

Week 8 vs. Anchorage (6-0)
Record: 2-4, 3rd in AC East

A rainy day in Boston welcomed to the top team in the IFL. The Lynx came into the game with one of the top scoring offenses in the league and our defense played solid and kept us close. We were able to hold the Lynx to a season low, 20 points, but our offense was unable to move the ball effectively and we lost by a TD.


FINAL SCORE
Anchorage 20
Boston 13


Key News From the Game:
Passing Offense: J.B. Fogarty came into the game late in the 3rd quarter and quickly drove us down the field and ended the drive with a TD pass to Josh Sullivan.
Rushing Offense: We were abysmal today. We were able to gain a whooping 56 yds. on 23 attempts.


Big Performances:
Willie Ames: 2 INT's
Levon Joslyn: 7 tackles, 4 assists and 1 sack



Week 9 @Norfolk (4-3)
Record: 2-5, 3rd in AC East

This game is the last chance we have at having an outside shot to make it to the post season. A win on the road against the Vipers would be a huge lift especially after playing the Lynx to such a close game. Our QB's just gave this game away. Norfolk was unable to do anything on offense against our defense, but when they start 4 drives on our side of the field because of turnovers there is only so much we can do.

Good ol' Sammy Harvey decided to put Fogarty into the game with 4 minutes remaining in the game. I have no problem going to the backup, but at least do it earlier in the game or if we are behind. Not in a tie ball game. Suffice it to say, Fogarty came in and on his first two passes he was picked off. We survived the first as Harbour missed a FG, but the second attempt at a game winner for Harbour was good. Two plays later, Fogarty fumbled the ball and Norfolk recovered and we had lost another close one.

FINAL SCORE
Boston 10
Norfolk 13


Key News From the Game:
Sammy Harvey: Dumbass coach goes to the 2nd string QB in a tie game with 4 minutes to go in the game.
Turnovers: 3 INT's and a fumble allow Norfolk to score 10 of their 13 points.


Big Performances:
N/A



Week 10 vs. Portland (3-5)
Record: 2-6, 3rd in AC East

We get a chance to face Jay Caro. Rumors have it that GM David Gonzalez was going hard after Caro early on in the season when the young QB was on the trading block, but sources can not confirm whether these rumors were true or not. Both teams aired it out at will, but the difference was the play inside the red zone. The Seals scored 3 TD's while we settled for 4 FG's.

FINAL SCORE
Portland 26
Boston 19


Key News From the Game:
Red Zone Offense: We had 5 trips inside the 20, but only scored 1 TD and Garland had to kick 4 FG's
Rushing Offense: After a few changes to the game plan the last few weeks, we saw our backs gain 121 yds. on 27 carries.


Big Performances:
Darryl Magallanens: 4 receptions for 71 yds.
Willie Ames: 3 passes defensed and 5 tackles

[sovstar]

yaaaaay.. updates!

[kingfc22]

Week 11 vs. West Virginia (1-8)
Record: 2-7, 3rd in AC East

Since our playoff aspirations have all but been squashed, the organization has decided to give young J.B. Fogarty a shot to start at QB. Giving him his first start against West Virginia was something we had be planning on doing for awhile now since we felt that we outmatched the Beasts current roster.

Fogarty was unstoppable on Sunday. He as 30/37 for 271 yards and 2 TD's. He set a team record with 30 pass completions against the Beats on Sunday. Tory Wigfall had a solid game running the ball as he gained 72 yards.

FINAL SCORE
West Virginia 13
Boston 26


Key News From the Game:
Red Zone Offense: Again we are unable to put the ball into the endzone. We had 4 trips and only 1 TD.


Big Performances:
J.B. Fogarty: 30/37 for 271 yds, 2 TD's
Darryl Magallanens: 6 receptions for 76 yds.
Josh Sullivan: 6 receotions for 61 yds.


Injuries:
Raymond Webb: Out 4 wks - Hyperextended knee

[kingfc22]

yaaaaay.. updates!

[kingfc22]

Week 12 @Vancouver (6-4)
Record: 3-7, 3rd in AC East

J.B. Fogarty was impressive against the Beast and it earned him a second start. This time on the road against a team vying for a playoff spot in the NC. We went into the game without [ifl]Raymond Webb[/ifl] and we knew we had to stop the running attack led by Connell. So we decided to scrap our usual 3-4 defense and we switched over to the 4-3. This allowed us to get [ifl]Earl Hood [/ifl]and [ifl]Levon Joslyn [/ifl](who has had a solid season since finally getting substantial playing time) on the field at the same time.

It is always great when a plan comes together. We held Vancouver under 100 yds. rushing for the game and Connell only had 59 yds. on 17 carries which was his lowest total on the season. Not only did we shut down the running game, but our pass rush was fierce. We had 7 hurries, 3 sacks and 3 INT's on the afternoon.

The final score is a little skewed as the Whales scored a TD with 18 seconds left as we had gone into the dreaded prevent defense.

FINAL SCORE
Boston 27
Vancouver 14


Key News From the Game:
Rushing Offense: We rushed for 210 yds. on 40 carries (5.2 avg)
Turnovers: We forced 4 turnovers today and had one INT returned for a TD.
[ifl]Fritz Gaddis[/ifl]: Named IFL Defensive Player of the Week


Big Performances:
Tory Wigfall: 21 carries for 103 yds.
Fritz Gaddis: 6 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 hurries, 2 pass blocked, 1 FF
Riddick Hammond: 5/7 KRB
Billy McBride: 3 tackles, 2 INT's (1 TD), 1 Pass Defensed


Injuries:
No New Injuries

[kingfc22]

Week 13 vs. Montreal (3-8)
Record: 4-7, 3rd in AC East

A two game winning was put on the line as Montreal came to Boston. We knew we would have to stop T.J. Fenkner if we wanted to win this one. The game started off well as we got an INT on the 4th play from scrimmage and that led to a Garland 49 yd. FG.

The second quarter was a disaster for us. We turned the ball over twice that led to 10 Montreal points and we went to half time down 17-3. We got the ball to start the second half and J.B. Fogarty led us on a 13 play, 72 yd. TD drive that was capped off by a 5 yd. Tony Moriarty score.

We had to punt on our next 3 possessions and even forced a fumble at our own 41 only to go three and out. With just under 7 minutes to go, Montreal started on a slow time wasting drive. On a second down and 9, rookie Preston Paxson came up and laid the wood on Rickey Parrish to force a fumble. Unfortunately Parrish was able to recover the ball. Later during that drive, the Firebrids were facing a 3rd and 10 on our own 32 with 2:04 to go. They were in range to hit a FG that would put them up by 10. Fenkner was forced out of the pocket and Jonathan St. Louis hit him from the blindside and popped the ball loose. First round draft pick, Earl 'Mount" Hood scooped up the loose ball and rumbled down the field for a 69 yard game tying TD!!!

We were able to force Montreal to punt and Fogarty drove us 34 yards on 3 plays to set up Garland with a 56 yd. FGA. It came up short and we were headed to OT where Montreal won the toss. Hood sacked Fenkner on the 2nd play and forced another fumble by the Firebirds but we were not able to fall on the ball. On the very next play, Virgil McIver picked off Fenkner's pass and we had the ball at the Montreal 31. The stadium was shaking as the defense continued to excite the crowd with their big plays.

Fogarty drove us down to the 9 yd. line and set up a chip shot FG for Garland to win it. The snap was good, the ball was spotted and the kick went up and was heading towards the uprights........and that is when Jack Shannon's right hand tipped the ball to block the game winning FG.

We forced a 3 and out then had to punt it back. We forced another 3 and out and got the ball back with 4 minutes to go. Brian Christie set us up with great field position with a 21 yd. punt return to give us the ball at the Montreal 35. A first down strike of 23 yards to Christie put us in definite range for Garland to win the ball game with a FG. Fogarty was not going to let that happen and we ended up punching it into the endzone with a 1 yd. run by Tory Wigfall with 37 seconds left in OT.


FINAL SCORE
Montreal 17
Boston 20


Key News From the Game:
3rd Down Efficiency: We were 9/16 today.
Turnovers: We forced 4 turnovers for the second game in a row and continue to be near the top in the league in takeaways.
Rushing attack: Our two-headed attack of Moriarty (79 yds, 1 TD) and Wigfall (80 yds, 1 TD) was solid all game


Big Performances:
[ifl]Virgil McIver[/ifl]: 8 tackles, 1 INT
[ifl]Earl Hood[/ifl]: 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF, 1 Fumble Recoverd for a TD
[ifl]Willie Ames[/ifl]: 3 pass defensed, 2 tackles
[ifl]Bradley Click[/ifl] and [ifl]Antonio Laird[/ifl]: Combined 8/18 KRB


Injuries:
Josh Sullivan - Torn Knee Cartilage (Out 6 wks)

[kingfc22]

Week 14 vs. Reno (6-6)
Record: 5-7, 3rd in AC East

The Fogarty led Dragons and their three game winning streak faced the Reno Wolfpack who still have a shot at the playoffs as they enter this game with a .500 record. Most people expected this to be a low scoring game as two of the better defenses in the league squared off.

On our first drive, we went 58 yards and set up Garland for an easy 40 yd FGA, but missed due to a bad snap. We took a gamble this game by starting our long snapper, Junior Huffman, who came down with a viral infection midweek and it appeared to affect Garland on this kick.

Through the first 3 quarters of the game, Reno had 88 total yards, 6 punts and we also forced a turnover. However, we only managed to score 6 points and also missed to FG's.

Reno started the final quarter with an 11 play, 64 yds. drive that ended in a 1 yd. Crosby TD run. Down 7-6, we got the ensuing kickoff and started a drive of our own from our 32 yd. line. Fogarty looked calm as he led us on a 10 play, 7 minute drive that set up Garland for a 19 yd. game winner with 3 minutes left. Our defense was able to stop Reno twice as time ran out and we had another victory.

FINAL SCORE
Reno 7
Boston 9


Key News From the Game:
Rushing Defense: Held Jacques Crosby to 55 yard rushing
TOP: We had the ball for 36:31


Big Performances:
[ifl]Brian Christie[/ifl]: 6 REC, 109 yds (Only 10th 100 yd. receiving game in Boston history and first since 2006)
J.B. [ifl]Fogarty[/ifl]: 19/28 for 237 yds.

Injuries:
No New Injuries

[kingfc22]

Week 15 vs. Hartford (8-5)
Record: 6-7, 3rd in AC East

The first half was a definite defensive battle as the two AC East rivals combined for 7 punts and each team had a FG apiece. As the first half was ended, Larry Ostrowski caught a short slant pass and was able to streak pass our secondary for a 69 yd. TD reception to give Hartford a 10-3 lead.

Alonzo Booher missed a 48 yd. FG that ended the Grizzlies first drive of the third quarter. On their next possession, Hickman led the Grizzlies on a 14 play 80 yd. drive capped by a Jamison 1 yd. TD run, which put Hartford up 17-3.

The game stayed that way through the 4th quarter and we trailed by 14 with 2 minutes to go and we had the ball at our own 38. Fogarty's first pass fell incomplete, but the next two went to Brownell for 15 yards and Magallanes for 43 yards down to the Hartford 4 yd. line. On the next play, Fogarty was sacked for a 7 yd. loss by Weintraub and we had to use a timeout with 1:15 remaning. Following the timeout, Fogarty hit Sena on a 10 yard out and the clock was stopped at 1:08. On 3rd and goal from the 1, Fogarty took the snap, used a play action fake to Wigfall and found his FB Karl Santana all alone in the endzone for a TD!!!!

So now it comes down to this...the onside kick. Garland pounded the ball into the ground and it looked like Roy Brown was going to get it for Hartford, but our ST captain, Ross Benson, hit him square in the chest and knocked him out of the play. This freed up Anthony Hill to recover the ball. Brown was shaken up on the play.

So we had the ball at our own 41 with 0:48 left on the clock and 1 timeout left. Fogarty's first pass was down the middle of the field towards his TE Joshua Winstead and it was batted away by Tony Martin. A chorus off boos erupted as the home crowd thought Marting arrived early and made contact with Winstead and at that moment the yellow flag came flying in from the back judge. The pass interference gave us the ball at the Hartford 42 with 0:43 left. The next pass was knocked away, but on second down Fogarty hit Magallanes for another big gainer. This one went for 35 yds and put us on the Hartford 7. We used our final timeout with 0:22 left. Fogarty hit Christie for 5 yards and the smart veteran WR got out of bounds to stop the clock with 0:14 left. Fogarty then hit Wigfall in the endzone for the TD and the XP tied the game with 0:07 to go!!!

In OT, we got the ball to start, but went three and out. However, Alton Laliberte bombed a 68 yd. punt that died at the Hartford 3. The Grizzlies managed to get a first down, but a penalty on the next set of downs set them back and we were able to force them to punt. A 10 yd. return by Christie allowed us to start at our own 49.

Fogarty found Magallanes down the sideline for 18 yards and we were in business. 3 plays later, Garland lined up for a 49 yd. FGA and it was GOOD!!!

FINAL SCORE
Hartford 17
Boston 20


Key News From the Game:
Rushing Offense: We gained 4.7 YPC and a total of 151 yards for the game.
Pass Protection: We allowed 5 sacks
Red Zone OFfense: We scored 2 TD's on 2 trips inside the 20


Big Performances:
J.B. [ifl]Fogarty[/ifl]: 18/28 for 215 yds, 2 TD's
[ifl]Daryl Magallanes[/ifl]: 6 REC, 137 yds (4th highest in team history)
[ifl]Virgil McIver[/ifl]: 13 tackles


Injuries:
Raymond Webb - Reinjured his knee and is doubtful for the next two weeks

[Matt]

[ifl]Fogarty[/ifl] is now 5-0 as a starter, and has already had 3 4th qtr comebacks. I love this kid from Brooklyn.

[kingfc22]

Week 16 @Salt Lake City (9-5)
Record: 7-7, 3rd in AC East

A horrible first half doomed us in this one. We fell behind 27-3 at the half and with our ball-control-first offense it would not be easy to catch up. We turned the ball over 4 times and looked like a Boston squad from previous seasons.

We came into the game wanting to stop Tart which we did by knocking him out of the game, but we were not ready for possible IFL MVP, Chris Chaplin, to light us up.

FINAL SCORE
Boston 25
Salt Lake City 41


Key News From the Game:
Red Zone Defense: We allowed SLC score 4 TD's and a FG in 5 trips inside our RZ


Big Performances:
N/A


Injuries:
N/A

[kingfc22]

Week 17 vs. Norfolk (12-3)
Record: 7-8, 3rd in AC East

With little to play for in the season finale, we gave a half-hearted effort against the Vipers. A Fogarty 77 yd. completion to Rodney Sena in the first minute was our lone highlight on the day. Fogarty seems to have a rough time reading the Vipers defense and has looked awful against the best team in the AC.

FINAL SCORE
Norfolk 38
Boston 7


Key News From the Game:
Penalties: We only committed 3 penalties today. Yea, today was a bad game.

Big Performances:
[ifl]Rodney Sena[/ifl] - 3 receptions for 95 yards
[ifl]Jonathan St. Louis[/ifl] - 12 tackles and 5 assists

[kingfc22]

The Dragons entered the 2008 with playoff aspirations. However, a 2-7 start to the year quickly silenced that notion. The team was playing bad, the coaches game planning was poor and the GM was frustrated that he could not get his hands on Jay Caro.

Then a guy named J.B. Fogarty was named our starter at QB. 5 wins in a row later and we found ourselves with an outside shot at the playoffs. The fans were excited and the offense really rallied behind their new leader.

Unfortunately, our last two games were against Salt Lake City (NC runner-up) and Norfolk (AC Champs). The 7-9 finish was the best the franchise has seen in four seasons. With another good draft and a few FA signings, this team should be a serious playoff contender next season.

2008 SEASON REPORT


OFFENSE - Grade C+

QB Jerald Burdette came into the season as the starter following his good showing in 2007. He started the first 9 games for us and played well in games that the game planning allowed him to. There was a few games early on that we tried to get a little fancy and it ended with very poor results. He finished the season 149/256 for 1606 yds with 4 TD's and 5 INT's. J.B. Fogarty led the team to 5 straight wins in his debut as a starter. He is the clear front runner to start the 2009 season under center for the Dragons. He was 132/222 for 1413 yds with 10 TD's and 6 INT's.

Our running game was led again by Tory Wigfall. He ended the year with a career low 939 yards and 2 TD's. It was only the 2nd time he finished the season under 1000 yards. Second year player, Tony Moriarty gained 566 yards on 146 carries which was very similar to his rookie season.

Our receiving corps is in need of a playmaker. Josh Sullivan has yet to live up to the expectations put on a #6 overall draft pick. He missed the final 4 games with torn cartilage in his knee. While he was playing, he only caught 31 passes for 391 yards to go along with his 6 drops. Daryl Magallanes and Brian Christie picked up the slack with 54 and 51 catches respectively. In Sullivan's absence, both wideouts were able to accomplish something the young receiver has yet to do in his career. That would be a 100 yd. receiving game.

GM David Gonzalez decided to focus on the O-Line in the offseason. He signed Brian Guiterrez, an all-IFL center, that we decided to move to RG. The experiment did not go as well as planned and RG will still be a positon that we will look to improve on. We also drafted C Junior Huffman in the 2nd Rd. of this past ammy draft to help solidify the interior line. Riddick Hammond was a very pleasent surprise as he took over for the injured Judson Standley at LG and never gave up the spot.


DEFENSE - Grade B+

This unit would have gotten an A-, but their performance in the final two games of the season was abysmal.

Our D-Line was hammered by injuries this season, but it might have been a good thing. It allowed for us to see if Levon Joslyn was able to play in this league and he passed the test. This led us to change our defensive scheme to a 4-3. Fritz Gaddis once again led the D-Line in sacks (6.0) and hurries (18). Last season's #2 overall pick, Raymond Webb missed the last 5 games and only had 0.5 sacks on the season. Hopefully his 3rd year in the league will be a breakout one. This year's first round draft choice, Earl Hood missed 5 of our first 6 games, but did come on strong late in the year.

Virgil McIver was once again a tackling machine. He led the team in tackles with 105. It marked the 5th time he finished with over a 100 on the season. Jonathan St. Louis had a huge season and was rewarded with a contract extension. He led the team with 6.5 sacks and also added 78 tackles including 4 forced fumbles. Andrew Valley also added 72 tackles and Andrew Hulse finished the season with 50 as he was left off the field once we went with a 4-3 formation.

The secondary is a strong point for the Dragons. Shut down corner, Willie Ames led the league with 24 pass defensed and also had 4 INT's. On the opposite side of the field, Larry Morehead continues to be overlooked by many even though he knocked down 17 passes of his own. Billy McBride had his best season ever. In his 9th year, Billy had 81 tackles with 3 INT's including one that he ran back for a TD. Quinn Surdyk played well at the FS position in his first season as the starter. It would be foolish of me to not mention some other guys in our secondary that provide us with depth and a bright future. Rookies Lawrence Currie and Preston Paxson both made impacts when they took the field. Currie finished with 36 tackles and an INT as our nickel back. Paxson had 14 tackles and forced 2 fumbles in limited action behind McBride.


SPECIAL TEAMS - Grade B

K Carter Garland led the league with 35 FG's made. He finished the season 35/40 with a long of 49. It was a vast improvement over his horrific 2007 season. FA acquisition, Alton Laliberte was 4th in the league with 33 punts inside the 20 and he finished the season with a 42.4 average.

Brian Christie was unable to break out any long punt returns and finished with a 9.4 avg, but rookie Lawrence Currie managed a 15.2 average during his limited role. Josh Sullivan led the team with a 26.9 KR avg as he is at least able to contribute in this aspect of the game.


LEAGUE HONORS
CB [ifl]Willie Ames[/ifl]:
2008 Commissioner's Team
AC Pro Bowl Cornerback

K [ifl]Carter Garland[/ifl]:
2008 Solecismic Award All-IFL First Team Kicker
AC Pro Bowl Kicker

SLB [ifl]Jonathan St. Louis[/ifl]:
2008 Solecismic Awards All-IFL Second Team Outside Linebacker
AC Pro Bowl Outside Linebacker

SINGLE SEASON TEAM RECORDS
- 11 INT's thrown on the season (low)
- 12 Fumbles on the season (low)
- 20 Forced fumbles
- 86 Passes defensed

SINGLE SEASON INDIVIDUAL RECORDS
- 24 Pass defensed (Willie Ames)
- 24 Punt returns (Brian Christie)
- 227 Punt return yds. (Brian Christie)
- 35 FG's (Carter Garland)
- 123 Pts. (Carter Garland)

FRANCHISE CAREER RECORDS
- 20 career sacks (Jonathan St. Louis)
- 2 INT's for TD (Billy McBride)
- 91 Games started (Tory Wigfall)

[sovstar]

Good stuff as usual ...