Hartford Grizzlies 2008 Season

[Warhammer]

Last year we finished a disappointing 8-8. After a good first half of the season, the Grizzlies stumbled to the finish the line and finished outside the playoff picture for the third straight year.

Why did the Grizzlies fail to make the playoffs? The answer is simple, turnover margin. The Grizzlies were in the bottom five of the IFL in this category. The culprit? The entire offense. Receivers, QBs, RBs, all put the ball on the ground.

However, the original rebuilding plan saw the Grizzlies return to the playoffs this year. Will this be the year the Grizzlies return to glory?

[kingfc22]

Re: Hartford Grizzlies 2008 Season

However, the original rebuilding plan saw the Grizzlies return to the playoffs this year. Will this be the year the Grizzlies return to glory?

I hope not. And hopefully my defense will help you out with that turnover margin. 8)

[Warhammer]

FA Acquisitions

Coming into the 2008 season, the team had several priorities:

1) Continue to upgrade the WR corps.
2) Find a replacements for the aging vets on the DL.
3) Find a replacement for Roy Brown in the secondary.
4) Find quality backups/eventual starters for the OL.

The first major move made in the FA market was the acquisition of WR Larry Ostrowski. Hartford had narrowly missed out on gaining his services prior to his last contract, so we made sure to pick him up this year. He is coming off his best season ever last year, catching 78 balls for just shy of 1100 yards.

The next move was picking up Joseph Alsup at CB from Lansing. He is a top notch DB in both Zone and Bump and Run coverage. This solidifies the secondary which should be one of the best in AC. Scouts around the league consider Alsup, Seifert, and Frausto among the top zone defenders in the league.

To add depth to the secondary, Paul Runnels was signed to compete with Roy Brown and Steve Frausto for one of the starting safety positions. To make this move even sweeter, he is getting along well with Steve Frausto, the secondary leader. News out of the coaching staff is that he will earn the starting SS spot ahead of Roy Brown.

There were no key departures out of Hartford this year. The only player that saw significant playing time that is not coming back is Joseph Leibowitz.

The secondary was strengthened significantly during the FA period. That left the OL, DL, and hopefully some depth at LB for the draft.

[Warhammer]

Re: Hartford Grizzlies 2008 Season

However, the original rebuilding plan saw the Grizzlies return to the playoffs this year. Will this be the year the Grizzlies return to glory?

I hope not. And hopefully my defense will help you out with that turnover margin. 8)

I thought we'd be fighting tooth and nail for second place in the division. I guess I was wrong about that.

I don't think we're going to have another season like last year's with turnovers. We have too many guys that can pop the ball out and intercept passes on defense. A lot of people forget, we had a terrible turnover margin, had a damn good defense, but had good number of starters injured. Cleeland, Frausto, Scott, and one of our other starters that escapes my mind were injured. We still had a top 10 defense. I think we'll be alright.

On offense, we didn't have a ton of INTs, we just kept putting the ball on the turf. I think much of that was a fluke. I think we will be in good shape going forward. Where it killed us was going into the red zone. A rash of fumbles and a dearth of defensive turnovers caused the bad ratio.

Before either of us can move up in the division, we need to knock off Norfolk. I think we're on even playing fields regarding talent now, its a matter of knocking them off on the field now.

[Warhammer]

Grizzlies Draft

Coming into the draft, our top priorities were to replace aging vets on the defensive line and in the secondary. Our plan was to take Toby Torres or Earl Hood with our pick, in the hopes that with so many good DTs available other top position players would be chosen first. If these players were picked I was going to take FS Peter Boyle.

Our selection: 1.17 (17) - RDE Kurt McKenzie

We planned going DT with our back up at FS, and we pick a DE? What happened? In looking at FS Peter Boyle and at the DEs available, I had a decision to make. Good DEs are harder to come by than a safety. Plus, with any top notch secondary defender you wind up paying for skills that aren't used. Given this, we opted for the young DE.

The one unfortunate thing about this move is that neither McKenzie or Fisk can make the switch to LDE. This means that one of the players will be played out of position.

We tired negotiations with several teams to either move into the late first or second rounds, but we lacked the firepower to get there. We had several players we liked in this area, first and foremost was SS Winston Mulder. After him, we had WRs Williams and Harding, RB Rico Bailey, FS Butch Tubbs, and LDE Aaron Cuthbert on our radar.

We also tried to move up into the top of the third round, and might have been able to make a deal, but that died once the Mules picked up Karl Hinton at the top of the third round. That left us scrambling trying to determine which way we wanted to go with our second pick of the draft. SS Peter Sanderson and WILB Victor Wynn were our top two guys at this point, but they both slipped off the board right before our pick. We decided to make an upgrade at our backup OG position.

Our selection: 3.17 (81) RG Marcus Stazler

Marcus Stazler not only has great skill in pass blocking, but I thought he also had some room to improve his run blocking skills based upon his combine performance. He will be an immediate upgrade over Jerome Sales who will be cut unless he shows something in the preseason.

There were still plenty of quality players on the board at this time. However, we were unable to make any moves to move up in the draft. We waited for what seemed to be an eternity to make our fourth round pick. In the meantime, we saw several good players come off the board, MLB Julio Keating, QB Roy Whiting, WLB Russell Hennessy, QB Les Bishop, P Barry Folse, and FL Myron Covington. We were left with not a lot to choose from, so I decided to take the top kicker from the combine.

Our selection: 4.17 (113) K Rick McNeil

I had thought him to be the best kicker available in the draft, and decided to nab him while I still could. Booher has been a great kicker for us, but he is in his 18th season and we need fresh blood at the position.

With our final two picks I decided that I needed to take a couple of flyers on some safeties. FS Dwight Jones has not worked out with the team and continued his ratings decline and can best be described as a bust, one of our few high draft busts. Even RT Ryan Hartman has been a solid contributor everywhere along the line, even though he has not been the player we thought he was going to be. Our final two picks were both workout warriors with average to high volatility.

Our selections: 6.17 (177) SS Rex Bush & 7.17 (209) FS A.J. Robinson

All in all, this was a solid draft for us. Our top two picks I am very excited about. Our last three picks are going to be feast or famine, they could turn out very good or disasters. But, by this point we were drafting for depth rather than immediate need.

[VitoStallion]

Nice read

[Warhammer]

Nice read

Thanks! I decided to move things over here after not many people were reading the dynasty at FOFC. If I have things over here, I'll do a better job keeping it updated, and more viewers mean more comments which means more banter, etc., etc.

[JesterBlaze]

Agreed, nice read. I really like how you explain what you wanted, what you got and why regarding the draft process.

[Warhammer]

Pre-Season Concerns

What are the areas of concern heading into this season?

First, the conference looks like it is going to be a killer. Iowa City, Cleveland, Montreal, Wichita, St. Louis, Murpheesboro, Norfolk, Boston, Albuquerque, Anchorage, California, and Portland all have legitimate playoff aspirations. Only 6 will get in, will we have enough firepower to do it?

I think we are definitely going to be one of the favorite's for the wildcard. We only gave up 16.8 points per game, and the defense should be improved this year. The offense is again taking steps forward, or should be improved. Even turning the ball over as much as we did, we had the 6th best record in the conference.

The key number for us is 20, we only lost one game last year when we scored more than 20 points. If we can break that plateau, we'll win plenty of games.

Second, will we be able to cut down on the turnovers?

One of the problems we had last year was putting the ball on the ground. Traditionally, the Grizzlies are a fairly stingy team when it comes to turnovers. Unfortunately, last year we weren't stingy about giving the ball away, but we were about taking it away. That produced a very poor turnover margin, which resulted in several key losses. Our turnovers from the QB position were down last year. If we can continue this trend, I think we will stop putting the ball on the turf as much. If we can do both things, we will pick up at least an additional win or two.

Third, if the defense only gave up 16.8 points per game, can it really improve that much?

If you look at the defense game by game, we occasionally had issues with the opposing passing game. The acquisition of Alsup and Runnels gives us three players with 90+ zone defense ratings, with a fourth at 63. We should be one of the top 5 pass defenses in the league. Our front 7, even without Cleeland, is very good at stopping the run. We were one of the top teams in the league last year against the run. It is possible this could be one of the best defenses in Imperial FL history, if we don't turn the ball over on offense.

Finally, will the offense improve?

Last year we took some major strides in offensive production at the WR spot. However, when the linemen started dropping like flies, we weren't able to really open up the offense, and opted to run the ball. We were very good on the ground, but were anemic through the air. This was partially due to playing some very good pass defenses, as well as not having a counterpart to Ferreira that defenses would have to respect. We have two very good WRs, and excellent depth at the position. We have a very good running game, if we can open up the offense any, we should see some excellent results.

[Warhammer]

Offense Analysis

Today, I am going to take a look at our offense, position group by position group.

Quarterbacks

This year we enter the year with our most precarious QB situation since our first year. We are starting the year without a clear-cut #2 option. Lincoln Norton has turned out to be a bust, which is quite surprising given what his numbers were in college and in the combine. Bernstein is a solid clipboard holder, but nothing else. Let's hope Hickman doesn't go down.

Jim Hickman is the undisputed QB for the team. Last year he increased his TD production and lowered his INT totals, but his yardage per attempt and completion rate were both down. Part of this was in trying to go downfield too much last year. With the addition of another big play receiver in Ostrowski to complement Ferreira and our older downfield threat, Khan, we should be much more productive when we go downfield. Hickman is great at swing passes as well as the deep ball, so we hope to try and get more balls to our excellent group of backfield receivers. Jim's other passing ratings are middle of the pack, but his timing, accuracy, and other "intangibles" are all good. I expect this to be a breakout year for Hickman. He now has the tools, he just needs to produce.

Running Back

Last year we had a 1200+ yardage back and a 600+ yardage back. Both players return, plus we have added seasoned vet Chris Jackson from Cleveland. Chris fits our running style and was a great pickup for us. Now each of our top 3 backs are able to shoulder the rushing load. Each have averaged over 4 YPC for an entire year which is something we value and believe to be critical for a viable rushing threat.

Returning as the starter Stanley Jamison is a workhorse type back who might not be the flashiest RB, but is a very capable producer. Even with 3/5 of the starting OL out for more than half of the season, Jamison was still able to post a 4+ YPC last season. The only downside was his 8 fumbles, many of which came late in drives. This season he hopes to hold on to the ball as he did in his sophomore season where he only fumbled the ball once in his 300+ touches.

Something else that both Jackson and Jamison do extremely well is catch the ball out of the backfield. Jamison has not posted the receiving numbers that FB Dostie has posted, but he is a capable receiver out of the backfield if given the chance.

Some people might point to the Jamison's yearly totals not topping the 1500 yard mark that other top backs reach. I argue that he has been the top RB in one of the league's top rushing attacks in the last 3 years. He has always had to share the load with good #2 RBs and a very good FB in Dostie.

Fullback

William Dostie has been one of the greatest fullbacks the IFL has ever seen. Now in the twilight of his career, he is not the focal point of the Grizzlies offense, but he still provides a vital safety valve for Hickman and functions as the lead blocker for Stanley Jamison. He still does get the occasional opportunity to carry the rock and he does not disappoint there either.

Tight Ends

Fletcher Sala and Tito Hernandez are two solid, but not great tight ends. The primary role of these players in the Grizzlies offense is to work the underneath routes so the offense can convert the 3rd and short situations it often finds itself in. Because of this, they are often the leaders in receptions on the Grizzlies. Fletcher Sala owns team records for receiving yards in a game, receiving yards and reception in a season, and career records for yardage, receptions, and touchdowns.

Wide Receivers

There are now two very talented wide receivers in Hartford. Both Larry Ostroski and Gary Ferreira are talented WRs that excel in getting open. Ostroski exels at the big play, and that gives the Grizzlies a pair of big play WRs with Neal Khan being the other half of the duo. The big question for the Grizzlies is how to get both players on the field with Ferreira and Gaylor also being very good targets as well. This receiver corps is one of the top 10 groups in the league.

Tackles

Anchored by arguably the most productive tackle in IFL history at LT and a very talented young RT, the Grizzlies have one of the best starting tackle duos in the league. Wesley Flemming is a three time All-IFL selection, and Charles Overton is entering his 4th campaign and was impressive in his first season as a Grizzly starter last year. Backing them up is Kyle Hartman who is a very capable backup that has spent a great deal of time at both tackle positions. The last player in the mix is Hector Smith who is mainly on the roster for his mentoring skills.

Even with Wesley Flemming out for 8 weeks last season, the running game still produced with Kyle Hartman and Hector Smith platooning at LT. Hopefully, Flemming will stay healthy and return to his all IFL form of a few years ago.

Guard

The guard positions are not manned by as highly skilled players as the tackle spots are, but Lowell Stubblefield and Stephen Suarez are both very capable players that help open the holes for the run game. Both players are very solid in pass protection as well, but they perform better in the running game. Backing these two men up are Marcus Stazer who is the heir apparent to Suarez. He is not as good of a run blocker as Suarez, but he excels in pass protection. If he can develop his run blocking skills as the team believes, he will be a long time Grizzly. Mentoring him is James Brockaway who is in the twilight of his career. James was a great run blocker in his day, but now his reps are limited to emergency situations.

Center

Tracy Damien is as good as they come in the IFL. He can run block and pass protect. His backup Davis Higdon is a solid player, and former Grizzly starter, who is also known for his skills in bringing along young players.

The offensive line is one of the top 10 lines in the league as a whole. There aren't any players (with the exception of Flemming) who are going to take over a game, but all of the players are above average, and work extremely well together.

The passing game should be much improved by Ostrowski whose strengths matchup well with Hickman's. If the passing game can get up to 3000 yards this year, the team will make the playoffs and do some damage there. If they struggle passing the ball, this will be another middling year and expect changes at QB next season.

The running game should return to form in 2008, and might even be better than last year's team. The line is healthy, and if they remain that way, expect a return to the top 5 in rushing.

[Warhammer]

We played our first game of the season against division favorite Norfolk Vipers. Heading into the game, I felt confident that we would be able to pass against them, and run against them as well. We passed the ball extremely well, but we lost Jim Hickman for 9 weeks. This is a serious blow, but backup Lincoln Norton stepped up and filled in admirably.

The running game was less successful because our starting RT Charles Overton suffered a hyperextended elbow. Ryan Hartman replaced him and was unable to open up holes on that side of the line. This should not be a serious issue looking ahead.

We have been in contact with roughly half of the league looking for a QB and though we are in negotiations with several teams we have not settled on any deal yet. Mainly because I am not sure which QB is going to be the best fit here in Hartford. Some QBs have good ratings but mediocre stats, others have been good performers, but lack the formation knowledge that is essential in Hartford. We signed proven winner Jared Mulcahey and hope that he can man the ship until we make a deal or until Hickman returns.

[Warhammer]

Week 4 Boston at Hartford

This week is a critical game for the Grizzlies. First, this is a home divisional game. Second, we're tied with Norfolk, and currently hold the tie-breaker due to divisional record, we must win this game to maintain that. Third, our schedule is going to be tough in the upcoming weeks with games against all four AC West teams up next. Each of those teams are very capable of beating us.

If we can enter that swing with a 3-1 record, we stand a very good chance of making the playoffs.

The key matchup is going to be at QB. Will Burdette outplay the QB tandem of the Grizzlies?

Both defenses are pretty stout, but I think we have the edge based upon who we have played and how we have performed. We also appear to have the better offense, but we have yet to go up against a defense of Boston's caliber. Their LB corps gives me the heebie jeebies.

My prediction, Boston 13 Hartford 24

[Warhammer]

After a win against Boston and a loss to Anchorage, Hartford was sitting at 3-2 and in second place in the AC East. A game against the California Heros loomed large as the Grizzlies needed a win to maintain pace with Norfolk and to guarantee a .500 first half record.

California appeared to be primed for an upset, especially after their win against Boston where they amassed over 440 yards of offense. Our defense did not fear their passing attack, but we did fear their running game. We stacked 8 men in the box, and dared them to run. Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, we decided we were going to exploit the middle and right half of their front seven. We decided to shove the ball down their throat and not let up.

The result was a 20-14 victory that should have been by a larger margin. Hartford got on the board first after an impressive 17 play 93 yard TD drive. California matched this with an 8 play 80 yard drive, and seemed poised to take the lead after Mulcahey's interception at the Grizzly 38 yard line. The defense forced a 3 and out, and California missed a 47 yard field goal. The Grizzlies promptly moved 67 yards for a touchdown, and a 14-7 lead. After the opening kickoff of the second half, the Grizzlies extended their lead to 17-7. The Heros responded with another 80 yard drive that resulted in a TD. Then the Grizzlies defense clamped down. The offense was able to move the ball, but Booher only went 1-4 on the next three drives as he missed several 45+ yard field goals. However, he did connect on his last attempt to give the Grizzlies a 20-14 lead. After a 4 play drive by California, the Grizzlies ran out the last 4:29 of the game with a drive that ended on the Heros 6 yard line as time expired.

The Grizzlies set two team records today. The first was a new team rushing record as the Grizzlies ran for 244 yards. The second was their 430 total yards which eclipsed their previous record of 417 yards set against Madison in 2006. This was the second 400+ yard game the Grizzlies had this year. Prior to this year, the Grizzlies have only exceeded 400 yard on offense twice in 2006.

O.J. Boyer will return to his starting position at SILB after the bye week next week.