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Little Rock Toads 2004 Preview
With free agency and the draft over, the Toads of 2004 are pretty much set as we head into training camp. There are a few things to be sorted out in the 4 preseason games, mostly these are battles for back up spots as the starters are almost locked in. First and foremost we will point out that these things could change as Toads GM Cringer McFreaky continues to fill some of the holes he, and we see still in this team.
We will start with the biggest move of the offseason, not only for the Toads but perhaps the league as well. This is THE TRADE, or also known as JaveGate, named after the Oakland Assassin GM. Little Rock traded the second overall pick to the Assassins for three up and coming stars. This trade caused some controversy, but we are going to focus on it's impact to the Toads. First off, the offense will get a big boost from new TE Joseph Flores, already named the starting TE and a huge upgrade over last season. He still has some learning to do, which is almost scary considering he is already twice the player then last year's starter Maurice Barnhart is. This will be a big boost to an already highly rated running game, and gives young QB Ralph Given a great mid-range target that he and Bennett Renteria did not have last year. Also added to the offense is second year guard Wilfredo Sheffield. This is perhaps the biggest 'project player' the Toads got in this draft, but his upside is great and to help teach him GM Cringer McFreaky brought in veteran Paul Doucet to serve as backup and teacher. The third player picked up in the trade is defensive tackle Tod Woods. Soon to be a premier talent in this league, Woods also enters only his second year of pro ball. Combined with seven year veteran Frank Wideman at his LDT spot, these two will make for one of the best run stuffing combonations in the league. If you combine their stats fromlast year, you have 140 tackles, 69 assists, 11.5 sacks and 10 blocked passes. Add DE Shawn Hernandez into the mix and this has the potential to be the most solid defensive line in the league.
We will start now working through the positions and the key players at each. The main area of watch will of course be quarterback. Last season the plan was to bring in Ralph Given as the starter, with veteran backups to mentor him. Basically a rookie having sat on the practice squad one year in the NFL, Given struggled early and was pulled for veteran Edgar Renteria. Renteria addd some mobility to the offense that Given could not, and the offense improved. That was only temporary though, and when the losses started to pile up, Given was once again thrown into the fire to learn on the job. Head Coach Cris Kelly has already made it clear that Given is his guy, and that will not change this season as it did before. Renteria will be the number two guy.
Running back was the one position that was a big success for the Toads last season. Rookie halfback Brian Dixon gained 1446 yards and scored six touchdowns as we went on to become the Offensive Rookie of the Year. The question here lies in the backup spots, where backs Dan Torres and Ricky Eddings to not provide much of an insurance. The fullback spot will once again be secure with Heath Leigh returning after a season in which he had 665 yards rushing, over 300 yards receiving, and seven combined touchdowns. Backup fullback Philip Sundberg does not miss a beat if he needs to come in and do some run blocking.
As mentioned, there has been a big target added in the receiving area of the offense with TE Joseph Flores. He will be backed up by last years starter Maurice Barnhart. Hopefully Flores will take some of the focus off of the two starting wideouts, who will once again be Olin Holst at FL, and Richard Hathcock at SE. Both WRs were rookies last season, and atleast Holst is expected to break out this year and help move this offense towards a more balanced attack. The big question is who will win the number three receiving spot? Arthur Osman, who had that role last year, has moved on to Albuquerque in a trade which got the Toads a third round draft pick in this years draft. The choices for the third WR role are not impressive, look for this to be an area that GM Cringer looks to upgrade if possible before the season starts. Right now we would have to pencil in Alden Ingersoll, who has eight years of pro experience but is yet to been on the field in the Imperial League.
The offensive line not only added Wilfredo Sheffield, who should start at left guard, but a quality backup with the signing of free agent Paul Doucett. This allows for guys to play in their natural positions this season, instead of last year where now right guard James Brown spent a lot of time playing on the left side, and the departed center Damian Tracy was playing right guard. The departure of Tracy also leaves the center spot with no quality backup, but starter Lazaro Venegas started all 16 games last season and appears to be a solid man in the middle. The tackle spots are the weak links on the offensive line, with two young players set to start there. Returning at RT will be Marcus Freels, who coaches are somewhat discouraged with by his lack of improvement coming off 16 starts in his rookie season. The left tackle spot will be up for grabs in camp, but the early favorite is second round draft pick Roy Van Der Woude out of Middle Tennessee State. The massive size (6-7, 358lbs) makes him a very solid prospect, but coming from a small college look for plenty of growing pains.
The kicking game remains the same this season, with 2nd year punter Dwight McDermott returning after a solid rookie campaign that saw him average over 41 yards per punt and kick 40 inside the 20 yard line. Returning at kicker is Jesus Stratton, who was franchise tagged by the team after only signing a one year contract last season before game two. He went 15 for 19 on FGs witha long of 57 yards.
The defensive side of the ball was an area that GM Cringer wanted to focus on, noting that to take over the division from Columbia they are going to have to stop the best passing attack in the league. There were some successes and failures in this area though. The defensive line, already pretty good with returning starting DE Shawn Hernandez and LDT Frank Wideman, should be even better this season. The RDT spot was split between Thomas Fierro (traded) and 11 year veteran Lou Howett. With the addition on DT Tod Woods though, Fierro was expendable, and Howett was resigned to pass some of his knowledge onto Woods. The primary backup will be Carl Essary or Barry Fisk, both young players with decent futures. The left defensive end position was never completely filled last season, with Hernandez having to play some there and letting Thornberry play on the right side, or J.T. Curtis on three occasions. This year it is still a little foggy, although word is that WILB Karl Cronin, who was picked with the second pick of the 3rd round in this years draft, could be moved to left DE. He has the size (6-4, 267lbs) and the excellent pass rushing strenght and skills that he could be the answer for the Toads. If not, then the Toads also drafted DE Hugh Champion with the 23rd pick in the third round.
The linebacker positions were an area that was looked at by the Toads as an area that needed improvement. Unfortunetly they were unable to do much in free agency or the draft. With Albert Cloninger at middle lineback, and team leading tackler Richie Currin at SLB, the coaches are pretty happy with those spots and know that those players just need a little more time to keep improving. The main weak spot is back up MLB, and starting WLB. Joe Comer will once again back up Cloninger, but he has failed to actually improve any since last year, and some wonder if he has the potential once thought. The WLB slot is in complete limbo, as 3rd year player, and 14 game starter Clark Weintraub returns, but coaches no longer feel he has the potential they first thought he did last year and said the transition into the Imperial League just has not seemed to work out. Second year man Gilbert Gourley played in all 16 games last season but he too has improved little since the teams first training camp say coaches. This led to the trade of DT Thomas Fierro to Madison for WILB Chris Frisch. While not a great player, he is a step up from the other two guys and could fill the role nicely despite not having the pass covering skilld that coaches wanted to help combat the TE and 3 or 4 WR sets that Columbia is so good at using.
Center Damian Tracy was traded and that hurt the depth at center, but what the Toads may end up being much bigger for them. A key area of concern after last season was the defensive backfield, more specific the cornerbacks. LCB Sandy Lindo showed some promise with his 4 INTs but needs to keep improving this season and increase his other numbers. To help out on the other side is the guy Tracy was traded for, CB Rodney Love. He started seven games last season for Hartford but coaches say he was a hidden talent, and in mini-camps has already stepped in as the leader of this secondary. The starting safeties will once again be Omer Flaherty and Stanford Zamudio. This gives the Toads a young but solid defensive backfield, an improvement over last season. The problem lies with depth, and nickle and dime backs. Third year CB Jerold Rochester and just signed 14 year veteran S Wallace Moskowitz are the best of a bad bunch. TO try and help out this area the Toads drafted 3 DBs who will all compete for roster spots. The top two of these are CB Todd Bradley and SS Wesley Cronk, who actually could swap positions in camp. But it is unknown if these two guys can actually have any impact this season. Lets hope so, because the Toads will need more then 4 decent DBs to stop Julian Cartagena and the Fire offense. Hopefully they will only need to cover receivers for a limited time before the defensive line is disrupting Cartagena.....hopefully.
With free agency and the draft over, the Toads of 2004 are pretty much set as we head into training camp. There are a few things to be sorted out in the 4 preseason games, mostly these are battles for back up spots as the starters are almost locked in. First and foremost we will point out that these things could change as Toads GM Cringer McFreaky continues to fill some of the holes he, and we see still in this team.
We will start with the biggest move of the offseason, not only for the Toads but perhaps the league as well. This is THE TRADE, or also known as JaveGate, named after the Oakland Assassin GM. Little Rock traded the second overall pick to the Assassins for three up and coming stars. This trade caused some controversy, but we are going to focus on it's impact to the Toads. First off, the offense will get a big boost from new TE Joseph Flores, already named the starting TE and a huge upgrade over last season. He still has some learning to do, which is almost scary considering he is already twice the player then last year's starter Maurice Barnhart is. This will be a big boost to an already highly rated running game, and gives young QB Ralph Given a great mid-range target that he and Bennett Renteria did not have last year. Also added to the offense is second year guard Wilfredo Sheffield. This is perhaps the biggest 'project player' the Toads got in this draft, but his upside is great and to help teach him GM Cringer McFreaky brought in veteran Paul Doucet to serve as backup and teacher. The third player picked up in the trade is defensive tackle Tod Woods. Soon to be a premier talent in this league, Woods also enters only his second year of pro ball. Combined with seven year veteran Frank Wideman at his LDT spot, these two will make for one of the best run stuffing combonations in the league. If you combine their stats fromlast year, you have 140 tackles, 69 assists, 11.5 sacks and 10 blocked passes. Add DE Shawn Hernandez into the mix and this has the potential to be the most solid defensive line in the league.
We will start now working through the positions and the key players at each. The main area of watch will of course be quarterback. Last season the plan was to bring in Ralph Given as the starter, with veteran backups to mentor him. Basically a rookie having sat on the practice squad one year in the NFL, Given struggled early and was pulled for veteran Edgar Renteria. Renteria addd some mobility to the offense that Given could not, and the offense improved. That was only temporary though, and when the losses started to pile up, Given was once again thrown into the fire to learn on the job. Head Coach Cris Kelly has already made it clear that Given is his guy, and that will not change this season as it did before. Renteria will be the number two guy.
Running back was the one position that was a big success for the Toads last season. Rookie halfback Brian Dixon gained 1446 yards and scored six touchdowns as we went on to become the Offensive Rookie of the Year. The question here lies in the backup spots, where backs Dan Torres and Ricky Eddings to not provide much of an insurance. The fullback spot will once again be secure with Heath Leigh returning after a season in which he had 665 yards rushing, over 300 yards receiving, and seven combined touchdowns. Backup fullback Philip Sundberg does not miss a beat if he needs to come in and do some run blocking.
As mentioned, there has been a big target added in the receiving area of the offense with TE Joseph Flores. He will be backed up by last years starter Maurice Barnhart. Hopefully Flores will take some of the focus off of the two starting wideouts, who will once again be Olin Holst at FL, and Richard Hathcock at SE. Both WRs were rookies last season, and atleast Holst is expected to break out this year and help move this offense towards a more balanced attack. The big question is who will win the number three receiving spot? Arthur Osman, who had that role last year, has moved on to Albuquerque in a trade which got the Toads a third round draft pick in this years draft. The choices for the third WR role are not impressive, look for this to be an area that GM Cringer looks to upgrade if possible before the season starts. Right now we would have to pencil in Alden Ingersoll, who has eight years of pro experience but is yet to been on the field in the Imperial League.
The offensive line not only added Wilfredo Sheffield, who should start at left guard, but a quality backup with the signing of free agent Paul Doucett. This allows for guys to play in their natural positions this season, instead of last year where now right guard James Brown spent a lot of time playing on the left side, and the departed center Damian Tracy was playing right guard. The departure of Tracy also leaves the center spot with no quality backup, but starter Lazaro Venegas started all 16 games last season and appears to be a solid man in the middle. The tackle spots are the weak links on the offensive line, with two young players set to start there. Returning at RT will be Marcus Freels, who coaches are somewhat discouraged with by his lack of improvement coming off 16 starts in his rookie season. The left tackle spot will be up for grabs in camp, but the early favorite is second round draft pick Roy Van Der Woude out of Middle Tennessee State. The massive size (6-7, 358lbs) makes him a very solid prospect, but coming from a small college look for plenty of growing pains.
The kicking game remains the same this season, with 2nd year punter Dwight McDermott returning after a solid rookie campaign that saw him average over 41 yards per punt and kick 40 inside the 20 yard line. Returning at kicker is Jesus Stratton, who was franchise tagged by the team after only signing a one year contract last season before game two. He went 15 for 19 on FGs witha long of 57 yards.
The defensive side of the ball was an area that GM Cringer wanted to focus on, noting that to take over the division from Columbia they are going to have to stop the best passing attack in the league. There were some successes and failures in this area though. The defensive line, already pretty good with returning starting DE Shawn Hernandez and LDT Frank Wideman, should be even better this season. The RDT spot was split between Thomas Fierro (traded) and 11 year veteran Lou Howett. With the addition on DT Tod Woods though, Fierro was expendable, and Howett was resigned to pass some of his knowledge onto Woods. The primary backup will be Carl Essary or Barry Fisk, both young players with decent futures. The left defensive end position was never completely filled last season, with Hernandez having to play some there and letting Thornberry play on the right side, or J.T. Curtis on three occasions. This year it is still a little foggy, although word is that WILB Karl Cronin, who was picked with the second pick of the 3rd round in this years draft, could be moved to left DE. He has the size (6-4, 267lbs) and the excellent pass rushing strenght and skills that he could be the answer for the Toads. If not, then the Toads also drafted DE Hugh Champion with the 23rd pick in the third round.
The linebacker positions were an area that was looked at by the Toads as an area that needed improvement. Unfortunetly they were unable to do much in free agency or the draft. With Albert Cloninger at middle lineback, and team leading tackler Richie Currin at SLB, the coaches are pretty happy with those spots and know that those players just need a little more time to keep improving. The main weak spot is back up MLB, and starting WLB. Joe Comer will once again back up Cloninger, but he has failed to actually improve any since last year, and some wonder if he has the potential once thought. The WLB slot is in complete limbo, as 3rd year player, and 14 game starter Clark Weintraub returns, but coaches no longer feel he has the potential they first thought he did last year and said the transition into the Imperial League just has not seemed to work out. Second year man Gilbert Gourley played in all 16 games last season but he too has improved little since the teams first training camp say coaches. This led to the trade of DT Thomas Fierro to Madison for WILB Chris Frisch. While not a great player, he is a step up from the other two guys and could fill the role nicely despite not having the pass covering skilld that coaches wanted to help combat the TE and 3 or 4 WR sets that Columbia is so good at using.
Center Damian Tracy was traded and that hurt the depth at center, but what the Toads may end up being much bigger for them. A key area of concern after last season was the defensive backfield, more specific the cornerbacks. LCB Sandy Lindo showed some promise with his 4 INTs but needs to keep improving this season and increase his other numbers. To help out on the other side is the guy Tracy was traded for, CB Rodney Love. He started seven games last season for Hartford but coaches say he was a hidden talent, and in mini-camps has already stepped in as the leader of this secondary. The starting safeties will once again be Omer Flaherty and Stanford Zamudio. This gives the Toads a young but solid defensive backfield, an improvement over last season. The problem lies with depth, and nickle and dime backs. Third year CB Jerold Rochester and just signed 14 year veteran S Wallace Moskowitz are the best of a bad bunch. TO try and help out this area the Toads drafted 3 DBs who will all compete for roster spots. The top two of these are CB Todd Bradley and SS Wesley Cronk, who actually could swap positions in camp. But it is unknown if these two guys can actually have any impact this season. Lets hope so, because the Toads will need more then 4 decent DBs to stop Julian Cartagena and the Fire offense. Hopefully they will only need to cover receivers for a limited time before the defensive line is disrupting Cartagena.....hopefully.