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by Spark Wonup
Lawrence Sun Times
Outplayed in the Big Game by a veteran Clawz squad led by a possessed Sedric Vance and a sniper named Whiting, where do our beloved Phantoms go from here? Let's break it down:
Quarterbacks
Despite drafting about one per year the "stable" again consists solely of Roderick Amos.
Backfield
Both RB and FB "by committee" are acceptable though not great.
Tight Ends
"All Caught" is in my opinion the best ever and only going into year 7. Omar Fisher comes back from injury to make this position a team strength.
Wide Receivers
Arnold Greene leads a great corp of receivers, though the meat of the group is getting old. Wayne McCabe leads the younger generation though he's really a #3 at best.
Offensive Line
Left Tackle, Center, and Right Tackle are all manned by very talented, very young players. There are 2 very capable young guards filling the gaps. Like most teams we could use some talented mild-mannered back-ups but our current situation isn't dire.
Punters/Kickers
Dre Scibona, one of the IFL's best entering only his 3rd season, is locked in at punter while the FG kicker and kickoff specialist positions are wide open.
Defensive Line
DLine has always been a staple of Phantoms' teams and that will continue in 2019. "Willie Bo"(hannon) leads the group but there are 4 other talented veterans not very far behind. Age is starting to be a concern here but no need to sound any alarms just yet.
Linebackers
One of the best ever - RJ "The Leash" Kley - called it quits this off-season leaving behind a very shaky group to be lead by 4th year SLB Warren McCormick. McCormick should rightfully be losing sleep right now and having gametime nightmares when he does get some. We're a long ways from the days of Carl Wing, The Leash, and Randell McCreary...
Cornerbacks
The same group that was battered by injuries in 2018 returns. All-League talent Wade Boyd leads Sherman Shawwa, Adrian Atwood, and newcomer Kennedy Bonk. Look for a 5th and 6th to be added somehow.
Safeties
Dwayne Hernandez burst onto the IFL scene in 2018 and FS Russell McBrayer is coming into his own. Doug Gonzalez can back-up either spot so the odds are we'll see the same group in 2019.
Let's sum all this up:
The Good: The offense was one of the league's best in 2018 and Amos only got stronger at the end - while injured. All the usual suspects - assuming TE Dan Alcott gets franchised - return for 2019 and should gel a little better as a group.
The Bad: The linebacker crew - already a weakness - lost it's best player and is in shambles. There are simply too many holes for this group not to be an albatross this upcoming season.
The Ugly: The motivation just doesn't seem to be there right now after the deflating loss to Cleveland.
The Scary: The defending NC Champs are the 2nd youngest team in the league and hold picks 1.4, 1.6, 1.31, and 2.3!
Lawrence Sun Times
Outplayed in the Big Game by a veteran Clawz squad led by a possessed Sedric Vance and a sniper named Whiting, where do our beloved Phantoms go from here? Let's break it down:
Quarterbacks
Despite drafting about one per year the "stable" again consists solely of Roderick Amos.
Backfield
Both RB and FB "by committee" are acceptable though not great.
Tight Ends
"All Caught" is in my opinion the best ever and only going into year 7. Omar Fisher comes back from injury to make this position a team strength.
Wide Receivers
Arnold Greene leads a great corp of receivers, though the meat of the group is getting old. Wayne McCabe leads the younger generation though he's really a #3 at best.
Offensive Line
Left Tackle, Center, and Right Tackle are all manned by very talented, very young players. There are 2 very capable young guards filling the gaps. Like most teams we could use some talented mild-mannered back-ups but our current situation isn't dire.
Punters/Kickers
Dre Scibona, one of the IFL's best entering only his 3rd season, is locked in at punter while the FG kicker and kickoff specialist positions are wide open.
Defensive Line
DLine has always been a staple of Phantoms' teams and that will continue in 2019. "Willie Bo"(hannon) leads the group but there are 4 other talented veterans not very far behind. Age is starting to be a concern here but no need to sound any alarms just yet.
Linebackers
One of the best ever - RJ "The Leash" Kley - called it quits this off-season leaving behind a very shaky group to be lead by 4th year SLB Warren McCormick. McCormick should rightfully be losing sleep right now and having gametime nightmares when he does get some. We're a long ways from the days of Carl Wing, The Leash, and Randell McCreary...
Cornerbacks
The same group that was battered by injuries in 2018 returns. All-League talent Wade Boyd leads Sherman Shawwa, Adrian Atwood, and newcomer Kennedy Bonk. Look for a 5th and 6th to be added somehow.
Safeties
Dwayne Hernandez burst onto the IFL scene in 2018 and FS Russell McBrayer is coming into his own. Doug Gonzalez can back-up either spot so the odds are we'll see the same group in 2019.
Let's sum all this up:
The Good: The offense was one of the league's best in 2018 and Amos only got stronger at the end - while injured. All the usual suspects - assuming TE Dan Alcott gets franchised - return for 2019 and should gel a little better as a group.
The Bad: The linebacker crew - already a weakness - lost it's best player and is in shambles. There are simply too many holes for this group not to be an albatross this upcoming season.
The Ugly: The motivation just doesn't seem to be there right now after the deflating loss to Cleveland.
The Scary: The defending NC Champs are the 2nd youngest team in the league and hold picks 1.4, 1.6, 1.31, and 2.3!
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