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Retirements:
Legendary Snipe Hunters quarterback Sammy Matthews retired after 14 years with the team. The 4th round pick from 2005 holds a lot of IWC passing records and has the 2nd best completion percentage in the history of the league. Over his career he passed for over 38000 yards with 251 touchdowns and 127 interceptions for a QB rating of 89.4. He led the Snipe Hunters to an Imperial Bowl appearance in 2010 and was the Bowl MVP, even though he played on the losing team.
With cornerback Duane Fox retired another Snipe Hunter that stayed with this team over all of his career. Drafted in the 6th round of the 2007 draft, he accumulated 16 interceptions over his 12 year career for a pass defense percentage of 81.3. He leads all Snipe Hunters players with 132 passes defensed.
Nose Tackle Jerome Sweeney joined the team in week 2 of the 2018 season and provided valuable depth on the defensive line. He played in 15 games and recorded 21 solo tackles and one sack.
Staff Hiring:
No changes were made on the coaching and front office personnel. Head Coach Howie Mooberry returns for a 3rd season leading the Snipe Hunters from the sideline.
Free Agency:
4th year defensive end Kenny Schumann signed a 3yr / 2.36 million contract as a restricted free agent.
Kyle Maramieri, a 5th year safety, was signed from Pennsylvania to a 3yr / 3.83 million contract. Maramieri is a typical in-the-box safety and is expected to contribute on run defense situations.
A young offensive tackle, OJ Saenz, was brought in for O-Line depth after being released by Salt Lake City early in Free Agency.
Tight End Steven Bobo was signed late in free agency to a 3yr 6.5 million contract. The 5th year player, who spent his first four years in the league in Reno will provide a target in the passing game out of 2-TE formations. He is expected to have quite an impact on the team.
Trades:
Veteran offensive tackle Stanley Harding and 4th year tackle Ben Peters were traded to St. Louis for a 3rd round pick in this year's draft and a 2020 4th rounder. Harding was in the last year of his contract and there were rumors in Iowa City that he wouldn't have been resigned this year. Peters, while a promising player was stuck on the depth chart behind Earnest Labbe and the Snipe Hunters front office felt, that they had to give him a chance to compete for a starting job on another team.
Safety Pat Wiggins was acquired from Cleveland for two 3rd rounders in this year's draft. The coaching staff feels that Wiggins will provide a significant upgrade in pass defense over current starter Jerry Brian. The plan for the offseason was to upgrade the secondary because of the prolific passing offenses in Cleveland, Montreal and, sooner than later, Wichita. Wiggins is excellent in coverage and the Snipe Hunters feel that he will be creating more turnovers than during his tenure in Cleveland.
The draft:
1(17) RJ Fortune
Safety / Cornerback
Duke
The Snipe Hunters were looking to improve their secondary and had their eyes set especially on safeties Luke Lynch and RJ Fortune. After Lynch was picked two spots before the Snipe Hunters', they decided to go with Fortune. The young safety will probably be converted to cornerback, which is better suited for his size and his style of play, thus giving the Snipe Hunters another great corner besides All-Pro CB Jeremy Hickman.
2(20) Alfred Garrison
Wide Receiver
Kentucky
The wide receiver position was ground to some worries in Iowa City. Archie Shapiro isn't getting any younger, neither is Herb Malecki, Rod Rodgers doesn't all too well in an expanded role and Martin King, who honestly has to be labeled as a bust has serious ball control problems, recording 26 drops in the last two seasons.
Garrison, who, like his cousin, Snipe Hunters RB Dusty Garrison, went to Kentucky is expected to be the future of the IWC wide receiver corps and should be a reliable pass catcher for years to come. He is a very fast player with good big play ability and will also contribute on special teams this year, probably as the main punt returner.
4(18) Kingmaker Sweeney
Center
Louisiana State
He not only has a great first name, but Kingmaker also has the ability to be a dominant blocker in the running game and open holes for RB Donald Ozguner. The 4th round pick finds himself in a threeway battle with 5th year man Terrell Poysky and sophomore Ray Vance for the starting center job vacated by JR Bias, who the team decided not to resign.
5(17) Larry Elsea
Defensive Tackle / End
Michigan
Elsea is a raw defensive lineman out of Michigan. He played tackle in college, but might be asked to switch to end in the pros, because his weight of 273 lbs is widely considered too low for a 3-4 nose tackle. Elsea will not be asked to start this year, but hopefully will develop and be a good player in a few years.
6(20) Arnold Bucy
Offensive Tackle
North Carolina State
Bucy is another project on the line, this time on the offense. He is huge (6-6 / 351 lbs) and could develop into a road-grading tackle. Because of his size and weight he probably will be limited to playing on the right side, although he moves well and is a decent pass blocker.
7(19) Billy Guthrie
Fullback
Duquesne
In the IWC offense the fullback is mainly used as a lead blocker. This plays towards Guthrie's strength, who is a powerful run blocker, but not great in pass blocking and not much of a receiver. He will have to show something in training camp and preseason to secure a roster spot, as the Snipe Hunters usually carry only one fullback on the 53 man roster.
Outlook to the 2019 season:
The Snipe Hunters at the moment have 52 players under contract, so a few rookie free agents will be invited to sign with the team and compete in training camp and preseason.
For the 2019 season the Snipe Hunters have two main goals. 1) to improve from their 3-3 division record and 2) to return to the playoffs.
Both of these goals will not be easy to achieve, as the AC North is a tough division. Montreal and defending IFL champion Cleveland are not getting worse and 2-14 Wichita will be much improved. Danny Ouellette has a year of experience under his belt and with #1 pick Phillip Diedrich a brand new weapon.
But the Snipe Hunters front office is confident about the revamped secondary to be a problem in the passing attack and the pass rushers are still strong and hungry for sacks.
But to achieve the goals the offense has to step up and start producing points more consistently. QB Conrad Wooley has more weapons than ever and is expected to stretch the field more than last season.
Legendary Snipe Hunters quarterback Sammy Matthews retired after 14 years with the team. The 4th round pick from 2005 holds a lot of IWC passing records and has the 2nd best completion percentage in the history of the league. Over his career he passed for over 38000 yards with 251 touchdowns and 127 interceptions for a QB rating of 89.4. He led the Snipe Hunters to an Imperial Bowl appearance in 2010 and was the Bowl MVP, even though he played on the losing team.
With cornerback Duane Fox retired another Snipe Hunter that stayed with this team over all of his career. Drafted in the 6th round of the 2007 draft, he accumulated 16 interceptions over his 12 year career for a pass defense percentage of 81.3. He leads all Snipe Hunters players with 132 passes defensed.
Nose Tackle Jerome Sweeney joined the team in week 2 of the 2018 season and provided valuable depth on the defensive line. He played in 15 games and recorded 21 solo tackles and one sack.
Staff Hiring:
No changes were made on the coaching and front office personnel. Head Coach Howie Mooberry returns for a 3rd season leading the Snipe Hunters from the sideline.
Free Agency:
4th year defensive end Kenny Schumann signed a 3yr / 2.36 million contract as a restricted free agent.
Kyle Maramieri, a 5th year safety, was signed from Pennsylvania to a 3yr / 3.83 million contract. Maramieri is a typical in-the-box safety and is expected to contribute on run defense situations.
A young offensive tackle, OJ Saenz, was brought in for O-Line depth after being released by Salt Lake City early in Free Agency.
Tight End Steven Bobo was signed late in free agency to a 3yr 6.5 million contract. The 5th year player, who spent his first four years in the league in Reno will provide a target in the passing game out of 2-TE formations. He is expected to have quite an impact on the team.
Trades:
Veteran offensive tackle Stanley Harding and 4th year tackle Ben Peters were traded to St. Louis for a 3rd round pick in this year's draft and a 2020 4th rounder. Harding was in the last year of his contract and there were rumors in Iowa City that he wouldn't have been resigned this year. Peters, while a promising player was stuck on the depth chart behind Earnest Labbe and the Snipe Hunters front office felt, that they had to give him a chance to compete for a starting job on another team.
Safety Pat Wiggins was acquired from Cleveland for two 3rd rounders in this year's draft. The coaching staff feels that Wiggins will provide a significant upgrade in pass defense over current starter Jerry Brian. The plan for the offseason was to upgrade the secondary because of the prolific passing offenses in Cleveland, Montreal and, sooner than later, Wichita. Wiggins is excellent in coverage and the Snipe Hunters feel that he will be creating more turnovers than during his tenure in Cleveland.
The draft:
1(17) RJ Fortune
Safety / Cornerback
Duke
The Snipe Hunters were looking to improve their secondary and had their eyes set especially on safeties Luke Lynch and RJ Fortune. After Lynch was picked two spots before the Snipe Hunters', they decided to go with Fortune. The young safety will probably be converted to cornerback, which is better suited for his size and his style of play, thus giving the Snipe Hunters another great corner besides All-Pro CB Jeremy Hickman.
2(20) Alfred Garrison
Wide Receiver
Kentucky
The wide receiver position was ground to some worries in Iowa City. Archie Shapiro isn't getting any younger, neither is Herb Malecki, Rod Rodgers doesn't all too well in an expanded role and Martin King, who honestly has to be labeled as a bust has serious ball control problems, recording 26 drops in the last two seasons.
Garrison, who, like his cousin, Snipe Hunters RB Dusty Garrison, went to Kentucky is expected to be the future of the IWC wide receiver corps and should be a reliable pass catcher for years to come. He is a very fast player with good big play ability and will also contribute on special teams this year, probably as the main punt returner.
4(18) Kingmaker Sweeney
Center
Louisiana State
He not only has a great first name, but Kingmaker also has the ability to be a dominant blocker in the running game and open holes for RB Donald Ozguner. The 4th round pick finds himself in a threeway battle with 5th year man Terrell Poysky and sophomore Ray Vance for the starting center job vacated by JR Bias, who the team decided not to resign.
5(17) Larry Elsea
Defensive Tackle / End
Michigan
Elsea is a raw defensive lineman out of Michigan. He played tackle in college, but might be asked to switch to end in the pros, because his weight of 273 lbs is widely considered too low for a 3-4 nose tackle. Elsea will not be asked to start this year, but hopefully will develop and be a good player in a few years.
6(20) Arnold Bucy
Offensive Tackle
North Carolina State
Bucy is another project on the line, this time on the offense. He is huge (6-6 / 351 lbs) and could develop into a road-grading tackle. Because of his size and weight he probably will be limited to playing on the right side, although he moves well and is a decent pass blocker.
7(19) Billy Guthrie
Fullback
Duquesne
In the IWC offense the fullback is mainly used as a lead blocker. This plays towards Guthrie's strength, who is a powerful run blocker, but not great in pass blocking and not much of a receiver. He will have to show something in training camp and preseason to secure a roster spot, as the Snipe Hunters usually carry only one fullback on the 53 man roster.
Outlook to the 2019 season:
The Snipe Hunters at the moment have 52 players under contract, so a few rookie free agents will be invited to sign with the team and compete in training camp and preseason.
For the 2019 season the Snipe Hunters have two main goals. 1) to improve from their 3-3 division record and 2) to return to the playoffs.
Both of these goals will not be easy to achieve, as the AC North is a tough division. Montreal and defending IFL champion Cleveland are not getting worse and 2-14 Wichita will be much improved. Danny Ouellette has a year of experience under his belt and with #1 pick Phillip Diedrich a brand new weapon.
But the Snipe Hunters front office is confident about the revamped secondary to be a problem in the passing attack and the pass rushers are still strong and hungry for sacks.
But to achieve the goals the offense has to step up and start producing points more consistently. QB Conrad Wooley has more weapons than ever and is expected to stretch the field more than last season.
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