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Killer Whales 2022 Sitrep
Just about everything broke right for the Killer Whales in 2021, obviously the best season in team history. Even though they won the Imperial Bowl, the team was not without a few weaknesses, and heading into the off-season the guiding thought was change as little as possible, patch up a few things, and gear up for another run.
However, the off-season has brought a bit more change than hoped for, and the resulting uncertainty is causing some apprehension in the Whale faithful.
Key Losses:
MLB Carlton Nitschke. Leaves a big void in the middle of the vaunted K-Whales defense.
DEs Willie Peterson and Ike Cook. Hung over from the Imperial Bowl, these guys showed up out of shape and unmotivated. They should've been able to contribute for a couple more years at least - what a disappointment.
Key Gains:
Journeyman QB Teddy Lara comes in to provide some veteran backup to McNeil. (Yes, a lower 40-rated backup QB was our only key gain)
Offense Player Focus:
Second year TE Shawn Ragley (47/51) has crept up in ratings and is hopefully ready to be the starting TE. We hope he plays a bit above his ratings and gives McNeil a weapon other than the WR corps - which lost some of their depth this off-season.
Defense Player Focus:
9th year MLB Wesley Reno (39/39) takes over as defensive team captain for Nitschke. Obviously there is big dropoff in skill here, but we whiffed in free agency and Newark drafted Rusty Brock 7 picks before we could get him.
Draft:
It was a crazy draft room in Vancouver. We made a questionable deal with Newark to get an extra 1st rounder, which we spent on a center that has made almost no progress this preseason. The 32nd pick went to get a DE, Issac Tyler. He's a bit of a project but he and Greg Tyler could end up as nice bookends (I'm trying to come up with a snappy nickname for the Tylers). Second round WLB Trent Norton shows some promise and 4th round SLB Mueller may be a good blitzer. Our attempt at some late round WR help failed miserably.
Prognosis:
Vancouver lost a fair amount of skill this year, mainly on defense. Meanwhile, the rest of division is getting better. I think we still have a reasonable shot at winning the NC West, but I think it will be more of a scramble to the top, and we'll need to be lucky with winning close games to claim the NC West crown for the third year in a row. Beyond that, who knows?
Just about everything broke right for the Killer Whales in 2021, obviously the best season in team history. Even though they won the Imperial Bowl, the team was not without a few weaknesses, and heading into the off-season the guiding thought was change as little as possible, patch up a few things, and gear up for another run.
However, the off-season has brought a bit more change than hoped for, and the resulting uncertainty is causing some apprehension in the Whale faithful.
Key Losses:
MLB Carlton Nitschke. Leaves a big void in the middle of the vaunted K-Whales defense.
DEs Willie Peterson and Ike Cook. Hung over from the Imperial Bowl, these guys showed up out of shape and unmotivated. They should've been able to contribute for a couple more years at least - what a disappointment.
Key Gains:
Journeyman QB Teddy Lara comes in to provide some veteran backup to McNeil. (Yes, a lower 40-rated backup QB was our only key gain)
Offense Player Focus:
Second year TE Shawn Ragley (47/51) has crept up in ratings and is hopefully ready to be the starting TE. We hope he plays a bit above his ratings and gives McNeil a weapon other than the WR corps - which lost some of their depth this off-season.
Defense Player Focus:
9th year MLB Wesley Reno (39/39) takes over as defensive team captain for Nitschke. Obviously there is big dropoff in skill here, but we whiffed in free agency and Newark drafted Rusty Brock 7 picks before we could get him.
Draft:
It was a crazy draft room in Vancouver. We made a questionable deal with Newark to get an extra 1st rounder, which we spent on a center that has made almost no progress this preseason. The 32nd pick went to get a DE, Issac Tyler. He's a bit of a project but he and Greg Tyler could end up as nice bookends (I'm trying to come up with a snappy nickname for the Tylers). Second round WLB Trent Norton shows some promise and 4th round SLB Mueller may be a good blitzer. Our attempt at some late round WR help failed miserably.
Prognosis:
Vancouver lost a fair amount of skill this year, mainly on defense. Meanwhile, the rest of division is getting better. I think we still have a reasonable shot at winning the NC West, but I think it will be more of a scramble to the top, and we'll need to be lucky with winning close games to claim the NC West crown for the third year in a row. Beyond that, who knows?
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