The Rumor Mill

[Rumor Mill]

Rumblings out of Lawrence

Anyone in need of a WR? Perhaps the best WR in the game today, Kraig Marasco of Lawrence, could be put up on the trading block as early as this off-season. The following is part of a conversation between Owner/GM Jester Blaze and Head Coach Hunter Crawford overheard by a source inside the Phantom organization:

...Kraig will never max out his potential here. We're not an air-it-out offense and I'd like to think our defense is never going to make a habit of letting us get into shoot-outs. Kraig could blow-up somewhere else. Maybe that team doesn't emphasize the same positions we do. I don't want to become known as the team that stunted the growth of the highest rated player in the league at any position, let alone a skill position.

It can be assumed that Crawford was not pleased to hear that, but Lawrence could be feeling the pressure of having tight finances and a disappointing season thus far. Marasco only has 43 catches and one TD this year. In fact, his lack of production has many people around the league shaking their heads in disbelief. Despite being 15th in the league in targets, he is 46th in catches. With a huge payday coming, Lawrence may feel that he would be worth more to them if he were traded.

[Rumor Mill]

Looking Ahead to the Draft

The Rumor Mill gives an early look at who he thinks could be the top college prospects:

1. Alan Crespo, RB, Wisconsin*. Crespo has the ability to be this year’s Wesley Connell, only with the ability to return kicks. He is an excellent runner and above-average pass receiver. The only knock on him is a penchant for fumbling. Possible choice of: Fresno (even with last year’s #1 Darrell Wilson floundering, they can’t pick another QB, can they?)

2. Willie Ames, S, Boston College*. Ames could have the potential to become the best safety in the IFL. He doesn’t have a weakness, only strengths. So far this season he leads the nation with 13 defended passes while only giving up 16 catches. Dubbed “a sure bet” by IFL’s Prospect Watch. Possible choice of: Oakland (even though they need o-line help, they could use a boost to the defense)

3. Byron Ruth, DT, Oregon*. Ruth is strong and agile, allowing him to be equally dominant at stopping the run and rushing the passer. He is an effective tackler, but scouts say he is not aggressive enough going after fumbles. Possible choice of: Iowa City (Ruth would be a tremendous upgrade to one of the worst d-lines in the league)

4. Rueben Caffrey, WR, LSU*. With only 32 catches so far this year, Caffrey does not look like a superstar, but scouts say he has all the tools of an IFL receiver. He is a big play guy that can get down the field. Still, there are some that are skeptical, and think he is not worth a high pick in what could be a deep position in the draft. Possible choice of: Fargo (an all-around good team, but they need some playmakers)

5. Shane Bryant, G, UCLA*. A devastating run blocker, Bryant has been tearing up the Pac Ten for the #1 ranked Bruins. Scouts say he reminds him of Pittsburgh’s Butch Anderson coming out of school, only not as well developed. Possible choice of: Houston (would probably like a DE, but it’s not a good draft for those)

6. Mercury Halbert, SE, Georgia
7. Bill Dronett, G, Michigan*
8. James Barber, OLB, Colorado
9. Everett Warren, QB, Clemson
10. James LeGrande, RB, Kansas State*

* Profiled by Prospect Watch

General impressions of the depth of different positions in the draft is coming up next!

[Ragin]

After Louisiana gave the game away in Pittsburgh by turning the ball over 4 times, 2 of which were interceptions in the end zone thrown by veteran QB Patrick Williams, rumors about the QB's future with the VooDoo began to swirl. Williams is in the last year of his contract and has stated in the past his desire to remain with Louisiana. A few days following the VooDoo meltdown in Pittsburgh, GM Phillip Fontenot broke his silence today. "I don't know what that was on the field last Sunday but it is not acceptable. This team is built to play good defense and the offense not to loose the game. That is what Patrick was charged with at the beginning of the season, not to make mistakes. We don't want him to be the hero, just keep things moving and don't turn the ball over. To loose an extremely important game by four points and to throw 2 interceptions when you are in the opponents red zone just is not suppose to happen. As far as his contract, all negotiations are on hold until the end of the season. Let's see what happens over the next 3 weeks."

[Rumor Mill]

Shake-up in Columbia?

Time marches on, and the rumor out of Columbia is that at least 4 and perhaps even 5 of this year's starters could be let loose once FA rolls around. Though they will mostly probably be marginal players, the best of the bunch will probably be ILB and 11 year veteran James Pernell (55/58). A solid player, Pernell will make a good stop-gap for a team next year, if he has anything left.

[Rumor Mill]

D-line shakeup in Little Rock?

Little Rock has been quietly sending out feelers judging interest in their two stud defensive tackles, Frank Wideman and Tod Woods. This is good news for any team looking for a DT, since the draft is looking to be rather thin all throughout the defensive line. Someone would most likely have to give up good value for one of the outstanding linemen though, and Little Rock's biggest need could be at WR if Olin Host has trouble coming back from his recent knee injury.

[Rumor Mill]

Things Heard Around the League Pre-FA

Newark is still hot on the prowl for a RB, as Portland has confirmed interest from Newark's side in regards to Shaun Schutz. Do they have enough ammo for Timmerman? Do they stay and draft one with the #4 pick? Will Crespo still be available by then?

The time is now for Madison to find a future replacement for QB Loving. Can that guy be found at the end of round 1? Probably not, so they have to look elsewhere. Rumor has it that they asked Houston about Jerry Stclair's availability and Houston said no thanks.

Talk is hot between Boston and Louisiana - Hairston in purple??? Boston has said that they want to go with Sante next year, and with making DT Abshire and LT Laird available they have pretty much signaled that next year could be sacrificed for the future. Teams looking for fill-in players should look over the Boston roster for older players that might come cheap.

The talk heading into the off-season regarding quarterbacks was regarding the lack of them in the FA market. What happened though is too many teams made their QB’s available, and the prices have plummeted for mid-range guys like the Fire's Jamie Morris and Lansing's Milan Costanzo. The Fire have taken explicit steps to take Morris off the block, thinking that they would be better served having Morris backing up their star QB than getting a “measly” mid-round pick.

[Rumor Mill]

Mock Draft

The Rumor Mill chimes in with his thoughts on the upcoming draft. As with most mock drafts, this is guaranteed to be wrong, so feel free to disagree or call me an idiot. Remember, if you want to spread any rumors, send me a PM!

1. Lansing - QB Jay Caro (6.9 bureau rating) - With Chris Webb already in the fold, nobody would fault Lansing for passing on Crespo to take the highly regarded but undeveloped Caro.

2. Texas - RB Alan Crespo (8.6) - A no brainer. If they don't take Crespo, they would be wise to trade down, because someone out there wants him, and the going price is apparently a future star DT, a future star TE, and a future star G.

3. Houston - RB Bucky Beaver (6.9) - If Timmerman is gone, Houston will need a RB. If they do take a RB though and Crespo is gone, they should probably trade down.

4. Newark - DE Brandon Cox (7.1) - If Newark can't make a deal for a RB, they might take one here, but they also need help on the defensive line.

5. Fresno - WR Mercury Halbert (6.7) - They don't have a very good QB situation, but I don't know if they can afford to pull a 'Detriot Lion' and take a QB in the first round in two straight drafts.

6. Dakota - QB Todd Terrell (6.5) - The fans seem to want Halbert, and the GM has already expressed interest in getting a WR, almost trading this pick to Pittsburgh for WR Randolph Kennedy, but he could be gone by the time Dakota gets on the clock. They need a QB though, so it works out.

7. Murfreesboro - QB Rob Richardson (6.1) - They need someone at the game's most important position, it's as simple as that.

8. Oakland - S Willie Ames (8.0) - It's tough to think that Ames could fall this far in the draft, but a lot of teams have more pressing issues than safety. I'd bet that someone would be willing to trade up for Ames before he fell this far.

9. Pittsburgh - ILB James Herzog (6.8 ) - Best player available in a need position. They will probably look for secondary help in the first round, and I could see them trading down, because the CB crop is pretty 'middle heavy'.

10. Vancouver - DE Alfred Dunlap - (6.1) - Delano can not be the only one getting pressure on the QB for Vancouver.

11. Montreal - RB Stanley Jamison (6.9) - Got hardly anything out of their running game last year. This is a team with a lot of needs though.

[sovstar]

Re: Mock Draft

2. Texas - RB Alan Crespo (8.6) - A no brainer. If they don't take Crespo, they would be wise to trade down, because someone out there wants him, and the going price is apparently a future star DT, a future star TE, and a future star G.

Oh that is good.
:lol:

[Matt]

Re: Mock Draft

2. Texas - RB Alan Crespo (8.6) - A no brainer. If they don't take Crespo, they would be wise to trade down, because someone out there wants him, and the going price is apparently a future star DT, a future star TE, and a future star G.

Oh that is good.
:lol:

that is funny. Took me a minute to clue in :lol:

A look back...

The Rumor Mill gives an early look at who he thinks could be the top college prospects:

1. Alan Crespo, RB, Wisconsin
2. Willie Ames, S, Boston College
3. Byron Ruth, DT, Oregon
4. Rueben Caffrey, WR, LSU
5. Shane Bryant, G, UCLA

So how did things pan out from the early season look? Crespo and Ames are still both considered to be top 5 prospects. Ruth is the best DT out there, but he doesn't look like the stud he was predicted to be. Caffrey fell completely off the radar. Will a team take a chance on him knowing how he was previously regarded? Bryant is a good very good guard prospect.

I think the early season look was as good as any IRL. Most of the players featured turned out to be good if not great prospects. You can see from Caro's low current rating why he wasn't featured much in the early look. Scouts needed to get a good look at him before making their decision, but there is no arguing his stats for PSU last year. He is mostly potential, which should give Lansing pause before making their decision.

[Rumor Mill]

Fresno landed Patrick Williams in the first week of FA. Does that mean that they are no longer looking for a QB in the draft, or does it mean that they are looking for a mentor for their eventual selection? Or does it mean that they want a mentor to tutor last year's first round pick, Darrell Wilson?

[Cringer]

Fresno landed Patrick Williams in the first week of FA. Does that mean that they are no longer looking for a QB in the draft, or does it mean that they are looking for a mentor for their eventual selection? Or does it mean that they want a mentor to tutor last year's first round pick, Darrell Wilson?

Got a three sided coin to flip?

[BreizhManu]

I won't be looking for a QB

[SteveBsFan]

Houston was able to free up a ton of cap room and can renegotiate Timm for more if I ever need so he won't be moving for a very long time if I can help it

[Rumor Mill]

The Stallions are excited about their signing of FA defensive end Stephen Berard. But why was the new management in Vermont so willing to let Berard go? Word around the league is that Vermont saw his huge drop in performance last season as only the beginning of things to come for the 11 year veteran, and that Berard is at the beginning of a big slide downward, which would put into question SLC's decision to give him a reported $9 million signing bonus.