[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: Stayin' Alive mode!
Although we probably wasted it by now...

So, three more games played and we're finding ourselves still alive. After a hard fought comeback from behind, yet much deserved 31-24 victory at the Chicago Norsemen, we had a bit of a no-show in Atlanta, where we lost 15-10 to the Vipers, and continued with a convincing 37-10 victory at the Arizona Miners. So yeah, a 2-1 stretch in a series of three road games, how about that.

European Division:
1. Gothenburg 11-2
2. Bordeaux 6-7
3. Maassluis 6-7
4. Paris 3-10

Next up is a home game against Bordeaux (up next), which will the kind of game that will surely eliminate the loser from the wild card race. We're both a long shot already, as the wild cards are currently virtually in possession of the Augusta Greenjackets (8-5) and the Rochester Razorbacks (7-5-1). I could start talking about the last two games for us, but losing in Bordeaux will eliminate us as Rochester will face the 7-6 North Plainfield Plague, which means the Northeast second place team will finish 8-8 at worst this season. Right now our best bet is catching up with Augusta, or surpass both Rochester and North Plainfield, both very big question marks in being feasible, but not impossible.

Safety Devon Farrell saved the day in Chicago with 2 crucial interceptions, as Earnest Ashley threw a couple on his own including one that got returned 94 yards for a touchdown. We clearly outplayed the Norsemen, but our 2 giveaways hurt much more than the 3 takeaways. The game winning touchdown came with 26 seconds to go, although a short field goal would have also been sufficient.

In Atlanta our running game was completely nullified. For dubious reasons we ended up with just 17 carries for our running back, while Ashley dropped back to pass 46 times (including that 1 sack). Brandon Brady's pair of interceptions was too little to make up for it, meaning a no-name quarterback with a 17 for 39 with 167 yards, 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions stat line beat us. These are the kind of games you must win to convincingly claim that your team is playoffs caliber.

In Arizona Ashley bounced back (even recovered a fumble), he got replaced after his 4th touchdown pass halfway through the 3rd quarter, while the running game was surprisingly good all of a sudden. Kickoff returner Mark Perkins' rare couple of fumbles lead to a missed field goal and a real field goal. Our kick holder seriously sucked at quarterback. It's a disgrace that we humiliated the Miners by throwing him on the field. Seriously, staff, that gives us a bad image in this league!

We have to understand that despite that I feel like we have all the tools on offense to do well, this offense is performing at a below league average level. Ashley's completion percentage has dropped to below 50%, Trey Beyer is averaging 3.9 yards per carry and none of our 5 receivers really stands out. Okay, maybe Ed Schulz is actually doing quite well with his 9.41 yards per target. But as long as his development continues to be on a stand still, I weep for thinking he's never going to develop into being the successor to Springer, Haskell, Stanley, Mills and Bondy, but instead join the ranks of the second tier guys like Alfredo Bass, Vince McAlister, Terry Thomason, J.T. Pritt, Marvin Badger, Kai Oburn, Bubba Ellard, Brody Stevens and Dennis Nadell, multiple 1,000-yard receivers, but no Hall of Famer.

Back to the next game: Bordeaux, in our place. Revenge can be on our side, we lost in their place earlier on and it wasn't a good performance either. Last season we pulled them from 2nd to 6th seed with a week 17 win in their place, they haven't forgotten still and want nothing less than a head-to-head sweep. Bordeaux is one of three teams that crushed us this season, it could happen again. We hope not, the thought of sneaking into the playoffs is still on my mind.

So, Merchantmen, no looking back, let's do this, make the miracle happen!