[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: 2122, Season to quickly forget?

Let's start with the most absurd combination of numbers: we were the only team in our division to outscore our 16 opponents. Yet, we finished the regular season with the worst record in the division as well. Mindboggling stuff, I know, but that's what really happened. Let's quickly recap the games how we got there.


Week 1 at Gothenburg
My comments: The Giants overcame the interceptions with excellent third down offense. That combined with this being one giant false start by our offensive line. Including some penalties committed by that pair of non-signing you-know-whats.
The Giants' quarterback threw 3 interceptions, but also guided his team to going 8 for 13 on third downs. Rookie RB Rickey Jorg scored our only touchdown, we settled for 4 field goals. A weird game to lose with a +3 in turnover margin, still a field position disadvantage of 3 yards per drive, getting outgained in total yards, but also being more than a yard better in the yards per play category.
Result: 19-20 loss

Week 2 at Hanalei
My comments: It was quite the mistake to not let our defense on the plane and dress up random bystanders instead, we may have played a bit better with our real players on the field. But we overcame it and pulled off a hard earned victory on the road.
QB Renaldo Wilson threw 4 touchdown passes to TE Francisco Andersen, TE Kyle Baker and a pair to WR Roman Randle.
Result: 28-21 win

Week 3 at North Plainfield
My comments: We somehow trailed only 7-0 after the fumbelicious first quarter, then our defense continued to downright suck and in the end we didn't deserve to get in position to comeback from behind after being outplayed for most of the game.
We lost the turnover battle 3-0 with all of them fumbles. RB Rickey Jorg scored a pari of rushing touchdowns, while QB Renaldo Wilson threw one to WR Rufus Montgomery.
Result: 24-30 loss

Week 4 bye

Week 5 vs Tucker
My comments: Goodness, we had some sort a legitimate chance to beat the Tigers (aside from a 60-yard pass on 3rd and 25, the D actually played quite okay), but our inability to complete passes or when caught make a third down conversion, it made it all moot. Wilson was 13 for 34 when he got hurt.
CB Andre McAninch scored our only touchdown. It was a weird game, as we got outscored heavily, seriously struggled to get anything going. But the biggest bummer of the game was losing Wilson for a handful due to injury.
Result: 23-27 loss

Week 6 at Augusta
My comments: So much to grumble about, but in the end we can only blame our own silly turnovers and first quarter penalties for this missed opportunity to win on the road. A Kotter running over Merchantmen will surely make the headlines in the fake news papers with sketchy sense of humour.
QB Al Schneider threw a pair of touchdowns with on the receiving end TE Francisco Andersen and WR Roman Randle. We lost the turnover battle 2-0, got outgained, but in part because of a late pick in what could have been the go ahead drive.
Result: 23-27 loss

Week 7 at Paris
My comments: It felt like we were the better team through the third quarter, but the interceptions kept us from taking a lead. Then McDonald woke up in the 4th quarter and a failed fake punt gifted us the game tying touchdown. Then in overtime, we were simply not good enough to keep on pressuring McDonald.
Yet another game where we had the beteer offense, but the turnovers swung things the other way. Penalties didn't help either. QB Al Schneider threw touchdown passes to WR Roman Randle and TE Francisco Andersen.
Result: 17-23 loss

General comment: Unsurprisingly we start the season 1-5 after 5 road games and somewhere in the middle a home game vs Tucker.

Week 8 vs Snapfinger
My comments: First time all season we had no answer to the opponent. yes, we tied it up at some point and the turnovers didn't help either, but it was pretty clear early on and late in the game as well.
A depressing game where QB Al Schneider seriously struggled. RB Rickey Jorg and FB Marc King provided our touchdowns with runs. King isn't even supposed to get carries, but for whatever reasons our OC gave him the ball 4 times. Another 2-0 disadvantage in turnovers, better yards per play, 12 penalties and a field position battle lost.
Result: 23-33 loss

General comment: At this pace the season is going to be a lost season before we even played our 4th home game.

Week 9 vs Bordeaux
My comments: Those two pick sixes turned out to be the cushion we needed doen the road to not make Wilson's interception cost us the win. Rickey Jorg an Tyrone Dillon made their share of big plays too. Giving nearly 550 total yards is never acceptable though, it's not something I'd expect from this defense.
It's crazy that our first touchdowns came on pick sixes by our duo CB Zachary Blair and CB Adre McAninch. QB Renaldo Wilson returned with a touchdown pass to TE Francisco Andersen and RB Rickey Jorg scored on another long run. And the defense gave up almost 550 total yards. It's somewhat of a miracle we still scored more.
Result: 37-30 win

Week 10 at Orlando
My comments: I thought we had it bad with penalties, but that's much worse than the lack of discipline my team showed today. All things combined, we've sunk to the level of not being able to win when the opposing quarterback throws 3 interceptions and the opposing kicker misses an extra point and a short field goal.
We gave up 474 total yards, 7.9 yards per play. That's atrocious defense. Even winning the turnover battle 3-1 will hardly help them. RB Rickey Jorg ran for a touchdown, QB Renaldo Wilson connected with WR Rodolfo Lane and TE Francisco Andersen for scores.
Result: 20-30 loss

General comment: Is it really a bright side of things that the rest of the division is also playing worse than they all did in the last 2 seasons? Somehow we have allowed the least amount of points of all 4 inside the division, we're 26th, the rest is 29th, 31st and 32nd. The division also is 32, 31, 30 and 27th in total yards allowed. And we're all sucking in the turnovers section, our -3 is still the best inside the division. As a division we've already lost the same amount of games as we did combined over the entire last season.

Week 11 vs Gothenburg
My comments: We're just doing it to ourselves now. Pathetic 3rd down defense, turnovers on offense, silly carries to our fullback while we have 3 RB active. Still, Gothenburg played solid enough to brush away their own QB's 3 interceptions and maneuver into field goal position on their final drive, witnessing our lack of calling time outs and eventually time ran out after their last second field goal. We're 2 frickin' 8. This team looks to me too talented to sit at the bottom of the conference, yet here we are.
Scoring last was crucial in this game and, well, our staff completely blanked here, failing to call time out to give us time at the end of a game that we deserved to win by a field goal. QB Renaldo Wilson threw for touchdowns to WR Rufus Montgomery and TE Kyle Baker.
Result: 20-23 loss

Week 12 vs Oakland
My comments: Both teams struggled with penalties again, as did my defense on 3rd downs, but our guys did a bit more just enough right offensively to overcome it.
With 459 total yards a productive day for the offense. QB Renaldo Wilson ran for a score and threw for one to WR Rodolfo Lane. RB Rickey Jorg ran for a score as well. We were clearly the better team today, of not for the pair of interceptions thrown that kept the Black Panthers in it.
Result: 27-23 win

Week 13 vs San Antonio
My comments: Woulda, coulda, shoulda, but we didntda. We played well for most of the game, but not on those 4 big plays by Lucas Schneider. Nor did we have an answer yet to our own penalties problem. And for whatever stupid reasons, we spent our time outs late in the game, yet shortly after didn't go for it on 4th down with too little time left to get the ball back. What an embarrassment.
We gave up almost 500 total yards, 268 yards from scrimmage to their running back, hence, we deserved to end up on the losing end of it. QB Renaldo Wilson threw for a score to WR Rufus Montgomery. RB Glyn Sloane ran for a pair of touchdowns.
Result: 24-27 loss

General comments: We're eliminated with 4 games still to go. But we also have 4 games left where we can play spoiler.

I see a realistic curious goal for my team: 4th place with the best points scored to points allowed difference.

Week 14 at Fairbanks
My comments: It wasn't pretty, unless you like turnovers, but we got the job done somehow. Let the spoiling continue.
A quartet of interceptions from the Fairbanks quarterback were the story of the game. It makes it quite the head shaker that we still won by only 6 points, until you notice that we gained only 238 total yards. Our running backs were neutralized, while QB Renaldo Wilson was held under 200 yards passing. Our touchdowns came on a Wilson pass to TE Kyle Baker and a freak blocked punt recovery in the end zone by CB Asher McElroy.
Result: 26-20 win

Week 15 at Bordeaux
My comments: Yeah, that injury certainly helped us to turn this into a lopsided victory. Happy to play spoiler, but this ain't the right way.
Bordeaux' quarterback got hurt on their first play from scrimmage and their backup came in with 3 turnovers and we still let him throw for 315 yards and run for 47 yards. But with 7.0 yards per play we deserved to win this one. Running touchdowns came from RB Rickey Jorg, RB Glyn Sloane (a pair!) and QB Renaldo Wilson, who also threw for scores to TE Francisco Andersen and WR Tyrone Dillon.
Result: 48-28 win

Week 16 vs Colorado
My comments: A turnover fest combined with a tremendous Colorado punter set up for a game that although we kept leading, we struggled to wrap it up before the final drive.
We completed the sweep of the NAC West, despite almost letting a big lead slip through our hands. QB Renaldo Wilson threw for scores to TE Francisco Andersen, TE Kyle Baker and WR Roman Randle, while RB Rickey Jorg ran for a score. We seriously outgained the Cutthroats 434 vs 313 total yards and 7.6 vs 4.4 yards per play, lost the turnover battle only 3-4, but also looked Merchantmen unworthy in the field position battle due to those giveaways.
Result: 34-31 win

Week 17 vs Paris
My comments: What a weird game, Paris was steamrolling in the first half. Then midway the 3rd quarter the 90-yard pick six happened and all of a sudden the game took a near 180 degree turn in our advantage.
A nasty come back from behind win, with scores by QB Renaldo Wilson (a run and passes to WR Roman Randle and WR Rodolfo Lane) and CB Zachary Blair.
Result: 33-23 win


European Division 2123
1. Gothenburg 10-6
2. Paris 9-7
3. Maassluis 7-9
4. Bordeaux 7-9

Paris would have made the playoffs with at least a tie in week 17, they lost out on tie-breakers to Orlando. Despite beating them head-to-head, the conference record tie-breaker came into play due to it actually being a 3-way tie with San Antonio, which in turn pissed away their division title at Fort Wayne. Had San Antonio won, Paris would have gone into the playoffs on another head-to-head win over Houston, which snuck into the playoffs due to San Antonio's loss. I think Paris' and Fort Wayne's owners are brothers. go figure...

Gothenburg got into the playoffs, beat Orlando 17-16 in the wild card round, but then got crushed 40-20 at Toronto, who in turn got crushed 45-17 at Tucker, the eventual repeat IHOF Champions after a 34-24 win in IHOF Bowl CIX against Arizona.

General comment: And what a weird season, we're the only team in the division that outscored the opponents, yet we have the (tied) worst record as well (so technically we failed to make it a true last place with the best scoring outcome). Gothenburg eventually didn't need our help (nor did we actually want to help them regain the sole lead in the most European division titles race) as they had their own crazy comeback from behind game.

It was a frustrating season. We pissed away games that we could have won, but at the same time were on paper 55-45 losses. And then it was all over before our late season easier stretch began.

We gave up 20 points (or more) in every single game. I was about to proclaim it was unprecedented, but in reality we also played this dreadful in 2077. Curiously, that season we also went 7-9, also tied for the worst record in the division and also had the best points for vs against balance inside the division. Go figure.


So, on to 2123 we go. With no retired players (spoiler!) and a several players out of contract, ready to walk away for free (TE Francisco Andersen, G James Tucker, G Alfred Pearsall, S Kim Fox, DE Glen Kafka, LB Ezekiel O'Neal and mid-season signing DE Sebastian Preston - he came in when DE Phil Wakefield got placed on injured reserve in week 7 due to a hamstring injury.)