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Columbus-. Two conference championship appearances. One division championship Zero championships. The Catfish are arguably the most talented team in the OSFL. They have one of the best QB-RB-WR tandems in the league in Corey Lincoln, Emmanuel Jamison and J.R. Sierra. The Catfish have a monster of a MLB in Karl Benjamin (120 tackles in 2007. Their only weakness is their pass rush but that doesn’t matter when you have one of the best secondaries. So did the Catfish stand pat and hope that last year’s talent could take them to a OSFL championship? Nope, they signed the league’s fastest man, WR Leland Lilledahl. Lilledahl was Morgantown’s #1 receiver last year and his signing gives Columbus the best WR tandem in the league. Columbus strengthened their already good linebacker corps by drafting SLB Howard Manalang in the first round. The Catfish are a better team than last year but the question remains: Will they choke in the conference championship again?
Gainesville- Speaking of choking, here are the Gainesville Gaels. The Gales started off 4-0 and at one point in the season they were 9-3 and looked headed to the playoffs. They went on to lose the last four games of the 2007 season and missed the playoffs for the second time in a row. The reason for the collapse was clear: The Gaels secondary wasn’t any good and they were torched the final four games of the year. In order to improve the secondary, Gainesville signed CB Oscar Hanson and drafted CB Paul Strickland in the first round. While these are solid additions, it’s not clear whether a CB who never started a game and a rookie are going to be good enough to solidify the defense. On offense, the passing game is one of the best in the league with QB Carl Reese and WR Harvey Inoue (The single season record holder in WR yards and catches). The running game is average and 2nd round pick Carlos Harztark is out until the middle of the year. Just like last year, the Gaels have a shot at making it to the playoffs but they will need their young talent to step up.
Morgantown- The Maniacs had a rough off-season. They lost their best player in WR Leland Lilledahl to a division rival. Team ownership has been in a state of flux since the draft. First round pick DE Les Pagnotti is still unsigned. Morgantown lost a total of 7 players via free agency and three to division rivals. They were unable to sign DT Hugh Adams. The only bright spot is QB Floyd Cosby is still behind center and he was the reason the Maniacs were in the playoffs last year. The biggest question entering this season is what good is a star QB if he has no one to throw to?
Charlotte- How do you recover from losing your fan favorite star QB? Sign a new expensive QB? No, you strengthen your defense. The Cougars signed the biggest FA CB on the market, Jeffrey Hardy from division rival, Morgantown. They signed a defensive minded head coach and a new defensive coordinator. The Cougars were active in the free agent market by signing several free agents and strengthening their offensive line. Still the loss of QB Billy Joe Jizmejian is big and first round pick Marlon Madison is in a tough spot starting for Charlotte in the toughest division in the OSFL. This is clearly a rebuilding year for the Cougars.
Predictions:
1. Columbus
2. Gainesville (Wild Card)
3. Morgantown
4. Charlotte
Gainesville- Speaking of choking, here are the Gainesville Gaels. The Gales started off 4-0 and at one point in the season they were 9-3 and looked headed to the playoffs. They went on to lose the last four games of the 2007 season and missed the playoffs for the second time in a row. The reason for the collapse was clear: The Gaels secondary wasn’t any good and they were torched the final four games of the year. In order to improve the secondary, Gainesville signed CB Oscar Hanson and drafted CB Paul Strickland in the first round. While these are solid additions, it’s not clear whether a CB who never started a game and a rookie are going to be good enough to solidify the defense. On offense, the passing game is one of the best in the league with QB Carl Reese and WR Harvey Inoue (The single season record holder in WR yards and catches). The running game is average and 2nd round pick Carlos Harztark is out until the middle of the year. Just like last year, the Gaels have a shot at making it to the playoffs but they will need their young talent to step up.
Morgantown- The Maniacs had a rough off-season. They lost their best player in WR Leland Lilledahl to a division rival. Team ownership has been in a state of flux since the draft. First round pick DE Les Pagnotti is still unsigned. Morgantown lost a total of 7 players via free agency and three to division rivals. They were unable to sign DT Hugh Adams. The only bright spot is QB Floyd Cosby is still behind center and he was the reason the Maniacs were in the playoffs last year. The biggest question entering this season is what good is a star QB if he has no one to throw to?
Charlotte- How do you recover from losing your fan favorite star QB? Sign a new expensive QB? No, you strengthen your defense. The Cougars signed the biggest FA CB on the market, Jeffrey Hardy from division rival, Morgantown. They signed a defensive minded head coach and a new defensive coordinator. The Cougars were active in the free agent market by signing several free agents and strengthening their offensive line. Still the loss of QB Billy Joe Jizmejian is big and first round pick Marlon Madison is in a tough spot starting for Charlotte in the toughest division in the OSFL. This is clearly a rebuilding year for the Cougars.
Predictions:
1. Columbus
2. Gainesville (Wild Card)
3. Morgantown
4. Charlotte
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