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Memphis-Not much has changed about Memphis. They still have the Triplets (QB Cowell, RB Heflin and WR Ingram). They still have one of the most dominant DE in the OSFL in Brian Roset. The Admirals still have one of the youngest cores in the OSFL, most of their star players signed and should be competitive for the next five years. With all of those things the Admirals still haven’t been able to complete the goal they want most: Beat the Utah Bees and make it to the OSFL Bowl. The Memphis front office focused on depth this offseason and while they didn’t sign any big names, the Admirals improved their team. Backup QB Bryce Foy will give Memphis protection should Cowell go down. RB Emmanuel Jamison was a 3 time 1000 yard rusher with Columbus and will be a great change of pace back and backup for Heflin. On defense, adding players like DT Mario Leskey and LB Roger Whale won’t make headlines but will help this D remain dominant. The only question is will these moves be enough to vault them past the Bees?
Port City- Some of you may not be aware of this but the Steam have been in the playoffs 2 of the last 3 seasons. Port City was one of the biggest surprises last season going 12-4 in one of the toughest divisions in the league. With that said, many of the issues I had with this team last year are still there. The Steam are still old and not deep on defense. Their starting QB, Roy Kitchen is 36 years old and doesn’t have a decent backup but he is coming off the best season of his OSFL career. They have two stars on offense (RB Wesley Bornstein and TE Irv Furnus) but very little depth in other positions and the starting WR are average. With the exception of last year’s #1 pick, Ralph Strickwerda, the offensive line is really weak. The defense is still Darren Blair and the Blairettes but that seems to be enough. Blair had 16.5 sacks last year and is a two time all pro. Port City did very little in FA and their #1 pick DE Devin Heaton is a one dimensional pass rusher who isn’t ready to step in and start. I was wrong last year but I can’t see this team winning 12 games and making the playoffs especially with the other teams in the division improving.
Waco- QB Dixon Arsenault wasn’t meant to be the starting QB of the Warhawks last year. Waco planned to ease him in to the starting job and let Herman Alabaso carry the team in 2008. That changed when Alabaso went down with a MCL tear and Arsenault was forced to lead this team. He started 10 games and was very impressive with the Warhawks going 7-3 with him at the helm. This year, he is the clear starter with Alabaso still out due to surgery. Expect RB Skip Alig to continue to carry the load and work toward a 3rd year on the OSFL All Pro team. Defensively, the Warhawks are very weak and have only one standout player SS Robbie Goodstricker (117 tackles). The front office recognized this and took steps to improve this. Newly signed CB Oscar Hanson is a talented CB who hasn’t played up to his potential with two other teams. They also focused on the defensive line during the draft and picked up two defensive ends. Jorge Carlson is a 276 pound run stopper and Les Manculich is a raw pass rush talent. Neither will be able to help much this year but they will make great future bookends for the Warhawks.
New Orleans- The Stingrays have the second best passing game in the American Conference. Only the champion Utah Bees are better. Part of that reason is continuity. QB Ellis Wynn has been throwing the ball to WRs Christian Brown and Rico Howland for 3 yrs and their offense has improved each year. I think New Orleans will continue to use the multi back running offense that they used last year with Rusty Faulkner and Daryl Harbaugh sharing the load. Expect to see a little of speedster rookie RB Hugh Walton too. Defensively, LB Tyrus Mcwilliams has a new contract after a short holdout and is ready to step up as a leader on this team. Tyrus had 106 tackles in 13 games and was on pace to pass his first year tackle total. The Stingrays didn’t stand pat this offseason and brought in some help for McWilliams with DE Roosevelt Sullivan. Sullivan is a young and talented DE who signed a big but cap friendly contract with the Stingrays and will be a defensive leader for the next few years. First round pick CB Dusty England another in the long list of great Miami cornerbacks and has the skills to start immediately. CB Rich Coles is a hardnosed and aggressive defender who will be a solid nickel back this year and can help with returning kicks.
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