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Utah- Van Loctenfeld finally did it. After 2007’s disheartening defeat in the OSFL Bowl, Van was able to lead his team to a championship in 2008. Alot has changed since that championship run. New ownership and new starting RB are just a few of the changes that occurred. First round pick John Chart appears to be the new starting RB for the Bees. Chart is a smart and elusive back who excels in pass blocking but stepping into the starting RB spot for the world champs isn’t easy for a rookie. The Bees will also have to find carries for last year’s starting RB Jay Dickerson and RB Chris Hutton (who ran for over 100 yds in the OSFL Bowl) It will be interesting to see if they can keep each runner happy. The Bees still have the unstoppable combo of Loctenfeld and WR Danny Viola and this offense should still put up a ton of points no matter who’s running the ball. The defense is still led by LB Tracy Givens and a tough secondary but they are known for giving up points and nothing was done to improve them. If someone can find away to slow down this offense the Bees are very beatable. The problem is no one has found a way to slow them down.
Phoenix- The bottom dropped out for the Riders in 2008. 5-11 and with a new owner coming in, changes had to be made. First, the Riders broke the bank by hiring college coach Sherman Whalen as head coach and making him the highest paid HC in the league. Whalen is talented and while he may not lead this Riders team to the playoffs in 2009, he is good enough to improve this team’s record. Second, the front office was extremely active in the FA market. QB Bert Kalter and CB Bert Castillo were both signed from Ohio Valley and will step in immediately as starters. G Jerry Gindin will start at guard and help solidify the line. Finally, the Riders did well in the draft. Without a first round pick, the Riders were able to add to their team’s depth with RB Fernando Perkins, DE Larry Grier and potential future starting QB Lorenzo Kaplan. I don’t think the Riders will make the playoffs this year but they are on their way back.
Los Alamos- The Monsters dreams of a playoff berth were derailed when QB Adrian Hermon missed 5 games because of multiple injuries. Hermon is a QB on the rise but he has to find a way to avoid injuries and stay on the field. RB Henry Harrell is a very talented and extremely fast RB who ran for 1000 yds in his first two seasons as a starting RB. That all changed last year as his stats dropped in every major category in 2008. That is even more disappointing when you consider that he is running behind one of the best lines in the league. FA Gene Mims was brought in from Chicago to help with the workload and step in if Harrell struggles. On defense, the Monsters made big news by signing DE Nathan Reynolds. Reynolds is a hard hitting run stopping DE who will immediately step in and start for LA. First round pick DE Keith Minnig will line up on the other side of the defensive line. Minnig is a pass rusher and I think he has a shot at winning the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Denver-QB’s Myron Allen and Desmond Kaplan were 2 of the first 3 QB’s taken in the first round of the 2007 draft. Both are starters for their team and one (Kaplan) has begun to thrive as a QB. The third QB taken in the 2007 draft was Jamie Scoggins. After starting 9 games in 2007, he watched QB Ellis Austin take the Grizzlies to the playoffs. Austin’s stats last year were less than impressive last year so the front office made news by signing former All Pro and OSFL champion Damon Bishop. Some questioned signing Bishop and tying more money up in the QB position but the Denver front office sees a potential upside in signing Bishop. Bishop is a mentor who will help Scoggins improve and is still good enough to lead Denver to the playoffs. Still one has to wonder if Scoggins will ever start or if he is destined to be a high draft pick backup QB. Defensively, Denver has the talent to be one of the best in the league. LB Donavan Bauer is a first team All Pro LB and had a career year in 2008. Bauer is backed up by a ball hawking turnover generating secondary that makes it difficult to pass against.