Hawai'i Wayfinders 2054

[Guest]

In 2053, the HAWAI'I WAYFINDERS entered their bye week with a dismal 1-4 record. After Week 12, they'd improved--slightly--to 4-6-1.

Then they rattled off five straight wins, to finish the season at 9-6-1, and sneak into the playoff with the #6 seed.

Then they won four more, on the road the whole way, to bring the franchise's first-ever league championship trophy home to the islands

There's much to be said about the game, from DB A.J. Ridgway's MVP performance to P Xavier Ciccant becoming the unlikeliest championship hero in the history of football. But that is another article for another time. The league year has rolled over, and the Wayfinders front office is back to business.

FOND FAREWELLS

LB Marshall Simmons announced his retirement at the end of the season, bringing an end to his distinguished career as a Wayfinder. Simmons played in Hawai'i for ten years before being released for cap reasons prior to the 2052 season; he was the last remaining player who had been on the roster before the current ownership took over the franchise in 2045. After a year away he returned to Honolulu and played solid football before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 16. While he didn't get a chance to participate in the final championship push, Simmons has earned his ring and will surely be inducted into the Wayfinders Ring of Legends when all is said and done. Simmons racked up 977 tackles, 45 sacks, and 22 interceptions in his twelve years in the league.

DT Jimmie Gordon was released as a cap casualty at the start of the free agency period. An 11 year veteran of the league, Gordon has anchored the interior of the Hawai'i defensive line for the last seven seasons. He remains a capable run defender and the Wayfinders wish him the best in the upcoming season.

NEW ARRIVALS

The Wayfinders did not wait to jump headfirst into free agency this offseason, immediately signing two of the top defensive players available to bolster their roster. DB Joel Corbett and DL Blaine Hawes will join the team for the upcoming 2054 campaign. Both players are proven talents who should fit in well in the Wayfinders' locker room, and the team is looking for them to bring some added consistency to a unit that had its struggles last year.

All in all, Hawai'i fans have plenty of reason to be happy. Their team is fresh off a tremendous postseason run, and the front office isn't sitting idly by: they're hard at work trying to make the team even better so they can defend their title in 2054.

GO WAYFINDERS!!!

[Guest]

HAWAI'I WAYFINDERS
2054 DRAFT SELECTIONS

1.4 - SAMMIE MATHEWS - RB -TEXAS TECH
5'11" - 217lbs

With three wide receivers taken with the first three picks of the draft, it became clear that no one was interested in giving up the farm for any of this year's quarterback prospects. Hawai'i took advantage of the situation to trade from 32nd all the way up to 4, where they selected RB Sammie Mathews out of Texas Tech. Mathews is a well-rounded prospect who not only runs at an elite level, but also shows an aptitude for blocking and catching the ball out of the backfield. "He was the #1 guy on our draft board," said GM nexttwelveexits about the pick, "and I don't mean the #1 running back. I mean the top player overall. He's a great talent and an outstanding young man, and we're thrilled to welcome him into the Wayfinders ohana." Mathews is the first running back taken in the first round by the Wayfinders since 2046, when Shawn Middleton was the very first selection following the new ownership takeover in mid-2045.



2.3 - JAY ADAMS - FB - BALDWIN-WALLACE
6'0" - 249lbs

Unless you happen to follow Division III football in northern Ohio, you probably aren't aware of the Baldwin-Wallace Yellow Jackets or their back-to-back appearances in the D3 national championship game. But if you are, then you already know about FB Jay Adams, the unlikely man behind BWU's improbable offensive renaissance. Adams is a do-everything player: he runs well, he blocks well, he catches the ball well, and that versatility is what prompted the Hawai'i front office to trade into the top of the 2nd round to acquire him. Adams projects to be a tough-nosed fullback/H-back type player and should provide headaches for opposing defensive coordinators, who will be hard-pressed to account for the plethora of weapons available to this Wayfinders offense.



4.24 - WALLY IRVINE - DL - CLEMSON
6'2" - 297lbs

After spending his whole life in the South, 21-year-old DL Wally Irvine is due for a bit of culture shock when he arrives in the islands after being drafted by the Wayfinders in the fourth round. Irvine made a name for himself terrorizing ACC quarterbacks for three years at Clemson. Scouts are raving about his relentless motor and his ability to read, react, and power his way through double teams. He has some work to do when it comes to standing strong against the run if he wants to be an every-down defender, but there's no reason to think that Irvine won't be at least a key role player on this Wayfinders defense for years to come.



4.32 - JEREMIAH WESTBROOK - WR - GANNON
5'11" - 189lbs

The Wayfinders are proving this draft that they are totally unafraid to go looking at small schools for big talent. WR Jeremiah Westbrook spent his college days at D-II Gannon University, where he established himself as a fearless between-the-numbers receiver who excels at making tough catches in traffic. While he's never been much of a downfield threat and isn't likely to turn into one anytime soon, Westbrook does have the quickness to gain separation and is more than willing to take on safeties and even linebackers to make the most of his catches.



5.31 - CASEY BEYER - OG - OKLAHOMA STATE
6'4" - 309lbs

OK State LG Casey Beyer spent the last four years proving that he has more than enough talent to be a second-day pick. However, despite his raw athleticism, many scouts backed away from him because his technique lacks polish. Hawai'i could be the perfect landing spot for him, as he should get a year or two to learn from veteran RG Owen Fulton. With a bit of patience and a lot of hard work, Beyer could develop into a solid offensive lineman.



5.32 - BUCKY BRUCE - WR - HAWAI'I
6'0" - 198lbs

Moving out into the middle of the Pacific can be a big transition for Wayfinders draftees, but some will find it easier than others. For WR Bucky Bruce, it should be a breeze--in fact, he'll barely even have to change lockers. Hawai'i fans will already be familiar with Bruce's outstanding work as a two-time Mountain West All-Conference selection. He's young and a raw talent, and there are some questions about how well his game will translate to the pro level, but he's also a big-time any-means-necessary competitor who will also contribute on special teams, something that the coaching staff in Hawai'i values tremendously.


6.4 - Joey Adam - LB - ARIZONA
6'0" - 239lbs

Adam is an intriguing prospect out of the Pac-12, where he routinely made headlines as a blitzing linebacker in the Wildcats' aggressive 3-3-5 scheme. However, he fell in the draft because he's a bit too small to be a dedicated rush end or 3-4 OLB in the pros. He's got the raw ability, but he will need to contribute on special teams while he develops his other linebacking skills if he wants to stick to the roster as a pro.



6.8 - Efrain Powell - LB - PURDUE
6'3" - 249lbs

The Wayfinders see Powell as something of a project who they hope will develop into a role player who contributes in passing situations and special teams. He's got good measurables and showed solid athleticism at the combine. If he can show the Wayfinders staff that he can cover the middle zone as well as he did in college, and make a few plays on special teams, he'll be just fine.



7.4 - Mike Costa - LB/DE - KANSAS STATE
6'2" - 261lbs

Costa played OLB in K State's 3-4 scheme, but could figure into the mix as an end for the Hawai'i 4-3. Costa is solid against the run with crisp contain technique, and he plays much bigger than his listed 261 pounds when rushing the passer. He's notorious for collapsing the pocket and forcing the quarterback to bail out in a hurry. Costa will give the Wayfinders yet another power rusher to test how dedicated their opponents' offensive lines are to their offseason strength training regimen.



7.32 - Lorenzo Aspel - CB - GEORGIA TECH
5'10" - 186lbs

Scouts around the league say that Aspel has Day 2 talent. He fell to Mr. Irrelevant after an offseason arrest and other off-the-field issues became known around the league. The Wayfinders decided that his potential was too good to pass up on with the last pick of the draft, but expect Aspel to have a very short leash with a front office that historically has not tolerated troublemakers in its locker room.

[Sharkn20]

Great read as usual! I will hate your Punter forever!

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

[Guest]

What is going on in Honolulu?

That's a question being asked around the league this week, as those in the know are sensing a bit of a paradigm shift in paradise. The Wayfinders have spent years accumulating the weapons to put together a high-octane, pass-first offense. It paid off; the Wayfinders air attack, led by QB Frederick Adams and WR Willie Green, finished 3rd in passing yards each of the last two seasons, and the philosophy has earned some new hardware to show off.

Then the offseason began, and what we've seen so far in 2054 has run entirely contrary to expectations.

The Wayfinders made unusual waves early on, bolstering their defense with a pair of big-name free agents. Then they turned to offense, where they addressed a longstanding question mark by signing LT Bobby Padron to a monster deal. Obviously, this was chalked up to a desire to protect Adams' blind side with top-shelf talent, and Padron will certainly do that--but make no mistake, he's no slouch when it comes to run blocking. And Hawai'i followed up his signing by trading all the way up to the #4 slot to draft a running back, then trading back into the top of the 2nd round to draft... a fullback.

Those pieces--top defensive talent, a premiere left tackle, and trading up to acquire two running backs in the top 35--all come together to say that Hawai'i is approaching 2054 with a renewed commitment to some good old-fashioned run-first-and-play-defense football. That's certainly the narrative being spun by the national sports media, anyway.

I don't know if the Wayfinders are about to reinvent themselves as a smashmouth team, but one thing's for sure: they've put the pieces in place to get the job done.