With a three game division lead, and 1-14 Atlanta visiting Charlotte, the Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies' front office hastily put together a special day, for a special player.
Fan's remember Eddie Cruise for his incredible play in the Mogul League's inaugural season of 2017. "Cruise Control" raked up an incredible 39 regular season sacks, with 76 hurries, during a time when passing was king in the league. Eddie's performance lead to one of the few times when a defensive player was seriously considered for league MVP.
Many number 95 jerseys can be seen weekly. Not only at games involving the Fiery Fowl, but around the league.
However, Cruise's success was short lived, as each of the next two seasons saw his numbers slashed in half, acquiring "only" 15 sacks in 2018 (still respectable), and 8 in 2019. Eddie Cruise was human again.
Team management tried a number of things to help Eddie get back on track, including position changes paired with different defensive schemes. All to no avail however, as it's now been four full seasons since we've seen a sack by #95.
Age seems to have caught up with Eddie, and playing time has dwindled sharply, with LB additions Leroy Williams, Shane Bemis, and promising rookie, first round pick Tommy McDavid. No official word of retirement has been announced, but with Cruise in the final year of his contract, there are rumors around the club that Eddie's playing days are over.
This was further fueled when team owner, Bill Steinbach, told reporters, "Eddie has meant a lot to this team over the years. We hope that when his playing days are over, we'll be able to convince him to join us in the front office."
As for the game, Coach Rufus Perry made good on his promise to honor Cruise, in the only way fans would accept... Eddie started as the #1 MLB, ahead of the LB stars mentioned above.
This was no cameo either. Taking part in 74 plays during the game, Charlotte fans got to see one more rather impressive performance by #95. While there were no sacks, Eddie tied Stud CB Denver Barlowe to lead with 7 tackles.
Whatever Eddie Cruise's future holds, you can bet he'll always be remembered as putting together one of the best single season performances in the history of team sports.
