2041 Draft Coverage

The Thrashers look to fill some high need picks through this year's draft, mainly on the offensive side of the ball. Let's look to see how the picks rolled out in this one.

(1:29) Ren McCormack, TE, Utah. 6'2" 267 lbs.
In a extremely weak class of tight ends, McCormack came in as the second highest prospect. This was considered an extreme need position with only Frank Kirchoff remaining on the roster. Make no mistake though, the big man won't be winning any foot races, but he is footloose off the line and has excellent hands. Combined with his strength and potential for blocking, he could be the longtime fit for the team. Let's hear it for the boy!

(2:61) Valentine McKee, WR/RB, Central Louisiana. 5'10", 216 lbs.
As a raw athlete, Valentine compares to the great Stacker Pentecost. He's got elite speed, strength, acceleration, and intelligence, but the devil is in the details. He's not the best pass catcher, route runner, ball carrier, and he fumbles too much. With a good camp, McKee could be a valuable piece and slowly take the reins from Iggy Infernus and Donnie Kerabatsos.

(3:93) Sebastian Shaw, WR, Hellfire Club University, 5'11", 200 lbs.
Sebastian Shaw is another crafty receiver who doesn't base his game off speed but rather quickness and ball control skills. With several other WRs about to age out or not set to be renewed, Shaw's another playmaker in this draft that needs to pay off.

(5:157) Sean Nokes, CB, Rutgers, 6'0", 227 lbs.
Nokes is built like a nasty linebacker but played nickel corner at Rutgers for three seasons. He's never going to have to be the starter with the quality of players surrounding him but his projections put him very close to Peter Parker who has been a gifted player for the Thrashers since coming aboard the team. Nokes could be a long term replacement for Natasha Romanov.

(6:189) Henri Young, DT, Arkansas, 6'2", 285 lbs.
It's a hometown hero story for Mr. Young, but the fact is that it will take an amazing camp to make room for him on the team. He's got impressive burst for a big man, and his strength is solid but not exceptional. However, his tackling and run defense inhibit his potential. He might be able to beat out aging DT Thor Odinson who never really became a core player, but those chances are up to the football gods now.

(7:221) Jack Swigert, C, USC, 6'3", 288 lbs.
Swigert will be the first casualty post-training camp to make room for other warm bodies waiting in the wings. There's no chance that Swigert brings his game up to Football Mogul standards to play the position.

Check back after Training Camp for updates!

2041 Training Camp

The Thrashers opened up camp this year to another class of hopefuls and were met with some surprises and mostly heartbreak. Since 2037, only two players, CB Peter Venkman and G Leatherface Sawyer, selected in the first two rounds have risen to their full potential. It begs the question then if management has lost a step in scouting.

In any case, let's take a look at the Rookie Class and then follow with other highlights out of camp.

Booms

Henri Young (+6) The hometown hero came through and it appears he might have done enough to make a roster spot. His run defense still lacks polish but he could be a passing down specialist as a nose rusher.

Meh

Sebastian Shaw (+2) did enough to secure a roster spot. His speed is always going to be a knock on his game but he could potentially press into WR3 behind King and Pentecost, supplanting the speedy (but not as agile) Ryu Jenkins to more natural fit as a blocking WR. He's a solid investment in the short term but the team has to be begging for the next superstar in the wings and no answers have been revealed yet.

Jack Swigert (+2) made gains but the threshold was so low it didn't amount to anything fungible. He's been cut by the team to make room for waiver acquisitions.

Valentine McKee (-1) has all those physical gifts yet struggles with fundamental and is difficult to coach. After continual drops, bad routes, among other gaffes, he was picked up by the RB coaches and McKee made himself a less embarrassing spectacle of himself.

Busts
Sean Nokes (-3) had a lot of potential and wasted it. It likely the team will just stick with Nat Romanov for another season and try to bolster the secondary elsewhere at a later date.

Ren McCormack (-6) is another heartbreaking first round bust who has decent enough skills to make the roster (mostly out of sheer need) but will never be the offensive threat the team requires. Truly disappointing.

Other News

Both WR Stacker Pentecost and RDE Ronald Surface took noticeable steps back during camp. Both have oscillated between the team's most dangerous weapons on either side of the ball. This will reverberate through the team and only begs the question once more: who will rise up to the occasion, or will the team be looking down the nose of a down year?

2041 Regular Season Report

Final Record: 13-3; Wild Card Playoff Berth

The Arkansas Thrashers have another winning season in the books, have reached the playoffs in all but one season since 2019 (2032). Football Moguls continues to evolve and change, and it seems like division rivals, Brooklyn Tigers, are the team to beat in the AFC so that does not bode well for the Thrashers' chances of securing another historic Super Bowl victory. However, the team still has a lot of power in the roster despite playing second fiddle to the Tigers.

The team finished 3rd in Points For and 3rd in Point Allowed, so line-by-line, Arkansas competed at a high level. They were a top 5 rushing squad, 2nd in Interceptions, and 10th in sacks. The defense shut out 5 different teams across the season. However, the passing game took a step back with Thomas Carlisle in his second full season as QB1. Carlisle threw for 19 picks, a career high, and only 13 TDs, which was abysmally low.

In other news, RB Henri Boudreaux, seemingly reading the writing on the wall, has decided to explore free agency next season rather than take a team-friendly deal to return for his year 30 season. WR Stacker Pentecost took a lengthy step back as well and has been flirting retirement with cryptic Twitter and IG posts. Rookie WR Sebastian Shaw really felt growing pains this season, too. He only caught 45% of the ***** thrown his way and had 6 drops and zero TDs. He wasn't a Camp Bust but it sure looks like he's not the future of the WR corps.

The defense was still stingy and nasty at time but Ronald Surface's injuries and age has finally caught up and the void was noticeable. However, the secondary is certainly a bright spot, especially the performance of SS Barry Flores, snagging a league high 8 Interceptions. Then again, the Linebackers missed the presence of Henry Tyler which downgraded the entire squad from elite to satisfactory.

All-in-all, it's a roller coaster of a season, but this pundit doesn't foresee the Thrashers climbing the pinnacle of Super Bowl Mountain this season, but it doesn't mean they won't try. Coach Terry Caskey has been sublime as the coach and should scheme to put the boys in the best position to win.

Now, as the team blanked the London Ravens in the Wild Card Round, they will remain across the pond and face the London Monarchs in the divisional match.

Stay tuned for the post season report.

2041 End of Season Report

The Thrashers lost in spectacular fashion to the London Monarchs, never seeming to get anything going offensively, capping an underwhelming season for Thomas Carlisle and leaving many to think if Carlisle is really the answer to the franchise's hopes.

After their season ended with the loss, the team evaluated some of the staffing and started making changes immediately. Defensive Coordinator Nicholas Hunt and Defensive Line Coach William Tudor were both fired the day after the losses. Linebacker Coach Chris Carter was promoted to Defensive Coordinator, and Linebacker Coach Virgil Square was hired to fill the void left by Carter. Calvin Wolfe was hired to replace Tudor for D-Line Coach.

Retirements

The Thrashers bid a fond and heartfelt farewell to two of the original Marvel class of 2031, CB Nat Romanov and K T'Challa King. Both appeared in three Super Bowls, winning one. Both are members of the Computer's All Team lineup in their respective positions. King had a career 87.4% FG rate. In his final four seasons, he kicked an incredible 35/37 from beyond 50. Romanov amassed 513 tackles, 40 Ints, and 3 Forced Fumbles over her storied career.

2042 Early Free Agency

The Thrashers stayed relatively quiet through the early free agency period. Only one addition was made.

Michael Wilkerson, WR/PR/KR (from IRV) - Wilkerson has been primarily a special teams player, specifically as the punt returner. He's averaged 9.0 yards per return and even has TD return. With Donnie Kerabatsos and Iggy Infernus getting longer in the tooth, Wilkerson could show his worth soon. In addition, he'll find room in WR corps now as well.

2042 Draft Coverage

With a fairly lackluster free agency, the ownership flipped interest to the draft, and several moves were made, chiefly trading up to pick 12 by giving away the team's first and second round picks for the next two years. Let's see who the team managed to pull in:

(1:12) Goodnight Robicheau, RB California, 5'10" 207 lbs.
Nicknamed the Angel of Death, Robicheau put opponents away singlehandedly many times throughout his college career. He's not the fastest or strongest RB, but he has elite burst, intelligence, and disclipline. He's got solid potential as a receiving back as well. Clearly, Robicheau is seen as the replacement to stalwart RB Henri Boudreaux. However, the question remains: will Robicheau ever be worth the king's ransom the team exchanged to get him?

(1:27) Kembai Shimada, LB San Diego St., 6'1" 227 lbs.
Shimada was considered to be an extremely safe, albeit non-elite, first round talent. He's a born leader. On the other hand, he lacks elite top end speed but soundly checks all the other boxes you'd want in a LB. He fits Coach Caskey's M2M defensive scheme as well. If Shimada does well through Training Camp, he could easily be the starting WLB going into this season.

(2:26) Bernardo O'Reilly, FS Queen's University-Ireland, 6'2" 236 lbs.
Bernardo is a former rugby player, recruited to play American football based on his strength and toughness. He's not particulary demonstrated excellence in any particular area, but he does fill a need in light of FS "Candyman" Daniel Robitaille being traded to JUS.

(3:3) Jack Horne, OL/LS Kentucky, 6'5" 320 lbs.
Horne has the potential to be a starting offensive lineman and long snapper. Both his pass blocking and run blocking are strong. If anything, this puts Kris Kurosawa's role on the line who's been the team's long snapper for two seasons.

(3:14) Goro Katayama, K Florida A&M, 6'0" 207 lbs.
In a somewhat shocking move, the Thrashers elected Katayama to be the team's longterm solution to Place Kicker and FG Kicker with the 14th pick in the third round. Katayama was widely considerd the safest and most accurate kicker in the draft. The team views the selection's timing as negligible because if the position can be secured for the next 10-12 years, it will be worth it.

(4:9) Vincent Tanner, TE Virginia Tech., 6'4" 250 lbs.
Tanner will be the second TE selected in the past two years. After last season's first round pick (Ren McCormack) egregiously failed to live up to his draft capital (1 reception for 13 yards), Vincent Tanner could push McCormack out as the team's inline TE pass catcher. Tanner's skill on the fields reminds the staff of Stacker Pentecost (if you squint real hard).

Check back later to see the results!

2042 Training Camp Coverage

"With all the deals and trades ratcheting up the pressure to win now, Arkansas has--hands down--the best training camp in recent memory." --Reporter Newsman

Drafts are rarely perfect (including this one), but out of six picks chosen this season, four of them are instant starters. That is a **** fine haul.

Jack Horne (+6) was the revelation of the draft. He'll immediately assume duties run blocking duties, all up and down the line and will settle in as the team's long snapper. Horne will take time to develop as a pass blocker as well, but if training camp is any indication, he'll pick it up in no time.

On the defensive front, Kembai Shimada (+2) is still unlocking his potential, but there's no doubt, he'll start as the weakside linebacker this season and pull some time as MLB as well. Albert Snider is entering into his final year as the Mike, and Shimada will all but have that position locked up for the next 7-9 years, starting in 2043.

Goodnight Robicheaux (+1) might not be the second coming of Clarence Sorensen, but he very well might be the second coming of Henri Boudreaux. This is the final contract year of said Boudreaux (and most likely Iggy Infernus and Donnie Kerabatsos), so Robicheaux is the future of the team, and there's a lot to like about his skill set.

Goro Katayama (+1) comes in as an absolute need for the position for the Thrashers, and no one in free agency could match his skill set. He'll instantly be the starter, and there might be growing pains (especially in accuracy his first season), but he should have a long, long career in Arkansas. However, the argument can be made that Michael Collins (drafted two rounds later) is equal to Katayama's skill. Ultimately, the Thrashers went with their guy.

Bernardo O'Reilly (-3) never could seem to get it together in camp as the transition from linebacker to free safety never quite took hold. He's not bad enough to cut out right, but he'll never be more than a reserve player. Many questioned the second round selection at the time and now it seems, rightfully so.

It seems when TE John David fizzled out and left the team in 2040, he said the right devil prayers and cursed the team in perpituity for the position. Vin Tanner (-10) follows that rich history of TE busts (including 2041's first round bust, Ren McCormack). It's hard to say if Tanner can hold on to a roster spot. He does have pure speed which might be beneficial as a passing down threat, but it seems unlikely to build on much of anything else.

Other News
Several other players hit that wall so-to-speak this training camp.

Both veteran RBs, H. Boudreaux (-4) and Iggy Infernus (-3) took steps back, but are still widely functional.

WR Stacker Pentecost (-3) is merely a shadow of his former self (the once 3x leading receiver for all of Football Moguls).

LDE Alijandro Rios (-5) fell hard entering his age 33 season, and now is on the bubble to make the team.

Previously mentioned, MLB Albert Snider (-2) lost a step as well.

2042 Preseason Report

Record: 2-2

The Thrashers had an uneven approach through the preseason, but there were some minor victories (and setbacks). Let's take a brief look into that window:

Rookie RB Goodnight Robicheau delivered on the organization's promises until landing on the injury report for the next 4-8 weeks with a knee injury. He rushed 37 times for 175 yards and 2 TDs. In addition, he caught 10 passes for 69 yards. He's the future of this team, barring other significant injuries.

The WR corps is led by second year player Sebastian Shaw who has dependability going for him above all else. The speedsters Valentine McKee and Ryu Jenkins can rip the top off of defenses to spread out coverage but have noodle hands. New addition, Michael Wilkerson was a welcome addition as a solide WR3. Willie King is what you'd want every WR to be except he's slower than most Offensive Linemen, but he catches what's thrown to him, catching 80% of the ***** thrown his way and averaging 7.0 yards per catch. This season will be all about seeing which WRs work where, how to spread the coverage and get them in space to make plays.

Rookie T Jack Horne was exposed in passing down situations, yielding 3 sacks to opponents. This was expected to some degree, but he will improve and will be a force on the line for years to come.

Rookie K Goro Katayama nailed 6/7 FGs (2/2 from beyond 50 yards). He put up 7/8 on PATs as well. The organization is pleased with Goro's development, and the job is his.

Rookie WLB Kembai Shimada led the team in tackles over the preseason and had a surprising 2 knockdowns and only allowed 30% catches. Definitely sparks memories of former teammate Henry Tyler.

Additionally, the defense as a whole snagged 8 INT over the 4 games (2.0 per game), and managed 4 sacks (1.0 per game). There's not any ONE defensive lineman expected to lead the team in sacks this season. Since Ronald Surface's regression, it might be a down year for pressures and sacks. We shall see. However, the secondary looks tough for defensives. There's depth in every position, making this one of the most solid secondaries in all of Football Moguls. The team brought in Veteran CB Alfredo Webb, who admittedly has lost a step, but has extremely good coverage skills. He's great presence for the team to have.

Notable Departures

After picking up a signficant knee injury that would have cost him over half the season, WR Stacker Pentecost and the team reached terms to end his tenure with the Thrashers after 10 seasons. He led all of Football Moguls in receiving three of the last five years, eclipsing 1000 yards in 4 seasons when few other players in the league were able to. Pentecost also sits atop the Computer's All-Time Thrasher Team as well. Pentecost joined the team as a gadget player out of NC State in 2033. He bounced around the organization for a few seasons never quite finding his groove until 2036, where he became a full-time WR (and part-time RB/FB/TE). He'll be widely considered to be one of the best and most effective Swiss Army Knife players in the team's history.

It's also with heavy heart that the organization says a fond farewell to DE Ronald Surface as well. Surface joined the team in 2034 as a waiver wire pickup from Brawndo Corps. He backed up legendary DE Michael Cherrito and filled his shoes supremely in 2037 while Cherrito spent half a season injured. In total, he had 85 sacks (19 in 2040 alone) and 84 QB Hurries. He's on Mount Thrashmore for Defensive Line Greats, including Michael Cherrito, Max Dicken, and Mason Saunders.