WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL SPARTAN NEWSFEED!

Rebranding for the newly minted Seattle Spartans is now complete with the selection of the logo to match the new color scheme and mascot.



Now, moving to the headlines this offseason:

2046 Offseason Coaching News

After much speculation, HC Dennis Tomblin chose to retire, leaving as the most successful head coach in the franchise's history. This paved the way to complete the regime change and Owner John Spartan brought in offensive-minded guru, Garrett Sill, to helm the Spartans. Sill is a grit-and-grind type of coach who wants to run the ball effectively and open up things for play action passes. Defensively, he has eluded to a base 4-3 with quick man-coverage specialists on the back end while applying regular pressure. Additionally, Coach Eddie Jackson moves up from the college ranks to work with the special teams.

Retirees
HC Dennis Tomblin
ST Coach Charles Standard
FS Jeffrey Carlson
TE Phillip Smith

Notable Departures

Although the league extended some grace to Seattle because of poor fiscal mismanagement, the team still could not afford to sign any players in free agency AND sign $51M in rookie contracts. Therefore, some current rostered players had to see the business end of football. The following players were cut as a result:

MLB Casey Wilkerson
WR Alfonzo Tindle
QB Charles Smith
RB Troy Moore
RG Martin Clark
FB Gary Bomar
FS Ricardo Sohn
DT Mark Johnson

Contract Talk
The headliners have to be QB George Brewster and FS Willard Fry who are anchors on either side of the line of scrimmage. They both inked 5-year $125M+ contracts. Other players receiving contract extensions:

LT Wilbur Reed - 5yrs for $99M
RG Joseph Paille - 6yrs for $88M
RT Van Gertz - 6yrs for $44M
WR Miguel Ferguson - 4yrs for $63M
RB Michael Kennedy - 6yrs for $51M
LB Lawrence Givens - 6yrs for $46M
SS David Duppstadt - 4yrs for $44M
DE William Welch - 4yrs for $60M
LB Rodney Henry 3yrs for 41M

This locks up a lot of talent and depth for the duration and many contracts are team friendly or are set to expire as the player ages out of their prime.

Early Free Agency and Trades

QB Matthew Park (from KMN) - Park was once considered to be the premiere QB prospect when drafted by Independence with the second overall pick in 2037 but has had poor performances on poor rosters for 8 seasons. Now, he'll back up Brewster and be serviceable in a pinch.

LB Rudolph Forster (from TAZ) - has been a role player on special teams and as a back up linebacker. He'll do the same here, but he's got the quickness and speed, Coach Lozano looks for and is capable in man-coverage.

G Ernest Wallace (from BCD) - Seattle was surprised to see the hulk of a man sitting there on Day 3 of Early Free Agency. Only 25 years old, Wallace is a capable interior lineman that immediately pushes aged Willie Duke for the starting left guard position.

Owner John Spartan unleashed a torrent of trades to open the offseason. To kick things offs, Brooklyn's Thomas Davis CB was acquired for a 2047 4th and 7th round pick. Davis will instantly slot in as the CB2 to defend against the speedier outside receivers.

That same day, a deal was brokered with Brooklyn again for WR/TE Scott Greenleaf who finally gives the team a field stretcher on offense. Seattle did give up a 2048 2nd round pick, but the 29 year old will make an immediate impact and be rostered for the next two years.

The following day, the Spartans acquired CB Adam Bruce, 2046 Round 4 pick (from ARK) and 2047 Round 4 pick for Seattle's 2046 Round 2 selection and 2047 Round 3 pick. Bruce may not be the fasted defensive back but he certainly bolsters the team in a major way. He will move to SS where he plenty of experience and can play the nickel corner role when needed. Bruce is under contract for 2 years while the team rebuilds a younger secondary.

Spartan followed that up by swapping this year's 3rd and 4th round picks for Detroit's 3rd rounder (Pick 3 in the round), and then swapped that pick and this year's 5th round pick to hop back in the second round getting KC's pick from Brawndo Corp.

Because of all the movement, here is where Seattle currently sits during the 2046 Draft:

Round 1 - Pick 12
Round 2 - Pick 31 (63rd overall)
Round 4 - Pick 14 (110th)
Round 6 - Pick 12
Round 7 - Pick 12

If anything can be expected, it's that the team is probably not done yet.

Shifting Philosophy

In order to compete at the highest level, Coach Sill and newly promoted DC Paul Lozano have retooled the entire backend of the defense. In 2045, Seattle allowed the 6th most passing yards per game (198.1), the 2nd highest yards per attempt (7.2), and the 5th most passing TDs per game (1.6). Additionally, the team was +3 on Turnover Margin. The likeliest culprit was a lack of speed, but coverage skills were not great as well especially in the secondary.

The primary focus was shifting LB Willard Fry to Full Safety and keeping stud rookie MLB Michael Boss in place. LBs Michael Wright and Lawrence Givens will now be the starting outside linebackers, Givens being more of an EDGE build as a passing down specialist. The team will probably add more depth here during the draft as well, and Wright could be supplanted if the correct player falls to Seattle at pick 12.

Additionally, the two trade pieces Adam Bruce and Thomas Davis will fit nicely into this secondary overhaul. Simon Brendle seems to have the CB1 spot locked in for now, but he is growing long in the tooth. CB Gerald Hackett could push him for playing time. Both backs have more of a floor revolved around cover skills rather than speed or quickness. This could also be another need addressed through the draft.

Granted, there are a lot of needs for this team to be elite in a division with San Francisco and the LA Xtreme, let alone the stacked NFC. However, the changes made should keep Seattle competitive and just maybe the football gods will shine on the Emerald City once again.

Check about for new updates regularly and larger coverage of the 2046 Draft coming soon.

2046 Draft Report

After a flurry of moves, the Spartans positioned themselves to have three (3) first round picks in this year's draft. Whether or not this strategy will pay off for the team remains to be seen, but the players chosen will have an immediate impact and form a combination of skill, dependability, and depth across 6 total selections in 2046.

(1:12) Bill "The Butcher" Cutting CB, Auburn, 5'8" 190lbs. Although The Butcher is undersized he has top end speed for the position, so he is almost a lock to be the starting CB2 this season; however, his game has some flaws. The draft class was fairly weak, so he needs a good camp to be an all pro talent.

(1:30) Nathaniel Poe WR/KR, Appalachian St., 5'11" 213lbs. Poe has the potential to be the best possession receiver in the class, but he was the 6th WR selected because his speed is average (in spite of an elite burst and pretty much every other aspect of his game). He should drop weight, but he'll never be a burner. Additionally, he'll take reps as Kick and Punt Returner as well, and he might even sub in as RB on certain passing down routes.

(1:31) Daniel Plainview LB/EDGE, Southern Mississippi, 5'11" 261lbs. Once again, Plainview's skillset is impressive in nearly aspect but speed. He led Conference USA in sacks last season (17) and set the university record with 42 over his 3 year career. However, the big man didn't stop there because he was also more than serviceable in coverage, pulling in 4 Ints. Plainview will be expected to contribute in a myriad of ways, but during his first season, he might spend time rotating all over the front seven rather than locking down one position.

(2:31) Danny Flynn WR, Nebraska, 5'10" 194lbs. The Husker product is pure straightline speed--a go route, sluggo beast. Unfortunately, aside from not being prone to fumbling, he doesn't have the best hands at times, his route tree is limited, and he doesn't have the size to go up for those 50/50 *****. This likely explains his fall to the end of the 2nd round. On the other hand, Flynn doesn't have to be "the" guy, just a guy to take the top off the defense on occasion.

(4:14) John Proctor C/IOL, Ohio State, 6'3" 291lbs. John Proctor has the pedigree of a three year starter at Center in a major conference. Will that game transition to the pro level? He's got average to above average skill potential but does not excel in any particular area. It is just fortunate enough that the roster might improve a fraction with his addition at a fraction of C Aaron Carter's salary--all but guaranteeing a roster spot for the Ohio State product.

(6:2) Christy Brown WR, St. Brendan’s, 6’1” 204lbs. The Spartans were determined to load up on receiver this season. Brown has a shot at making the roster as he compares favorably to others rostered, especially with many aged players eating up so much cap. Then with Greenleaf working out of TE, Nathaniel Poe playing all over the formation, and Flynn lining up as WR2, Brown could be a nice rotation piece.

Check back after training camp for more updates.

2046 Camp Report and Late Free Agency

Training Camp yielded some interesting results, but in hindsight, trading away the future for today's picks was not a great choice. The Spartans' Scouting Department might be its weakest link so far in its young history. Now, those selected will play and maybe even thrive, but it was too much to give up...unless the Spartans win a championship (seems unlikely).

Let's look at the results:

CB Bill "The Butcher" Cutting (-2) did not look as sharp on the practice field as his college tape indicated. Now, the team was willing to roll the dice on his pure ability, and that did not disappoint. Cutting did not get beat once in camp, but his coverage skills will never be more than average. Once again, it's not like the team was particularly deep in corners prior, so he's still a lock on the CB2 lane, but he certainly never looked more human.

WR Nathaniel Poe (+1), on the other hand, excelled in camp, but was only held back by his lack of top end speed, but that's likely why he fell to the end of the first round. Poe will most likely have a long career with the Spartans five yards at a time.

LB Daniel Plainview (-1) didn't do much to impress, but his weight really impacted his performance in camp. He'll be dropping down to the safety position in hopes of settling in the 225lbs range. He'll still be on the slower side for a linebacker, but his coverage skills are still above average.

WR Danny Flynn (-1) will still man the WR2 / WR3 spot because he's got killer wheels, but his game just has too many glaring flaws. Not a bad pick considering the talent remaining, but it's certainly not what the team hoped for.

C John Proctor (+2) is considered by the team to be the steal of their draft. He will split time with veteran C Gavin Anderson during the preseason, but there is strong chance that Proctor will overtake Anderson before it's all said and done.

WR Christy Brown (+0) is a great pick for a 6th rounder. Not the fastest, not the worst receiver. He might make a roster spot, but if the team needs more depth, he might be the first to go because he can be cut with no cap penalty.

Additionally, the team incurred several million dollards in cap costs with all the signings, so the team is already planning on parting ways with:

C Aaron Carter
DT Leroy Webb

2046 Preseason News

With the upcoming preseason nearing a close, with only a meaningless Week 4 contest remaining, where most starters will not play beyond the first quarter, let us gander back and observe how the team is shaping up with the franchise in such delightful flux.

It's a mixed bag, baby...

For two games and a few unpleasant injuries (Starting Guard, Van Gertz and Rookies, Daniel Plainview and John Proctor, namely) the team looked wholly outmatched as soon as the starters left the field. The defense held up well enough, but a closer examination reveals that there was just no juice on the offense. OC Frank Wrobel got caught in a timeloop at one point and called the same running play 8 (EIGHT) times in a row.

Owner John Spartan called a meeting and vowed to be more hands on in the daily operations, a la Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys. After a week of practice and resetting the expectations (and game script), many wondered if the Spartan would just suit up and play himself. He relented, of course, and demonstrated full confidence in the coaching staff and QB George Brewster. Spartan's one mandate is that Brewster be given the autonomy to make decisions at the line of scrimmage, and, boy howdy, did the 9-year vet deliver.

That's not the Seattle rain, that's Brewster showering dimes...

After the first two games, in which Brewster started 3 quarters total, the QB was 6/10 with zero TDs and zero INTs. Now, against notably stiff competition in the Monarchs and current champions Kayfabe, one might forgive the gunslinger, but this was unacceptable for all parties involved.

In Preseason Week 3, Brewster was unhinged, having a career day. He completed 80% of his passes with 3 TDs and 0 INTs for a 139.86 QB Rating. Naturally, he couldn't have done so without his compliment of skill players.

Nathaniel Poe is a truly elite possession receiver...

Brewster connected with six pass catchers, but it was Rookie WR Nathaniel Poe who hauled in 9 catches for 112 yards and 2 TDs. If not for a boneheaded fumble on a 37 yard dime, it might have been 3 TDs for the young man. However, Andres Nelson and Scott Greenleaf also had excellent games as well. This combination of WRs with capable veterans like TE Dale Glover and WR Anthony Niles should make the WR corps quite formidable this season.

Running wise, it was all Michael Kennedy in the first half who showed his burst with 6 runs over 10 yards for a stellar 7.0 YPC, but with the game in hand beginning the 3rd quarter, RB Richard Marion showed his toughness moved piles of people for 103 total yards.

Hey, didn't we start this whole shindig with saying the defense held up?

Through the 6 quarters (over 3 games) that the starting defense was on the turf, opponents only scored 8 total points. I'd call that held up.

Collectively, the team has accumulated 5 sacks and 2 Ints, which isn't blowing the roof off of anyone's doors, but it's a solid foundation and adjustments are constantly being made. The defensive line in particular was been reshuffled with DT Brian Rickard pushed to LDE and as he adjusts, he should provide a little more speed on the edge to aid DT Donny Creshendo and RDE Carlos Bly (who combined for 26 sacks in 2045). Related, Charles Castello will push inside as the new starting DT.

Lastly, a huge spotlight needs to be cast on 2045 6th round draft pick, DB Ryan Schuldt, who was cut by the Thrashers during Week 1 of the 2045 Preseason. He stayed in free agency until the final weeks of the season and the Spartans signed as depth add. In three games, he's allowed zero catches on 7 targets, 2 Knockdowns, and 1 INT. Additionally, he's amassed 4 tackles. What a surprise addition showing some promise!

They got a kicker, right?

Winford Ferraro was signed in 2045 and locked up for the next six years by the former owner of the team, and this could have been one of the best decisions by that owner. Ferraro has been lights out all preseason, nailing 7/7 FGs and two beyond 50 yards and adding on 4 XPs.

Late signings spotted

The Spartans added a few extra (speedy) bodies to fill the roster due to injuries, but with pickings slim in free agency, the team took on some projects that will most likely result in reserve roles or being dropped for additional injury replacements.

The team added:

S Thomas Treadway
LT Aaron Stevens
RB Eugene Janssen
EDGE Joshua Dean (really intriguingly miscast as a defensive end, so he will be tried out as a man coverage DB).

The team also released FB Robert Wynn.

Check back for the Quarterly Report after the conclusion of Week 4.

2046 Quarter One Report

Current Record: 3-1

It is difficult not to be a satisfied Seattle fan at this start, considering especially the brutal in-division start to the schedule and playing three of four opponents on the road. Injuries have also not been kind to the team either with no less than 3 starters out for multiple games already. Injuries notwithstanding, there is definitely room for improvement across the board.

Still, Coach Garrett Sill has brought the energy that drew Owner John Spartan to elevate him to head coach, and it's paid off on both sides of the ball. If not for a misstep against the London Monarchs, the Spartans looked poised to be spoilers for many top teams. Let's examine the state of the franchise through the first quarter.

The Offense

It always starts and stops with QB play, right? After George Brewster signed a long term deal in the offseason, it is reasonable to assume that he could retire a Spartan. It's clear that Brewster will not be a top QB in the league, but he can be serviceable with the right personnel and play calling. Once again, the glaring smudge of Week 4 where he tossed 3 INTs on a 46% Completion Rate erased any goodwill he had accumulated through the first three weeks.

Currently, Brewster ranks 17th in Completion % (61.8%), 10th in Passing Yards (230.8), and 15th in Passing TDs (0.5). Now, remove Week 4 and the numbers seem much better, but one cannot cherry pick the solid performances out, unfortunately.

RB Michael Kennedy has settled into the lead RB role averaging 3.6 yards per carry on 47 attempts for a total of 168 yards. He's also snagged 16 receptions for 74 yards but has failed to find the endzone. Waiver Wire acquisition RB Jeffrey Moylan seems to have supplanted Richard Marion as the the number 2 back (but is now injured and likely out for 2-3 games). Marion himself has been stuffed to only average 1.9 YPC but has still managed 6 catches for 29 yards in relief duty. Tyler Legg, the team's de facto lead FB has been injured for two games and might have to sit for another 2 games to recover.

The additions of Scott Greenleaf and the drafting of Nathaniel Poe have been a godsend to the receiving corps. Both WRs have already accumulated over 200 yards and a receiving TD each., while Andrews Nelson a late season addition from last season has 9 catches for 176 yards, which is an incredible clip of 19.6 yards per catch. He also has a receiving TD.

The Defense

The defense has been stout unit as a whole. The revamped secondary and linebacking crew has really tamped down on as many completions, going from the 21st rank defense allowing (313.2 yards per game) to 11th best through these four games (242.8 yards per game). They're also averaging 1.3 Interceptions per game (10th best). That's a major shift in philosophy. Additionally, the defensive front is averaging 2 sacks per game.

Until London trounced Seattle in Week 4, the defense might have been a top 5 unit. Still, the defense is still figuring things out. It was reported that MLB Michael Boss is shifting back to FS where he has his optimal skillset, and while LB Mike Wright recovers from a hand injury, Willard Fry will resume the WLB role he was a fixture in last season. For the time being, LB Rudulph Forester will fill in at MLB. It's been speculated that Fry will slip over to MLB after Wright returns.

The Special Teams

You would be hard pressed not to anoint Kicker Winford Ferraro as the 1st Quarter MVP. He's made 12/13 FG, and 2/2 on XP. He's also 3/3 on FG beyond 50 yards. When the team can't make progress down the field, Ferraro can put points on the board.

Up Next

The Spartans have a moderate schedule for the next four games, including three home games, but it's certainly not the time to be resting easy. The NFC West is a tough division, and it is certain that all teams are making adjustments that will make all the victories going forward hard fought.

Stayed tuned for the mid-season update after Week 8.

2046 Mid-Season Report

Current Record: 7-1

Since suffering a brutal loss to the London Monarchs in Week 4, the Seattle Spartans are currently riding a 4-game win streak, outscoring their opponents 130-31 in that stretch. The offense has started to find its stride while the defense has remained stingy.

Offensive Highlights

George Brewster has quietly emerged as a better than average quarterback under coaches Sills and Wrobel with a 1.5:1 TD:INT ratio--certainly his best season to date. This pundit is not ready to declare him elite by any means. He only ranks 14th in completion percentage and a season-long QBR of 89.72. However, he is 7th in Passing Yards, 4th in yards per attempt, and tied for 3rd in Passing TDs. If Brewster can continue to boost his TDs over his Interceptions, he could finish the season as a top 5 QB, a feat he has never achieved.

Elsewhere, the Running Crew has been a broken revolving door due to injuries and stout run defenses. Michael Kennedy continues to be the lead rusher and receiver out of the backfield, but it is unlikely the team will field a 1000 yard rusher this season. However, even in limited action, the free agency acquisition of RB Jeffrey Moylan has been helpful as he has fully supplanted Richard Marion as the #2 rusher. There is a silver lining here, though. For the first time, going into Week 9, the offensive line and the running back are all healthy.

The Receiving Corps, on the other hand, has been lights out this season. Led by veteran Scott Greenleaf (42-706-8) and the 1st round rookie WR Nathaniel Poe (48-628-5), the pair are currently the 2nd and 6th leading receivers by yards, making them the best tandem in the league currently.

Mid-season MVP: (tie) WRs Scott Greenleaf / Nathaniel Poe

Defensive Highlights

On the other side of the ball, there aren't any absolute superstars on defense statistics-wise, but there are a handful of consistent contributors. DE Brian Rickard (having just signed a 6-year extension) leads the team with 4 sacks and 5 QB hurries. MLB Willard Fry leads the team in tackles (58); Meanwhile, Safety Adam Bruce leads the team in INTs (4), and FS Michael Boss has been thrown at 42 times and only allowed 12 catches for a 28% catch rate with 11 knockdowns and 1 Int.

As a team, the defense has some stiff accolades: 7th in Interceptions, 3rd in yards allowed per game, and 3rd in opponent completion percentage (53%). Now, they're not the tyrannical force on sacks or forcing fumbles, but the unit consistently forces three and outs to the ball back in the hands of the offense.

Defensive MVP: DC Paul Lozano

Bold Predictions

QB George Brewster throws for 4,000 yards and 30 TDs

Both WRs Scott Greenleaf and Nathaniel Poe finish with over 1300 yards receiving and 10 TDs each.

The Spartans win the NFC West with at least 13 wins.

The defense snags 25 INTs (and finishes in the top 5 in the league)

Winford Ferraro makes at least 50 FGs this season, 20 of them from beyond 50 yards.

The Road Ahead...

The Spartans only play 3 teams with winning records in the final eight games, but the team will take no opponent lightly, and Owner John Spartan refuses to play it safe for the playoffs. Each game is an opportunity to bring glory back to Seattle, and he intends to do such.

Check back after Week 12 for the Quarter 3 Report...

2046 Quarter 3 Report

Current Record: 10-2

The Seattle Spartans are leading the NFC West with an impressive 10-2 record (5-1 in division). They have the potential to take the division title this year and have an excellent chance to make the playoffs (currently as the 2 seed).

Offensive Highlights

George Brewster appears to be on track for a career year, which shows that his inherent talent has finally met up with the opportunity to excel. He's maintaining a 62.1% completion rate with the 8th rank passing yards per game (247.7), 4th in yards per attempt (7.0), and 4th in passing TDs per game (2.0). He also has a QB Rating above 90 for the season.

However, a great part of the offense's success is that it has remained balance, and Michael Kennedy has regained his footing after dealing with early-season injuries. Although rushing TDs have been sparse, Kennedy is averaging 4.3 ypc with 798 rushing yards; he could easily inch over 1000 yards rushing when it appeared earlier in the season, there would not be such a prolific rusher on the team. That's not to dismiss the other runners; the team as a whole ranks as the 9th best rushing offense (120.3 yards/game) and 10th best in rushing attempts (31.6).

The WR Corps are still performing well as the Greenleaf / Poe duo still rank as possibly the best in the league. The pair have combined for over 150 catches, 2000 yards receiving, and 19 TDs.

Collectively, the offense averages 368.0 scrimmage yards per game which is good enough for 6th.

Defensive Highlights

The defense remains stout in spite of a non-dominant pass rush. The unit consistently produces 3 and outs, putting the ball back in the hands of the offense. The secondary does excel in Interceptions (1.4 per game) good enough to be tied for 3rd. Additionally, they are the 7th best in limiting opponent scrimmage yards (228.2 yards/game), 4th best in opponent rushing yards (62.8 y/g), and 12th best in opponent passing yards (169.8 y/g)

Up Next

The schedule is not too imposing as the team only faces one team (Predators) with a winning record, but the team is looking to finish strong in hopes of clinching the division and possibly a top seed in the conference!

2046 Regular Season Round-up

Final Record: 14-2; 1st seed in NFC; clinched homefield advantage

Owner John Spartan will not be sleeping much these next few weeks, but to say he's ecstatic with the evolution of his team in Seattle would be an understatement. He could see the potential in the team, its core roster, and knew with the right coaching and gameplanning, the franchise could turn it around, and they have. The NFC West is no slouch division; with 11 championship appearances and 7 total Super Bowl trophies hailing from the West, the Seattle Spartans had an uphill climb from jump.

Grading the Bold Predictions

QB George Brewster throws for 4,000 yards and 30 TDs. Success

Brewster finished with 4099 yards (5th) and 36 TDs (T-3rd). He also finished with a completion percentage of 64.5% (7th), averaged 7.4 yards per attempt (3rd). His QB Rating of 96.78 ranked 3rd of all qualified quarterbacks completing over 100 passes. This was certainly a career year, and Brewster is only in his year 30 season, so he can potentially run it back 3-4 more years while he's in his prime.

Both WRs Scott Greenleaf and Nathaniel Poe finish with over 1300 yards receiving and 10 TDs each. Fail...barely

Rookie WR Nathaniel Poe was stunning his first year and should definitely be a candidate for Rookie of the Year (considering he out performed all of the rookie receivers taken ahead of him), but he was still shy 17 yards from the bold prediction of 1300 yards and 10 TDs. SEVENTEEN. He finished the season with 104 catches for 1,283 yards and 10 TDs.

However, no matter Poe's exceptional year, it was overshadowed by the performance of veteran Scott Greenleaf. Greenleaf spent the majority of his career spending time behind other dominant receivers in Brooklyn and Terre Haute, but in Seattle, it was his time to put on a clinic. Greenleaf caught 98 ***** for 1,618 yards and 19 TDs (1st in both categories). His average catch went for 16.5 yards (highest for any receiver over 1000 yards) and had only 3 drops the entire season (T-for fewest among receivers over 1000 yards).

Collectively, the duo finished as the 1st and 4th best receivers by yards in the league.

The Spartans win the NFC West with at least 13 wins. Success

The Spartans finished with 14 wins, clinched the NFC West title and home field advantage in the playoffs.

The defense snags 25 INTs (and finishes in the top 5 in the league) Fail...barely

The defensive unit played lights out all season and finished collectively as top 5 in the league. With Interceptions, the goal was 25, and the crew collected 23 in total, but that placed the D tied for 3rd best this season. In addition, the team allowed the 2nd fewest QB completions (54.1%), 17th in passing yards (191.8 per game), 8th fewest yards per attempt (5.1), and 4th fewest rushing yards per game (56.2). On the other hand, sacks and pressures never accumulated as expected. Many starters were injured for long-stretches of the season, but the highlight was DE Brian Rickard who finished with a decent 9 sacks along with 12 QB hurries.

Winford Ferraro makes at least 50 FGs this season, 20 of them from beyond 50 yards. Fail...barely

Winford "The Ferrari" Ferraro completed 50/55 FGs this season (1st), but only 13 FGs from beyond 50 yards. Additionally, he was 40/40 on PATs. Needless to say, it was a career year for the journeyman kicker as well, and the team is excited to have him locked up for the next four seasons as well.

The Road Ahead...

The Spartan will receive a bye week for some much needed rest. Then, they will face either the Barbarians, Shadow Dancers, or Lions, which is no easy task.

Stay tuned for the post-season wrap-up.

Spartans Mauled by Lions

The upstart Seattle Spartans had a whirlwind of a season that sadly ended when facing the Detroit Lions home Sunday evening. The Lions seemingly had an answer for everything that the Spartans Offense could throw at them. In spite of managing time of possession, the Lions Defense never broke.

On the other side of the ball, the Lions offense was able to get things done way more efficiently although the Spartans Defense was not particularly terrible.

Now, the Spartans will look to the offseason, disappointed that they could not have the Cinderella story as the people of Seattle thought they were in for. As many veterans eye retirement and others seek to move on from the organization, this will be a different team next season. The salary cap is in decent shape, but not enough to land a big splash player. The draft capital is low for the next two seasons so that moves could be made for this year's run.

All that being said, this was a remarkable first year season under the ownership of the legendary John Spartan. The foundation is strong, and the Spartans are hungry.

2047 Offseason News

Retirements
RB Jeffrey Moylan
LB Rodney Henry

Departures
Donny Creshendo DT was allowed to explore free agency and signed a massive 6-year $178million contract with division rival LA Xtreme.
WR Anthony Niles
WR Miguel Ferguson
LT Luther Willis

Early Free Agency
A solid nucleus exists regarding the team, and the leadership has expressed to stay the course and opt for shoring up the little things. Find more players who fit Coach Sill's system, and that's what the team has done this offseason.

TE Joseph Morgan (from CDF) will help pad the blocking on running downs and can be used in a serviceable role in the passing game.

WR Marty Allen (from CIN) really brings the floor to take over the WR2.

Matt Chiles (KCS) and William Donelson were brought in to assist in the running game. Donelson is a capable blocker and return man as well.

LB Walter Love was signed as depth to the linebackers as well. He lacks speed but has decent coverage skills.

Joseph Wilson (WWE) and Russell Ely (BAN) were both brought in to contribute on the defensive line. Notably, Wilson amassed 12 sacks for the Kayfabe (team high).

LT Aaron Stevens who was on a one year contract last season was re-signed this season as depth and potentially the new long snapper. RT Jose Johnson was signed as depth as well.

Up Next: The Draft

The Spartans don't have a lot of picks for the next two years, but it should be enough to find some value along the way.