NEW FACES FOR THE NEW SEASON

Memphis looks to improve from last season's breakdown with some new faces. The team traded away all pro FS Lucas to Chicago for a first round pick and a new WR. We hope that the new guys brought in will help to fill the void that losing a player like Lucas leaves.

#3 Robert Mazon QB 6'3" 220 North Alabama
The QB position is going to be up for grabs here in Memphis. Although Vroman has done okay, we were looking for improvement. Hopefully Mazon pushes Vroman to get better or can step in and get the job done instead. He has had some success in his career and he has seen some failure. 54 TD, 83 INT. he has passed for 11,669 yards with a 53.2% completion rate.

#80 Jeffery Bellows WR 6'1" 198 Texas A&M
Drafted by Minnesota then shipped off to Chicago then shipped here to Memphis, Bellows is a pretty good WR. Not really a burner but can run, hopefully he finds his niche here and can help this offense put up some points.

#93 Jonathan Fink RDE 6'4" 281 Washington State
Memphis first round pick is a DE that may take some time to mature but should be a quality player for seasons to come here.

#40 Joseph Lopez CB 6'1" 204 LSU
This guy was picked to fill Lucas spot but has been transferred to CB. He is fast and strong. It is a big pair of shoes to fill but Lopez has the skills to come close.

#96 Peter Ezell DT 6'3" 277 Notre Dame
Second round pick Ezell is a much needed run stopper. He needs to hit the weight room and bulk up a little but he could be a really good DT for us.

#63 Paul Hallum LT 6'4" 314 Michigan
Quick for an OL, his pass blocking rating is good but struggles with the run block. Hope he can help that left side of the OL keep our QB safe and make some holes to run through.

#59 Steven Emmons SLB 6'1" 241 Notre Dame
Memphis has some good LB's in Ehmann and Asbury. Emmons may be able to learn from them and be a quality back up.

#85 Bryan Peery LG 5'11" 202
Moved from the TE position to LG where Memphis has had some struggles. He needs to hang out at the BBQ eateries here in Memphis and lift weights because he is small to be in the interior Offensive line.

#25 Donald Nemeth 5'11" 204 South Carolina
A high speed, high Volatility guy. Hopefully he has a successful camp and can take some of the workload off of Rutherford without making mistakes.

#26 Eric Brown 7th rounder trying to make the roster. His versatility, he is listed to be able to play 17 different spots, his strength and volatility are his strengths.

Well, there you have the new guys on your 2020 Memphis Hound Dogs Football Team. We are excited to get going and see how we do.

The Charlotte CB's started salivating upon seeing those 83 INT's Mazon threw.

I think that's drool from their mental condition.

PRE SEASON BEGINS IN TERRE HAUTE

The Hound Dogs entered the unfriendly "Terror Dome" in Indiana not knowing what to expect from their opponent or themselves........What they got was a pretty close ballgame up to the half, then veteran QB Tom Vroman making a statement to the Memphis coaches in the 2nd by throwing 7 TD passes (against the Terror subs) and leading Memphis to a 70-10 preseason win. "I just wanted to show the coaches and the team that I can play and move the ball" said Vroman after the game. "Mazon is a buddy of mine, but I don't want to give him my job, I like playing football."
Vroman ended up 10/17 379 yards and 7 TD. Mazon did pretty good himself. 7/10 for 153 yards with 1 TD and 0 interceptions. Mazon threw a few passes that were kind of put up there for anyone to grab but wasn't picked.
On the defensive side of the ball, rookie Joseph Lopez led the team with 9 tackles. He also had one of three Memphis interceptions. Geoffery Street and Robert Walker had the other two.
R Jonathan Fink did well with 4 tackles and a sack. Rookie Peter Ezall had 2 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Nice work to the new kids out there making plays.

The team now goes to the Elvis Aaron Presley Memorial Dome in Memphis to take on the Denver Broncos in pre season game number 2 tonight.

2020 SEASON OPENER WITH ATLANTA TONIGHT!!

The Hound Dogs start 2020 against division rival Atlanta tonight. Atlanta was part of the Memphis collapse last season as they swept the two games. The all time series is in the Hound Dogs favor 4-2.

HOUND DOGS LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS.........AND SOME

Coming into the 2020 season and this game in particular, the hopes were high here in Memphis, but knowing that the team is on a 5 game losing streak, the hopes were met halfway with the failure of last season. So really, the fans and I myself didn't know what to expect from the team in their game vs. Atlanta last night.

The Dogs lived up to the expectations, crushing Atlanta 72-10. Mazon threw the ball beautifully and everything seemed to work like you see it on the whiteboard. The Dogs scored on their first play from scrimmage and didn't look back.

The team racked up 956 yards offense. That's by far the most yardage put up by the Hound Dogs ever. Mazon threw 19/20 for 683 yards, 7 TD and most importantly, 0 picks. Mazon made the "Players of the Week" for Week 1 so congratulations to him on that. Reuben Souders caught 4 for 243 and 3 TD. The WR's ran like greyhounds, the Atlanta defenders couldn't keep up with them. Prosser 5/185 and a TD, Hoadley 2/114 and a TD, Ahern 2/101 and a 95 yard gallop for the big guy, and Adams caught a TD pass as well.

The running game worked well too. Rutherford 16/120 with a TD, Hull 9/61 with a TD. FB Adams ran the ball well 18/98 but he lost the handle on the football a couple of times. If Adams is going to get that many carries this season, he needs to spray on some stick-um on his hands.

On defense, Larry Brashear stepped up in Bryan Lucas' departure to Chicago. He had 7 tackles. Mc Donald, Delao, and Rookie DT Ezell all got a bite of quarterback with a sack a piece. We're hoping Ezell liked getting to the opposing QB because he is needed to go after them week in and week out.

Robert "someone's gonna get hurt" Asbury had a pick. As did Larry Sylvester and Watson.

The bad news of the Week is WR Souders got injured and he is probable for next weeks game here in Memphis against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

HOUND DOGS BEAT TAMPA

Memphis had some timely defensive stands and 3 interceptions to win the game vs. Tampa Bay last night in the Elvis Aaron Presley Memorial Dome 30-18.

The Dogs only had 359 yards to 567 for the Bucs, but 227 were on the ground for Memphis. Nate Hoadley led with 78 yards. But what has been most important has been Mazons play, he has yet to throw an interception.

The defense gave up some long plays but kept Tampa out of the end zone a couple of times. New CB Samuel Lindsay had an interception that he almost ran back for a TD. It is nice to see new players come in and make an impact.

The next game brings the back to back to back champs Los Angeles Xtreme. LAX is coming off of a tough loss to S.F. and surely be looking to get back on track. Memphis needs to come out prepared if they want to have any kind of a chance.

ROBERT ASBURY TO SIT VS. LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles Xtreme QB Owen Barrett has to be happy about this. All-Pro LB Robert Asbury will miss tonight's game with a concussion. It seems like an odd injury to a player that only uses 10% of his brain anyway.

When asked about missing the game Asbury seemed calm and collected......opposite his usual demeanor, and said, "This is the era we play in these days. In the past, players played hurt, even with a brain injury." "Now, a lot more attention is being paid to these types of injuries and I don't want to end up in a mental hospital or like Junior Seau, so I'll sit and when i'm cleared to play, get back at it full speed."

From a player that's style is compared to a great white shark, you have to wonder if this concussion will change the way the LB goes about playing. We will find out in a couple weeks.

So, Owen Barrett, if your starting tonight, Asbury will be in street clothes on the sideline. You will live to see another day.

ROOKIE TORCHES DOGS IN LEAGUE DEBUT

The Hound Dogs came into Week 3 with a 2-0 record. The opponent, 3 X Champions Los Angeles Xtreme came in 1-1, one win being an OT win vs Chicago and a loss to S.F. So it was fair to say the Dogs thought there may be a ghost of a chance. Through the first 15 minutes and some of the second they still did have a chance. LAX took the lead and went into the half 31-20.

In the second half, the Memphis D forced a 3 & out from LAX and were looking to get back into it. The Hound Dog offense was suddenly invalid as Adams had a false start setting up a 1st and 15. Mazon dropped back to pass and was hit by Lafontane and lost the ball. From that point on the rout was on with LAX winning 62-27.

LAX had an impressive debut from their rookie QB Martinez.

The loss came with injuries as well. 7 players suffered injuries due to the physical style of LAX.
The loss also exposes the Dogs defense as not being as good as they thought. The team ranks last in the league in yards against.

The Hound Dogs better not mope around long as they have a game vs. Washington in the Nations Capital next week. The Redskins are 2-1.

HOUND DOGS WIN IN D.C.

The Dogs put up 28 first quarter points and blew past the Redskins last night in the Nations Capital. Robert Mazon played well and made the "Players Of The Week" list. He was 14/22 for 444 yards, 7 TD's and 0 INT's. Peter Vu caught 4/131 and 3 TD's.

On defense, Washington moved the ball easily. 27 first downs, 473 total yards, 9/18 3rd down conversion, and 23 points. All of these will need to get better as the Hound Dogs are dead last in yardage surrendered

The team takes on Atlanta next in Atlanta.