Off-Season News

Retirements

Mitchell Castillo, Head Coach (2017-2028). In 12 storied seasons, Mitch was arguably the most decorated head coach of all time in Football Moguls history. His four league championships were unmatched, as well as his seven Super Bowl appearances. His final record was 196-70-1 (0.734 win rate), and his post season record was 21-6. There is no Hall of Fame for Coaches in Football Moguls, but if ever there was Coach Castillo would be have to be a first ballot listing.

Donald Washington, Offensive Line, Assistant Coach (2017-2028). Coach Washington served as Coach Castillo's right hand man for the duration. All of the team's accolades are shared between the two. When the New England Vince Wilforks hired Coach Castillo, the terms were set that Coach Washington would be the first position filled. As you can see, it all worked out in the end.

Randall Riordan WR - Riordan only played a season for Arkansas and mainly as depth in the receiving corps. He retires at age 30 after being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2021.

New Unis
The team has undergone a uniform change ahead of the 2029 season to celebrate the ten season anniversary of the Golden Boys of Boston, The Boston Biscuits. No alterations had been made since the team made the move to Arkansas at the end of the 2021 season. New contracts were secured with Nike and the team will be unveiling the new Elite Jerseys during the preseason. This year will also feature a redesigned helmet with blue serving as the primary color with a golden inner stripe and orange outer stripes. The facemask has been swapped for gold as well. In addition, the standard orange value has been darkened just a hint as well and the red accents have been eliminated.

Coaching News

Longtime Coach Joseph Reid (Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers) has assumed the mantle of Head Coach for the Arkansas Thrashers. Coach Reid has been with the team since 2020 and was a natural fit to take over for Coach Mitch Castillo. Coach Reid doesn't expect to come in and reinvent the wheel. He has a balanced approach to both the offensive and defensive gameplan.

In Reid's absence, Linebackers Coach, Tommy Hall, will assume Defensive Coordinator. Hall has been with the team for five years. He brings a heavy blitz scheme to the table, which could help to shore up some of the defensive woes of the last season.

To fill the void at Linebackers Coach, the team tapped Coach Dion Castrejon, a the former head coach of Denver, who has solid fundamentals at the position, especially tackling and coverage skills.

Lastly, Coach Charles Standard was brought in to coach the O line. Standard is still quite young, so as he develops under the tutelage of his superiors, he could become the coach of tomorrow.

Early Free Agency

The Thrashers didn't make too many waves in early free agency, but did sign QB John Spartan to a 6yr $80m extension, making him the true face of the franchise for the foreseeable future.

Barry Puente SS (from San Francisco) - Puente is a three-year starter for the Demons and played a decent role in his time there. Puente will help solidify the safety corps for the next four years. Last year, he forced 4 fumbles on 72 tackles and knocked down 14 passes in coverage and even snagged an interception in the playoffs.

James Minor DT (from SEA) - Minor has bounced around the league (5 teams in 7 seasons) and he'll only be a backup with the Thrashers, and he'll mainly be used to cram the middle on running plays.

Jonathan Fink LDE (from MEM) - This savvy veteran played with Memphis for nine seasons and accumulated 2 sacks and 7 hurries last season. Fink was brought in to push Arkansas' front four to new heights. Now, the D-Line is pretty well set for this season with future HoFer Max Dicken, current Football Moguls Sack Leader Michael Cherrito, DT Jason Vorhees, and Jonathan FInk.

Patrick Murray LDE (from BLZ) - Murray will be a rotational player to help extend the life of the starters in certain packages. A veteran of four seasons, this defensive end has had some success. He's averaged just under 2 sacks per season and last year he forced two fumbles as well.

2029 Draft

1 (24): Alan "Dutch" Schaefer - WR/KR/PR, Maryland, 6'0" 193 lbs.
Dutch Schaefer is a perfect fit for the team in both terms of need and skill set. The wide receiving corps has been depleted over the last couple of seasons, and now Dutch will pair nicely with sophomore Sam Quint and outside threat Harry Good. Dutch has great speed, elite acceleration off the line, and is quite strong as well. He will also lend himself in the punt and kick return game as well. He has great potential all around if he has a productive camp.

2 (59): Blain O'Painless (nee Cooper) - LG, Northern Illinois, 6'4" 333 lbs.
O'Painless (born Blain Gaylord Cooper) made a splash at the Football Moguls Combine when he ripped his shoulder on the exercise equipment and proceeded to bench 220 lbs 26 times. Pundits asked him why he continued through the event, and he simply replied, "I ain't got time to bleed..." Subsequently, he changed his name to O'Painless because of the fanfare he received. The lineman has great strength and burst off the line. His run blocking is already all pro level, but he lacks experience in pass blocking.

3 (80): Alvin Dillon - RB/WR, Georgia Southern, 6'0" 228 lbs.
Dillon was a four year starter at Georgia Southern playing time at FB and RB. This guy is a bowling ball. He's not the speediest but he's got great acceleration and strength. Here's the real value: he can catch out of the backfield and in the slot, and he fights for the ball and isn't afraid of contact when pulling one down. Dillon is not expected to start but occasionally could spell a back or receiver as needed.

3 (86): Billy Sole - MLB, South Carolina St. 6'2" 261 lbs.
Billy Sole is a raw talent and comes with some off-the-field anger issues, but he's fast for 260lbs and strong to boot. He's got good instincts and if camp is kind, he could become a rotational player and not a roster cut.

4 (123): Mac Eliot - TE, Iowa. 6'5" 272 lbs.
With the Thrashers' final pick in the 2029 draft, Mac Eliot was selected to pad the depth at TE. Current TE2 Bruce Lloyd is set to hit free agency next season and never really contributed as the backup; therefore, Mac has a chance to make a substantial push for that position if he has a solid camp. He's risky to be sure, but Mac's own personal mantra "Imma have me some fun" could be enough to skirt him by on this roster.

"Dutch" Schaefer of the Thrashers, may I introduce you to the reason you will be in quarantine for two weeks. Let me introduce to you CB Dibs "Corona" Virus - 5' 11'' 183 lbs from Jackson State.

I see this as the Rice/Sanders rivalary of the Mongrels

2029 Training Camp

"They're dropping like flies out here!", Reporter Newsman, Thrashers Beat Report

One cannot say that training camp was all bad, but it ain't good either.

Improved

Blain O'Painless (+2) - The mountain of a man came into camp ready. He shed 10 lbs which made him a little lighter on his feet without giving up any significant strength. He still has a lot of ground to cover in the passing game, but he will have key running situations that he will automatically be a plug and play.

Busts

Dutch Schaefer (-6) - The first round pick didn't win any prizes at camp, but he's still useful. He still has great speed and elite acceleration, and he can catch for days. He will assume regular duties on kick and punt returns for years. However, here's where the silver lining fades. His route-running and bump-run avoidance are subpar. He's not likely to break many tackles, and he could be at risk for fumbling.

Alvin Dillon (-5) - Dillon is never projected to be a starter especially after training camp. He's still got a lot of those raw skills (except speed; he's just average there), but he will be useful giving the starters a rest on occasion.

Billy Sole (-5) - Billy Sole has some raw skills and that's about where it stops. He's an extra body for the team, but he's not long for the football world. It's just a matter of time.

Mac Eliot (-5) - Mac finds himself in a similar situation as well. He costs too much to cut right out but won't serve much more than a backup in the mean time.

Preseason Report

The Thrashers truly took the preseason to test and develop their second and third strings. The only game that starters played beyond the first quarter was the traditional third game "test run", which played to overwhelmingly positive results.

Here are some of the highlights from the preseason:

Rookie RB/WR Al Dillon ripped off a 72 run and averaged 6.0 ypc on 17 attempts, while also snagging 23 receptions for 171 yards.

Rookie Dutch Schaefer had a more quiet introduction to the league but caught 12 passes for 86 yards, 3 of which for TDs. Schaefer led the team in TDs in the preseason. His development was also very quick as well. He nearly reached his full potential over the preseason.

RB/WR Dave Puryear saw a shift in snaps, mainly playing wide out, and the results were productive. Puryear led the team in total receiving yards with 229 and average catch of 17 yards.

CB Elliot Spencer also hauled in 3 Interceptions. He's always been the team ballhawk, averaging 5.0 INTs over the last two seasons, but it's good to see he hasn't lost his instincts even when his feet don't move like they used to. The rest of the defense in general looked good as well bringing the total number of INTs to 10.

New acquisition DE Patrick Murray led the team with 2 sacks.

DE Max Dicken saw snaps split between DT and DE. Dicken has always been an EDGE but shifting inside could yield more QB pressures in his 10th season. He also registered an interception, his second career INT.

Quarterly Report

Battered and bruised, the Arkansas Thrashers have hobbled their way to a 2-2 record to begin the season. Losing the home opener to the Kayfabe was a smack right across the kisser, and the subsequent loss to the OrangeCrush following week, put Thrasher fans on notice and already belted pleas to owner Timothy Thompson to sack new head coach, Joseph Reid. Naturally, cooler heads prevailed as growing pains are expected when such drastic changes occur.

Fortunately, the team has managed to pull off two successive road wins, one against long-time rivals, Golden Dragons, and--a real upset--against the New York Giants. However, even though wins are what gets you to the playoffs, it's not been all sunshine and lollipops.

QB John Spartan has had the worst statistically opening since he became the full-time starter. He's thrown 6 TDs and 7 INTs. His completion rate is below 60% as well--another career low mark. Coach Reid has publicly called for more of balanced gameplan, but in game, pass after errant pass is slung to oblivion.

The running game, however, looks pretty solid when used. The team picked up veteran Victor Krause off free agency to add depth and keep starters Erwin and Lusher healthy. His work has been solid if limited, and medically speaking, the crowded running back corps is healthy. RB George Erwin leads the team overall and is averaging 6.6 ypc with 488 yards from scrimmage with 5 total TDs.

The receiving crew isn’t breaking any records. Sam Quint slid into the WR1 role pretty smoothly and has been the most productive receiver, while WR2 is being contested between Harry Good and Dutch Schaefer. The battle remains but Schaefer will get the WR2 nod to see if he can build on the solid performance from Week 4.

Defensively, it's still very much a mixed bag. Too many yards and points allowed, which will keep the team in shootout territory for the foreseeable future, but there are some bright spots. The team has forced 8 fumbles and 3 INT over this first quarter. DE Max Dicken has jumped into sack leader position for the team as he spends a healthy amount of time at DT as well as EDGE. Veteran acquisition Jonathan Fink has also amassed 2 sacks, while 2028 sack leader Michael Cherrito only has 1 sack, but has forced 12 hurries.

Coach Reid has vowed to make some changes going forward, and the team would love to be sitting at 6-2 at the midpoint of the season, but it all starts next week at home against the Independence Pirates (formerly, Miami Dolphins). The AFC East is up for grabs as the standings were reset after Week 4, now that all teams have 2-2 record.

Quarterly Report

The manner and emotions have certainly changed in the Thrasherdome since Week 4, and team appears to be firing on all cylinders at the midpoint. Now, the Thrashers sit atop the AFC East standings with a respectable 6-2 record, while outscoring their last four opponents by a combined 100 points. Coach Joseph Reid vowed to make changes and apparently, he has followed through. Let's look at some of the changes on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, in the first four games, QB John Spartan was slinging it nearly 41 times a game to very disappointing results. The run game was effective but under-utilized. Fast forward to Weeks 5-8, and Spartan averaged only 24 attempts per game. but the team made up for it by running effectively. Adding Victor Krause from free agency and drafting Alvin Dillon has allowed the team to rotate a fresh back in frequently. averaging 44 rushing attempts per game in that same 4 game span. However "starter" RB George Erwin leads the team with 8 total touchdowns (even after sitting out Week 8 in the concussion protocol) while "other starter" David Lusher leads the team with 456 rushing yards. All this to say that the Thrashers have utterly dominated time of possession, suffocating any momentum that opposing teams have built up. In other offensive news, Dutch Schaefer, who made early headlines with his beef with Kayfabe CB Dibs Corona Virus, finally had a true breakout game in Week 8 snagging 6 catches for 135 yards and 2 TDs.

Defensively, the shift has been extremely noticeable as well. Over the previous four games, teams have only scored 34 total points, and only one offensive touchdown from Independence in Week 5 (and with a special teams touchdown from Battle Creek in Week 8). This is a far cry from Weeks 1-4 where opponents averaged 21 ppg (vs. 8.5 ppg in Weeks 5-8). The front seven are producing reasonable push on the line. DE Max Dicken (Questionable-Neck) leads the team with 5 sacks, while DE Michael Cherrito leads the team with 22 QB Hurries, which puts him on a franchise record pace. In total, the team has accumulated 11 sacks total, forced 9 fumbles, and ripped down 6 INTs.

Up next, Arkansas travels to Pittsburg, Kansas, to take on the Independence Pirates, which should be a tough road match where the hometeam is favored by 3. In the previous meeting, the Thrashers just eeked out the win 17-15, so no doubts are left in the minds of the viewers that this one won't go down to the wire.

The rest of the season has a nice combination of highs and lows. The Thrashers are just as likely to go 4-4 to finish the season or 8-0. However, the team looks as though they are definitely over the early season hump and should finish up the season with a winning record and hopefully another playoff berth.

Season Update

The Thrashers have won 12 games in a row after starting the season 0-2. In addition, the team has a guaranteed playoff berth and is vying for a first round bye. Overall, this season has been overwhelmingly successful under new HC Joseph Reid. The defense is limiting drives and scoring (holding to 10.8 ppg over the last 6 games), and the offense is punishing defenses, averaging close to 35 minutes on time of possession over the same six contests (many have been in the 37-40 minute range).

Recent Highlights

John Spartan had a brilliant performance against the Real Kayfabe, throwing for 387 yards and three TDs and 0 INT. Not quite his season best like the trouncing of the London Monarchs, but after a season of mostly average performances, this one was sure pretty to watch.

Speaking of offensive players, Dutch Schaefer had the last laugh after Week 14's match with the Real Kayfabe when he put the screws to Dibs Corona Virus with 5 catches for 139 yards and a TD. I'm sure this rivalry is just budding between these two, and this pundit--for one--cannot wait to see how it emerges over the next 10 seasons.

RDE Michael Cherrito surpassed his own personal best of QB hurries (31), and with two games remaining, he could push 40, which would be the highest since Max Dicken and Mason Saunders nearly 9 seasons ago.

Check back after Week 16 for the End of the Regular Season analysis and what to expect for the post season.

End of Regular Season Report

As Week 16 rolled to a close, the Arkansas Thrashers sit atop the AFC with a 14-2 record. For many fans and pundits alike, the 0-2 start made everyone collectively hold their breath. Coach Joseph Reid really found his groove after the first quarter of the season, and the team responded in kind for another excellent showing.

At a quick glance, the team was in the top ten in the following stats: Yards per Attempt (1), Passing TDs per Game (5), Rushing Attempts (3), Rushing Yards per Game (2), Yards per Carry (7), Rushing TDs (2), Sacks per Game (9), and Scrimmage Yards per Game (5).

Offensively, QB John Spartan put up his worst statistical season since his first year as a full-time starter. Perhaps some of that was scheme earlier in the season, but he had multiple interceptions in half the games this season, and only five games with zero interceptions. Spartan has always been reliable in the post-season, averaging a 107.7 QB rating in his tenure, so there's hope that some playoff magic will revive his waning stats.

In addition, the running game has been geared up this season. Some teams thrive off of the three down back. Arkansas' own legacy player, Clarence Sorensen, is often regarded as one of the best backs in Football Moguls history. Now, the team has a true running back by committee approach. Sure, no one player will have the accolades or overall stats as those three down backs, but cumulatively, the RBs this season have rushed for nearly 2,300 yards and 18 TDs, while catching another 1,700 yards and 10 TDs out of the backfield.

The receiving corps totaled approximately 2,400 yards collectively as well and was led by 1st Round Rookie Dutch Schaefer (754 yards; 7 TDs).

Defensively, DE/DT Max Dicken led the team in sacks with 7 total, while RDE Michael Cherrito led the team in QB Hurries with 36 (his personal best). CB Rocky Balboa led the team in Interceptions (4; 25 Knockdowns; 70 Tackles). As a whole, the defense really made some strides this season as well. Early on, the defense was giving up too many points, but since Week 5, the defense has held teams to under 15 points in all but 3 games (and won all of them).

Now, the Thrashers have home-field advantage and the bye week to their advantage, and--make no mistake--the competition is fierce, but the team is expected to make a deep run at this stage. Only time will tell if the Thrashers can collect another world championship, but for the coaches, players, and fans, it's all about this next win.