Offseason Report

Retirements

Leslie Weaver, Offensive Coordinator

Whitney Bowens, TE

Notable Departures

Charles Gough, Head Coach (fired) Record 9-6-1, Missed Playoffs

Alvin Dillon, RB

Winston Wolfe, TE

Warren Chartier, TE

Barry Puente, SS

Dang Thrashers don't play around. 1 missed playoffs and he got the axe.

2033 Free Agency

Coaching Hires

Edward Barboza, Head Coach (from Independence)

Dennis Singletary, Offensive Coordinator (spent 7 years as Thrashers Receivers Coach)

Melvin Peterson, Receivers Coach (6 years as Cincinnati's OC)

Erik Jackson, TE Coach

Chris Carter, LB Coach

The Waiver Wire

Raymond Hopper, CB (from the London Ravens) - Hopper pulled down 4 Interceptions, 22 Knockdowns, and 66 Tackles as the #3 CB with London. The expectation is similar here as well. He's not the speediest defender, but he's got decent coverage skills around. He might spend some time as a nickel safety as well.

Joseph Swain, TE (from Boston) - Swain is an under-developed prospect, but he's only expected to be used in reserve. That being said, he's a keen route runner if only much too slow.

William Faber, LB (from Seattle) - Faber can help in the linebacking corps, especially in the middle. The aging John Rambo has slowed significantly and will mostly likely retire next season. Faber adds a bit of a speed injection into the roster in special teams as well.

We pi$$ excellence around here.

2033 Draft

"The draft needs for Arkansas are not quite innumerable, but the 20th pick from a season in which the team didn't even make the playoffs wasn't exactly helpful. After the departure of most of the team's tight ends and their starting safety, Barry Puente, it would seem those two positions would be where to begin." --Reporter Newsman, 2033 Draft Coverage

(1:20) Stacker Pentecost, NC State, TE, 6'3" 262 lbs.
The Thrashers tagged Pentecost as the best Tight End of this class, even over Heuer whom San Francisco took 7th. Pentecost is a great combination of speed, acceleration, and strength. His potential as an every down pass catcher is imminent and will become an immediate threat. His only knock is in his blocking game but he could still be serviceable.

(2:53) Russell "Stringer" Bell, Furman, OL, 6'2" 280 lbs.
Stringer is a bit undersized but has elite strength and excellent pass blocking potential. After years of decline by RG Marcellus Wallace, who has only been healthy for 16 games once in the past five years, Bell is expected to push for a starting role at guard. However, he's also capable at center as well. Long-time C Charles Lee Ray is not expected to return after this season.

(4:117) John Luther, Washington, CB/S, 5'10" 184 lbs.
John Luther is undersized at the position, causing some pundits to drop him down in the drafts to this spot, but his other measurables and potential override that for the Thrashers. He's got decent speed and great burst but doesn't have the best strength. His potential for tackling and run defense far outweigh his coverage skills but he is already capable in man-to-man coverage, which the Thrashers prefer. He rates best as a CB but this could be project for DC Nicholas Hunt to convert him to Strong Safety.

(5:149) Charles Miner, Stanford, LB, 6'0" 233 lbs
Say one thing for Charles Miner, say he's well educated. A Stanford graduate with a dream to play in the historic Moguls League, Miner provides great speed and strength with an upside as a run defender. However, there are some glaring gaps in his repertoire: he lacks burst and his coverage skills are well below average, making him a potential camp body and little else.

(6:181) William Roque, Gardner-Webb, DL, 5'11" 246 lbs
Roque actually played four years at GW as a MLB but he lacks the speed and coverage skills to compete. However, the coaches think if he can tack on some weight, he might be able to push up the middle as a defensive lineman. He's undersized (a theme of this draft, it seems), but he has the strength and pass-rushing potential to make a dent. The average age of a Thrasher D-Lineman is 29, so Roque could add some youth to the front.

(7:213) Donald "Heimdall" Velez, Texas Tech, C/G, 6'2" 294 lbs.
The Thrashers were surprised the big man that Texas Tech fans called Heimdall as the gatekeeper of their offensive line fell so far in the draft. He has had some off-field issues, but he's got potential, based on strength and short snapping skills. His footwork (or lack of) causes issues with blocking, but the coaches are hoping to take this raw prospect and turn him into a usable piece.

2033 Training Camp

"Ain't nothing left but the cryin..." --Reporter Newsman

Busts
Everyone. The end.

2033 Preseason

The Thrashers finished 3-1 in the preseason and found out a lot about themselves and the changes made over the offseason. Here are some of the highlights:

QB News

QB John Spartan looked sharper this preseason than how he finished last season although he did throw two picks. The offense under Coaches Barboza and Singletary has opened up the playbook and put their faith into Spartan's championship pedigree. The Thrashers added veteran Ricky Steamboat after back-up Michael Patel suffered an injury Week 2 against the Xtreme. The consensus so far is that Steamboat seems likely to push Patel for the spot, and Patel might be waiver-bound.

RB News

Longtime back David Lusher seems to have finally hit the wall and took a giant step back after camp and the preseason. He will remain on the team, but the primary back will now be second-year Muhammad Boudreaux, who racked up 764 yards in his rookie year. The team also added veteran RB/WR Jose Moore on a one-year contract. Rookie FB/TE Stacker Pentecost might get a carry or two here and there as well.

WR News

No major changes to personnel, but David Puryear and Iggy Skittle were cut to trim the roster down.

TE News

After major offseason shakeups, the Thrashers spent their first round draft pick on Stacker Pentecost who should be a long term addition to the team either as a FB or TE. Over the preseason, Pentecost was third in receiving yards. John Creasey continues to track as TE1 while Pentecost develops. The team also added Joseph Swain from Boston for TE depth. He wasn't given much time in Boston and looks to be a fair blocking end on passing down with decent catching skills.

O-Line News
Stalwarts Blaine O'Painless and Roger Murtaugh will continue to anchor the line, while longtime long snapper and back up C Matt Hooper gets the nod as starter this season. 13 year veteran Charles Lee Ray will move to back up for his final remaining year with the team. Rookie RG Stringer Bell will get the start, pushing veteran Marcellus Wallace to the second team. After being released by the Pirates, OL William Hand was acquired and immediately improves the blindside. He experience is limited at LT but possesses a good combination of strength and blocking ability.

Defense
When SS Barry Puente didn't want to re-sign for a team friendly deal in his twilight years, the Thrashers agreed to let him go, and then he signs with the Xtreme and picked off John Spartan in their preseason matchup. In his stead, the team was only able to add DB Raymond Hopper, who has spent his first few years as a CB. Now, he transitions to FS for aging Gerald Johnson. Hopper isn't a speedster but he is sound in coverage skills. Longtime Thrasher, Blade Brooks will get the start at SS this year and will be backed up by Gerald Johnson and Clint Barton. This area will need a lot of love next offseason.

The team struck out on the linebacker lottery of the draft, and Charles Miner has already been released. Nelson Esquivel re-signed for two more years on a big contract while the team can build more of a linebacking corps. William Faber was signed to be MLB2 behind Cap Rodgers. Simon Phoenix is on the last year of his contract and is asking a hefty bonus north of $10 million to re-sign at age 30. These decisions usually don't fare well with players, and so he'll walk to free agency in the spring.

The core defensive line is still intact, but another year older. Third year DT Thor Odinson is the youngest player on the line, and everyone else is over thirty years old. However, the same crew last year accumulated enough sacks to be ranked 5th in the league. Let's see if they can match that number this season.

Mid-Season Report

Current record: 5-3

The Thrashers are doing well, but have still left fans with some heartache this season, especially with Week 8's home loss to the Dildozers. It was an exciting match that came down to the last few moments, but still multiple turnovers put the Dildozers in position to win.

Speaking of turnovers, QB John Spartan is still making plenty of mistakes, but the gameplanning of Coach Barboza has allowed the team to spread the ball and take advantage of the passing game. Muhammad Boudreaux looks good as RB1; he could finish close to a double 1000 yard in rushing and receiving, which would harken back to the days of Clarence Sorensen. Rookie Stacker Pentecost seems to make an impact where ever he's placed.

However, the offense still looks out of sorts some games. The New York Giants (3-5) held the Thrashers to 3 points in a stinker of a game.

Defense is a mixed bag as well. The duo of Alonzo Harris and Nat Romanov continue to impact the secondary in a mostly postiive way, while longtime EDGE rusher, Michael Cherrito was making plenty of impact up front until an injury cost him 4 games. He should be back to full strength soon.

As always, the Thrashers control their destiny and could return to the playoffs this season after missing last year, but only time will tell. Stay tuned to the End of Season Report after Week 16.

I think you brought Cherrito back to soon kurse - he *absolutely* needs to ride the pine and rest up in week 13!

End of Regular Season Report

Season Record: 12-4

The Thrashers collected their 13th Division Title in 15 seasons on the heels of a 7 game win streak to finish up 12-4. The team clenched a much needed bye week to rest players as well. Let's look over the regular season for some notable performances.

Coach Barboza has been in the AFC East since 2025 but has only spent the last season working with the Thrashers rather than against them. When Barboza was suddenly released from Independence last season, the first call that went out was from Thrashers' owner Timothy Thompson, and thankfully, Coach Barboza took that call. Barboza brought a West Coast style offence to the team and kept a Balanced 4-3 to the defense. Both have paid off considerably. It would be hard to argue that Coach Barboza isn't at least in consideration for Football Moguls Coach of the Year.

The team finished in the top ten in passing yards, rushing yards, total offense, interceptions, and sacks. The team was also tied for 30th in fewest penalties per game.

Quarterback John Spartan has now been in the league 10 years, and at age 31 he hopes to have another 3-4 years left in the tank, but this was a comeback season for Spartan. He finished with 4,700 yards passing, 32 Touchdowns, 19 Interceptions, and a QB Rating of 90.54. However, he was sacked a record high 24 times. Spartan finished in the top five in individual stats such as completions, passing yards, and passing TDs.

RB Muhammad Boudreaux was a great triple threat this season, finishing with 2,300 total scrimmage yards (rushing, receiving, and returns) and 11 TDs. He had a healthy 4.4 YPC and accrued 789 yards rushing. Added to that, he was the team's leading receiver 89 catches and 66 yards shy of 1000 yards receiving. He potentially could have finished with more but was held out Game 16 to rest for the post-season.

The WR corps is consistent but not all-stars. Spartan favors to throw the ball around but often hits runners out of the backfield, so weapons like Dutch Schaefer are utilized but aren't the focal points. Rookie Stacker Pentecost lined up in the backfield, on the line, and in the slot and had an interesting first season. His role is expected to continue to grow.

Defensively, Michael Cherrito recovered from a rough injury early on to pile on 13 sacks and 38 QB Hurries. For his efforts, the team re-signed him for another three years. The dynamic pairing of CBs Alonzo Harris and Nat Romanov has paid off again. This time with each pulling in 7 Interception each and knocking down nearly 40 passes.

One mystery still remains with Kicker T'Challa King. His gifts are apparent, but he seems to miss 7-8 FGs each season, no matter how many he kicks. For the last two seasons, kicks beyond 40 yards only net about 70% likelihood of success, but his rookie year he nailed over 75%, including 13 of 15 from beyond 50 yards. Perhaps his rookie year was an outlier. King is too good a kicker to consider replacing but hopefully, his game increases with more experience.

That's it for the end of season report. Stay tuned for after the playoffs for the final report of the 2033 season.