2038 Post Season Report

The Thrashers pummeled past two division rivals, the Independence Pirates and Brooklyn Tigers, to make it to their 11th Football Moguls Championship, where they were handily defeated by the upstart Detroit Lions.

Not much went right that day, in spite of being on a 32 game win streak and playing for back-to-back championships. Detroit stifled the league's leading offense, forced turnovers, while everything seemingly broke for the Lions. Broken tackles and poor coverage resulted in long passing plays. The Lions QB only needed12 completed passes to put up nearly 300 yards and 3 TDs.

What's next?
The core of the Thrashers is set for the next season with 48/53 players returning. Hahn is still on contract for another year as they team explores the QB landscape through Free Agency and the Draft.

Aside from QB, the biggest area will be continuing to find new pieces along the offensive and defensive line to compliment the current players. In addition, MLB will be a curious piece as well. Ken Webb played MLB all season with reasonable success but was never envisioned as the long-term fit.

All things considered, the organization is comfortable with their situation going into 2039.

2039 Offseason News

Retirements

QB David Bender
CB Jeremiah Randall

Departures

OL Blain O'Painless
TE Chester Gillum
CB Joseph Jacobsen
DT Joseph Fields

Coaching Moves

After six seasons as the receivers coach, Melvin Peterson's contract was not renewed, and Coach Brian Reardon was hired in his place. Reardon spent two seasons in the Falcons' organization prior.

Head Coach, Terry Caskey, signed a shiny 4-year 188,000,000 million dollar contract to extend him through 2042. Other members within the organization received extensions as well.

Early Free Agency

QB Thomas Fagundes (from IRV) joins the team after David Bender retired in 2038. Fagundes is the definition of back up QB material. The team hasn't committed to a continued future with Calvin Hahn (now 33; 20% retirement). If the team were to add a QB through the draft, it would seem likely that Hahn would be the starter though this season while both the rookie and Fagundes would vie for the #2 spot.

DT Herman Reyes (from IRV) - Strong, smart, and disciplined, Reyes injects some relative youth into the defensive line. The average DT on the team was about 30 last season, so at 28 and fresh-legged, Reyes signed a contract to probably play out his career with the Thrashers.

DE/EDGE Paul Cassell (from THT) has notched 35 starts over 4 years, including 15 sacks. Now, he joins the team and moves to MLB where he'll get a chance to use his strong coverage skills. The shift should improve his speed, and will allow fellow LB Ken Webb to spell the all-star Outside Linebackers more often.

TE Frank Kirchoff (from TAZ) signed a nice, long-term contract considering the TE landscape. Kirchoff will step in primarily as a blocking TE in the run game, but--in spite of his poor speed--the big man can catch and could pair nicely in a 2-TE set with John David.

DE Jeremy Tang (from LON) was a surprise find in Free Agency, a pure speed-rush specialist that amassed 11 sacks last season. With Wade Crandall not expected to be re-signed, and both Ronald Surface and Walter Klaus over 31 year old, Tang was a delightful signing and should be core piece of the team beginning in 2040 (and he'll only be 27).

C Herman Phillips (from SEA) was added to pad the depth of the O-line as both Matt Hooper and Archie Armstrong are both 33. Armstrong was already cut by the team last season but re-signed due to injury. The team is definitely looking to get younger on offensive line. Phillips is a serviceable back-up, but not expected to be starter.

2039 Football Moguls Draft

The Arkansas Thrashers had eight picks going into this year's draft, but not much in the front end. However some trades were made mid-draft, which eventually netted 7 total picks.

Draft Needs: QB, OL, TE, WR, LB, CB, SS

(1:31) Damien Thorn, QB North Texas. 6'2" 225lbs.
The organization has not taken a QB in the first round since Timothy Thompson in the allocation draft in 2017. Thorn has a lot of interesting perks baked into his skill set: elite intelligence, solid passing release, great acceleration and excellent scrambling ability. However, the flaw that could make this whole pick irredeemable is his accuracy. Thorn absolutely has to pop during camp if he'll ever expect to de-throne Calvin Hahn, let alone Fagundes for backup.

(2:63) Jed "Leatherface" Sawyer, OL, Arizona. 6'1" 298lbs.
Pundits were left shaking their heads when Sawyer was selected in the second, as if the organization might have made a mistake. Sawyer has a lot of tools: Intelligence, Discipline, and Run Block Potential, but his strength and pass block potential are average at best. Still, the team is set to lose 4 lineman after this season, so Sawyer could potentially fill a deep void.

Round 3: No Pick

Day 3 Trade Alert!

The Arkansas Thrashers have acquired LB Albert Snider and a 4th and 5th round pick in this year's draft from Brawndo Corp. for Arkansas' 1st pick in 2040 and a 5th, 6th, and 7th in this year's draft. Snider will be tapped to play MLB alongside FA acquistion, Paul Cassell, while Ken Webb will move back to LB depth for Jeff Lebowski and Henry Tyler. This move indicates a definite win-now philosophy as QB Calvin Hahn is in the final year of his contract, and the future got a little less certain.

(4:111) Vlad Dracula, TE, Brigham Young. 6'3" 270lbs
The Thrashers had Vlad Dracula pegged as the 3rd best Rookie TE and were able to get him in 4th round (as TE7). The big man had nimble hands, good separation, and loves going after 50/50 *****. He's expected to shed some weight and increase his speed (already rated 82) In addition, the Son of the Dragon already has a solid floor for run blocking packages. His route running seems to be his biggest flaw but hopefully will develop in camp.

(4:127) Daniel "Candyman" Robitaille, FS/CB, Wisconsin. 6'0" 222 lbs.
The Candyman flashed brilliant speed and bump and run cover potential at Wisconsin He was always under-sized as an outside linebacker, so now his transition to the secondary could prove interesting. He fits the team's scheme as a full safety, but that's quickly becoming a crowded area. Best case scenario is that his tackling and all of his coverage skills pop during training camp, and he settles in as a reserve secondary player.

(5:144)Norman "Mother" Bates, WR, Notre Dame. 6'4" 255 lbs.
Now, into the final day of the draft, we see a little experimentation from the Thrashers. Mother is a big target with decent speed and potentially good hands and not much else. He played TE with Notre Dame to mediocre results, which explains his slide to the 5th round. He projects better as a FB but Bates is not necessarily strong or a decent blocker. If the experiment doesn't pay off, Bates will probably hit the waivers before the start of the regular season.

(6: 170) Hannibal Lecter, WR, Troy State. 5'10", 192 lbs.
Lecter is a little undersized for today's Football Mogul prototypical WR and he lacks most of the tools to be targeted in the passing game, but he's got the speed to stretch the field. Mostly the organization noted Lecter's strength and run-blocking ability relative to his body size, and he holds a block very well. This is a useful trait that could carry forward in running packages.

(6:191) John "Jigsaw" Kramer, CB/FS, Western Carolina. 6'1", 232 lbs.
Kramer is another player with big speed and bump and run cover potential, but his other primary gifts are lacking. He does have a penchant to knock the ball loose. He fits the same mold as teammates Sam Wilson and Daniel Robitaille, so the team is zeroing in on a type.

This concludes the 2039 Football Moguls Draft coverage. Stay tuned for Late Free Agency and news from Training Camp.

2039 Late Free Agency

OL Eric Jones was signed ($15.6M over 4 years) to bolster the offensive line. Jones is a passing down specialist, but at age 26, he's positioned to take over a starting role next season as RT Stringer Bell and LT Wilburn Love are set to leave for free agency.

Coaching Changes

Long-time Running Backs Coach Daniel McCord was added to fill the vacancy left by Thomas Lowry, who was hired by division rivals, Independence Pirates, to be their next Head Coach. Lowry spent 7 seasons with the Thrashers and helped lead the team to two Super Bowl appearances and one championship.

Departures

To make room for the entering draft class, the team waived with the following players:

FB Peter Quill
LT Ibrahim Moizoos
DT Robert Carrow
DE Roly Poly O'Brien

Still after training camp, the team will have to make six additional cuts to get down to the 53-man roster.

2039 Training Camp

This Training Camp starts and stops with QB Daniel Thorn and for that reason alone, this will go down as a busted draft. After this season, quarterback duties will be in the hands of (checks notes) Thomas Fagundes. However, if the team can find a way to maneuver around QB, say a running onslaught, there were some really nice finds in this draft class. Let's get into it.

Booms

Norman "Mother" Bates (+6)
Mother's volatility coupled with his potential really paid off. He's not the strongest FB, but he has the highest pass block rating of the entire team, sans offensive line. He's got above average speed, intelligence, and pass catching, so his utility was a wonderful surprise in camp.

Leatherface Sawyer (+4)
Jed Sawyer legally had his name changed to Leatherface after the draft, and he showed off his prowess during Training Camp. Although his strength is still average, his blocking versatility, intelligence, and discipline will lead to him being a full-time starter on the interior line by next season.

Daniel "Candyman" Robitaille (+2)
Someone must have said his name five times because he showed up to camp ready. His innate blazing speed was matched only by his bump and run cover ability. His zone coverage as a deep safety is satisfactory. However, he's a mediocre tackler and run defender. Unfortunately, his man coverage skills never developed. He'll never be a starter, but he can spell Scott Lang and take a few reps on the corner as well.

Just Meh..

Vlad Dracula (+0)
Say this for the crowned prince of darkness, say he's not afraid to get ******. Vlad was seen hauling his 267 lbs frame, like a bat to the cave ceiling, snagging passes over much smaller line backers. However, he sometimes gets frenzied finding his way to the route. This flaw could ultimately hinder him; however, he can still help in run-blocking packages as well, which should make this the deepest TE roster in recent memory.

Busts

Daniel Thorn (-4)
Thorn wasn't the worst bust of this class, but because of his position, he carries no value to the team. His max accuracy is estimated to be 65 and from all the metrics available, that's right between unusable and hand the ball off.

Hannibal Lecter (-1)
Dude's got afterburners on his feet but can't catch a ball Could he be a full-time run-blocking receiver? Possibly, just not on the Thrashers. Lecter will be released to help get the team below the 53-man roster.

John Kramer (-9)
Nope. Just nope. Him's cut.

Thrashers to Sign Waived Rookie QB Thomas Carlisle

With the disappointment of their own first round pick of QB Damien Thorn, the position seemed to be in flux after this season, but now, the picture might be coming into focus marginally. Currently rostered are QB1 Calvin Hahn on the last year of his contract (even taking the most minor of camp setbacks), FA pick up Thomas Fagundes, and Rookie Damien Thorn (a camp bust).

Now, the team has reached a long-time agreement with the rookie QB from Wake Forest, Thomas Carlisle. Carlisle was released from Phoenix del Fuego and was not viewed as a long-term piece for that team. At first glance, many of the tools are comparable between the rookies, but there are some stark differences as well.



Thorn's biggest flaw (as it has always been) is accuracy, and the metrics show that his future will only decrease. In Carlisle's case, he lacks the scrambling and arm strength, but his accuracy future should be on the rise and will only get better with time.

So, now begins the great experiment. Both veterans, Hahn and Fagundes, are sitting Week 1 to open it up to the rookies. If Carlisle continues to improve, he could nudge even Fagundes for QB2 and would eventually assume the starting role next season. Most likely, Fagundes would be cut (not too terrible on dead money), and Thorn would become QB3 for this season. The likelihood of the team keeping both Carlisle and Thorn next season is a non-zero chance at this juncture.

2039 Preseason Report


Preseason Record: 3-1


Offense At-a-Glance

For both football plays and players, the Thrashers were a little experimental in the preseason. For that, they earned 3 wins but didn't score a lot of points and committed a lot of turnovers. The most uncertainty centers around the future of quarterback. After all the dust has settled, here's what we know: Calvin Hahn will be the QB this season and ride off into Free Agency after. That's about it. We also learned that Damien Thorn played better than expectations, Thomas Carlisle played worse, and Thomas Fagundes, well, he didn't play at all. He's currently being fielded on the Trade Block for a 3rd pick. Could the Thrashers roll with a more run-heavy offense with Thorn at the helm, or see if Carlisle develops better as a pocket passer? Your guess is as good as mine, dear reader.

However, the running game seems to be in order. Both 1A and 1B RBs, Henri Boudreaux and Iggy Infernus, had excellent preseasons, averaging over 6.0 yards per carry. The backfield collectively added another 300 yards receiving as well.

Nothing changed with this season's group of WRs. They're getting a little older, so new additions will have to be made by next offseason. However, the dynamics of FB/TE have greatly shifted. Although TE John David and FB Daniel Orozco had relatively quiet preseasons. The addition of TE Frank Kirchoff has already yielded some nice receiving numbers at 10 yards per catch. Rookies, TE Vlad Dracula and FB Norman “Mother” Bates, carved roles for themselves despite being 4th and 5th round picks, respectively.

Defense At-a-Glance

Not to dismiss the offense, but the organization has hung its hat on defense the last two seasons, so what changes have the unit made going into this season? Beginning with the defensive line, the team brought in RE Herman Reyes and converted him to DT. He was able to compile 4 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 QB Hurries, which is the best at the position currently. The Thrashers also brought in Jeremy Tang to inject some youth in the d-line; however, he only got one full game in before injuring his leg. He should return by Week 2 of the regular season. This added pressure up front has also allowed DE Ronald Surface to pile up 11 tackles and 6 sacks already too.

Moving to the linebackers, the team has put together the best LB corps in recent memory. With stalwarts, Henry Tyler and Jeff Lebowski, on the outside, Albert Snider joins the team to fill the middle. It was big ask giving up a 1st round pick for him, but the position has been rented out since the days of John Rambo. Coupled with Snider’s acquisition, Paul Cassell joins the crew in reserve, but has transitioned from an Edge Rusher to MLB with ease. In his preseason, he accrued 15 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 QB Hurry, 1 Forced Fumble, and only allowed a catch 44% of the time.

Finally, the secondary didn’t change much. Alonzo Harris has slowed in his age 31 season but still managed to snag 3 INTs. Daniel Robitaille was drafted to ease into a FS/CB role and has done well enough that Sophomore CB Sam Wilson is not expected to make the roster cuts. Steven Strange had a minor injury but should be ready for Week 1 action.

Expected Departures

QB Thomas Fagundes

RT Stringer Bell

CB Sam Wilson

MLB Egon Spengler

Final Thoughts

The Arkansas Thrashers are set up as good as any other Football Moguls team to head back to the Super Bowl one more time in 2039. Obviously, there are innumerable factors that could come into play, so we won’t count our eggs before they hatch.

Regular Season Prediction: 12-4; playoff berth (possible 1st seed)

2039 First Quarter Report

Current Record: 4-0

So far, it's a bit of a repeat from last season. The team is winning with an absolute dominant defense and is scoring enough points (mostly FGs) to win games.

Offensive Highlights

The offense seems to be stagnant and low volume. Long drives are rarely sustained and P Carol Danvers stays too busy for the team's liking. QB Calvin Hahn is doing his job despite the current football atmosphere. He's currently 6th in passing yards, tied for 5th in TDs, and 2nd in completions.

The running game looks a little paltry at the moment. Injuries have limited both Henri Boudreaux and Donnie Kerabatsos, and expanding the playbook on untested running plays have backfired. Offensive Coordinator Dennis Singletary is already acting to resolve this issue. Nearly 40% of all catches have been made by the backfield as well, so it's good the RB/FBs are contributing but that usually implies these are dump-offs or swing passes and don't generate a lot of yards.

Speaking of receiving, TE John David has jumped to an early lead in catches and receiving yards (22 for 197) while WR Stacker Pentecost has yet again another slow start to the season. Currently, he's not projected to even tally 800 yards this season, which would be his lowest in three years.

The Offensive Line has been charged with 4 sacks so far (6 total), but this unit is still growing and should improve. Rookie Leatherface Sawyer spent the first four games injured and will see regular season action beginning in Week 5. Overall, the line work has been above average, and the team is proud of the gains they've made.

Defensive Highlights

Folks don't pay the big bucks to see a defense shut down people, but that's nearly what Arkansas has been doing. They've only allowed 13 points through 4 games, and two of those opponents got blanked. The defense has been plain nasty to opposing offenses.

The re-tooled defensive line with new edition, DT Herman Reyes, along with a healthy Walter Klaus (hero of the post-season run in 2037) and Ronald Surface (regular season sack leader since 2037) leads all of Football Moguls with 6.0 sacks per game (24 total). The team has also forced 13 QB Hurries and 1 Forced Fumble.

The linebackers have been relatively quiet in spite of the massive amount of money spent in the offseason (and draft capital), but the nothing gets by them. Jeff Lebowski leads the team in tackles (21), and both Henry Tyler and Albert Snider have an Interception a piece. The starting trio has combined for 8 knockdowns, and only one of every three passes thrown their way gets caught. They're a man-coverage nightmare.

The secondary is a bit of a mixed bag. Nat Romanov has snagged 3 Interceptions and managed 11 knockdowns of her own, but Alonzo Harris has nearly aged out of usefulness. Peter Venkman has assumed the CB#2 shut down role to moderate success, and Dr. Steven Strange and Scott Lang are sufficient at holding down the safety positions.

All in all, the defense has been lights out.

Up Next

The Thrashers start their divisional matches in Week 5 to the Kayfabe and will face the Pirates in Week 7. Arkansas hosts the Chicago Bears (currently 3-1) in Week 6, and Week8, they travel to Wisconsin.

Stay tuned.

2039 Mid-Season Report

Current Record: 9-0

Dating back to beginning of the 2037 season (the beginning of 0.4.6 game engine), the Arkansas Thrashers are now 40-1 in the regular season. That's now a franchise record after being in the league 22 seasons.

Offensive Highlights

It's difficult to gauge this low volume offense with highlights, but here's the gist: QB Calvin Hahn ranks 6th in yards, 3rd in TDs, and 8th in QB Rating and is projected to get all-time low numbers in every statistical category. RB Henri Boudreaux has remained healthy so far and could eclipse 1000 rushing yards (but always seems to get the injury bug about this time of year and rarely hits it). The leading receiver is TE John David with 43 catches for 379 yards, and WR Stacker Pentecost is projected to obtain his lowest yardage total since his ascension in 2036. K T'Challa King has nailed 20/21 FGs including 5/5 for FGs over 50 yards. Overall, the offense is a no-brainer top ten (even in this suffocating offensive system)

Mid-Season Offensive MVP: T'challa King

Defensive Highlights

This could be the greatest defensive roster the Thrashers have ever assembled. Full stop. With 38 sacks compiled 9 games in, it's only 2 short of the entire season sack total in 2037. Ronald Surface already has 17 sacks alone and could push for a franchise record of 22 set by Max Dicken in 2022. The linebacking corps has been phenomenal and deep. The starting trio of Lebowski, Tyler, and Snider (henceforth, the Law Firm) are the leading tacklers, only allow a combined 42% of passes thrown their way, and have 4 interceptions and 17 knockdowns. The Secondary is anchored by Nat Romanov who is having a brilliant season as CB1. She has 20 knockdowns and 3 Interceptions by herself. Through 9 games, the defense has only allowed a league-best 32 points (which is a paltry 3.5 ppg).

Mid-Season Defensive MVP: DE Ronald Surface 17 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 12 QB Hurries, 21 Tackles

2039 End of Regular Season Report

Final Record: 14-2; 1st Seed in AFC

Team Observations

"They are who we thought they were..."

The management can't be displeased with the final result, only giving up two road losses to two incredible run teams. Hahn capped off his final season with the Thrashers going for record-low numbers, but on the other hand, he's only accounted for 3 regular season losses in three seasons while nabbing 2 Super Bowl appearances and one championship. Who knows how this post-season will fare? RB Henri Boudreaux stayed healthy enough to eclipse 1000 rushing yards for the second time in his career, although the other backs were just as productive given their roles. WR Stacker Pentecost still led the team but failed to reach 1000 receiving yards for the first time in 4 seasons. He still finished with 65 catches for 844 yards and 12 TDs (leading all Football Moguls receivers in TDs). T'Challa King had a career year finishing with a 91.9% FG completion and was 100% from beyond 50 (8/8 attempts).

Defensively, Ronald Surface hit a snag and missed the last four regular season games with injuries, so once again, he got off to a blazing start and came up short of the record books. Both he and Walter Klaus had excellent seasons, clawing for 18 sacks a piece with double digit QB Hurries as well. Collectively, the team ranked 3rd in sacks per game with 3.6 (58 total). The team was also 2nd in INTs per game with 1.7. Peter Parker led the team with 6, but CB stalwarts Nat Romanov and Alonzo Harris each pulled 5 a piece, stick more feathers in their hats as they are set to hit free agency next season. The Linebackering trio of Lebowski, Tyler, and Snider was excellent as advertised and remained healthy all season with the right rotation.

Playoff Bound

The Thrashers will get the bye which is helpful to get the team rested and well as many on the defensive front have been hampered with injuries. Check back for the final report.