Here's the scoop for Week 13-14:
- For the second straight week, Ladell Suggs came out like a madman. But, for the THIRD week in a row, James Scott had to come in for Suggs, who got hurt in some way. This time, a twisted ankle kept Suggs out, and will probably keep him out for the next 2-3 weeks. That normally would be crippling to the Express, who rely on Suggs so much in the offense; however, the play of James Scott has been electric, allowing the Express to play on without missing a beat. The education of Scott, who is an eight-year vet but actually is in his first year as a quarterback (he was an option QB in college, and moved to cornerback for the first seven seasons of professional football, in the Midwestern Football League He has kept the Express in the hunt, at 7-5.
- In other Express news, it appears the new management is not happy with the way Suggs continually hurts himself with his athletic-yet-reckless play. It's rumored that he will be put on the trading block after the season, along with possibly WR Bo Jackson. Suggs would fetch a lot out on the markets, with several teams who want a franchise quarterback. Teams who could be in the hunt for Suggs include Nashville, New York, St. Louis, Oakland, Denver, and assuming their quarterbacks retire, Boston, Chicago, and Houston. The leader for that would probably be Chicago or St. Louis, given they could give up the most picks. Teams who could look to get Jackson include Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, and Seattle, where Deron White probably won't be brought back next year, due to age. Jackson is a burner, and a tough cookie; he has played through a broken finger, and a severely sprained wrist which made it almost impossible to catch. He'd be a welcomed addition to any team, as he is a leader in the locker room, and on the field.
- You have to feel for Arizona. They were the sixth seed in the HFC playoff hunt two weeks ago, and now will have to fight an uphill battle without Lamar Burton AND Jim Martin, their star QB and RB. Burton, who owns a 98.3 RAT, is out for the year with a dislocated elbow, and Martin, with almost 900 yards rushing, is questionable with an ankle injury. It's unlikely that Martin will be back in time for their final game, meaning they'd have to go with backup Jerome Moore, who has rushed for 355 yards in part-time work. First backup Charles Machurek is on injured reserve with a broken foot, causing the team to sign more backups, those being Chad Brown and Darris Quinn. Neither has registered a down with a club this year, making their rushing game that much more suspect. It's tough for Rattler fans, but with the injuries to Burton and Martin, there go their playoff chances, in my opinion.
- You wouldn't have realized it, but with Kansas City's win, New York was catapulted into the #1 spot in next year's draft, at least for the time being. As we've looked at who the Pioneers and Gamblers may take, we'll do the same with the Empire. Looking at their roster, Woody Garcia appears to be a solid quarterback for the future, and Mike McAfee has filled in nicely when Garcia was hurt. Their big problem appears to be at RB, and the defensive line. There is no player capable of really getting at the QB along that line, and no player capable of being a gamebreaker in the backfield. Don Jackson is looked at as a very capable backup, but he should not be leading the team in yards rushing. Therefore, that makes USC DE James Goodman, the #2 overall prospect, as the likely #1 pick in the draft, given that the team does finish with the #1 pick. He has 10 sacks and 11 run stuffs to go along with 45 tackles. Another candidate is Colorado's Keith Harris, the #7 prospect overall, as he has 10 sacks and 17 stuffs. Darkhorse candidates include OT Glynn Wallace (#3) from Northwestern, and DT Dennis Pivec (#18). The Empire could also trade down for depth, and get top players such as FS Willie Morgan (NC State), CB Jarrod Larson (Oregon), or OT Kris Peppers (Indiana). They need more than just one top prospect can bring, so it has to be thrown out there that they may trade down.
If we had to pick the top 10 picks of the draft, right now, here is what they'd be:
1. New York - James Goodman, DE, USC
2. St. Louis - Ronde Hayes, QB, Stanford
3. Kansas City - Robert Downs, WR, Oregon State
4. Baltimore - Rosey Smith, CB, Colorado State
5. Louisville - Glynn Wallace, OT, Northwestern
6. Nashville - Pat Banks, QB, Clemson
7. Denver - Karl Herrmann, OG, Tennessee
8. Minnesota - Keith Harris, DE, Colorado
9. Iowa - Willie Morgan, FS, NC State
10. Carolina - Leon McClure, C, Penn State
- A major reclamation project has been done in Oakland this year, where the Immortals were left for dead at 2-4, but have rebounded and are now 6-6, and fighting for a playoff spot. But bigger news has been made that they've basically told Todd Irons he won't be brought back after the season. It's not quite certain who would replace him, but the Immortals will definitely either make a play for Ladell Suggs, or maybe go after The Greek, QB Roman Novoselsky, in the draft. It appears Bob Stamps is not the answer as the replacement, however. What does the future hold for Irons? He'll be in his 10th year next season, and only had one season that was really good, that being 1984, when he led the Washington Nationals to the EFL Title.after all-time great Dick Stanson went down in Week 2 to a broken leg. Irons has never really appeared comfortable in Oakland, and may ask to be traded anyway. He would be a great backup to a team like San Diego, and a Suggs-for-Irons/pick deal could be in the works for the offseason.
- Finally, we failed to recognize Eric Byrnes in our Defensive Player of the Year rankings, and truth be told, when we produce a new list, he will be #1. All he's done is pick up 14 takeaways by himself, is third in tackles, and has 20 run stuffs. He is the top defender in the AFL this season, and will be recognized as such next week.
