Tweet
Washington- In a division where the teams are separated by very little, The Bombers have made moves to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. First, the pick up of QB Warren Poland from Dakota gives them a talented QB for the future. While Poland’s numbers in Dakota were not impressive, I think the numbers will improve with the amount of talent around him in Washington. RB Randy Richardson carried less of the rushing load last year and matured and improved in 2008. He had more TD’s, less fumbles and a better yard per carry average last year. He will be a force to be reckoned with in this division. The Bombers hope WR Wally Lum to see a Richardson like performance jump in his second year. If that happens I see this team breaking away in this division. 1st Rnd pick, WR Rodney Westbrook is a run stopper who has trouble with zone defenses. Luckily for the Bombers there are few top WR in their division. This could be the year the Bombers bring home their first division championship.
Kalispel – Many of the issues that faced the team last year will; face them this year. QB play is still below average with QB Eddie Strickland appearing to be the front runner. 2nd round pick, Herb Nicolaus looks to be a solid QB in a few years but he won’t be able to provide much help this year. RB Jack Taylor was the 2006 Offensive Rookie of the Year and showed a ton of promise. Stags fans have been disappointed in his performances the last two years. Taylor hasn’t had a yards per carry average over 4 in his career and there are questions about his intensity. The Stags biggest move on the offensive side was picking up SE Shane Wilkerson with their first round pick. Wilkerson is a shrimp (5’8, 197) but was a big play receiver coming out of Hampton. Kalispel is still lead by the best DT in the OSFL Wally Turner, Turner improved his sack total by one and one his second straight All-League award. He teams with young and talented DT Lionel Vance and fellow 2 time all league safety Steve Stone. The Stags defense is scary and if they can get anything from their offense they have a shot at the playoffs.
Anchorage- Back to Back AC North champs but I think that changes this year. There are questions about who is going to be the Gladiators starting QB. QB Kurt Price is coming off of his best season of his career and is the expected started but Anchorage surprised its fans by taking QB Ellis Stringer with a high 2nd round pick. Stringer looks like a stud but I would be shocked if the Gladiators cause dissension in the locker room by benching the well liked Price. RB Lamar Mcafee deserves more press. Three straight 1000 yd seasons but he is never mentioned when people discuss the best backs in the league. The Gladiators continue to wait for WR Randal Dotson to fulfill his potential. He made 4 million last year and was Anchorage’s franchise designee but he has never had more than 700 receiving yards in a season. Dotson signed a reasonable 4 yr, 14.62 million dollar contract this offseason. DE R. J. Peterson fell back to earth last season. Falling back to earth for Peterson means he went from 27.5 sacks to 12.5 sacks. 12.5 sacks is still impressive for the defensive player that is probably double teamed more than every player in the league. With all of these weapons, I still don’t think the Gladiators make the playoffs. The difference between Anchorage and Washington was only one game and I think the moves that Washington made will catapult them past Anchorage.
Portland- Is QB Henry Andrews ready? That is the question the entire city of Portland is asking. The Phantoms front office threw him to the wolves and started Andrews all 16 games. Andrews performed like a rookie, great in some spots, poor in others. It’s clear that the Phantoms are leaving their immediate future in Andrews’s hands as they failed to sign a veteran QB in the offseason. Andrews’s numbers should improve for one reason: WR Sammy Slade is back. Slade missed the entire 2008 season because of an injury. Slade’s ability to stretch the field should help the running game and expect RB Craig Price to have a 1000 yard season in his 2nd year. Defensively, this is a team with a hell of a secondary but no one to apply pressure to the QB. Portland lost its best DE Antoine Collins (10.5 sacks) and did nothing to replace him. This team appears to be in for another long season.
Comment