The Utah Bees Report

[Guest]

I was surprised to see Fuchs out there. I'm flush at C otherwise I would've jumped all over him.

[Aston]

That is the sad misfortune Fuchs found himself in. Can't fault St. Paul for cutting him, they're 3-deep at center even without him and those guys are all risers or better, too. Then he winds up on Utah, but can't crack the two-deep because the backup is an exceptional affinity mentor who is well-rated, and the starter is a developing beast.

I see he's landed on Kalispel now...

If St. Paul had cut him in FA1, I suspect there would've been a fair bidding war over his services, instead of a minsal signing.

--

Utah 27, Los Alamos 24

The most exciting season opener I can remember. Randy Boone SUCKED, I mean he really sucked. Started out 3/12, 4/14, and that covered about the entire first half. Los Alamos moved the ball at will, on the ground and through the air. The Bees never moved the ball at all, except sporadically in the second half. The Bees tended to get their scores by randomly long and successful pass plays that came out of nowhere - 76 yards to Alvin Foley, 44 to Nate Barlow. The Bees improbably erased a 4th-quarter 10-point deficit, and the defense just barely managed to hold LA on a 4th-and-20 to seal the deal with under a minute to go.

Boone finishes with a 103.5 rating, on the back of his 4 touchdown throws, but it's not at all what it looked like early in the game. He was also a pitiful 16/34. I drafted this guy to avoid sacks and not throw picks, and he's not doing so well in either category.

If there was any question about how well Utah would survive with its revamped DL, having traded away Don Ilardi and Tito Terrell both in one fell swoop, the Bees now have their answer: it's going to be a tough, wild ride.

--

Player of the Week: LG Moe Palmer

The veteran Palmer rewards the confidence placed in him by the coaches with a solid 3-of-4 KRB performance in his start at left guard, having been selected over rookie Bryce Forbes. oops I lied, Forbes started. Well, Palmer was supposed to.

A look ahead: Charlotte (-8)

Charlotte are big favorites against Utah. This is an intriguing matchup, as it pits draft class QB buddies Randy Boone and Mel Beisel against each other for what the first time. They are still CPU, I think, but man are they loaded. Don't see a way well out of this one.

[Guest]

J.J. McDonald is done for the season with an ACL injury.

I think this is karmic vengeance for the 91/91 DE I traded Ben in FOFL that suffered a 42 week injury in his first game with Ben.

[Aston]

Wow, how much did he fetch? At least you didn't give up any draft picks for McDonald. Although you could have gotten one from me at one point :P

I hope Utah grows up fast. We'll be better at the end of the year than at the beginning. Only problem is now is still the beginning.

[Guest]

Wow, how much did he fetch? At least you didn't give up any draft picks for McDonald. Although you could have gotten one from me at one point :P

I hope Utah grows up fast. We'll be better at the end of the year than at the beginning. Only problem is now is still the beginning.

Pathetically little interest in him, actually. He had a massive cap cost. (20 mil per year and quite a bit of bonus to boot for 3 years.) I took over an AI team so I had to do a little housecleaning.

I traded him for a late 1st rounder and a future 2nd.

Fortunately I have great depth at DT so I can live without McDonald, but he was my starter.

[Aston]

Utah 35, Charlotte 16. Well, this Utah team mean Bees-nees after all.

We took Charlotte's awesome-looking roster and gave them a walloping. I guess this is what playing the AI is like. It was never even that close. Both QBs showed a little of what they could do through the air and on the ground. Beisel was making a couple of nice scrambles (6,12,17 yards, same drive) against deep coverage to march his team back...but after they scored that drive, Glen Plummer returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a score. Yeah, earn that 2nd round price tag, Plummer!

That was followed immediately by a 9-yard fumble return by transplant safety Blaine Johnston, and the game was officially out of hand. Utah strolls out with the win, despite being outgained 366-296.

Jake, if you're out there, you gotta take this team back. They could do so much if they just had an owner again.

Kicker concern?

Vinny Philcox is supposed to be an accurate kicker. He's missed two sub-50 yard attempts, his only two attempts of the year, already. Even had another PAT blocked. After a promising rookie campaign...the Bees have to start not feeling so great about their kicking situation.

Why so Schactty?

What is wrong with me that I can't get even passable production out of a RB with 96 breakaway speed, 54 elusiveness, and 77 speed to the outside? 14 carries for 35 yards on the year, are you freakin' kidding me?

More whining about my schedule...

whine whine whine whine ANC MTC PXT DEN LAC whine.

[Aston]

Utah 28, Anchorage 21

After three weeks, Randy Boone leads the league in QB rating with 111.8. A step up from last year? Oh yeah, a big jump, holistically. He only put up a 72.4 rating on the year last year, and never beat 111.8 in a single game. But I promise you that no other half decent QB has had as many piss-poor quarters as Boone has had. He's hot and he's cold like Katy Perry. The extremes are bordering on ridiculous.

I really am ready to rage trade Boulware. We've faced stout rush Ds, I suppose. But Leo Felts can't do worse than this.

Tito Terrell's replacement, Lionel Cook, has put up impressive numbers on the year. He's still a step down, though.

Kirk Marsh, the late fourth round draft pick, was all the rage throughout training camp, but has struggled handling a starting role so far this year. The Bees could be looking to push him into the slot here, but the pass defense as a whole has not done that badly...Chuck Horton, drafted originally the be the nickle guy, had an outstanding game against Anchorage in limited time, with two pass breakups and thereby earning defensive player of the game honors.

Matt Russ was a coffin corner warrior today. Pinned the Gladiators at the 5, 12, 18, 14, and 17 - 5 of his 8 punts within the 20.

Score another 4th Q heroic for Randy Boone, his second of the year. Utah scores the final 21 points of the game, starting with 6:58 left in the 3rd. Darrell Boulware's 5-yard touchdown run is the clincher with 38 seconds remaining.

[Aston]

Not much news in the early bye week for the Bees. 3rd-year tailback Ken "Just Took A" Schacht was getting a bit disgruntled, and the Bees jumped on the opportunity to get him a 3-year, $3.69m extension before it was too late.

I don't know what the guy is upset about. #2 RB on the team and he still sucks. In fact, I think I shall demote him now...really give him a reason to be mad.

[Guest]

you should just trade him to me i got a extra 7th round pick for ya ;)

[Aston]

I'm not that angry with Schacht to trade him yet. I have a fondness of him as one of my draft picks. If I really can't get anything out of him though, I'm sure his big red bars are going to attract some interest in future years...

[Aston]

After a loss to the Phils, the Bees manage to pick it back up with a resounding pounding of once-rising Denver. That Denver team is really a sad situation...it takes away from the victory somewhat that the team is AI operated, but it is very reassuring to see the Bees air it out with such success against that (albeit young) secondary.

5-1 as we head into Week 8. Strick is fast on our heels at 5-2. Not at all what I thought this season would be as we close in on the halfway point. Randy Boone isn't exactly my ideal model for a QB, and gunnin' it out isn't my ideal model for an offense, but that's how it has turned out, and it's hard to complain too much.

But you talk about smoke and mirrors - that's what this 5-1 is. Utah has fared well in the W/L column, meaning it is scoring more points than the opposition. But these are the only statistical categories in which Utah is not doing poorly. Luckily, it's the only one that matters. Unluckily, it is likely just a facade.

A big issue so far, Utah's much ballyhooed top draft picks from this draft - WR Colin Fletcher and NT Lance Orbik, who cost a combined 3 picks in the first two rounds, have sucked monkey bollocks thus far. Monkey. Bollocks. Oh well - someday.

[Guest]

WR Colin Fletcher and NT Lance Orbik, who cost a combined 3 picks in the first two rounds, have sucked monkey bollocks thus far. Monkey. Bollocks. Oh well - someday.

[Guest]

those are some monkey bollocks LMAO

[Aston]

Haha! Awesome picture. Here's another thing. Utah has not intercepted a single pass through the first six games of the season. Booo. Booo. Boooo.

I was a little bit away over the weekend and haven't yet gone through the Punx game...not that I really want to. The only thing that has me excited is Boone going crazy for that 45-yard touchdown run. Everything else was pure ugly. jzicc has the players to run his system very well. Guess we're a ways from that yet. And he wasn't kidding about going to prevent at the end of that game. A humiliating, and humbling defeat.

I have a feeling we'll see another one today. Like Strick, I just don't see our D having the horses to keep up with this offense. On D, the extreme are very stout up front and solid throughout the rest of it.

[Guest]

A big issue so far, Utah's much ballyhooed top draft picks from this draft - WR Colin Fletcher and NT Lance Orbik, who cost a combined 3 picks in the first two rounds, have sucked monkey bollocks thus far. Monkey. Bollocks. Oh well - someday.

I don't see how this is an issue as you're not starting Orbik. Foley's RR clearly makes Fletcher the second target, so he's Fletcher isn't blowing the world up. That's fine. You could be like me where Knight is getting targeted so much his catch % is crap.