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**Matt** · 11-29-2011, 07:05 AM

Cool links...lots of picks!

We have two Top 10 selections...hopefully we can get some talent at the QB and WR position.

**Aston** · 12-18-2011, 10:47 PM

Bees '22 Draft

1.32 OT Cedric Rodgers
Bryce Forbes is a young starter we have been happy with, but he has not completely locked down his position...and Mike Huffman on the other side needs frequent breathers, in addition to getting older. Rodgers injects some youth, and maybe a future solid starter, to the interior line.

2.03 OLB Dan Harper
Another outside-moving-to-inside candidate, Harper represents the Bees' succession plan for Howard Cote in the middle.

2.20 CB Stephen Easton
A gamble at a position of need probably greater than any other. It's hopeful that he is a hit for scheme as well as overall quality.

3.27 OT Jose Suggs
There's our tackle! Maybe earlier, but we take our shot at landing the next Tyrus Hutton for the right side of the line. Hutton, also a 3rd round pick. Quite a bit of risk here, though.

4.24 K Troy Parrish
Two of the more intriguing options at K went earlier, but the top-ranked Parrish struck us as possibly the best on the bunch. His length strength, especially on kickoffs, was probably a question on many GMs' minds. We have a KOS and a solid K prospect already on the roster, but if Parrish is laser accurate - something we are hoping for - then Great Scott will be hard pressed to match him.

5.24 OG Jared Craig
This was really a draft of the big uglies, made in response to a preceived potential for a future weakness at ths spot. Craig is high upside, high potential for downside. Our third guard selection, he's set to stay here and third-year Mo Fujimoto may be moving further inside, to center. Bernard Gonzalez will be his primary competition.

We could have taken another shot or two at the end on prospects, but this was a pretty solid group we feel we came out of the draft with. It is never ideal when your #1 and #2 picks are both backup plans. Still, four players who should make the roster, and two more who, if they do, would be terrific finds at low-ish risk.

**Aston** · 12-30-2011, 02:15 PM

7.17 MLB Cole Motz
Make that another addition to the rookie draft class! The Bees trade back in late and nab a guy we had as VU and a potential backup strongside 'backer for Super Slaten.

Bees '22 Rookie Free Agents

RB Dexter Banta
Cream of this year's rookie FA crop, potentially. Does not look spectacular at all, and a low ceiling. Low cellar, though.

TE Heath Lane
Insurance. Impressive physical talent, but a lot to prove as far as skills go.

WR Stanley Schultz
He flies down the field and tracks the long ball well. But is he more than a one-trick pony? Can he play ST? Important questions to be answered.

CB Kent Wiggins
Lots of question marks about his work ethic and attitude, but his talent and potential are sky-high. We are bracing for an ugly, ugly free-fall though. I mean his cut test is minus 5.

CB Bo Jones
Safety size, but corner prospect here. Disappointingly, -2 cut test - but his bump cover ability and ST value may land him a spot.

SS Jesse Donovan
Unheralded athlete with upside. Will be tough to break into the rotation at safety, but the upside!

FS Harold Muller
Sadly, our best and most promising two UDFAs are at a position we are full up on already. Expecting a strong camp out of these two.

Other Additions

WR Brock Rosalez
Traded to Chicago a year ago, but wasn't brought back as a restricted free agent. Without Harden this year, there are openings on the WR depth and we're delighted to have this moderate creeper guy back.

DE Lionel Cook
Also traded to Chicago a year ago. Also not brought back despite being a RFA. He put up great numbers there and we have a hole that needs filling at backup RDE.

NT Bennie Siragusa
A potential new starter at the 3-4 nose, and if he gets the experience, a backup at left end (at least). Creeper, great rookie year, struggled through year 3. We're hoping for a rebound for him in Utah. We pumped a lot of faith into Billy Johns at NT for several seasons and he's fast headed towards 'disappointment' level.

Here's to camp!

**Aston** · 12-31-2011, 03:10 AM

2022 Bees' Rookie Camp

Some soared, some crashed. The skinny on the 14 new recruits (7 drafted, 7 not) to the OSFL biz here in Utah:

LG Cedric Rodgers (1.32) - 20/51->25/56 (+5/+5)
Think we've found a long-term starter here.
SILB Dan Harper (2.03) - 18/51->25/55 (+3/+4)
This position is in good hands. Won't have to worry about Cote getting old.
CB Stephen Easton (2.20) - 24/32->28/36 (+4/+4)
Not bad. Has his strengths and weaknesses, though, and you don't want that in a 2nd round pick. Want more 'all-around'. Nice punt returner, though.
RT Jose Suggs (3.27) - 21/48->23/48 (+2/0)
Worth a shot hoping he'd be a superstar. Still a hit at 'solid'. He should creep nonetheless.
K Troy Parrish (4.24) - 39/69->44/72 (+5/+3)
Legit.
RG Jared Craig (5.24) - 13/39->16/39 (+3/0)
Guard was getting to be a position of weakness, and we've turned it around into a very competitive field this draft. Don't care what the TC says, he should creep.
SLB Cole Motz (7.17) - 12/31->17/36 (+5/+5)
Happy to land him in the 7th; now I gotta wonder if outside is the best place for him.

Undrafted Free Agents

RB Dexter Banta - 32/39->35/38 (+3/-1)
uhhhh, ready to start for me, bro?
TE Heath Lane - 20/24->23/28 (+3/+4)
I honestly did not expect Barlow to age so fast and toyed with cutting Lane. I am so glad I didn't. Insurance is important.
WR Stanley Schultz - 9/30->10/28 (+1/-2)
Weird. Had - and still has - a positive cut test. And a 64 BPR. Hmmm.
CB Kent Wiggins - 20/61->21/50 (+1/-11)
Holy free-fall, Batman! And his cut test is *still* -5. Uhhh, anybody want him? Hah.
CB Bo Jones - 26/50->29/44 (+3/-6)
Him, I may keep. Something intriguing about him. M2M is actually coming up; bump strong; end high and ST high.
SS Jesse Donovan - 9/38->13/40 (+4/+2)
*quite* nice.
FS Harold Muller - 12/31->17/33 (+5/+2)
Very promising.

**Guest** · 01-02-2012, 02:23 AM

You had a hell of a draft yourself, man.

**Aston** · 01-02-2012, 02:37 AM

Thanks, Julio!

Utah Outlook, Pre-Preseason

Final cuts: WR J.Purkayastha, WR R.Carlisle, OG B.Gonzalez, DE L.Cook

QB
Boone is coming off two straight all-league 2nd team QBs awards and is hitting his stride. This is year four of his starting tenure, and it will be a defining one. Behind him, the highly touted Britt Meyer, despite having the strongest camp of his career, was shipped away to Morgantown, the strongest signal yet that this is Boone's team and his alone.

Behind him are two work-in-progress young backups, Patrick 'The New Rico' Whalen and Roderick Sikkenga, both formerly undrafted, both unknowns buried deep within offensive coordinator Troy Pinner's QB School. Both saw some solid time in the preseason of last year, and we'll get to unwrap them a bit more in the '22 preseason.

RB
Darrel Boulware had an outstanding camp and is making waves...in Las Vegas. We rue the moment we decided to trade him now, especially after Ken Schacht took a nosedive fresh off securing the starting role here last year.

This is a position that has been completely thrown into chaos for us here, and any number of these names could rise to the top: Herman Woods, Ronald Harrow, Edward DeMeester, and rookie Dexter Banta. Harrow and DeMeester are new to the Bees this year. Rumor has it the Bees are shopping their first in 2023 for a stud RB to lead this group

TE

The TEs are a mixed bag right now. Nate Barlow is nearing the twilight of his career. Mitch Johnson arrived with a lot of promise but has yet to play down for Utah, and his star is already faded. All eyes are on undrafted rookie Heath Lane - battling Johnson for the TE3 spot when it looked as if Johnson had secured TE2 handily - and Mario Bradford, the 2nd-year college fullback who had that 'quantum leap' year 2 camp we love to see in our players.

WR

Loaded last year, we suddenly find ourselves a little wanting at this pivotal position after the departure of James Harden (who took a big dump, ouch, :( I'm sorry to see that) and the sad tale of Marvin Daluiso (who took an even bigger dump, and didn't depart).

The starters are set. Last year, Harden stole the show and now, with Metapod gone Barlow slowing down, the onus will be on Foley to outdo his splendid 2019 performance. Fletcher, it'll be time for him to step up and play to his ratings for once. It's his third year and he has got to start delivering, no excuses.

With those two pieces locked in, Hunter Vandersommen will play a pivotal role as the #3 receiver this year. It's step-up time for Hunter, whom we wanted in the '18 draft and then traded for in '20. He's done nothing yet.

The last interesting piece to this puzzle is third-year man Brock Rosalez. A possession-type who caught our eye in '21, and now we get him back via FA a year after trading him away.

OL
This is a unit that is undergoing some aggressive makeover, after many years of constancy for the Bees. Gone is former 1st-round LT Willie Sidharta, although RG Mike Huffman and RT Tyrus Hutton remain as the bulwark and the old guard.

Replacing Sid will be 11th-year vet Bruce Roberts, who will hopefully protect Boone's blindside as well as anybody in the league. Favorite pet project guard of ours, Mo Fujimoto, is now at center, backing up Stephen Wells. Gone is Jerome Huntley, traded for from Camden last year to backup all along the interior line - a very tough decision for a solid player after just one year of service.

DL

With the Bees again foregoing the services of RDE Lionel Cook and his plenty solid numbers, this offseason has been all about the development of last year's third round pick, Junior Bello. Bello turned in a terrific summer spent in the Solecismic League, and had a fine training camp to boot. No idea if he'll turn into a useful player yet, but that looks within reach and he'll be given another year as the 3rd and last DE on the team to try to do it.

The nose is a very wide-open position right now. Billy Johns is the incumbent and has four years on the team, but he'll face stiff competition from Jerald Berrios. Britt Fisher has turned in some quality backup minutes over the years for us, and newcomer Bennie Siragusa is thought by many to be a frontrunner in this battle.

LB

Slaten, Cote, and Melnick form a fearsome trio of 3-4 backers, and with Horace Vance's departure, 2nd-year man Troy Conant joins the fold this year as the fulltime starting WILB.

Key questions will be how we handle Ian Subramanian's sunset years (up for re-signing), and what we do with young asset Colin Bauer.

CB
After a lot of offseason commotion here (we signed every CB known to man, or close to it), this group has been left pretty much unchanged. 7 corners on the roster in this preseason, with the additions being 2nd-round-pick Stephen Easton and UDFA rookie Bo Jones. Not the prettiest situation. Shaky depth. Another spot that could use a splash trade from our future first.

S
We could have had three solid safeties and stockpiled secondary depth, but passed on that by sending Blaine Johnston away on the cheap to Washington. It just would have been time to look to his replacement sooner or later, and with such wealth of promising rookie free agent talent - we couldn't let anyone go among rookie UDFAs Jesse Donovan, Harold Muller, and Lance Morris - making room was a priority.

Lots of things could happen with this spot now. Driscoll and Foster look like interchangeable starters on either side. Foster's stellar camp means he is looking to capitalize on a fine '21 campaign. But behind those two? Anything could happen.

**Aston** · 01-09-2012, 05:53 PM

As of three minutes ago, rumblings abound that the Bees are parting way with the man who took charge of the running game last season.

Word has it that the coaches are frustrated with the step back he took this offseason, and that the GM is considering revising his nickname to "Piece of".

This is a fluid situation, and it wasn't true five minutes ago. Hopefully, the sim comes and will put me out of my misery here. There's a big draft pick that may have to get the axe, too, not for being a bad player, but for lack of room and the need to carry crappier utility players.

**Aston** · 01-09-2012, 08:22 PM

Originally posted by Nutah View Post

Week 16 - Utah 38, Columbus 13

<table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="padding:5px;border:1px solid #eee"><tr style="font-weight:bold;"><th>UTAH CBs</th><th>RAT</th><th>EXP</th><th>RPLAY</th><th>PPLAY</th><th>NOTES</th></tr>
<tr style="background:#fff"><td>Chuck Horton</td> <td>27/27</td><td>2</td> <td>27</td> <td>31</td><td>-</td></tr><tr style="background:#eee"><td>Robert Chapman</td><td> 45/45</td> <td>10</td> <td>20</td> <td>30</td><td>-</td></tr><tr style="background:#fff"><td>Kevin Cate</td> <td>22/30</td><td>2</td><td>28</td> <td>27 </td> <td>Questionable Groin Injury ('Good' level, moderate risk)</td></tr><tr style="background:#eee"><td>Jason Tapp</td><td> 19/30</td><td>R</td><td>17</td><td>7</td> <td>Quite a Bit of Rust, just signed </td></tr>
<tr style="background:#fff"><td>Joseph Testa</td><td> 36/36</td><td>9</td><td>6</td><td>9</td><td>-</td></tr><tr style="background:#eee"><td>Benjamin Chmelik</td><td>20/32</td><td>R</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>Extreme Rust, just signed</td></tr></table>
And what they did to one of the best QBs in the game today --
<table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="padding:5px;border:1px solid #eee"><tr style="color:#900"><th>Columbus</th><th>COM</th><th>ATT</th><th>%</th><th>Yards</th><th>YPA</th><th>TD</th><th>INT</th><th>Rating</th></tr>
<tr style="background-color: #fee"><td style="width: 200px;">Bobby "The Truth" Tubbs</td><td>13</td><td>36</td><td>36.1%</td><td>130</td><td>3.61</td><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>33.3</td></tr></table>
Shannon Rudzinski - 77/77 - 9 targets - 1 catch - 10 yards

Don't ask me how it happened. If I knew, I would've done something to stop the past three quarterbacks I faced from doing this:
<table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="padding:5px;border:1px solid #eee"><tr style="color:#009"><th>MOR/PC/GAI/PHO</th><th>COM</th><th>ATT</th><th>%</th><th>Yards</th><th>YPA</th><th>TD</th><th>INT</th><th>Utah W/L</th></tr>
<tr style="background-color: #cdf"><td style="width: 200px;">Various Artists</td><td>133</td><td>174</td><td>77.0%</td><td>1552</td><td>8.92</td><td>7</td><td>2</td><td>1-3</td></tr></table>

Randy Boone caps a most spectacular second season of starting. It is a pity to see him go down in the second to last game of the season, but nonetheless, his 14-and-a-half game run was extraordinary.
<table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="padding:5px;border:1px solid #eee"><tr style="color:#150"><th>Utah</th><th>COM</th><th>ATT</th><th>%</th><th>Yards</th><th>YPA</th><th>TD</th><th>INT</th><th>20+</th><th>SCK</th><th>Long</th><th>300+</th><th>Rating</th></tr>
<tr style="background-color: #efe"><td style="width: 200px;">Randy Boone</td><td>281</td><td>465</td><td>60.4%</td><td>3581</td><td>7.70</td><td>32</td><td>4</td><td>63</td><td>23</td><td>80</td><td>1</td><td>103.9</td></tr></table>

Well, got to enjoy something while I can, right? With Boone out for 4 weeks, our hopes this season are mostly crushed.

This was by far, the finest game that my Bees have ever played. We took mighty Columbus to the 'shed, and we did it with our backup QB forced into service for more than the final 28 minutes of the game. Not totally sure how everything went our way today, but

Move over, 2020 crazy upset of Columbus. There's a new "best Bees game ever played" on my watch in town!

Week 1 - Utah 44, Denver 12

Denver and Utah are 2nd and 3rd in the league in terms of roster rating, at 97 and 93, respectively. So this 32-point trouncing came as a total shock. The Bees steamroll their division-rival Grizzlies to the tune of 544-135 net yards. Denver averaged 2.5 yards a play. Utah, 8.24.

82/82 RB Cornelius Jeffords was shut down (8 carries, 12 yards), and 92 sense rush quarterback Mel Beisel finished 6-for-17, 45 yards, one INT. 64/64 WR Bart Ross was targeted 8 times, and caught 5 of those, for 20 yards. A secondary consisting of 75/75 CB Kurt McCloud, 63/63 CB Bobby Wrighster, and 95/95 SS Kendall Crane was flat abused to the tune of 23/28, 386 yards, 2TD-1INT by Randy Boone. And Alvin Foley had the best game of his career, with 208 yards on 6 catches.

A box score to be preserved! http://108.59.255.76/~benelou/osfl/b...away=8&home=23

We are going to enjoy this one, because this is not how good we are, week-in, week-out. There will be down notes, so we'll enjoy the unusual high start while we can.

Roster Moves

We are extremely, extremely pleased to be able to secure 2nd-year man Matthew O'Donnell to be our backup WLB. Heck, he looks like he could start! The only concern is his endurance, I guess. He was in on two plays this week after getting signed, and is already 'tired.' But this guy looks like a pass-rushing monster.

And just because he was quoted earlier in this post, from when he was first signed...it's farewell time for Jason Tapp. Tough break. He looks like a quality player. Unfortunately, we needed ST value, so for now, it's the end of his run in Utah. His sign buddy, Benjamin Chmelik, stays on as that ST guy and The Man With No Vowels In His Name.

**Aston** · 01-13-2012, 07:27 PM

This year must be some deja vu for starting quarterback Randy Boone. The 5th-year-man took over the starting position in 2019. Compare the opening eleven weeks of that season (top line) to this one, three years later (bottom line)...

Code:

DEN/STP/LAC/WAC/MEM/PHO/-bye-/DEN/PC/NOS/LA
DEN/PH /LAC/WAC/MEM/PHO/-bye-/DEN/PC/NOS/LA

The only difference is that St. Paul has been exchanged for Pearl Harbor.
--

Tidbits

* Colin Fletcher has popped up two points in potential since training camp, reaching 70/70 this week. That just looks so much better than 69/69. Here's a guy who really overcame the -4 camp that he had.

* Carlos Melnick sack watch: Ian Subramanian (still on the roster) holds the single-season sack record for Utah at 14.5. Melnick, starting his first full season as Sub's official replacement, is at 5 sacks in three games. It's a little early to start saying "he's on pace for...", but if I did, that number would be over 26.5 right now

* Utah now has two 30+ point victories in three weeks. The last time we had one was a 31-point win over Phoenix in 2015. There's a buzzsaw waiting for us at the end of the season, but this is as strong a Utah side as I've ever been lucky enough to have. Or so it seems right now.

* If nothing else, our later second round pick this season CB Stephen Easton seems to be one hell of a punt returner.

**Guest** · 01-13-2012, 07:42 PM

Originally posted by Nutah View Post

* Colin Fletcher has popped up two points in potential since training camp, reaching 70/70 this week. That just looks so much better than 69/69. Here's a guy who really overcame the -4 camp that he had.

Do you realize he's got a better rating than Knight does? I prefer the receiver I got, but you can stop your bellyaching about that pick now. :P

Also, thanks for Britt Meyer. Ranked second in the league right now.

**Aston** · 01-13-2012, 07:51 PM

Yeah, I realize that now. It definitely wasn't looking like that for a while, though! He kept dropping and dropping. But he's one of those weird players that, over the course of the year, keeps gaining and gaining.

I am fine with the guys I got, but I always thought it was kinda funny that I made two similar trades in the first round, both for the 1.14 pick, and both times my original pick wound up with another very good player at the same position

I'd probably do those trades again, or at least the Fletcher one.

<div style="background:#ffff56; padding:4px 6px; font-weight:bold; width: 75%">TRADE!</div>

We tried hard to find ourselves a RB after Ken Schacht's unfortunate ratings death (and oops - Darrel Boulware's surprise resurrection in Las Vegas). Made signings and cuts and signings and attempted signings and attempted trades.

At last, we were approached about a guy who wasn't even on our radar when we were canvassing the league for RBs. 6th year Earnest Giang is in the latter stage of his career, but we hope to make it an extremely productive one, and raise his rushing #'s from 'good' to 'Burt Newman.' It was tempting to try to work out a solid running game with what I have (and Grueneich looked pretty neat, and young). But Giang's potential was far too sexy to pass up.

And he's a darn good ST gunner

**Aston** · 01-16-2012, 07:08 PM

Colin Fletcher's new contract now looks premature. He's not getting enough targets anymore, and he was doing pretty well with them, too.

The guy stealing the targets, new RB Earnest Giang, has been doing a LT-like job catching passes out of the backfield. But it hurts to see Fletcher get 2 catches for 10 yards, with 4 targets, since Giang arrived.

I hope I can work both of them into the offense.

**Guest** · 01-17-2012, 12:55 PM

Originally posted by Nutah View Post

Colin Fletcher's new contract now looks premature. He's not getting enough targets anymore, and he was doing pretty well with them, too.

The guy stealing the targets, new RB Earnest Giang, has been doing a LT-like job catching passes out of the backfield. But it hurts to see Fletcher get 2 catches for 10 yards, with 4 targets, since Giang arrived.

I hope I can work both of them into the offense.

Oh boo frickin hoo. :P

**Aston** · 01-18-2012, 08:48 AM

^ :D

Preparations underway for huge interdivision rivalry match

Every single rivalry within the AC West is intense. We play a brawling, tooth-and-nail brand of football in this division, and there's plenty of knocking out of/sneaking into playoff type history here that none of us are likely to forget.

Least of all the players. Quoth the Quinn Island this morning, "Come and get it, Alfred Lord Morrison. The Boy Wonder is waiting."

Elsewhere, TE Nate Barlow said nothing - but was heard licking his chops more loudly than any decent man should. His 2021 series against Phoenix was mediocre, and he ought to be eager to try to defy his age and reproduce something closer to his 2020 numbers.

Phoenix brings a stout front four and a very talented secondary. With Skeen running the show, anything can happen.

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