1975: The Second Season

There are some changes, and a lot to be excited about, as the USFL/WFL enters its second season.

We go into the 1975 season with 32 owners. While that may not seem like something to celebrate on the surface, look around MFN. Some public leagues are barely half full. Some user-created leagues already have a dozen or more openings. One user-created league doesn't even know what has happened to its commissioner. So, I think that having a full league is a great thing. We want to take steps to promote retention, because retention leads to stability and also leads to rivalries built up over time that provoke user interest even further.

I am glad to have the mentoring committee in place, and am going to encourage even more interaction between them and less experienced coaches. I have already heard of a couple instances where this has proven very helpful to the new coach.

Loftusranger

 

Probably the biggest changes will be in the blog. The creation of the Players of the Week function in the current version mean that is a service we don't really need to duplicate. It is a lot of work for everyone involved, including your commissioner. Yes, that was me typing a blog post in my bed at 1:30 a.m. after having gotten home from my second job. Based on Roger Goodell's reported contract extension, I should really be better compensated.


 I had some ideas for what the blog might look like going forward, and Loftusranger sent me a few additional ideas that I really liked, so thanks to him. Some of these ideas are meant to encourage participation from as many coaches as possible, another goal we strive to reach around here. Here are some concepts:

• Game highlights, similar to last season
• Coach predictions
• Coach profiles
• Rookie report
• Statistical trends

If you are willing to participate in compiling any of these, please PM me. I will be sending out PMs to ask as well.

Welcome

Let's welcome the new coaches.

• Memphis Showboats, MGRIFFIN1
• Florida Blazers, Shiftywxm
• Orlando Renegades, taylorman88ca

 

Riches to Rags

Georgia Force cheerleaders celebrate tribewriter being named head coach

Yes, the commish no longer coaches the Florida Blazers. I have my ring, and now it's time to let other people fight it out for the next one while I attempt to lead the Georgia Force to greater glory. Since Georgia was 5-11 last season, I have great confidence in this team's ability to go 6-10 under my leadership.

The Draft

Linebacker Fernando Stone of Iowa was taken by the Charlotte Hornets with the first pick of the 1975 draft. Stone has 85 speed, 85 acceleration, 100 strength, 100 intelligence and 100 potentials for tackle ability, pass rush, run defense, and man-to-man coverage. We think the fans in Charlotte will love this guy.




 The topic of a really poor draft class was discussed on the league forums at length. I wasn't surprised at being ready to just go nuts and chase high-volatility players early in the third round. What really surprised me was how many coaches had already beaten me to it. Let's look at how high some high-vol players went:

1-5, Juan Bonnett, SS, Houston, 94
1-6, Matthew McGinley, RDE, Washington, 78
1-7, Patrick Hiebert, RB, Oklahoma, 66
1-10, Kenneth Kurtz, LG, Orlando, 84
1-12, Laverne Ashlock, DT, Philadelphia, 82
1-16, Jacob Dunson, SLB, Honolulu, 72
1-17, Anthony Kent, RDE, Shreveport, 94
1-21, Les Lynch, DT, Baltimore, 84
1-24, Marshall Yingling, LG, Detroit, 98
1-29, Norman Paulk, DE, Portland, 94

So, by my count, that is 10 players with VOL of 65 or more that went in the first round.

This brings us to the risk/reward proposition. Is it better to go for a guy who may actually achieve his potential and become an All-Pro? Or, is it better to avoid having wasted a first-round pick on a guy who went bust and now sits on the end of your bench? It's a conversation worth having.