By Adam Knoll | February 09, 2012 at 03:06 PM EST | No Comments
Let's not forget that we have workout reports due each Sunday. Of course, participation is non-mandatory, yet alot of the guys who have reported in the past failed to this past week, lets keep it up. Comparing our roster of 35 (and nine non-active players), 29 members have sent in at least one report. that's fantastic, but in orer for it to be successful, we need everyone to send them in weekly. As of right now, it looks like a good portion of the team is working out quite hard.
Practice this Monday is on hold until I can find a new location. The Boys and Girls club of Kenosha (who have been fantastic), are booked up almost every day in February, and while we know we can get dates in a few weeks, we have nowhere to go on the 13th. If I cannot find a place by this weekend (Sat at the latest) I will have to cancel. If you know of a place around the Kenosha/Wilmot area that we can get into for relatively cheap, please let me know.
The first impression from the newly minted 2012 season schedule is that while this may not be our easiest schedule, it certainly is the most fair the Phoenix have received. Gone is the playing teams twice a year, gone is playing the top teams in the league four times in the first five weeks, gone is playing 9 of our 10 games against playoff teams. Will we be tested? Oh yes, and then some, however, it is spread out, and finally the Phoenix as a team will get a chance to answer it’s critics.
Firstly, this schedule gives us a chance to play three teams we have never met in the regular season, the Rage, Rampage and Scorpions. Also, we will get a chance to see a brand new team to the league this year, the Arsenal, which is comprised of a few old Rampage guys. This will not be their first rodeo.
More importantly however, is how the schedule breaks down. Right off the bat, we will face off against the four time defending champions, the Lake Shore Lynx, a team we lost to three separate times last year, none of which were close. This will be a major test for us early in the year, as both teams will be healthy and ready to go. After that, we will play the Scorpions on Frank Bucci in Wilmot, the first of our two games against the American Conference.
To me, our hardest stretch of the year starts in week 3 when we host the Chaos at home, a team we lost to twice last season. After that, we travel all the way up to South Milwaukee to play the always dangerous Rage on their turf. We head back home in week 5 to play the Sabers, a team that always tests us and this season will not be any different. Directly following that, we play the Cougars, in Kenosha during week 6. This stretch of games will matter greatly for how we set up the final phase of the year.
In Week 7, we will play the Arsenal, a team in which almost nothing is known about. They will be veteran, they will be savvy, and we will need to be ready. Directly after that, we will face the Cowboys at home, in a game that both teams are eagerly looking forward to. This will be another ‘test’ game for us, as we are likely going to need to be on par with them by this point to hope for a shot at the Championship in 2012. In week 9, we will face our archrival in the Racine Gladiators, in Racine, with probably a lot of playoff seeding going on. It’s probably a good thing this game is not the last game of the year. To finish out the regular season, we will see the Rampage come on down to Wilmot for what will surely matter to both teams to finalize who has to play in the play-in games, and who does not.
After that depends on what we do during this stretch of games. If we want week 11 off to rest and enjoy life, we need to be either #6 or better. If not, we will be playing an 11th game just to get into the GFL’s main bracket, and if we win we will be facing either the #1 or #2 team in the league. If we stink badly enough, we will come in last place and not even get invited to the party.
So that’s the rundown, about 125 days from now, we will be standing across the field from the Champs. Will we be ready? Can we take the next step in this league?
By Adam Knoll | January 12, 2012 at 06:51 PM EST | No Comments
I will probably need to say this a few times during this piece, so I will start with it: If you currently work out in a gym doing an actual regimen and getting stronger and faster for the season: Good. Keep doing that. I, nor anyone else, wants you to change what you are doing.
Okay, for the rest of you, who are not a part of a gym, or do not have access to weights around the house, we are here for you. Sometimes, we just don’t have the money, other times family or work gets in the way…we know how it goes. That’s why in the first week of January some of the workaholics on the team were assembled to create a program that players can do in their own home. It does not incorporate a lot of weights, simply because weights are not a common find around the house. However, it is a fairly exhausting cardio workout that will capture the intended effect: it will keep those who do not have a strength program active and off the couch.
Is it the best case scenario? Of course not, in a perfect world everyone would be in the gym, it is far better than anything else you can do. But what is the greater evil, having a good portion of the roster that can’t work out, so they don’t? Or having a part of the roster that can’t work out at least breaking a sweat? I find the latter the more admirable option.
So here is what we are going to do: Those who have gym memberships and kick ass during the week, keep going. Each Sunday, tell me how many times you have worked out for that week (Monday thru Sunday) and you will receive yards (points) based on that. For those who cannot get to the gym, we have a novice and advanced cardio workout set up and ready to go for you. The novice is of course worth less than the advanced, yet some yards are better than none. The point is, I want to see the whole roster with yards, and those who don’t achieve any will be noticed.
Of course, this is not mandatory; I cannot tell you to work out. However, if you find 80% of the roster busting ass…perhaps you will find time to do so as well. If you are one of the players which has no way to a gym, message me in any available way and I will get you the info you need. Some of you will find the urge to get a gym membership, that’s great, let me know when you do. The more people we have there the better.
By Adam Knoll | January 10, 2012 at 01:39 PM EST | No Comments
Ah, the new season, made to feel special by the reports on the new players which came trickling in the past week. This has become a tradition on the Phoenix, a simple letter grade given to each ‘rookie’, passed along with a comment by each of our five board members. The comments remain anonymous, and the reports are more to let each new player know how they are seen by those making depth chart decisions. The reports will reveal both positives and negatives, and in the past they were greatly appreciated by the new guys looking to find a niche on the team.
Each player will have their primary position put next to them (which can change), along with their averaged out score (out of a 4.0). I also included the highest grade received, along with the lowest. Again, these reports were not made just from one viewpoint, they are a group effort. This is the first report of the 2012 season, expect two more before the season starts and then another one when everything is said and done in the fall.
Josh Maney, WR - (3.0, B+, C+)
Positives: I like his size, Good athlete, good hands
Grasps concepts quickly, fast learner
Good effort after catch
Good blocker
Negatives:Needs some route work
Maney came to the team just about a month ago, and his college pedigree showed through nearly right away. Tall quick and athletic, it’s his mind that makes him so unique, picking up concepts much quicker than anticipated. His route work is lagging simply because of his unfamiliarity with the system so far, there is no doubt he is in the mix to be a starter at WR in 2012.
Latrell Harvey, WR - (1.82, B-, D)
Positives:Good athlete, Good Hands, Good size
Fast, athletic
Negatives:Haven't seen a lot of him
Not a great blocker
Hesitant of the middle
Behind the curve right now, need to get route work in
Harvey has been on the Phoenix’s radar since fall 2010, and he continues to be an enigma. Tall, fast and good at judging the ball in the air, Harvey would give the team something they are not used to: a red zone threat in the passing game. However, work commitments have kept him away from the team, and it would be fair to say there are those on the roster who have never met him. It’s one thing to be talented, it’s another to utilize it. Right now, he is far behind most other WR’s on the roster.
Robert Kvacik, WR – (2.4, B, C)
Positives:Good Hands
Quick to Learn
Negatives:Needs Route Work
Better Catching Technique
Leaves feet when catching the Ball
Kavacik came out to a practice of ours during the 6-man season and really surprised some people. At first looking too small and perhaps not quick enough in and out of his cuts, Robert instead showed hands and the ability to gain separation by knowing the routes. It’s unfortunate he broke his collar bone and was forced to sit until outdoor practices were dead. Now he loks healthy, and he needs to play a little catch-up schematically.
James Jones, HB – (3.88, A+, A)
Positives: Adds a Major Threat for us in the backfield
Leads by example
Good Vision, Strong on and off the field
Great Attitude, Very Smart
Negatives:Catching out of the backfield needs work
Cuts back a little too much
Neutral:Interested to see how he splits time
We had to add a third category for remarks, yet it may be the biggest question surrounding Jones, who has all the qualities of a featured back. Jones is allusive, fast and strong, yet he is doubted by the league, and he knows it. A chip on a HB’s shoulder is always a good thing. Despite some minor things noted by our captains, Jones is everything we are looking for in a back, and considering we ran the ball pretty well last season, that should be saying something.
Mike Crews, QB – (2.8, B, C)
Positives: Love his drive, More than willing to learn, takes criticism well
Wants to be a leader without being a loudmouth
Good arm, Smart, Great attitude
Able to run when needed
Negatives:Want to see him finish his progressions before he takes off
Needs to trust his instincts and pull the trigger
Still does not lead the receiver to the open area
Although getting better, he is too hard on himself; shuts people out sometimes
Mike Crews came to us after playing backup QB and wideout for most of last season, yet his previous experience as a starter has shown through on many occasions. He is hard on himself, to a point where it becomes destructive at times, he wants to learn, and he wants to become a top tier starter in this league. His leadership skills are undeniable, leading by example and not with his mouth; he is one of the hardest workers on the team. As with all first year QB’s here, he hits a wall mentally at times due to the sheer amount of things he needs to learn, yet as always, as soon as he overcomes that, the field will look much different, and things will get much easier.
Eddie LeMay, WR - (2.66, B+, C)
Positives: Feel like he has a chip on his shoulder, in a good way
Runs fast, Best route runner of the new guys
Deceptively quick, knowledgeable
Good attitude
Negatives:Not a fan of the middle of the field
Catching ability is his #1 concern
A receiver’s job is to catch the ball; when a receiver has trouble doing that, they are usually found useless and moved to another position…but we aren’t going to do that here. Lemay is a good route runner, his cuts are quick and clean and he is the fastest WR on the roster, there is too much good here to simply waste. Normally, the opposite is true, a receiver can catch the ball fine, but they cannot get open or run a good route which makes their development take longer. As we enter the second half of our Off-season, we will simply focus in one area, and watch him develop into a top flight receiver.
Troy Lessard, LB – (3.28, A+, B-)
Positives:Cant wait to see him in pads
Can play the run and the pass equally well, Very smart
Motivated, Hard worker, Great ethic
Always seems to be where he needs to be and is in on every tackle
Negatives:Sometimes forgets to read the run first
Can lose a receiver while playing zone
For the least two year’s we have had two LB’s play next to each other that are about as far apart skill set wise as there can be. One is a run stopper and blitz artist, the other is a side to side athlete and coverage monster. They both hit hard, and it looks like Lessard does as well. Not only does he fit the body type of a conventional downhill backer, yet he also possesses the quickness to get deep and make plays on the outside. His addition will certainly open up possibilities for the defense, greatly needing some more playmakers.
Jon Stoffel, OL - (3.2, A, B-)
Positives In my opinion our best offseason acquisition
Solid blocker, is learning every Offensive line spot,
Works his tail off and doesnt complain, unselfish.
Big, strong, picks up blitzes well Great attitude, great ethic, willingness to put in work, motivated.
Negatives:Needs to stay low
Could stand to be a bit nastier
Stoffel has been a pro in everything he does. When he first came aboard in early fall, we asked him to not only learn a tackle spot, but also center, then we moved him out wide as an outside tackle, then he wanted to try defensive line…and not once has his performance dipped. When we started the report process, some players were easy top grades, yet Stoffel picked up steam from the first captain and it just snowballed from there. He is immensely respected, and although it seems like out line from last year will be returning, Stoffel may well force himself onto the field anyway.
David Cooper, DT - (2.86, B+, C)
PositivesSolid blocker, would make a good DT
Great motor, great attitude, seems willing to put work in.
NegativesHas an odd stance which seems to limit his explosiveness
NeutralHopefully he’s okay with playing some OL
Cooper came to us a few practices ago and provides nice depth along both lines as well as experience playing on successful teams. He measures up as an outide tackle and run stopping defensive tackle, which will pare nicely into what the team needs.
Michael Gaona, LB - (2.35, B, C-)
PositivesSeems to be in position and good coverage skills.
Works hard, listens to coaching
NegativesHas been MIA as of late
Does not flow well yet
Gaona, admittedly, is a bit of a project. He has the ability to be in the right place at the right time, which is helped by the fact he listens to coaching very well.He is limited though from a lack of experience, which causes him to be tentative at times. He is easily manipulated by an experienced QB and he can be picked on at times.
Chris Cameron, DE - (3.02, A, C+)
PositivesHe’s got a huge upside, his motor is relentless
Really like him, made an impact the first night out.
Was menacing and listened well to coaching
NegativesSeems far more interested in chasing the QB than stopping the run
Cameron is another player that has been on the team’s radar for a few seasons now, and by the show he put on last practice, it’s a shame he wasn’t able to make it out sooner. However, a few hours on a practice field does not tell the story of a new recruit very well, so it remains to be seen if he can continue his fast start. Cameron seems to be a pass rushing DE in a DT’s body, and he is susceptible to traps and draws due to his lust for the QB.
Josh Trice, HB - (2.76, B+, C)
PositivesTalent is undeniable
Lowers his shoulder well
Great attitude, fast learner.
NegativesNeeds to become a threat in the passing game
Hit the hole harder, without hesitation
NeutralNeeds to get as much time with the team as possible
Trice adds another dimension to the Phoenix running game, an outside back with plenty of experience who has carried a team before. He runs powerful and with conviction, yet he seems to be a bit of a stutter-step in the hole, which could simply have been because he hasn’t played with this line before. As with each new back on this team, he needs to work on his pass catching and be willing to become a system back that truly looks to be more of a committee this year.
And for interest, here is all the rookies compared to themselves, along with some of our other player’s grades when they were rookies (Note, the vet grades are taken from full season voting. If you are behind some, or even ahead, things do change over time).
By Adam Knoll | January 05, 2012 at 01:11 AM EST | No Comments
Out second Rookie Poll just concluded, Troy Lessard took 64% of the vote to win, he joins James Jones as the two highest rated rookies we have so far. These may change over time, yet it's nice to reward those who have been busting since the beginning of fall. We do alot of that here, we demand alot on the field, in return, we try to hoist you up when we can.
Unfortunately, some bad news to publish this week. Rookie LB Eric Garza will not be able to continue on with the team due to family and school obligations. Garza was highly thought of for his work ethic and we wish him the best as he moves on. While unfortunate, with a roster so large, it was a likelyhood that a few players may find that life makes them unable to participate this year. Our roster now stands at 36 active players, with a slew of inactive ones at the moment.
The winner of the Phoenix Weekly NFL Pick'em is Andrew Menard, who won by a single victory over both Eddie Lemay and Jeff Thorpe. I would say close finishes are rare, yet it is turning out to be the norm and last years title was won by a single pick as well. Our Playoff Pick'em has started, get in on that while you can, winner gets a team T-shirt.
Practice is on January 10th, next Tuesday, at 5pm. Please be there on time as we will probably have to vacate the field around 7, like normal. If you are unable to make it, please let someone know.
By Adam Knoll | December 28, 2011 at 02:07 AM EST | No Comments
After 16 grueling weekends of weekly picks, the Phoenix NFL Regular season Pick’em comes down to, of course, five final games. We don’t usually speak about the inner workings of a simple pick’em, yet I think many have noticed by now that we don’t focus only on marquee games from week to week. No, games are picked in an attempt to get equal voting on each side, much like how Las Vegas tries to set the points to get equal betting. This sometimes means picking games between truly horrible teams (say, if the Rams were playing the Vikings this week that would be a Pick’em game, easily). A lot of the time, it works, some of the time, it doesn’t.
Ironically, 7 of the 9 times every single player picked one team over the other, the favored team lost, which is why I try to pick competitive games. You would never have seen a Steelers vs. Colts game this year. This can come back to haunt us from time to time, as once in awhile a Patriots-Redskins, or Texans-Colts game happens. Yet who would have picked the underdog in those?
Overall, the voters have had a good season this year. Last year, it was sad how over half the players were clearly under .500. Our Champion last year, Shane Willis, had a 57% W/L record, this year, our champion can be no less than a 64% (48 wins to no less than 54).
After doing the math, just like last year, it was decided that for a player to win the Championship, one must have picked at least 75% of the games presented this season. Up to this point, 11 players are in contention (9 already have 75%, 2 more can get to 75% by picking all games this week), and what may come as a surprise, seven of those entrants can mathematically win the top spot.
Right now, Andrew Menard holds the #1 position as he has for much of the year. His .675 avg is ahead of Eddie LeMay by .025. The absolute lowest percentage Menard can achieve this year is .635, by dropping all five games this weekend. To win, LeMay must win two games more than Menard does this weekend. This is a very good reason as to why I don’t display the picks until the week is over; neither of them knows who the other is picking. Honesty is nice. And those aren’t the only scenarios: if both of them have a bad week, an upset can occur and one of the other five players can win. So we are down to one final weekend, and then the Playoffs start and we get to do it again.
By Adam Knoll | December 23, 2011 at 11:30 PM EST | No Comments
There are members of this team who read every article, follow every post and know every inner working of this team; and then there are those who feel that the program should take up a little less of their daily activities, and they may be confused with what's going on with our 40 man roster right about now, to say nothing of the worries new players have on whether there is room on the roster for them.I look to pacify some worries and answer some questions in a business like FAQ:
Who is on the roster right now? Go to the 2012 Phoenix pulldown and click on the roster. The list of players with numbers beside them is whats called the active roster. These are gentilmen that are on the roster for 2012, they can sign their contracts now (most have) and simply get ready for March when we break camp. You are safe (well done), unless you breach a team rule or simply fail to meet our requirements (pretty lenient) until then. As of this moment, there is 37 players on our active roster.
37 members on a 40 man roster? You can fill that in a single practice...? True, we could. Yet if we were to add three more guys by the middle of January, and some good players come along who look at our roster and think there is no room...then would we have made the right choice. maybe, maybe not. And that's the problem, why cut yourself off short? No, the final three spots will remain open untill the day of our final tryouts in late March, when we will take the best players available, and call it complete.
So, I'm a new player, and even though I think I'm good, I may not be one of the best three players by then. Should I look elsewhere? I dont want to sound hardheaded, so I wont use the usual ideology which states 'If you aren't willing to prove your the best, we dont want you.' Fears of being left out and wasting time are real, and they are valid. As I said, the roster stands at 37 right now, yet someone may have a family problem, a money problem, a work problem, and need to drop out (happens at least once or twice a year). So, chances are good at least one of the 37 may not make it to March, meaning we would have more openings. Also, lets say you are a player who hasn't played in pads in awhile, only stared in backyard football or never was the starter in high school but wants to get back in the swing of things, guess what, we love projects are here too. If you are honest about your abilities, and you are realistic in you're expectations, you can go very far in a league like this. If you fill the above quota, and you are unsure you can beat out high school starters or the occasional college athlete, that doesnt mean you cannot stick with the team as a 'inactive' player, practice with the team all year, and if we need someone to fill a spot (because someone WILL get hurt, someone might quit or have a family problem), then guess who we would turn to, the guy who busted his butt while everyone else moved on.
Do you add players after the March tryouts? Lets be short here, No. We feel that if we open the roster in September and you as an interested player cannot make it out to a single practice by the end of March...why waste the time. If we suffer a roster opening during the year, we will either fill it with an inactive participant who stuck with the team, or it stays open. We do not add players after we break camp, don't ask. I cant be more clear than that.
Will you be honest in you're assessment of my abilities? I hate lying to people, it forces them to believe in things that aren't true and almost always leads to someone getting hurt. Up to this point, we have taken a fairly straightforward approach with the new applicants, either you can vie for a starting spot, or we need more time to evaluate you. Now that the last roster spots are on us, more options are available. And before we dive into that, understand that you're evaluation is done by more than just myself, the entire board of Directors for the Phoenix organization is involved in every decision, including some players whose respect has been earned over the years. If you are a player we think has an honest chance to make the roster in March, we will ask you to continue coming to our practices. Think of it this way, if you make the team now, you'd be coming to practices anyway, the only thing you'd be missing is the guarantee of a roster spot. Is that hard for some people to deal with? Oh yeah, some guys are willing to slug it out, others feel that if they were to practice for a few months and then missed out, it's time wasted. My response would be, you're getting valuable practice time and getting coached at the same time; you're working the rust off, you'll be a better player come March with or without the roster spot. If you are someone who absolutely cannot deal with not knowing, I know of new teams around the area that need guys, I wont string you along. If you are a marginal player who we dont feel has a great chance to make the roster (based on players we have seen), yet we like you're attitude and work ethic, you will probably be asked to stick around for two reasons 1) you never know who is going to flake out come March, leaving an opportunity open, 2) the inactive roster is a great way to keep practicing with the team while waiting for you're turn. We have never done an inactive roster before (we never had to), yet we would never turn anyone away who simply wants to practice while waiting for a chance to come along. We love people like that If you are a player who we dont feel will fit with us, I'll get you the number of a few teams around the area that i know need guys. Some guys just want to play, and with a 40 man roster, the tail end of the bench needs to understand that during some games, PT is going to be thin. Some cant handle that, and that's ok, yet we are building something here and we only want those moving forward that think in terms of wins and losses, not playing time or touches.
When is the next practice? January 3rd, it's an indoor practice at the Boys and Girls Club in downtown Kenosha. We will probably have two in January, one or two in February and one in March. Plenty of time left. If you are interested, find the Player application of the left menu there and sign up.
By Adam Knoll | December 23, 2011 at 04:10 AM EST | No Comments
Taken from the 2012 News Page:
The Phoenix Fall Back: Based upon the voting members of the GFL Proboards, last season's success will be measured heavily against the Phoenix's ability to play upper echelon football in 2012. Ranked #5 in the last Power Ranking poll (taken before the playoffs in August), the Phoenix slipped back to #6 in this poll despite league-wide knowledge of the team's off-season free agent splurge. Overtaking the team at the moment is the South Milwaukee Rage, a more than worthy opponent the team will have a chance to face in the upcoming season. The other teams ranked ahead of the Phoenix right now are the Lake County Cowboys, Lake Shore Lynx, Chicago Chaos and the Kenosha Cougars.
By Adam Knoll | December 16, 2011 at 01:13 PM EST | No Comments
This is our Apparel store: http://www.mylocker.net/wisconsin/wilmot/wilmot-phoenix
In it you will find well over 100 articles of clothing and other merchandise that is all completely customizable, from the logo to the font to the year to the number. It really is an awesome outlet.
Even better, we have a code that will save everyone up to 50% off (depending on what you are buying, the code is worth $9.00), which really helps for those who might not have alot of cash around them. I know guys are interested in getting team gear, I know guys have been wondering about prices, so here is some help: The baseline prices for some of the choices:
T-Shirt – 17.99 (with the code - $8.99)
Team Shirt – 23.99 (wtc - 14.99)
Team Jacket – 46.99 (wtc - 37.99)
Team Sweatshirt – 39.95 (wtc - 30.95)
Team Wind Pants – 32.95 (wtc - 23.95)
Mesh Shorts – 19.99 (wtc - 10.99)
Team Cap – 19.99 (wtc - 10.99)
Team Duffel – 34.99 (wtc - 25.99)
So that's some info, give it a shot and see if you can find what you like.
By Adam Knoll | December 10, 2011 at 04:59 PM EST | No Comments
While it may not seem like it sometimes, the Phoenix Defense is actually very respectable when it comes to taking the ball away from the opposing offense. In our 19 regular season games as a franchise, we have 42 total takeaways (22 in 2010, 20 in 2011), equaling just over 2 takeaways per game. While nice, the Phoenix are looking to up their takeaway average during the 2012 season.
In the chart below each player who has had two or more takeaways during that stretch is listed. While it is worthy to not some players only played in a singular season, anyone who has read these breakdowns by now will note that we will soon make this a more fair debate.
Tot Fum INT Games Avg
Jeff Thorpe 10 4 6 19 .526
Cody Sisk 5 4 1 9 .555
Chris Bella 5 4 1 16 .312
Andrew Menard 4 4 14 .285
Trion Brown 3 3 17 .176
Jon Rogalski 2 1 1 10 .200
Jesse Wine 2 2 14 .142
TJ Dotson 2 1 1 13 .153
Will Peebles 2 1 1 19 .105
Right off the bat, you will notice that Jeff Thorpe (now a veteran of three separate inquiries) has a sizable lead in the total takeaways section. No one else has more than half as much he does. Case closed right? Um, no. Unfortunately, it’s not so cut and dry. The player right under him, Cody Sisk, had half as many takeaways, in half the time. So we must go to the Multipliers to clear up this debate. Again, as with the Tackles breakdown, we will use two variables and make them constants, both the amount of takeaways, and the amount of games played.
Multipliers (Equal Total, and Equal games)
Tot Games Games Tot
Jeff Thorpe 10 19 19 10
Cody Sisk 10 18 19 10
Chris Bella 10 32 19 6
Andrew Menard 10 35 19 5
Trion Brown 10 57 19 3
Jon Rogalski 10 50 19 4
Jesse Wine 10 70 19 2
TJ Dotson 10 65 19 3
Will Peebles 10 95 19 2
When looked at with the multipliers, it becomes clear that while Sisk actually has an advantage in the amount of games it would take him to get to 10 takeaways, by the time game 19 rolls around, he and Thorpe, provided everything stayed the same, would have been tied. However, before we miss the opportunity here, a player who provides 5 takeaways in a season had a pretty darn good year. To do it twice in a row is fantastic. There is no assurance that Sisk would have kept up to that pace, especially when considering the different positions the two men play. Thorpe is far more likely to end up with interceptions that Sisk would be, and they both are adept at finding fumbles.
Sisk may have had 5 in one year, yet his contemporaries at LB have shown more of a likelihood for how turnovers are gained in that area. Bella also has 5 takeaways, yet they came in staggered fashion, 2 in one year, 3 in the other. Menard has four takeaways, yet he had none through his fist nine games in his career. When the ball hits the ground in that area of the field, any number of people could land on it, and the ball bounces toward you a whole lot less than it tends to bounce away from you. This leads me to believe that if Sisk would have played this last season, he would have finished around 7 or 8 takeaways total.
In fact, to put this one to bed: Thorpe has the lone Phoenix defensive touchdown in the team’s history, and would have had a second in 2010 if a fluke block in the back call had not been whistled.
By Adam Knoll | December 07, 2011 at 04:20 AM EST | No Comments
It's hard to believe, but the Phoenix Radio Channel has been operating for over a year now. On November 2nd, 2010, the Phoenix became the first team in the GFL to stream audio to it's players and fans. The feedback we have received has been impressive, and the Radio page is only eclipsed by this blog (another GFL first) in terms of daily views.
However, as with everything, things can be better. First off, suggestions on programming is essential. Especially in the offseason when things cool off, weekly (or even monthly) Phoenix news is hard to come by. So please, if you have an idea, please dropit off on the form on the Radio page (http://wilmotphoenix.com/phoenixradio.html).
Another problem was simple, as the league got heated up, the GFL podcast sort of ruled the day. Doing radio is more difficult than you'd think, and setting aside a few hours a week to do the league podcasts (two of 'em) can be challenging enough. I wont say I wasnt ready for the workload, yet time passes quicker than you'd think. Before you know it, it's December 2011 and we haven't had a broadcast in while. This is going to change, and I apologize if anyone became frustrated by the lack of content.
Our Radio Channel is now old enough to feature an archive! Like most other tabs, you can find the archive with a drop-down menu by hovering over 'Phoenix Radio'. Before the month is up, I would like to have a few 'casts' for people to listen to, as well as doing my yearly cleanup of this here blog.
By Adam Knoll | December 06, 2011 at 11:44 AM EST | No Comments
The Phoenix, in our two seasons of action, have always put a high priority on being able to tackle. While that may seem like an easy action, many teams while preparing for an upcoming week will short change the fundamentals, and while we are not blameless in that category at all, over time the team has tried to keep an eye on our production in that area. The results? Mixed. I don’t think anyone would doubt our tackling as a team was better in 2011 than it was in 2010, however the unit was missing its top two linebackers for most of the season, as well as our top defensive end and cornerback for durations as well.
Unlike the elite teams in this league, when we are missing more than two starters on defense, the unit tends to hit a downswing. Only two players on the entire roster have played in all 19 games during the regular season, Jeff Thorpe at cornerback and Will Peebles at linebacker. Neither player has been a starter the entire time on defense, Thorpe took over at starting corner after week 4 in 2010, and Peebles has been a respectable backup for most of his career.
Much like the Receiver debate, it is impossible to guess at how much playing time each player has had in respect to one another, so we must take the angle that any time of the field is an opportunity to create a stat. Even if a player played for a series, we must take it as a game played. Therefore, after going through the record books, the breakdown for any player over 25 tackles is as follows:
(*Note: The Phoenix organization does NOT count both solo tackles and assisted tackles toward its tackle count. An assisted tackle is counted as .5 a tackle and added to the total tackle count as such. A lot of teams will do the inverse, such as a player will have 3 solo tackles and two assisted tackles for a total of 5 tackles. On the Phoenix, this will count as 4.)
Tak Sck FFum PassD Tak+Sck Games
Chris Bella 76.5 1 5 4 77.5 16
Andrew Menard 66.5 .5 2 4 67 14
Trion Brown 47 12 47 17
Jon Rogalski 45 1 3 46 10
Jeff Thorpe 45 1 9 45 19
Jesse Wine 44 7 2 1 51 14
Will Peebles 43 1 3 44 19
Cody Sisk 32.5 1 3 2 33.5 9
TJ Dotson 30 6 1 36 13
Nick Weiss 27.5 7 1 34.5 12
Dan Lowes 27 7 1 3 34 15
As always, the standard traditional numbers can be misleading. Notably, the difference in amount of games played has wrecked havoc among the variables. As with our last two reports, we will strive to rid ourselves of a ‘variable’ by making it a constant. In this instance, we will find a multiplier in both amount of games played, making all players equal at 19 games apiece. After that, we will find a common number in 100 tackles, and find how long it would take each player to get there. Instead of making separate graphs, we will post not only the average number of tackles for each player per game (# of tackles / # of games), but also the game multiplier and the tackle multiplier all in one. Additionally, to make things fair, we added the sack totals in with the tackle amounts, giving each player just due for each time they took an opponent to the ground.
Tackles Per Game Multiplier 19 Games Multiplier 100 Tackles
Avg. Tackles Games
Bella 4.84 92 21
Menard 4.78 91 21
Brown 2.76 52 36
Rogalski 4.6 87 22
Thorpe 2.36 45 42
Wine 3.64 69 27
Peebles 2.31 44 43
Dotson 2.76 52 36
Lowes 2.26 43 44
Sisk 3.72 70 27
Weiss 2.87 54 35
In a neat tidy little bow, we can see from the math that both Chris Bella and Andrew Menard have been the highest per game tackle players on the team since 2010. This is interesting because Menard player OLB in 2010, meaning, normally, he would only have a realistic shot at a tackle if it came to his side. In 2011 he moved inside and his tackle numbers increased per game, yet a five game absence due to an injury kept his numbers from skyrocketing. Bella has anchored the middle of the defense for the past two seasons, and although he has a few games in which tackles did not come in bunches, he more than off-sets that with consistency. Like Menard, Bella also missed three games in 2011.
Coming in third is Jon Rogalski, who enjoyed a breakout season in 2011 as a rookie. He now owns the single season tackling record, in no small part to the fact that it didn’t matter where the ball went, he was on its heels. Although not as adept at stripping the ball out as the two men he is chasing, he matches both their sack total and passes defended. No one else in this study averages more than 3.8 tackles per game.
Coming in fourth and fifth, Cody Sisk and Jesse Wine both are hardnosed workers who traveled great distances to find the ball carrier. Sisk ended his run with the Phoenix after a particularly scary concussion in 2010, Wine has played in both seasons and is easily one of the more tenacious defenders on the team.
This study is also a good way to find the best per game average at each position. As one can tell rather easily, the line backing position has the highest average per game; however, it’s always interesting to see where other positions add up:
By Adam Knoll | December 02, 2011 at 11:10 PM EST | No Comments
Over our first two seasons the Wide Receiving core for the Phoenix has been an undermanned unit still expected to perform at a high level. When given the chance, this unit has delivered the goods even with the revolving door at quarterback. What we will be testing here is not who has been the best receiver for the Phoenix during our tenure, no; there is no debate in that area. However, if I was to ask, who has been the second best receiver; that will take a bit of debating.
First, the factors we cannot test: The differences of the team’s offense from 2010 to 2011. Starting with 2010: the Phoenix had no rusher run for more than 400 yards by themselves, in comparison, the Phoenix had a running back go for more than 1,000 last seasons. Additionally, the offensive line in 2011 was a huge step forward from the group that manned that particular post in 2010. Our first year, the line lost all of its starters by week 4, needing to use a converted linebacker at center, a tackle picked up off the street and a pass catching TE, who also played full time on defense, to seal the line. It was a disaster, even though I must say in complete honesty, I have never been around a unit who worked harder to do the best they could.
In 2011, we had the same three linemen the entire season, ran for almost 2,000 yards and our backups, when needed, were actual linemen; in comparison to 2010, when the backups were running backs. There can be is no comparison between the lines when debating both season’s. Simply put, the Offensive line in 2011 was a polar opposite from the 2010 group. In fact, even though we passed far less in 2011, the mere fact that we were so successful running the ball meant more passing lanes were open, making it easier to complete passes.
Below is the two year totals for any receiver with over ten catches during their time here.
Rec Yds Avg TD's
Kyle Ritter 58 720 12.4 8
Jeff Thorpe 26 276 10.6 2
Ryne Johnsen 15 267 17.8 1
Hector Carrasco 13 209 16.1 3
Nick Weiss 13 120 9.23
Ricky Martinez 11 221 20.1 3
D'Angelo Richardson 11 109 9.9
It seems pretty clear, without going into advanced statistics, that Kyle Ritter has been the Phoenix’s best wide out during the team’s first two years. No other receiver has even half as many receptions or touchdowns as he does. This is a testament to his ability to catch passes regardless of coverage and his toughness overcoming injuries (which have been considerable).
After that, Jeff Thorpe is second on the team with 26 catches, which is interesting because Thorpe has primarily been a defensive player during his time here. It would not be a stretch to say that he plays less than 20 offensive snaps per game. Only Ritter, Thorpe and Weiss has played two seasons with the Phoenix, the rest all put up their numbers in 2010.
Before we can start getting into this argument, we need to go over how many games each player participated on offense. We cannot make an accurate comparison without knowing how many games each player participated in as a pass catching weapon. Receivers tend to come on and off the field based on situations beyond their control, so the only ‘time played’ we can interpret is any game they actually played in. The total games played for each player is:
Kyle Ritter: 19
Jeff Thorpe: 14
Ricky Martinez: 5
Hector Carrasco: 4
Ryne Johnsen: 9
Nick Weiss: 19
D'Angelo Richardson: 9
You will notice some players don’t even register a full season played; interestingly Carrasco and Martinez have one season total between them. By mentioning playing time, you can see how this debate has changed, now we must wonder how productive have receivers been with the time they have had.
Gms Rec Avg Yards AvgGm TD’s AvgGm
Ritter: 19 58 3.05 720 37.8 8 0.42
Weiss: 19 13 0.68 120 6.3
Thorpe: 14 26 1.85 276 19.7 2 0.14
Johnsen: 9 15 1.66 267 14.0 1 0.11
Martinez: 5 11 2.2 221 44.2 3 0.60
Carrasco: 4 13 3.25 209 52.2 3 0.75
What stands out, to me, is both Martinez and Carrasco stand up very well to Ritter’s numbers, however, what one must remember is each players sample size. In 19 Games, Ritter’s numbers are probably steady state, this is who he is, which is to say he is in the top 5 of the entire league receptions wise. The question is, can a four or five game sample size be equitable to two full seasons. I am not ready to say yes. If it was nine games played, then the comparison could be made rather easily, or at least a bit more realistically. Instead, with two players at 25% of game time in comparison to the team’s leader, a viable study is not feasible.
That’s where a different question comes into play, who has been the Phoenix’s second best receiver thus far? Every other Receiver on the list above can be compared to each other especially when Thorpe has been a part time receiver. If we took away the amount of games he didn’t get a catch in, his number of games would fall to around 10, however since simply being on the field is in itself a chance to accumulate numbers, the games he did not receive a pass must be accounted for. *Note – Johnsen, Martinez and Carrasco all have games in which they did not catch a pass as well. Using a tactic to give each other the same amount of a certain variable would be wise here, and I think using Thorpe’s amount of catches will do nicely.
Multiplier Rec Yards TD’s YdsRec
Thorpe 1 26 276 2 10.6
Johnsen 1.7 26 379 2 14.5
Martinez 2.3 26 508 7 19.5
Carrasco 2 26 418 6 16.0
Another Metric would be to give them all the same number of Games Played
Multi Gms RecGm Rec YdsRec Yards TD’s
Thorpe 1 14 1.85 26 10.7 276 2
Johnsen 1.6 14 1.66 23 14.5 333 2
Martinez 2.8 14 2.2 31 19.5 604 8
Carrasco 3.5 14 3.25 45 16.0 720 10
It would seem the numbers contradict themselves, however, the first table shows what the number would be like if ever player caught passes at the same rate, while the second table illustrates what the numbers look like if all receivers were to play the same amount of time. While the comparisons are still, admittedly, being made from small sample sizes, I think it would be fair to remark that the Phoenix’s second best receiver has become a race between Martinez and Carrasco, which is ironic considering the departure of one necessitated the acquisition of the other.
To put an answer on the question, both Martinez and Carrasco have better per game yard averages than Ritter does, which makes sense considering Ritter makes his living in the middle, while the other two are more outside receivers. Both Martinez and Carrasco has a long TD reception to their names that Ritter does not, and that can skew the feedback. Carrasco’s Touchdown was good for 63 yards while Martinez’s was good from 70, which means even if we went the trial to take those catches out, the numbers would not look much different in comparison to each other.
At the end of the day, I would have liked to have seen both receiver’s numbers after a full nine or ten game season, yet based off of what I can see, Carrasco is the only player to match Ritter’s Catch per game average. Would it have continued? If our 2011 offense worked like our 2010 offense, maybe, yet we will never know that for sure. As of right now, the title of second best Phoenix receiver goes to Carrasco, however that could change easily by midseason of 2012.
By Adam Knoll | December 01, 2011 at 11:20 PM EST | No Comments
At the November 30th Owners meeting, many ideas were exchanged as the night moved on, however, a bit of league business did get accomplished. Most notably, each team in the GFL got a list of their opponents for the 2012 season, which was highly anticipated. As promised, the hardest schedules were saved for the teams which consistently end up at the top of the standings. After years of clamoring for a fair league-wide schedule, the league finally owns one.
The top three teams last year (Regular Season Wins) will not play any inter-conference games with the American Conference, marking the first time that the league has purposefully tried to match it’s best teams against its better competition. Each National Conference team will play every other team in it’s conference once, yet the top three teams from last year will round robin each other again to complete a ten game schedule. Every other team in the National Conference has at least one inter-conference game, with those finishing with more than six wins last year getting one game, while anyone finishing under six games will have two. In the American conference, each team will play their conference rivals twice, leaving two games apiece to play inter-conference games. In such a way, every team has a set ten game schedule moving forward.
Also brand new this season is a ‘Play-In’ for the playoffs in which the 7th and 8th seed in the National Conference will play the 1st and 2nd seed to see who gains entrance into the regular 8-team playoff tournament the GFL is more accustomed to. The top 6 seeds in the National Conference will have a bye week during the play in games, and the league is working hard to make this a league-wide event to showcase the GFL. What needs to be understood is that the ‘Play-In’ section of the schedule is not a part of the GFL’s playoffs; only eight teams will vie for a Championship this season, not ten.
Among other new news, the Wales Raiders were provisionally accepted into the American Conference as the league’s 14th franchise. Coming from Semi-pro Baseball lineage, it is hoped the owners of that establishment can use their knowledge to build a successful program.
In the next few months, the league will look forward to hearing ideas on a wide range of topics, including a Pro-Bowl game, televised Championship games and even Game of the Week reporting. The league is in recess until January 11th to come up with ideas on how to better promote the GFL.
By Adam Knoll | November 27, 2011 at 01:17 AM EST | No Comments
In the Wilmot Phoenix’s two seasons as a standalone franchise, if there is one area the team has yet to nail down, it would be the quarterback position. The reasons for this are varied, from injury, to personal reasons, to position changes, yet the fact of the matter is thus: The Phoenix will enter season number three with Starting Quarterback #4.
There has been many attempts to categorize our passing attack so far, and the overall opinion is the position has been promising, yet ultimately lacking. One reason for this is the Phoenix have only had one Quarterback start a game for them that had any previous Quarterbacking experience, and his era with the team lasted only five starts, with only 4 total games actually played (explained later). After that comes two gentlemen who worked extremely hard to become what they were/are, and I truly feel that we may be one of the few teams that even tries to create our quarterbacks. Most teams wait for one to fall in their lap; we try to teach them up. The results are encouraging, yet you cannot teach anyone to be great in a single year.
I often get asked this question, by teammates and fans alike…in my opinion, which quarterback thus far has been the best one. Being one of those in the conversation, I try to stay as unbiased as possible. Most observers will use wins as the deciding factor, others will use yardage, others will use TD’s and on and on. The fact of the matter is, it’s all of the above, and yet still more. This franchise has played 19 regular season games, winning six, while using three quarterbacks. That is, in itself, too small a sample size for reasons not easily seen. Before we get into that, I will post each Quarterbacks regular season numbers by themselves to start the debate. Note that Knoll played in a half of a game in 2011, and those numbers have been added to his 2010 total. Ryan Schuk and Dan Mikal have never shared a practice field together.
Com-AttPerYdsTDINTYdsAttYdsComp
Adam Knoll50-9055%690667.613.8
Dan Mikal75-15747%8085145.110.7
Ryan Schuk53-11944%6478105.412.2
When using just those numbers, it seems very difficult to tell, and it is. This metric uses only passing numbers, yet digging in a little bit, it is easy enough to see that Knoll has the highest percentage, highest TD/INT ratio and is best in yards per attempt and completion. Dan Mikal is leading when it comes to total yardage, yet he also threw the most passes, which also helped him land the most INT’s. Interestingly, Ryan Schuk has the most passing TD’s, which is, of course, paramount to scoring points. When stacked like this, what may seem clear, gets muddled, a person will take what they think is the most important and post an opinion based off that; however, anyone knowing how I use numbers understands we aren’t done here, not by a long shot.
Firstly, the passing attempts are too spread out, and even though we haven't gotten there yet, each player did not play in the same amount of games. So we fixed it, and gave each player 200 attempts and used the fancy multiply function on our calculators to fill in the rest.
To get to 200Attempts, you need to multiply each person’s stats by: (Knoll 2.2, Mikal .78, Schuk 1.7)
Adam Knoll110-20055%1,51813137.613.8
Dan Mikal94-20047%1,0116175.110.7
Ryan Schuk90-20044%1,09913175.412.2
This gives us an equal playing ground. Before, each player had too many inconsistencies, we needed to find a common point and make it equal, and so we have. When giving each player 200 attempts, what may be the most shocking to see is Schuk and Mikal suddenly have the same amount of interceptions. This is because earlier, Mikal had almost 40 more attempts. When elevating both to the common point, it’s easy to see that their INT ratio was the same. Also, and just as surprising, Schuk is no longer leading the TD race either, having been caught up to by Knoll, who had only 90 attempts in the previous rundown. As you will not, the completion percentage, yards per attempt and yards per completion ratios stayed the same, the only things that changed were the yards (now being led by Knoll), the touchdowns and the interceptions.
What many people don’t see (and cannot figure out in some cases) is how advanced metrics can help us solve debates like this. Below is a chart that has some weird looking numbers. I will try to explain them out to you to understand:
TD/INT: Touchdowns to Interceptions, the higher the number the better (Leader: Knoll)
TD%A: Touchdown passes per attempt, basically, every time the QB throws the ball, what chance is it that it scores a touchdown. (Knoll/Schuk)
TD%C: Touchdown percentage by completion. Basically, each time the ball is caught, what chance does it have to score (Schuk)
INT%A: Interception percentage per attempted pass. Inverted fro the TD%A, lower numbers are better (Knoll)
Rush: Amount of Rushes (Schuk)
RushY: Amount of yards rushing (Schuk)
Avg: Avergae amount gained per rush (Schuk)
FumbL: Fumbles lost. Obviously the less the better (Knoll/Mikal)
Total TD: Total Touchdowns while playing QB *based off of 200 attempts (Schuk)
PassR: NFL Passer Rating (Knoll)
I know that can seem a bit overmuch, yet it will be important very soon. As I said, we aren’t done on this road. Even though I am sure this post already has put more thought on the subject than anyone previously has…we must make sure that once this topic is opened, we close it definitively.
This next section is for the playing time metric. How much time did each player actually spend on the field? This can get tricky, because in the NFL they track wins and losses by amount of starts, which can be very misleading considering the amount of time a player can miss while getting hurt. Case in point, Knoll started five games in 2010, yet only finished the game twice, in each game he was out by roughly halftime. We could simply state he played in five games, yet that would not be true, in honesty, his total time on the field was 3.5. That makes a huge difference.
For those of you who don’t know, I come up with a formula each year which figures out the strength of schedule for the GFL. The best way to do this is after the season is over (sure, we prognosticate before the year starts, yet it’s more fun to find out if you were RIGHT), and by taking out your team’s results. That way, if you’re using percentage points, the formula does not become biased if you had a good or bad year. To be plain, you simply track how teams did when they weren’t playing you, and that is how good/bad that team really is.
The reason we are using this metric is, even though one doesn’t think so initially, who you are playing makes a HUGE difference on a quarterback’s numbers. If you are playing good to great teams, while your counterpart is playing Lazy Susans…well whose numbers should look better? Each quarterback was judged on teams they played for at least 40 minutes of game time, and the results are as follows:
Teams Started Against (Finishing Records – Phoenix Results taken out)
KnollMikalSchuk
Cougars (7-2)Gators (0-9)*Premier (3-6)
Gators (0-9)*Premier (8-1)*Lynx (8-0)
Lynx (7-1)Sabers (3-5)Mayhem (0-7)
Premier (8-1)*Nighthawks (4-4)Cowboys (7-2)
Gladiators (3-5)*Nighthawks (4-4)Lynx (8-0)
Chaos (2011) (3-4)*Cowboys (7-1)Mayhem (0-7)
Gladiators (3-5)*Chaos(3-4)*
Mayhem(0-7)
Chaos (3-4)
Sabers (7-2)
Total:28-22 (.562)29-29 (.500)39-35 (.527)
*Half of game played
Notes:
Knoll: In three of the five starts made in 2010, he didn’t finish the game due to either a lopsided score or injury. In the only game played during the 2011 season, he only played a half. Total Games: (2 complete, 4 Partial: 4 Games)
Mikal: Started and finished four games, played the whole way through, also finished off three other games. Total games: (4 Complete, 3 Partial: 5.5 Games)
Schuk: Started all ten games in 2011, did not finish one game. Total Games: (9 Complete, 1 Partial: 9.5 Games)
What should immediately jump out is that no quarterback on this team has a schedule difficulty lower than .500. Anyone who follows this team knows we don’t play easy schedules, there is your proof. Remember, for anyone out there going “But you were 1-9 in 2010, of course the strength will be harder!” Look again; the results from our games with each opponent have been taken out. The record next to each team’s name is what they did against others, giving us a true idea of each team’s power. What should be gleaned from this is each quarterback faced much different competition.
Knoll, early in 2010, had a hellish schedule, and it would have looked worse had he not tried to play in both the Gladiators game that season, and the Chaos game in 2011. Schuk, while playing the winless Mayhem three times, nevertheless had a strength rating well above average. 2011 was not an easy season by any means; in reality neither has been. What that exercise showed is called ‘subjective analysis’, which means that the reader can take what they want from the information. I cannot sit here and state that if Mikal had Schuk’s schedule, or in Schuk had Knoll’s schedule, anything would have changed, that would be a formulation, and I am trying to stay within what the numbers tell me.
Before I get into my own findings, I must present two more charts, which is to end that hanging thread that I’m sure many of you have wondered thus far. You cannot basis a quarterbacks impact solely on his passing numbers, if anything was learned in 2011 it is that quarterbacks can have a great impact as a rusher as well. So then I dug a little deeper, and found this.
None of these numbers are tainted with the 200 attempt calculation
GmsPtsAvgSchedYdsGmTDGmYdsGmTTDGmT
Knoll:46015.562172.51.5173.71.5
Mikal:5.55810.5.500146.9.90154.1.90
Schuk:9.516917.7.52768.1.841131.26
*Gms: Amount of time player was physically on the field
*Pts: Points scored during time on field
*YdsGm: Yards per game passing
*Tdgm: Td’s per game passing
*YdsGmT: Yards per game (passing and rushing)
*TDgmT: Td’s Per Game (passing and rushing)
This chart should end those who think scoring matters most (and in the end, it does). When stated, way back at the beginning, that the numbers hide things and you must dig for them, this is what was meant. When looked at just in numbers, and taking into account the time in which quarterback spent on the field of play, the findings are startling, even I was surprised. 2011’s team, which scored more points than the 2010 squad, was not the most prolific offense the Phoenix has seen. Each QB’s total TD’s were divided amongst the amount of game time they had, and in the end, the first four games of the Phoenix’s tenure were the most productive, even when against much stiffer competition.
This last chart is multiplying both each quarterbacks yards per game, and TD percentage, over a full 10 game season.
YdsGmTFull10TDGmTFull10
Knoll:173.71,7371.515
Mikal:154.11,541.909
Schuk:1131,130.8412.6
Findings:
*Before I get into this section, I want to acknowledge that even my (being the writer) presence in the controversy can be seen as self-perpetuating; perhaps a last shot a one upping my competitors. I am sure some will see it that way. Yet I want for a moment to point out, if I may, that not one conclusion was found based off of opinion, the only data used here can be done with a calculator. When answering these questions, which have been asked and finalizations have been made, it is paramount to answer them no matter who, or what, is being spoken about. In this case, I am part of the equation, and I hope I did enough to prove I didn’t care where I fit in; I wanted to find the answer. I want those I teach to surpass me, for the betterment of the team if for nothing else.
From all the testing, numbers and final tallies, it becomes clear that Knoll has been the best quarterback for the Phoenix during the team’s first two years. Without suffering an injury and subsequent ‘retiring’ to coach the team overall, there may not have been any others to discuss, yet, that is not the world we live in. Can I give a clear answer on who takes the #2 spot? Both in overall numbers and strength of schedule, it would seem that Ryan Schuk would take that honor, yet there will be those to point out that our fantastic running game in 2011 took a lot of pressure off of him that Mikal was forced to endure. Yet that is personal preference, are you someone who believes a quarterback should be able to perform in any circumstance, or do you think other factors contribute? That is to each person to figure out.
As a passer, it seems Mikal is more polished, throwing for more with a better completion percentage while having the exact same INT ratio that Schuk has, which I cannot tell you when comparing the two how much folks bring up the interceptions. As a more ‘complete’ quarterback, when talking about straight numbers and touchdowns, Schuk does take that debate. As I said, there are two ways (possibly more) to look at it, each person has their own viewpoint; at least now you have the numbers you need to make an informed decision.
What I hope we deflected here today, is the notion that winning is the only stat that matters. It truly does matter who you play, it matters how you get the job done, it matters how much you score. The only thing a quarterback cannot control is how good the opponent is. Using the ‘scoreboard’ argument is a cop out, winning in football is a team project. If I was to offer one opinion, it would be that the Phoenix should have been 5-5 or better in 2011 no matter which QB took the stage. The trial then was to figure out who, if all things were equal, would have done it better.
By Adam Knoll | November 25, 2011 at 01:19 PM EST | No Comments
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
Offense team Yardage Broken Down by Year
2010 (*Nine Games)
Rush: 202att – 1032yds (5.1)
Pass: 254att – 1553yds (6.1)
Total: 456att – 2585yds (5.6)
2011
Rush: 324att – 1935yds (5.9)
Pass: 135att – 716yds (5.3)
Total: 459att – 2651yds (5.7)
The Phoenix, through two years, have been vastly different in how we went about gaining yards. In 2010, we were much more of a passing team than a running one (during two separate games, the team threw 39 times), yet in 2011, the Phoenix shifted gears and ran the ball for almost three times more yards than we passed for. Hello 1956!
Yet the similarities are equally as interesting, the Phoenix’s offensive scheme was the exact same. Sure, we called the offense based off of the team’s strengths, yet the plays and the playbook stayed the same. Also, during the two years, the amount of plays ran were identical, with only three more plays being ran in 2011. *Note, for both years the sacks the team took were subtracted, we don’t keep a ‘sacked’ stat.
What possibly kept the two so close is based off of many factors, yet when looked at as a group it’s easier to understand. For instance, in 2010, we ran a lot of no huddle which led to quicker drives, which led to more plays. In 2011, we ran the ball a ton more, which doesn’t need to be hunted down and brought back to the line of scrimmage like an incompletion does. This enabled quicker plays as well…if we ran no huddle out of that, we easily could have run 100 more plays during the year.
Another thread keeping things together is the fact we played all 10 games in 2011, compared to 9 in 2010 (we didn’t get to play the Rage). If I was to run metrics on this, then you can add another 50 plays to 2010’s total (and, as a consequence, add another 114 rushing yards and another 172 passing yards). Adding all those up would give 2010 a clear advantage in every except total rushing yards. You could simply give credit to the no huddle for that, and I think we will, yet even so the two years are still very similar numbers wise.
Some things I found interesting during this exercise is that we averaged over 5 yards a rush both seasons, even though in 2010 we lacked a mainstream (pure) starter. Our Rushing leader left the team in week 4, and still lead the team with just under 400 yards. It was a group effort to get over 1,000 that year. Even though we ran the ball better in 2011, it wasn’t as if we broke through any barriers (5.1 avg to 5.9 avg). We simply ran more effectively, over 10 carries, that’s an additional 8 yards, which adds up over time.
Passing wise, we fell off a cliff last year, going from 172 yards passing per game to 71, which for those scoring at home is 100 yards less per game. We offset that by running for 193 yards per game, which when you think about it is pretty amazing. In 2010 we averaged 287 yards per game total, in comparison we averaged 265 yards per game in 2011. Yards wise, our team moved the ball better our first season, which would seem to make sense considering how much more we passed, common knowledge saying that passing the ball moves the team down the field faster. Yet last year we averaged more yards per run than we did per pass attempt. Of course, if we upped our completion percentage by 10% (one more pass complete out of 10 throws), the story would be different, yet we can only dissect the number we have now.
So where does that leave us, what is the trend here? From pooling the numbers, it seems like this team has always been able to run the football, the scheme is in place for that and I think it works. When we had a dedicated runner for the full season, it shows we know how to pound the rock. On the other hand, it seems that we are lacking aerial consistency. Everyone knows by now, our passing ideology is not an easy one; it places a ton of responsibility on the signal caller. In two seasons only one player who has taken a snap for this team had previous Quarterbacking experience, and it shows. When we are able to pass the ball well, it looks very methodical and well organized, when we don’t, we have trouble (For a more detailed look at this, keep an eye out for our Phoenix History series, debuting soon with a look at the Quarterbacks this team has had under center).
I would expect that next season our passing numbers should go back up. Lost in all of this is last season we had one true receiver (1) the entire year. While that wasn’t the only problem, it helped. In 2012, it looks as if we have a competent core of receivers coming in. I would expect, without passing numbers set to rise, that our rushing numbers will probably fall. Averaging almost 200 yards per game is not a trend you can keep up unless running the ball 40 times a game is your idea of a good time.
Finally, I would expect our total yardage to get higher, perhaps even by 25% over 2010’s projected ten game total. Why? In the last two years we have had the #1 and #5 ranks schedule hardness, which would mean that by playing every team in our conference in 2012 will mean we get to play some of the squads we did not get to face in previous years. While I am not saying that the teams we will now get to play are horrid, it surely won’t be like our schedule in 2010 (nine playoff teams) or in 2011 (Lynx and Chaos twice, only one game against the old American Conference.)
By Adam Knoll | November 22, 2011 at 01:44 AM EST | No Comments
Untill the new year makes it's way to us, it is still technically 2011, and it's high time that we look back on the season that was, perhaps even the two season's that got us to where we are now. In the madness that is the end of the season and then the 6-man season run-up, time gets lost, and some things need to be moved aside, however, there was no intention meant of keeping the accolades away from those who gained the attention of the league this past year.
At gflmw.proboards.com, polls went up at the tail end of July to measure an All-GFL team. Even though the voting was reserved to only those who were a member there (and thus a player or coach in this league), it was felt that those with a membership would be the most educated of voters: much more league information gets around in the proboards than gets to the league site, or here. It's simply more fluid. The voting was biased a bit because not every team kept stats last year, and not every players (and in some cases, owners) were members of the proboard. Yet a few very objective workers (myself included) really did all we could to get proper ballots to all those interested, in fact we even sent nomination forms to every team in the league. Almost every team had representation, and in reality, it was the best we could do without league intervention. Each poll had a multitude of players on it, and stats where applicable.
Tthe Phoenix, while being judged by their peers, were very well represented. In many of the voting pages, votes were asked to pick multiple players, so voters were not left to chose between their own player and another. Some Phoenix players who are not on the Award sheet did gain votes, yet if an All-Star team would have been made, they would not have been on that roster.
HB: Nick Weiss (1st Place, 19 of 36 Votes) FB: Fritz Dominik Go (2nd Place, 12 of 20 Votes) WR: Kyle Ritter (4th Place, 13 of 41 Votes) OL: Codee Sigler (4th Place, 11 of 29 Votes) DL: TJ Dotson (4th Place, 13 of 33 Votes) LB: Andrew Menard: (4th Place, 7 of 34 Votes)
Offensive MVP Of the Year: Nick Weiss (2nd Place, 7 of 31 Votes) GFL Coach of the Year: Adam Knoll (1st Place, 7 of 22 Votes)
In the coming weeks we will try to have a true closing to the 2011 year, so please keep checking back frequently.
By Adam Knoll | November 12, 2011 at 07:24 PM EST | No Comments
I was asked just last practice when players could start paying their fee's for 2012, the answer is: As soon as you know you are on the active roster. I wont accept money from anyone who does not have a spot on the active roster, yet once a player is (and has a number), you can begin paying the fee. It's $125, it covers everything, it does not include a promise on playing time...that comes from the practice field. Our next practice is Nov 30th at 5pm, if you are on the active roster, start paying as soon as you can, dont wait till the last minute. Anyone who has not paid by the time pre-season starts will not receive their uniform.
Also, the Phoenix has had a clothing outfitter for about a year now, Mylocker, and they make terrific stuff. It's not too expensive and you can customise your order to whatever you would like. I have received questions about where to get team gear, this is the place we use. You can find the link to our store here: http://wilmotphoenix.com/the2012phoenix/thephoenixstore.html
If you use the code Bt445, you get a discount, simple as that.
By Adam Knoll | November 08, 2011 at 02:45 PM EST | No Comments
As always with the Phoenix, we always look to go onward and upward. This website does alot of things right, yet it also lags in some areas. Case in point, the Home page always has up to date Headlines, yet those headlines don't have stories and that can be a problem. Even though in the past we have had a 'News' Page, is was hardly up to date and our Archiving is bad. Over the next few weeks I hope to fix last year's News page and introduce the 2012 feed, which can be found here: http://wilmotphoenix.com/the2012phoenix/2012phoenixnews.html
Also, in the past our schedule left alot to be desired, again we hope to correct this by streamlining things and simply adding things to the calendar when applicable. I hope that fans and players alike will come to this page weekly to find out what we are up to. You can find this page here: http://wilmotphoenix.com/the2012phoenix/upcomingschedule.html
Even though we have had a History page on this site for quite some time, many people either didnt know about it or couldn't find it. Now the page has been moved, and updated. Every Regular season game the Phoenix has ever played will be on this page and soon I hope to incorporate Playoffs and Pre-season games, as well as whatever scores from the 6-man league I can find. You can find this page here: http://wilmotphoenix.com/phoenixinfo/phoenixgflhistory.html
As for GFL related content, the Wilmot Phoenix Website is the only website in the entire league to boast the entire GFL's history from it's opening season untill now. I hope to have an article up on the league's website about it in the near future, however this is another instance in which the Phoenix site has had great content only to find it lost amongst most who come here. You can find the entire GFL history here: http://wilmotphoenix.com/gfl/teamshistory.html
Hopefully, as the winter continues to hold us back from being on the field, I will have a little more time to focus on making this site even better, and I hope you find the changes worthwhile.
By Adam Knoll | November 04, 2011 at 11:28 PM EDT | No Comments
Saturday at around 2:30, we will say goodbye to our Paddock Lake practice field. That area has been good to us for the last two years and we hope to see it again next year.
After that, we will almost hibernate on the practice field. Since March 27th we have at least gotten together once a week to practice...meaning the abrupt end we are about to hit is going to hurt. Last week I heard from all over about how guys missed practice (at least from those who normally have gone to fall practices), so the next few weeks is going to be tough.
We hope to go indoors by the end of November, maybe take a few weeks off and then try to get something going. We dont want to wait too long, but lets be honest; the longer we rest, the more we will want to get out there. I would say you can pencil in a practice at least once a month, maybe two (hopefully two), yet anything more than that may be overkill. Keep checking back as the site will go back to being updated with the intent of telling everyone when and where things will be going on.
Blog Category Breakdown
Legend - Quick rundown of which Colors correspond to what type of Article
X - Observations from Two Feet Away X - GFL League Posts X - Rookies and Practices X - Little Things X - Inside the Website X - Expectations X - Wilmot Panthers X - Final Tally X - Press Release X - Quickie X - Any Given X - Through the Looking Glass (Kyle Ritter) X - Firing Away with the Tank (Frank Kiczula)
