DRAFT REDUX continued...

12. Donald Martin, FS, Rancho Cucamonga -1
The Cobras take the safest DB option on the board and get pretty much the player they expected to grab at No. 12.

13. Steven MInard, CB, Maine +1
Screaming “volatility, I’ll be your huckleberry” as they filled out the card, the Event are looking simply genius for grabbing the 100 vol. Minard at this pick. He has superstar written all over him.

14. Vernon Steven, RT, Boise +1
The Burn are the first team to grab an offensive lineman in this draft and find one that gains a point at training camp. Nicely done.

15. Jason Sutton, LT, Star City -2
The Golden Pterodactyls grab what I had on my board as the top O-lineman in the draft. He falls back a couple of points at training camp, but will still be a 10+ year starter in all likelihood.

16. James Boyd, WR, Tallahassee +6
Long after the dust had settled on the early draft run on wide receivers, the Talons cast aside concerns over high volatility Boyd and get handsomely rewarded with a six-point jump in camp. With that, Boyd becomes a bona fide mid-round steal and possibly the best WR to come out of the draft altogether.

17. Michael Penny, CB, Natchitoches +5
Another great mid-round gamble that is going to pay off handsomely as the high-volatility Penny cashed in at camp and came out a much improved person, much to the chagrin of Main and Boise who could have tabbed him earlier in the draft.

18. Michael Thomas, QB, San Diego +5
The booms keep coming and as a result the Riptide might find themselves holding arguably the best QB in the draft now, despite two others moving off the board ahead of him.

19. Hector Maly, DE, Fort Drum +5
Another late teens selection, another boom. Maly’s name was definitely in the conversation for best D-end on the draft board leading up to the first round. With this training camp performance, any arguments may have been settled. The Hefty Buffalo made the correct call.

20. Wilson Goodrich, MLB, Mt. Washington -20
The Coyotes took a chance on a 100 volatility middle linebacker and it wound up being a $14.5 million oops-ident. Goodrich will go down as THE bust of this draft class, having already been shown the door and kicked to the waiver wire, where I can’t imagine there’s much of a market for a linebacker who can neither tackle nor cover. But he’s strong, fast and smart, so maybe he takes up bobsledding.

21. Allan Taylor, WLB, Milwaukee -5
Another gamble on a high volatility linebacker, another crash. Taylor will, at least, have some usefulness, likely in a backup role for a couple of seasons, but his skills are moving the wrong way to have any significant impact on the league most likely.

22. Nicholas McMillan, RT, Milwaukee +2
Taking some of the sting out of the Taylor pick, the Wild score in a big way with McMillan. He’s a hulking tackle who will anchor an offensive line for a decade. Great value for the 22nd selection overall.

Well at least i can claim a win on something. LOL

DRAFT REDUX

23. Jose McCauley, RB, Salem +5
Another gamble pays off as McCauley’s mid-70s volatility delivers a +5 result and lands the Witches a strong ground threat.

24. James Lewis, MLB, New Jersey +3
Lewis improves in training camp and gives the relocated Crusaders what could end up being the top linebacker to come out of the class after the disaster that befell Goodrich.

25. Eddie Vernon, CB, Columbus City -5
Vernon has the speed and the smarts, but he wasn’t as-advertised coming into training camp and that has folks mumbling about him. He’ll be a useful defender in the secondary, but he might never rise to become a good defender.

26. Lorenzo Cole, WLB, Charleston 0
The Geechee got exactly what they paid for with this slot, so you have to imagine the team is feeling pretty good about that.

27. Elliot Gibson, RT, Toronto -11
Gibson was a disappointment at camp. He’ll hang around the league for a bit, probably as a backup lineman, and then fade quietly back to the rolling hills of Kentucky dreaming of what could have been.

28. Isaiah Matthews, TE, Coos Bay +3
The first tight end to leave the board looks mighty fine after training camp. Fans of the Red Rocks can’t be too uptight over that.

29. Desmond Acevedo, C, Mt. Washington -4
Acevedo was a strong candidate for top center in the draft class. Even though he slipped some in training camp, it appears that Acevedo is destined to find his way onto the field for the Coyotes. Whether that will be as a starter or as a backup…we’ll see.

30. Loren Larochelle, DT, Hawaii -3
One of two names on most boards at the top of the DT column, Larochelle drops three at camp and the arguments can go on as to which is better because…

31. Casey Donovan, DT, Columbus City +1
…the Assassins pick up the other obvious option at the position and get a one-point bump to his overall. Let the argument rage on!

32. Thomas Hall, QB, Las Vegas -9
The fourth quarterback taken in the first round probably has already had his career highlight delivered by hearing his name called as a first round selection. Hall’s combination of low pass accuracy and look-off ratings scream interceptions from my vantage.

Good practice Bombers!

THE RETURN OF THE THREE BLIND SQUIRRELS

Sure, anyone can look at recent history and declare that it is Parlor CIty's league to lose after the Phantoms have rolled to three straight Elite Bowl titles and enough partying to make some college frat houses jealous of the action. But fortunately for the Blind Squirrels, they can't see and therefore are totally oblivious to just how bad they've missed the boat on the EFL order fo things.

On the other hand, the little rodents do manage to get a few things right and foresaw some unheralded teams mixing it up for possible wild card slots late into last season. So at least give them some credit.

That said...the acorn-hoarding beasties are once again going to stiff Parlor City, much to the chagrin of 31 other teams in the league. This is starting to become like the No. 5 spot in the Bottom 10 rankings...nobody REALLY thinks they mean what they say when excluding the Phantoms. Except maybe the Phantoms.

Anyhow, let's get into it...the Squirrels broke down the preseason action and said that in the Stars Conference we are looking at Lyon, Rochester, Salem and Tallahassee holding up divisional titles after Week 16's dust settles. The coveted Wild Card slots got tagged for...Hawai'i and Star City.

(Translation: Start fitting Parlor City for ring No. 4 now...)

Over on the Stripes side of the action, the predicted divisional champs are Glendora, New Jersey, Milwaukee and Charleston. Wild Card recipients are forecast to be Coos Bay and Mt. Washington.

All those folks will be thrown onto a bracket where the Squirrels take a pinch of this, a dash of that and eventually point the fuzzy cursed tail of doom toward a championship game featuring Lyon and New Jersey.

With the Crusaders carrying the hardware into their new digs to punctuate their first east-coast season.

You are all now free to ridicule the blind squirrels.

The squirrels better be as blind as you say they are because the Crush feel a little disrespected especially after a 13-3 season. And heading into week 1 versus our hated Glendora match-up. We hope to set the tone for 2030 season of the EFL early!!!

I, for one, would never poke fun at myopic rodents who play with their nuts. :)

ELITE LEAGUE KICKS OFF 2030 SEASON

The 2030 season kicked off in the same way the 2029 season ended, namely with Parlor City celebrating a victory. This one came by a 38-8 count as Nether Realm Stadium hung a third championship banner into place before a raucous crowd. Edward Huff rushed for 141 yards and two scores on just 14 carries of the football. Tony Strait added 341 yards and a pair of TD’s through the air in the one-sided win over Arkansas.

Bennington 29, Brooklyn 20…The Bulldogs built a 29-6 lead before a pair of late fourth quarter TD’s returned the margin to something more respectable for Brooklyn fans. Tom Walker had a pair of picks for the ‘dogs, including one that was returned for a score in the contest.

Coos Bay 30, Rancho Cucamonga 3…the Ocean Floor was rolling in the season opener for Coos Bay, which rushed for three TD’s in the contest. Brian Moore had two of those scoring carries to lead the way.

Tennessee 20, Tacoma 10…First the Bandits robbed Santa Fe for a nickname, now they’re stealing Tacoma’s thunder to open the year. Samuel Downs returned a kickoff 110 yards for a score and Roger Spies added a 62-yard interception return for a touchdown.

New Jersey 34, Milwaukee 3…Jacob Perez threw for 330 yards and a trio of touchdowns as New Jersey made itself at home inside its new digs. Mark Lofton had 96 receiving yards for the Crusaders, who posted 17 points in both the second and third quarters.

Perth 18, Mt. Washington 9…The Wallabies rallied from a 9-3 deficit on the scoreboard with a pair of touchdowns in the final 18 minutes of action. Jeremy Franklin scored the go-ahead TD on a 4-yard rush, part of a 109 all-purpose yard night for him.

Charleston 28, Columbus City 24…Jeffrey Hughes’ 8-yard TD run with just over 12 minutes remaining proved to be the game-winner for the Geechee and was one of three rushing TD’s scored by the 7-year vet, who had never previously recorded a score in either the regular or the postseason (he did have 2 in the 2029 preseason though). The Assassins’ Michael Hardnett had a solid 322-yard, 3 TD night for Columbus City in the loss.

Glendora 31, Canton 24…John Claypoole had 208 all-purpose yards, including touchdowns on the ground and via reception to lead the Dragons over the Crush in a marquee Week 1 matchup of title hopefuls. David Puddy’s 426-yard night throwing the ball was actually eclipsed by Canton QB Keith Scott’s 470 yards, 182 of which went to Thomas McDaniel, who caught both Scott TD passes. Jerry Dycus with 15 tackles for the Crush.

San Diego 37, Santa Fe 13…Robert Burkett threw for 191 yards and three TD’s as the Riptide breezed past Santa Fe in the season opener. Wesley Greenwell was on the receiving end of two of the scoring throws.

Tallahassee 31, Boise 0…Anthony Dunn ran for a pair of first-quarter TD’s as part of a 21-point Talon blitz out of the gate. James Harris added 224 yards and 2 scores through the air and the Talon D provided three interceptions to defeat the Burn.

Lyon 21, Star City 3…Chris McNally accounted for the bulk of the Lyon offense with 251 passing yards and a pair of TD’s, lifting the Kings above the Golden Pterodactyls by a 21-3 count. Star City grabbed the lead, converting McNally’s only miscue into three points early in the second quarter. From there, it was all Lyon as the Kings threw a pair of TD’s on the board and never allowed the Golden Pterodactyl offense to get traction.

Toronto 17, St. Louis 13…Adam Bennett broke free for a 53-yard touchdown reception in the final minute of the game to crush the soul of St. Louis fans hopeful their team would pull out the season-opening win. Nathaniel Finley threw for 217 yards and a pair of TD’s, including the game-winner for Toronto.

Fort Drum 19, Las Vegas 0…Scott Phillips ran for a score and David Toliver had a 14-yard scoring reception as the Hefty Buffalo shut out Las Vegas to begin the season. The Fort Drum D was in midseason form, holding the Wampas to fewer than 200 yards in the contest.

Reno 20, Hawai’I 13…Reno transformed two second-half Islander fumbles into 10 points on the scoreboard to make the difference in a 20-13 win. Reno’s win came despite being out-gained by 135 yards in the contest as the Islanders made just one appearance into the red zone and struggled to just 2-for-11 on third-down conversions.

Natchitoches 16, Maine 13…Terry Melvin caught Jason Rodriguez’s flip at the goal line with less than 2 minutes remaining to lift the Snappers over the Event. That Maine was in the contest at all was a testimony to the strength of its D. Maine QB Jasper Sheppard had an utterly forgettable debut with the Event, throwing six picks, four of them to Wayne Burns.

Salem 13, Rochester 6…Salem leaped to a 13-0 halftime advantage and held off Rochester throughout the second half to secure an impressive road victory. Jose McCauley with 163 all-purpose yards and a TD reception for the Witches.

Great write up and review on the top draft picks Red! Ive noticed that the top ten tend to have more busts that booms in drafts, especially with 50 or more vol.

My "experiment" has been working so far, no big boomers but nice progress overall and the position switches look good.

So when your team is still a tight unit.......and you don't really think you can win a 4th LC in a row......but then after too many Hennessey and lava tube grown herb.......we like........**** it......maybe somehow we can.

So just 6 minutes before the team sprints out of the locker room every game this season.............this is the anthem!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QgZ6UPi74Y