Call it biased, call it what you want, but here it is: reading material.
This site is absolute dog trash, the bickering leading up to the season, the old aura of the chatroom, the forum, and the chit chat amongst current, former and future friends no longer exist, so we have very little to go on. So here it is, a preseason write-up probably not worth reading, but you’ll read it anyways.
The AAA is easy to do, easy to write about, easy to get information on, and easy to hear rumors. The one thing about the AAA this year is, well it’s not easy to predict. With the exception of the REV and Stealth, not many people thought that would be the championship matchup. It was, and it was a great game in fact. Although I pictured myself in the game itself, I wasn’t, but I was able to watch a lot of my close friends battle it out to become a RMFL champion. A lot of guys earned respect for their play that day. As if they needed me to respect them, but what a game.
Now it’s time to write about the 5 teams this year though. Obviously I only hear things or talk to certain people, but take what I say with a grain of salt. Half the time I write something on here, half of you get all fired up and literally want to beat me up. Like, really? You want to beat me up? Go you.
MUDDUCKS
The Mudducks had a fairly disappointing season last year. They were literally a few inches, a few plays away from making their second consecutive playoffs, when they literally let it slip away, within inches. The thing about this team that I do know is this: they have a core group of players with a solid management group and they will compete.
The positive thing is they have a Head Coach in Tyler Garcia. Tyler knows his stuff, despite his departure from the Stealth, which I still think he was done dirty, Tyler built the Desperado team from a AA team to a AAA contender. He knows how to make teams succeed, and with him alone, this team may make strides. Only problem is, they’re probably the odd team out.
The reason I say that is this, the four other teams have proven QB’s on their teams. They even have proven back-ups on them. Not trying to knock on Hans here, but the only thing he’s accomplished is that he played in Europe, which doesn’t say much these days. Rumor has it they have two others competing with one of them being a “Major” athlete.Only problem is this, if you haven’t played QB since 7th grade, can you play QB against the REV and Levine? How about Suka’s defense? Ev’s? Oh, don’t forget about the Rebel boys. They’re kinda good or something. At the end of the day, this team still battles it out, but with the loss of the Dutton boys, new players, especially grown men who are treated like a high school team, usually end up playing like one. Mudducks, mad love, but just not enough.
SHOCK
I thought these guys were done? Up until October, we were. It took some solid convincing for me to return to run the team, but it happened, and here we are. The Shock seems to peak at the wrong times and play the blame game. Statistically, the 2012 team was probably the best team ever put out by myself, but again, they blew it, they choked, they didn’t make it to the big game. Out of the 5 teams, only two haven’t won a championship in the past 5 years, and the Shock is one of them.
A team who usually bring the same guys back with a few additions will be good, but will they be better than the other 3 teams above them? Only time will tell. They do lose a key contributor and offensive MVP candidate for some time, but they/we still have Jordan Kjar. There has never been a game in the last 7 years where Jordan dressed that I didn’t think we would have a chance at winning. I have mad respect for Jordan, and it truly has been an honor to play alongside him and watch him play. But he needs help, will the rest of us provide enough to make it so Jordan isn’t the Dan Marino of the RMFL?
He’s arguably one of the best QB’s who has ever played in this league. The numbers don’t lie, but will it only be about the hardware? Will that determine his legacy?
The rest of the team is intact with a few returning players who were KEY to our success in the past. Will this be the year? Or will it be another let down, another disappointment, and another field level seat to watch the championship game.
REBELS
The other team more shocked than the SHOCK after the semi-final round has to be this team. Not many teams go down to Dixie and win. Well, the REV did it and to be honest, a lot of people still don’t know how. In a perfect world, I thought Wayne and Andy would’ve won back to back to back and rode off in the sunset. Rumor has it they only returned to offer their services to someone who may eventually take over once it’s all said and done.
On and off the field the Rebels set a standard that not many (if any) will ever meet. Nothing but respect for what Andy, Wayne and Sarge did after taking over the Blitz team. Not only did they not miss a beat after the 2010 championship, they produced arguably the best RMFL team that has ever played in 2011. But now what? Diarra has been seen at camp and with Diarra means you have a solid QB, a championship QB who can lead you to the promise land. The only thing stopping this team from making back to the ship is health. The health of key players was the demise of this team late in the season. If they stay healthy, I might just cry. I can’t wait to play in St. George again against these guys. It’s truly a great experience for the fans, the families, and as a player, nothing is more exciting than playing a great team in a great environment.
REV
As I sat down to write this, I realized an interesting stat: Charlie Peterson has been apart of this league since 2008. Since 2008, Charlie has only NOT played in one championship game. He’s won one and Charlie is still an elite QB in this league. Like Fields, Kjar, and Wissler, Charlie has proven himself to be a competitor and puts his team in position every year to make a run. They were literally feet, maybe inches away from winning the championship last year. As long as CP17 stays healthy, the REV will strive.
The defense was questioned throughout last year, but when questioned, they answered. I’ve heard the least about the REV defense, but as long as Solo and Levine are running around with Pert Plus in their hair, watch out. Having heard the least about the REV, they still finished second. Ryan Lang still went beast mode and put his team on his back in the championship, and maybe that’s what this team needs to go over that hump and return to the promise land, a leader not by vocals, but by play.
Rumor has it JD is done. But if he’s done, they why did the Dutton’s go over to play with JD? And better get it all cleared up, because one of them still is suspended for 2 games. I’ll be watching.
STEALTH
The CHAMPS. That’s it. Not much more to say than that. No matter what anyone says, at the end of the day they are the champs. If you don’t know it already, they’ll let you know. I respect them for what they did last season, and for having a lot of friends over there, I respect them for being the champs. Ev and his defense will always be great and if they have Harold Ragin, they’ll always be that much better.
I think what rubbed so many people wrong once they did win it, wasn’t because of the team that won it, but it was because half the guys who bought championship rings and flaunted it way too much was the same guys who thought the PDFL was a better option than the RMFL just a year before. I understand for being proud of your accomplishments and for being a champion, you deserve that. But half the guys were going to do bigger and better things as a pro athlete in the PDFL but now you’re rubbing it in your peer’s faces that you’re the RMFL champ? Huh?
Either way, this team returns a monster line, returns never aging Wissler and that great defense. (I didn’t forget O-MVP, IK either) That alone should make them the early favorite to repeat. But we know how difficult it is to repeat in this league and with only 5 teams, who knows. The fact still remains though. The Stealth are the champions and until someone beats them, they are the champs. But if their hands are heavy with one ring, I can only imagine the knuckle dragging with two. It can happen and don’t be surprised if it does.
Well with that being said, it’s either every game matters or only the last two in June do. Look at any way you want, but these teams are guaranteed to meet twice, and some teams will meet up 3 times, there can’t be excuses now: the best will win and the best will survive. You have 5 not just good teams, but great teams. Who will survive in the end? The answer to some of those questions kick off in less than a month.
I wanted to add something to what you said about Coach Garcia in your posting. Before I knew him as my husband or even my friend, I knew him as the man that the team I owned wanted to put as head coach for them. I sat down with him and listened to his history, his thoughts, his plans and his ideas of how to make a team a team. Not a WINNING team, but a team.
After that meeting I started to learn about Coach Garcia as a person. His ethics, morals, beliefs and of course his football knowledge. I had never met a man that I could sit down with that could look at a team and watch them for a few days and say "okay this is where this guy should go", or "that guy should go here" and in the same breath or on the same day, say "hey there is this guy that needs our help with (whatever personal thing they needed help with) and mean every word he said no matter what it was about. Tyler does know football, he loves football but what he loves more than football is watching people develop on and off the field. From child to adult he has compassion and passion for the development of people and their successes.
He never speaks ill of people even when they walk over him or talk negative about him. He in fact will continue to help people even if they have done him wrong and has.
Given that, the decision to go to the Mudd Ducks was one that we discussed ad depth to ensure this is what we wanted to do and what was right for him. At the end of the day, Tyler loves and wants to coach. He is an incredible coach with a great depth of understanding and knowledge of the game and the players he has. Owning a team, as you know, requires time and energy that he would rather put to use coaching, guiding, teaching and encouraging. He is right where he should be- with a team that has great potential and skill but most of all, they have heart! The heart to play as a team, work as a team and win as a team (when their time is right.) Will that be this year, maybe, next year maybe...Noone really knows. But what we do know is that any given Saturday a win is going to happen for some team in tthe RMFL. The Stealth won on a Saturday, but it could have been the Rev (for those who have seen that game they know this is true.) The Mudd Ducks will have their day and with the addition of Coach Tyler to a team that already has that potential, it will happen! All teams have the potential to be the Champs, but egos and attitudes won't get that championship!
A team is made of heart, passion, skill and teamwork. The Mudd Ducks along with many other teams in this league have all 4 and then some!
Good luck to the AAA and the AA teams. Play safe, play strong and win big!
Where is this kind of material on the message board been. Have to say thanks to the props from you Kyto. Its cliche, but this is truly a TEAM game and we all punched that ball in the endzone to tie it up when it mattered last year in the ship.
Kyto, is it not your responsibility to take on the Follower's message board write ups since he was on your roster for so many years? I sure think so!
Season's right around the corner and I couldn't be more excited to battle it out with my friends throughout the AAA. RMFL 2013 baby......it is almost here.
