Rocky Mountain Football League

Every year the RMFL is at a crossroads; a breaking point at its existence to make a change. This is stated every single year and for once, I think it really, truly is. The RMFL/UFL merger occurred during the 2004 season. No one really knew the difference in competition between the three states (Utah, Idaho, and Montana). And now here we are; ten years later, we have what many call the “Super 4”, but where exactly does every team lie?

When the league merged it was one of the best things to happen in our region concerning semi-pro football. We were able to unite 3 states and become one of the larger semi-pro leagues in the country. After going two years as one big league, we learned that there was truly a separation between the top and the bottom of the league. In 2006, came the AA/AAA split. The split was truly a great thing until a few things messed up that system besides the growth and development of the league. (The league allowing the AAA runner up Madison/Eastern Idaho Lionz to move down two years later, the Logan Stampede and Great Falls Gladiators to stay down after winning the AA championship to name a few.) But that’s the past. The RMFL has turned a new leaf, and I for one think it’s one of the best things we’ve ever done. Credit due to Ryan Verwey aka thatguy, he thought of this a year ago, just ask him. Although he just barely made an account a month ago with his name and he mentioned it to Luke Eyre last year when he was a brand new GM, or not even a member of the league technically before the 2013 league meeting, but what do I know?

The league lacks true knowledge, Turk has tried, RUMOR has tried, Nighthawk, Tinfoil, all these other aliases, but no one will ever fill the void of Colby. What Colby did from 2004-2012 will never be outdone. These aliases don’t have the time or sources like Colby had. Oh and for those who don’t know Colby was “The Follower???”.

He was the Batman and I was the Joker. I’d post something worth reading and he’d write one too. The league needs that, but the fact that NO one knew who he was, or where he played, if he played, that made it better. Now a day, we’ll have people who try, but they won’t ever be him. (Because over half of you guys don’t even know what you’re talking about.)

Now, to the fun stuff:

How do you rank teams that you know nothing about? How do you actually rank teams that are technically already ranked by the league to start the season? Easy, you state what you know and you go off of that. Here are my rankings for the “NEW” RMFL AAA based on division. And then I’ll drop some knowledge along the way.

MONTANA

1.       Montana Blaze – How do you not rank the Blaze here? Compared to the other three teams the Blaze have been a pretty dominant team when they are around. Shane Jurasek is probably the best QB to ever play in this league that has come out of Montana and yes, he’ll be wearing Blaze uniforms this year. Buckreus is back on the defensive side of the ball and in MY OPINION (had to type that in CAPS to reiterate my point) the Bitterroot Blaze of 2007 may just be back. (I consider the 2007 Bitterroot team to be one of the best AA teams in RMFL history) The biggest thing that hurts this team is that Justin Nixon isn’t back (or is he) and Jamie Jones is long gone. Besides that, with their schedule and with a QB, they easily get the #1 seed in Montana.

2.       Great Falls Gladiators – The only reason they don’t get the #1 seed is because they don’t have a QB. They could’ve possibly won the ship again last year had the AAA Boise Generals not sandbagged the AA last year. They do lose a QB which means the dude who got benched aka Matthew Gambrell will probably start and be back on the boards yappin away about how he is an ATH-A-LETE and how the Gladiators are the best in the world again. Well, the good news is they are back and they are in the AAA and they aren’t the only MT team in the AAA. So if they succeed they prove us all wrong, but if they fail, well they’ll be on here to make something up sooner than later.

3.       Billings Bullets – Now to be honest, I don’t know anything about these guys. When they first came into the league there was so much hype around how these guys were going to be so good. Well, here’s there chance to prove it. Being seeded #3 in the MT division to start gives these guys a bit of chance to see where they stand. If the two teams above them falter, they can make some noise. Something tells me they have two games circled on their calendar for sure. And trust me, if I could, I’d actually want to grab a teriyaki bowl and check it out myself! They get the nod over the Locos, just because they’ve been around, but… (See Below)

4.       Laurel Locos – One of the best things said at the league meeting was this: “They can be in the league if they change their piece of **** logo.” I about died hearing that. Anyways, these guys broke off from the Billings Bullets so little is known about the actual talent that will be on the field. However, their Owner did state that he “did not actively recruit” anyone from the Billings Bullets. (15 minutes later) He did state he “only actively recruited TWO players” from the Billings Bullets. My point is this; they say they are going to be a farm team for the new Billings indoor professional team. They preached to a group of GMs who die by the mantra of “weekend warriors” that their team is not a bunch of “weekend warriors”. Well, the target is set, you can’t go out and say you’re better than everyone and not expect everyone to prove that you aren’t. Either prove you deserve to be on your high horse, or be ready to get knocked off. Can’t rank them higher because right now, they’re like most of Montana. All talk.

IDAHO

1.       Boise Generals – I flipped a coin for the top two spots in Idaho. No lie. I think I give the nod to the Matadors, but I can’t just knock off the defending champs in the AA just because. They do lose Rhode and Cam Hall, but they still have arguably one of the best LBs to play in this league in Zac Jockumsen back. If Brit is still running routes and Jerry Smith then they still have the talent to be good. The question is (and has been since the merger), can one of these Western Idaho teams find a stable QB to lead them to the promise land? If the Generals can find a decent QB, they’ll be exactly where they were last year dominating teams. The Generals in my opinion could’ve won the AAA championship last year had they played in the AAA. I firmly believe that and all my sources confirm it. The key to their success relies on who is behind center.

2.       Idaho Matadors – Kind of funny that less than a week before the league meeting some of their star players were on the internet trying to start an all Idaho league, and here they are finally playing in the AAA in the RMFL for the first time since 2007. Tom Dowers is a good ball player and he will lead his team, but it’s a whole new ball game now. The thing is, they just have to be better than three other Idaho teams to prove they are TOP 6 worthy, can they do it? The Matadors have been fairly consistent over the years, but what will put them over that hump? They’re like the Shock of the AA. They were close, but never hoisted that trophy. Well, the season is new and you can either be the best of the Top 6 or the best of the bottom 6. They’re going to be competing for one of them for sure.

3.       Arco Anarchy – The biggest problem for Arco is travel, they can’t consistently travel and I don’t blame them. Some of them (*cough* Jeb *cough*) have been playing in this league since I was a freshman… in high school. They know what it takes and they’ve played many big games throughout the years. I find it hard to rank them higher than this, but like the two teams above them, they need a QB. If Cody Jackson or Donovan  Ard or some of these past names come back (which I just threw old QB names out there), this team could be a force to reckon with. What teams were always able to compete with the powerhouse Utah teams back in the day? It was the Idaho Falls Mustangs, the Madison Lionz, aka the Idaho teams on the EAST. Don’t be surprised if they can do it again.

4.       Magic Valley Bulldawgs – This team surprised me the most last year. I don’t really know if it was the new management, the new STUD QB, or the fact that they didn’t have to play games knowing they were going out to just survive, but the Bulldawgs became relevant again. I’m only ranking them here because I have to. Because I truly believe that any of the four Idaho teams can be flip flopped and because I truly haven’t seen the Bulldawgs stay consistent throughout the years. It does seem that Ryan Verwey and crew have got things back on track and just like the #4 seed in MT, they just have to be better than the three above them to be relevant. Let’s see how the season plays out and maybe Ryan aka “thatguy” can finally not be a nobody.

Utah South

1.       Dixie Rebels – This team is one team that has NO choice but to be one of the best every year. No other team sells 1,000 tickets every game at least. No team has the community support that Dixie has. No team brings tanks, no other team shoots cannons after touchdowns. For years now the team down in Dixie is what everyone wants to model their team after. The atmosphere is great and the team is ALWAYS a force to be reckoned with. Since joining the league in 2009 the Dixie team (whether it be the Rebels or Blitz) have played in 3 out of 5 championships and won 2 of them. The 2011 team was one of the BEST teams in RMFL history.  And as I previously stated, they HAVE to be good. Nobody wants to watch a bad team. No community supports mediocrity. Yes they do lose Wayne, but Brandon is still there. They have a solid QB in Draper and until I hear differently former All Big 12 Misi Tupe still lives down south. That alone makes me scared. HAHA!

2.       Wasatch Revolution – I can’t be the guy who votes one of the “Super 4” not 1 or 2 in their division. That’d be silly! Charlie Peterson has only not played in 2 championship games since joining the league in 2008. That alone is a scary stat. Charlie is back for another year which probably means Drage is back and that alone makes them decent. You add that Levine, Solo, and Mapu are back and that makes them a little scarier. Although they have Dansby pulling off his best Richard Sherman impression every game (minus the skillset), this team will be good. With 2013 Co-Newcomer of the Year Deangelo Branche back, this team will be contending again. But—wait. Charlie sold the team. Frank Padilla is now the Owner. Jeremy Williams is now the Head Coach, and Max Thomas is the Defensive Coordinator. Wait, what?! And I guess you guys can come play at Taylorsville too. Don’t worry we didn’t want to play there. Awesome!  If the conflicts resolve itself and things go alright, the REV will still be one of the SUPER 4 when the season ends, but it’s always nice to throw drama out there. This is after all—the RMFL.

3.       Utah Cobras – The Cobras made some noise last year in the AA and have definitely made vast improvements. Jaye and gang have done some big things and have gotten better each year in the league. They do lose their QB in Jordan Wager to the Shock, but I think (rumor has it) they won’t miss a beat with Joey Collins. Joey has had experience in the RMFL and is doing quite well in the UUIFA. He’s grown up and he was a decent QB when he played for Jordan High a few years back. As the QB of the Titans in indoor, they are in the championship game this week so if I was a Cobra player, I’d be really excited. The biggest problem for the Cobras is age. They have a lot of young players. Having played in the league 10+ years, the biggest hurdle for any of these young players is to realize that being All-Region or All-State means nothing when you’re an 18-19 year old kid playing against grown men. Let’s see how fast these kids grow up.

4.       Rocky Mountain Mudducks – These guys folded in indoor. RED FLAG! No, but remember Robert Cagle wasn’t running the team. These guys are the victim of the age bug. They get new players, who look cute with their back plates out, cute with their visors, cute with their game pictures on Twitter and Facebook, but they don’t look cute playing football. It’s one thing to play semi-pro football, but it’s another thing to play and compete. I don’t care how many rings some of you have, or what European German C league you played in, you have to consistently play week in and week out. Tyler has righted the ship, and like the Desperados I think they will continue to get better. Let’s just hope he doesn’t let anyone come in and ruin it like before. The Mudducks will stay 4^th until players truly commit to “quacking”.

Utah North

1.       Utah Stealth – Two time champs. Two rings. You cannot put back to back champions at less than ranking than #1. It would be dumb, it would be disrespectful! IK will run the rock and the O-line will stay massive. Sam Thomas (my other Co-Newcomer of the Year) will be difficult to guard and he will put up MVP like numbers again. The question is this: What happens when Wissler maintains the team and gets them to the playoffs and Steve Vincent is ready to come back and play towards the end of the season? Remember Wiss led them to championship #1 and Vincent championship #2. Vincent will be calling the O and that will help, but they are two different QBs. Another story will be the players who only played half the season—last year they only had to be better than 1 team to make the playoffs. This year is a little different. Why was the Stealth representative at the league meeting SO against playing 4 games to be eligible? His reasoning was the Stealth’s $250 team fee. ($250?! Yikes!) A valid argument, but if a player has to pay $250 to play why is it that the team sent a representative to a league meeting with $0 when $1400 was due Friday night? I’m confused? Am I airing dirty laundry? I bet I get a text… Anyways, if the Stealth show up and make it in the top 6, watch out, because a 3-peat is truly possible. But let’s hope we don’t have to talk about player eligibility at the league meeting again with this team. . It’s just rec football, right?

2.       Utah Shock – The best team in the regular season for two years in a row. But the regular season doesn’t mean ****, so the Shock sucks. The reality: they don’t know who they lose or who they return. The catch: JK is gone, but is he? I can sit here and tease and joke, but that’s not really fair to what I’m trying to do. The reason the Shock came back last year and this year, is because this is my BABY. I built this team from the ground up and I truly want the Shock to be around to provide young men a place to play football and build on or relive their dreams. In order to have a team to last until the future, you have to find the “The Future”. And I think I have—QB Jordan Wager had a great coming out party last year for the AA Cobras and now he is the QB of the Shock. Will this set them back? Will they improve? I don’t really know, because we haven’t practiced yet. I do know, that Jordan Wager is not Jordan Kjar. But he doesn’t have to be. Reigning MVP Matt Thornton returns after recruiting trips to the Stealth failed. LOL. But we do lose Head Coach Jared Emerick. Although many don’t think that’ll hurt us, I do know that Jared did a lot and he will be hard to replace and I can’t thank him enough for all his years with us. But the real question is, how will the transition go? Only time will tell, but with what I seen, the Shock will be a force to reckon with as always ---until the playoffs. Womp—womp.

3.       Logan Stampede – What!? Why!? Easy—The Stampede was one bad pass interference call away from defeating the Utah Stealth in their last game in the RMFL. That’s why. Another reason is—Mike Jenkins. Was he the best QB when he played? No—Did he win multiple MVP awards? No—BUT he was as consistent as they come. When Mike played with the Devil Dogs, Rockets, and Stampede, his presence on the field made them a contender. He made them automatically someone you couldn’t overlook. The best teams in the RMFL are the teams no one really talk about, no one really knows about, but they continually, do what we truly are all here for—they play hard nose- football. Stampede #3 folks.. MIKE--- JENKINS—

4.       Brigham Sting – Who reads the board the most? The Sting. Who’s my favorite QB play for? The Sting. Who do I have the most respect for? The STING management. So who has the most to gain when someone likes me ranks them last? THE STING!!! It’s no coincidence that I put them here. It’s not a knock on their talent or if I think they are good or not. It’s that they play in the same division as my team, the defending champs and someone other team. That’s the luck of the draw I guess. They didn’t dominate the teams I thought they would, and well they are still a second year team. Belford will lead the D and Thurber will lead the O. If they can stay healthy and not get too caught up in trying to be the best in one season, this team has the most to gain in the RMFL. Luke has a vision that a lot of people laughed at. Trust me—I’m not laughing. I’m hoping he pulls it off. This team will be around years to come if they realize all their accomplishments aren’t going to come in 1,2, or even maybe 5 years. If the team stays true to each other—on and off the field. Don’t be surprised to hear the STING a part of a “Super” group sooner than later. Until then… you’re ranked #4. So prove me wrong. Or don’t… either way I kind of don’t care.

With that, I promise to write more—

Stay healthy…see you all soon.