miked
02-09-2007, 11:38 AM
<DIV><IMG src="http://www.united-baseball.org/images/bozeman.gif"></DIV><DIV>Tuesday, February 6. 2007</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV><STRONG><FONT size=4>Draft finished, Kodiaks looking toward preseason.</FONT></STRONG></DIV><DIV><STRONG><FONT size=4></FONT></STRONG></DIV><DIV>With the draft wrapping up, things are starting to get exciting in quiet Montana. Since the city was granted a new World Order of Football (WOOF) franchise, the citizens of Bozeman have been following the supplemental draft with a vigor only seen when ski season dawns upon them. Team management had 2 stated goals before the draft...run the ball and stop the run. It's beginning to look like that may have been acheieved, as the Kodiaks picked up one of the league's top running backs early on, and then beefed up the line a bit. In between all that, team GM Mike Davis picked up some linebackers and defensive backs, hoping to use a clock-management game in the soon to be frozen tundra of the Kodiak's Den. With temperatures hovering in the teens after October, it will be a visitor's nightmare and the Kodiaks will certainly look to ice the opposition.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Since many around these parts are new to professional football, let's take a gander at the roster breakdown.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV><U>Quarterbacks:</U> This unit is all rookies and headed by Washington State standout <STRONG>Norman Vance</STRONG> (17/52). Norman has already sent some shockwaves through the team as he announced his presence by claiming Bozeman as his team, upsetting the team leader Deron Jamison. Vance clearly has some upside, but will management tolerate his brashness long enough to see the fruits of their efforts?</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV><U>Runningbacks:</U> With their first pick in the dispersal draft, the Kodiaks selected <STRONG>Deron Jamison</STRONG>, a big runner from South Carolina. They will be relying on his versatility to carry the load, as he can run both inside and out. The major knock on him has been his ability to evade defenders, but with his speed management is hoping those troubles are behind him. his soft hands will make for a nice outlet, should Vance decide to get the ball in the flat. Behind Jamison is the rookie <STRONG>Daryl Reed</STRONG>. Reed is still quite raw, but does possess some abilities the Kodiaks like. Blocking for the RBs will be a sore spot for now, as <STRONG>RJ Andruzzi</STRONG> isn't much. But look out for rookie <STRONG>Wendall Brennan</STRONG>, who has some nice blocking talent but needs some more development time.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV><U>Offensive line:</U> Another area that new GM Mike Davis focused on during the draft. Veteran center <STRONG>Charlie Whiting</STRONG> will see a ton of action up the middle. He is a nice overall blocker and is backed up by <STRONG>Mercury Putman</STRONG>, who also blocks well for the run. The team is very excited about their young guards, though it could be a long learning season for all involved. Right guard <STRONG>Rick Domis</STRONG> has immense talent, and left guard <STRONG>Bart Hawkins</STRONG> does as well, though is a little raw for now. Both are quite young and could anchor a smashmouth attack for years. The tackles are a little moreso on the bubble. Right tackle <STRONG>Riddick Lang</STRONG> is the clear future there, with a very nice skillset, but the team is still not convinced on <STRONG>Wally Gibbons</STRONG>. Though Gibbons is considered quite good against the run, the young QBs could use a little more help stopping the rush.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV><U>Defensive line:</U> It's going to be a long season on the front. Big 6'6" <STRONG>Karl Coleman</STRONG> will anchor the 3-4 and the team will be leaning a lot on him all season. The ends are looking pretty bleak, with stopgap <STRONG>Sammy Chong</STRONG> and a handful of rookies. The team is hoping there will be some decent development, as rookies like <STRONG>Max Smaron</STRONG> and <STRONG>Julio Lindquist</STRONG> have some promise, but it's going to be a very long season. <STRONG>Nicky Turner</STRONG> will mentor the young DTs and the team may eventually switch to the 4-3 if their development improves.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV><U>Linebackers:</U> This is the pride of the defensive unit. We hear that GM Mike Davis personally selected several of these LBs himself, trying to get a well-rounded unit to compensate for the lack of line depth. The Kodiaks will run a 3-4 with <STRONG>Leonard Hancock</STRONG> and <STRONG>Maurice Ritschel</STRONG> on the inside. The 7 year vets both stop the run and should make it quite difficult for opponents to run up the middle. <STRONG>Terry Ursini</STRONG> and <STRONG>Barry Price</STRONG> will man the outside. Both are also quite good at stopping the run, but may also have a little coverage ability. Backup <STRONG>Norm McDade</STRONG> has some pass rush abilities and should filter in to spell Price and Ursini on the outside.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV><U>Secondary:</U> Another pleasant surprise was LCB <STRONG>Earl Corbett</STRONG>. Figuring him to be a placeholder until the safeties became involved, he turned out to have a nice skillset for the scheme. His man coverage skills are fairly good, and should only get better with time. While not a turnover machine, he can keep an eye on opposing WRs just fine and reads the QB pretty well. Starting opposite him will be <STRONG>Byron Rhinehart</STRONG>. Another cover CB, Byron is still raw as he is a rookie, but should end up being pretty good in both man and zone coverage. The backups are nothing to write home about, though rookie <STRONG>Bernard Spencer</STRONG> may eventually become a good nickel back. The safeties are exceptional and should make a tough run defense even better. FS <STRONG>Kirk Bridges</STRONG> is a run stopping machine, but also has elite abilities in man and zone coverage. He's becoming more of a ball hawk, and that should support the CBs quite well. SS <STRONG>Wally Baulig</STRONG> is a veteran and leader of the unit. He's looking to be an interception machine, no doubt due to his ferocious hitting ability. His presence in the unit keeps opposing WRs honest across the middle, and he forces lots of turnovers with his aggresive play. He's no slouch against the run either. If we ever see a backup, <STRONG>Bubba Clark</STRONG> can stop the run, and <STRONG>Otis Wilson</STRONG> is a nice ball hawk as well.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV><U>Overall:</U> Bozeman seems to have the pieces for a nice run this season, but rookie GM Mike Davis is inexperienced and still tinkering with the offense. If Deron Jamison can get good run blocking up front, and Bozeman can get Norm Vance under control, the defense may be good enough to carry them to a playoff spot. If Jamison stumbles, or Vance thinks he can take over, it's going to be a long season.</DIV><DIV></DIV>