PRESEASON TRAINING CAMP TOUR/TEAM BREAKDOWN/PREDICTIONS

AXC

AXC WEST
Vancouver 11-5
Oakland 10-6 (WILDCARD)
Indiana 9-7
Kansas City 9-7

AXC EAST
Buffalo 12-4
Miami 9-7
New England 4-12
New York 3-13

AXC NORTH
Pittsburgh 11-5
Cincinnati 10-6 (WILDCARD)
Toronto 10-6
Houston 8-8

AXC SOUTH
Dakota 12-4
Orlando 10-6 (WILDCARD)
Texas 8-8
Daytona 1-15

AXC WEST

Vancouver 11-5
Oakland 10-6 (WILDCARD)
Indiana 9-7
Kansas City 9-7


Vancouver Vandals
OWNER (YEARS): dbmm (3rd season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 13-3 (1st)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 2 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 14th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 6th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 10th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 13th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 17th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 21st
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +1

OFFENSE
QB:Jon Bennett returns as starter for the 3rd season.
RB: Frank Williams returns as RB and has four 1,000+ YARD seasons in the past 5 seasons.
WR: All the top WRs return
TE: TE Klye Bermudez retired so Vancouver drafted 2 TEs (2nd/4th round) to fill the void.
OL: The starting 5 all return.

DEFENSE
DL: The starting front 4 return but they lack any depth and LDE Vicente is entering his 13 season.
LB: 3 of 4 LBs return but 5× ALLPRO SLB Andrew Reed retired and no replacement has been signed or drafted at the time of this writing.
DB: All 8 DBs return plus they drafted FS Alexander Black in the 1st round to add some youth to the group.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Both kickers return and Vancouver has 3 starting quality kickers on the roster. Gregory Dallas remains as the return specialist.

PREDICTION
11-5 (1st)
Offensively, they return everyone and add 2 rookie TEs who should easily replace the fading production of retired TE Bermudez.
Defensive, they lost a 5× ALLPRO LB and didn't replace him plus depth on the defensive line in a question.
They take a small step back but still do enough to win the division despite a tight race.

Indiana Fog
OWNER (YEARS): Mlowe (8th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 9-7 (3rd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 3 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 13th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 15th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 15th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 25th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 5th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 14th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +7

OFFENSE
QB: 2nd year QB Johnathon Cantu returns and should take a step forward in his 2nd season.
RB: All the RBs return including 1,000+ rusher Collins plus they drafted RB George Bailey in the 4th round.
WR: The top 3 WR return but WR4 Sowell left via free agency to Orlando so they drafted WR Arturo Griffin in the 4th round to replace him.
TE: 2× ALLPRO TE John Lee returns plus the other 2 TEs renain.
OL:

DEFENSE
DL: The starting 4 on the defensive line return plus all the backups and they added RDE Malcolm Thomas to increase competition.
LB: The team returns all 4 LBs from last season including 2× ALLPRO MLB Clifford Owens.
DB: They lost 3 DBs to retirement including 3× ALLPRO Efrain Waters and Fernando Thompson who made the HOF Ballot. They drafted CB Charles Sale in the 3rd round to mitigate some of the loses.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Both kickers plus the returner all remain on the team while they drafted K Steven Branch in the 4th round to challenge incumbent K Eduardo Flanagan who is coming off an ALLPRO season.

PREDICTION
9-7 (3rd)
Offensively, they should improve just from the QB progressing normally in his 2nd season.
Defensively, they lost 3 DBs that helped the team finish 5th in pass defense and did little to replace the loses.
They improve offensively while regressing defensively which amounts to finishing with the same record as last season.

Oakland Outlaws
OWNER (YEARS): Datsmallboi (9th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 11-5 (2nd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 2 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 2nd
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 14th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 6th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 1st
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 19th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 3rd
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +14

OFFENSE
QB: Robert Collins returns for 5th year as starter.
RB: All RBs return including 1,600+ YARD rusher RB John Love. They added FB Filiberto Charles in the 4th round of the draft.
WR: Top WR Edgar Plummer retired so they drafted WR Keith Ryan in the 5th round plus signed WR Michael Meade in free agency from Saint Paul.
TE: They lost aging TE Lee Bordeaux to free agency but top TE Ronald Turner returns.
OL: 4 of 5 starters return as they lost RT Jere Buck & LT Glenn Nance to retirement so they added LT Raymond Cunningham in the 3rd round of the draft plus RT Richard Peart signed in free agency.

DEFENSE
DL: All 4 starters return including former.ALLPRO RDE Shelby Harris. They lost RDE Lee Jack to FA so they drafted DT Erik Williams in the 6th round plus signed DT Columbo Douglas in free agency from Kansas City.
LB: All 4 staring LBs return including former ALLPRO MLB Anton Dupree.
DB: Top CB Garry Wiese retired so they signed SS Benjamin Sanders in free agency plus drafted Jerry Cook in the 1st round to replace the lose.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Both kickers and the main returner all remain.

PREDICTION
10-6 (2nd)
Offensively, they lost their #1 receiver and 2 offensive linemen so can they replace those loses and maintain their 6th ranked offense?
Defensively, they return a front 7 who led the league in run defense but they lost their top cover corner to retirement so can the free agent signing plus 1st round CB replace the lose of the veteran for their 19th ranked pass defense.
The loses of WR1 & CB1 mean a slight regression as the team fails to catch Vancouver for the division crown but they are a Wildcard team.


Kansas City Chaos
OWNER (YEARS): CaseyL (13th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 7-9 (4th)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 2 straight
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 20th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 8th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 13th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 29th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 2nd
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 19th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -10

OFFENSE
QB: QB Leonard Thompson returns but they signed QB Bart Rowland in free agency to a 6 year/161 million dollar contract in free agency to compete for the starting job. Thompson is entering year 13 and on the final year of his contract so despite posting his best season in 6 years, the writing is on the wall.
RB: The top two rushers return including 900+ YARD rusher Frank Lopez. They drafted RB Timothy Nunes in the 4th round to add youth & depth.
WR: All the top targets return with no additions.
TE: The entire TE group remains unchanged
OL: 4 of 5 starters return but C Travis Lancaster left via free agency to Buffalo so the team drafted C Jonathon Rosas in the 1st round to replace him.

DEFENSE
DL: The starting defensive line all return but KC invested heavily in upgrading the unit when they signed Adam Oglesby to a mega 6 year/196.4 million dollar contract in free agency out of Seattle. They also drafted LDE Daniel Rodriquez in the 5th round.
LB: The starters all return with just WLB Roger Deems departing via free agency to LA. They drafted 3 LBs to strengthen the unit, WLB Terry Mason (2nd), MLB Mario Charles (4th) and SLB William Childers (6th).
DB: The top 3 CBs return but they lost CB Michael Molter to retirement and made no external moves to replace him.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The Kicker & Returner remain but P James Soltero retired so they drafted P Dudley Roan in the 7th round to replace him.

PREDICTION
9-7 (4th)
Offensively, they finished 8th overall in pass offense last season and they gambled a ton of money that Bart Rowland can improve the passing game with essentially the same weapons.
Defensively, they ranked 2nd in passing defense but just 29th in rush defense so they signed a DT to a mega-deal plus drafted 3 LBs to reinforce the front 7.
If the QB gamble pays off and the additions on defense improve the run defense, they could challenge for the division.

AXC EAST

Buffalo 12-4
Miami 9-7
New England 4-12
New York 3-13

Buffalo Skull Crushers
OWNER (YEARS): Smirt211 (27th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 11-5 (1st)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 24 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 7th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 2nd
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 4th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 12th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 6th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 7th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -19

OFFENSE
QB: 2× ALLPRO & MVP QB Ricardo Dodds returns for his 9th season as starter.
RB: Top rusher WR Mario Peacock left via free agency to Saint Paul along with Dominick Marsh for a lose of 900+ yards of rushing. They will use a RB by committee approach again this season where they ranked 7th in rushing last season.
WR: Peacock was also the top receiver but they return 10 players who caught a pass last season plus they added veteran WR Clifford Mays, Douglas Rousch & Zachary Smith to mitigate the lose of Peacock.
TE: Gabriel Brey returns for his 3rd season with Buffalo
OL: They lost 3 OL to retirement plus 1 to free agency so they signed LT John Anderson, LT Leonard Morgan, LT Samuel Amos, LG Thomas Roosa, LG Charles Miles, C Travis Lancaster, RG Jonathon Dial, RG Kurt Adams & RT Christopher Contreras to join the 9 returning OL. Clearly, they plan to cut nearly half of the OL and establish a new starting 5.

DEFENSE
DL: 5 of 6 DL return as DT William Hice retired. They signed LDE George Anderson, DT Jack Hairston, RDE Lee Jack, RDE James Amico, RDE William Casey & RDE Fransico James to compete for playing time.
LB: 3 of 4 LB return as they lost WLB Joseph Washington to free agency and they added no replacement.
DB: 9 DBs return but they lost CB Dominick Marsh, CB George Clausen, FS Hal Browder & CB George Chisolm to free agency. They signed CB Lenny Dykstra, CB Gregory Bagwell, CB Evan Lehman, SS Johnny Farquhar & FS Tony Joyce in free agency to replace the loses.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Both kickers and the return specialist all remain.

PREDICTION
12-4 (1st)
Offensively, they are still led by 2× former league MVP Dodds at QB but the lose of Peacock who led the team in rushing & receiving will be hard to replace.
Defensively, many players left and many players were signed so we can only assume Buffalo's track record will continue and they finish with a top 10 defense.
They are an aging team (39 players in year 10+) and they lack speed on offense but the team has established a winning culture for decades so they will get the most out of the roster and their division isn't ready to challenge them at this point.

New England Crusaders
OWNER (YEARS): john97334 (21st season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 4-12 (3rd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 6 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 18th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 30th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 23rd
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 21st
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 12th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 18th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +0

OFFENSE
QB: They used 3 QBs last season and finished with the 30th ranked offense as a result. QB Ernest Lockwood, QB Bob Cunningham & QB Carlos Skor all return plus they drafted QB Reynaldo Cook in the 2nd round to further complicate matters. Lockwood is the front runner but he has never thrown more TDs then INTs in his 5 years with New England. Cunningham has been with the team 10 years and has the next best chance but rumors are he is on the trade block. That leaves 2nd year QB Shor & Rookie Cook who will be battling for the job.
RB: All the RBs return from last seasons 18th ranked Rush offense and again its a RB by committee.
WR: The top 3 WRs return but they lost depth when WR Michael Meade & WR Micah Corpus left via free agency. They drafted WR Dustin Peterson in the 3rd round & WR Kent Bowman in the 5th round to replace the loses.
TE: All 3 TEs return including leading receiver TE Norman Rost. They drafted TE Shawn Pryor who will try to Crack the top 3 TEs and make the roster.
OL: 9 of 10 offensive linemen return but they lost LT Kenneth Howell to retirement. They drafted LT Shawn Haupt in the 3rd round to fill the void.

DEFENSE
DL: The entire DL returns from the 21st ranked Rush defense.
LB: All 8 LBs return including former ALLPRO WLB Corey Brunswick & MLB Timothy Guerrero who are both nearing the back end of their career.
DB: Only 4 of 9 DBs return from last seasons 12th ranked pass defense. They lost 5 DBs to free agency including CB Jon Wright who signed with Indiana, CB Lawrence Abraham who signed with Philadelphia and both starting safties. They drafted CB John Bacon (6th round), CB Arthur Crosby (3rd round), CB Arthur Robinson (1st round) & SS Alan Witty (2nd round) to rebuild the depleted group. 1st rounder Robinson is considered an elite talent and should help last seasons best unit remains the best unit.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The unit returns intact from last season.

PREDICTION
4-12 (3rd)
Offensively, nothing much has changed as they still are searching for a starting QB and return their primary playmakers from last season.
Defensively, they spent serious draft capital rebuilding the best unit from last year's team. 1st rounder, Robinson could make them even better then last year if he meets his potential.
They totally reshaped their secondary this off-season and they drafted a defensive playmaker they should be able to build around for years.

New York Empire
OWNER (YEARS): Brohl (24th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 1-15 (4th)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 4 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 27th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 28th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 28th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 32nd
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 29th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 32nd
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +2

OFFENSE
QB: Taylor Rojas returns for his 6th season as starter for NY.
RB: All the RBs return from last seasons 27th ranked Rush offense. They added RB Ira Phillips in the 5th round.
WR: They lost their 2nd & 3rd leading WR to free agency when WR John Lewis signed with Houston while WR Ralph Lopez is still a free agent. They drafted WR Lester Griffith in the 1st round and WR Joseph Ward in the 6th round.
TE: They return starter TE Steve Finch who was 3rd on the team in receiving last season.
OL: 8 of 11 offensive linemen return including 4 of 5 starters as they lost LT Morgan Spangler to free agency when he signed a 2 year deal with Orlando plus 2 depth players who remain free agents. They drafted LT Kevin Becerra in the 7th round, C Robert Escalante in the 6th round & RG Michael Williams in the 7th round to fill out the depth they lost.

DEFENSE
DL: The starters return but they lost depth when RDE Travis Daugherty left via free agency and signed with Montana. They drafted RDE Barry Douglas in the 3rd round to replace the lose.
LB: The starters return including ALLPROS MLB Ted Sechrist & WLB Jose Dildy but they lost depth when MLB Richard Luther left in free agency. They drafted MLB Leroy Collins & MLB James Bring, both in the 4th round.
DB: The 29th PASS defense lost 3 DBs including top CB George Gauthier to free agency. They drafted CB Brian Girad in the 2nd round plus traded for CB Walter Olivarrua from Pittsburgh.

SPECIAL TEAMS
They lost K Jared Obrien in free agency to Saint Paul where he signed a 5 year/26 million dollar deal. They drafted K Chris Claycomb in the 5th round as it's his job to lose.

PREDICTION
3-13 (4th)
Offensively, they return the core of the 28th ranked offense from last season except they drafted 2 WRs who will be to fill in almost immediately. I can't see them improving much, if at all this season.
Defensively, they finished ranked 29th last season and replaced all their loses with draft picks this season plus a trade.
They definately got younger but if they are better remains to be seen.

Miami Nemesis
OWNER (YEARS): Brucehum (6th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 7-9 (2nd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 9 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 12th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 29th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 20th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 15th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 17th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 16th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -9

OFFENSE
QB: Hector Cruz returns for his 5th season as starter for Miami.
RB: All the RBs return including 900+ rusher George Shively. They added FB Leonard Rodriquez in the 7th round.
WR: Everyone who caught a pass last season return
TE: Both TEs return and they added TE Alan Brosseau via the draft in the 3rd round.
OL: 9 of 10 OL return including all 5 starters where they lost veteran backup C John Templeton to free agency when he signed a 1 year deal with Indiana. They drafted LT Caleb Baird in the 2nd round & RG Jeffrey Delvalle in the 6th round to add competition to the group.

DEFENSE
DL: The entire unit returns and they drafted DT John Green in the 1st round as the team attempts to improve the 15th ranked Rush defense.
LB: The entire unit returns plus they drafted SLB Harry Jones in the 3rd round, SLB James Paull in the 5th round to add youth & depth.
DB: The entire unit from the 17th ranked pass defense returns

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns.

PREDICTION
9-7 (2nd)
Offensively, they return most of last seasons 20th ranked offense and added some rookies throughout.
Defensively, they return the starting 11 plus added some rookies to challenge for a starting job.
The team returns mostly intact and will look to improve through continuity plus the addition of draft picks.

AXC NORTH

Pittsburgh 11-5
Cincinnati 10-6 (WILDCARD)
Toronto 10-6
Houston 8-8


Houston Roughnecks
OWNER (YEARS): Privatesnowflake (15th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 9-7 (2nd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 3 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 8th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 7th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 7th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 3rd
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 20th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 6th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +2

OFFENSE
QB: Joseph Defalco left via free agency & Drew Lock retired so now Houston must find the QB of the future now between 1st round pick Bruce Shadrick in his 3rd season & 3rd round pick Joseph Eady in his 2nd season.
RB: They lost 3 RBs to free agency and traded Edward Johnson to Montana but 1000+ YARD rusher Lee McCourt returns.
WR: Top receiver David Weisgerber left via free agency to Toronto plus Maurice Boggs retired so they drafted Tracey Lopez in the 1st round & Lester Brown in the 3rd round. In addition, they signed Eric Castillo & Robert Cady in free agency.
TE: They carry no TEs.
OL: 11 of 12 OL return including all 5 starter as only LG Timothy Heilig left via free agency but he only played 7 plays last season.

DEFENSE
DL: 4 of 6 DL return including RDE Peter Grant who led the team with 18 sacks. They let 14 year veteran DT Leonard Dryer walk via free agency while backup LDE Corey Moore retired. They signed LDE Wallace King, LDE Brian Jones & DT Charles Harris in free agency to fill the void.
LB: All 6 LBs return including ALLPRO WLB Stanley Shade. They drafted MLB Paul Zook in the 7th round to potentially add depth.
DB: 7 of 8 DBs return with John Harris retiring after defending just 16 passes last season. They drafted CB Jeremy Seltzer in the 2nd round to improve the secondary.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Both kickers and the KO returner remain but they need to identify a new punt returner.

PREDICTION
8-8 (3rd)
Offensively, they are transitioning to a younger core including QB and the question becomes can they replicate the 7th ranked offense from last season with New, younger playmakers.
Defensively, they finished with the 6th overall defense last season but we're 20th in passing defense.
The defense will need to carry this team early until the offense finds its footing. The big question is who is QB1 and just how good is he?

Toronto Titans
OWNER (YEARS): thanos4real (1st season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 8-8 (4th)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 6 of last 7 years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 19th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 19th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 18th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 7th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 22nd
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 11th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -15

OFFENSE
QB: Steven Stiner returns for his 10th season as starter.
RB: All RBs return including 900+ YARD rusher VAN Gillespie.
WR: All WRs return except WR Tom Crawford who left via free agency.
TE: They carried no TE last season so they signed TE Antoine Patton in free agency.
OL: 9 of 11 return including all 5 starters as they lost backups RG Larry Yeun & LG Joseph Carbone to free agency. They drafted LG Mitchell Washington (7th), C Chris Nunez (3rd) & RG Ned Jones (6th) to replace the loses.

DEFENSE
DL: All 6 DL return and they drafted DT Roger Reynolds in the 4th round to add competition.
LB: 5 of 6 LBs return after MLB Marvin Norwood retired. They signed MLB Richard Luther in free agency plus drafted MLB Robert Britton in the 5th round & WLB Joseph Dotson in the 2nd round.
DB: All but 1 DB returns as they lost CB Jacob Lindsey to free agency so they traded for CB Tony Hayes to replace him.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The Kicker and returner remain but P Luke Padua became a free agent so they signed P Rafeal Preas in free agency.

PREDICTION
10-6 (3rd)
Offensively, they return the starting 11 who finished 18th in total offense. They should improve based on continuity & familiarity.
Defensively, they finished ranked 11th in total defense and the core returns plus talent was added via free agency and the draft to all 3 units.
In a ultra competitive division, Toronto should take a step forward as others find their footing.

Pittsburgh Blitzkrieg
OWNER (YEARS): Duane_Bickett (9th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 10-6 (1st)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 2 straight years (AXC Conference Champ)
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 15th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 10th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 11th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 11th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 18th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 15th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -5

OFFENSE
QB: Alan Wyatt returns for his 8th season as starter. They drafted John Turner (2nd) & David Wilson (5th) to be the future QB in waiting.
RB: Every RB returns including 1000+ YARD rusher Roger Flowers.
WR: All but 1 WR returns as Emmanuel Haywood was lost to free agency. They drafted James Zurita (3rd), Roberto Parks (1st) & Aaron Pratt (6th) to enhance the group.
TE: They don't have a TE on the roster.
OL: All but 1 OL return including the 5 starters where RT Eric Dalton left via free agency. They drafted C Max Baker (3rd), C Rodney Hoisinhton (4th) & RT Daniel Meece (4th) to add depth.

DEFENSE
DL: 5 of 6 DL return when they lost RDE Daniel Hall to free agency so they drafted DT Steven Mitchell (5th) & RDE Roger Matthews (6th) to replace the lost depth.
LB: They only have 3 LBs on the roster who all return.
DB: 10 of 11 DBs return after they traded CB Walter Olivarrio to NY for CB George Gauthier. They also drafted CB Christopher Allen in the 7th round to add depth.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns.

PREDICTION
11-5
Offensively, the 11th ranked offense returns intact with a 1st round WR plus 5 additional offensive draft picks.
Defensively, the 15th ranked defense returns mostly intact with 3 draft picks and a trade which swapped CBs.
Success & winning breeds more success & winning so Pittsburgh should right last years Conference championship into this season and repeat as division winner.

Cincinnati Defenders
OWNER (YEARS): Blondie1977 (11th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 9-7 (3rd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 2 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 21st
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 12th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 14th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 16th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 25th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 20th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +5

OFFENSE
QB: Remy Beaucamp returns for his 2nd season as starter. The 1st overall pick in the 2043 draft will look to take a giant leap in season 2.
RB: All the players who rushed the ball last season return except FB Benjamin Garcia who left via free agency and signed with Gem City. They signed RB James Gonzalez & FB Jameson Kelly in an attempt to improve last seasons 21st ranked Rush offense.
WR: They lost their 2nd leading WR Edward Montes & WR Clifford Mays to free agency due to age. They signed WR Mike Bunch to replace the loses.
TE: They return TE David Santos and TE John Pine who returns to TE after filling in at RB last season.
OL: 8 of 10 OL return including 4 of 5 starters when they lost RT Andrew Lopez & LG Thomas Binkley to retirement. They signed LG Robert Braun & RG Stuart Orcutt in free agency to replace the loses.

DEFENSE
DL: 6 of 7 DL return when they lost DT Max Arnold to free agency. They signed veteran DT Domingo Chubb to fill the void.
LB: 5 of 8 LBs return including former ALLPRO WLB Charles Bowman as they allowed aging veteran MLBs William Strode, Michael Craddock & Uriah Heep go to test the free agent market. They signed MLB Tim "Ripper" Owens & WLB Harold Messick to replace the loses.
DB: Only 3 of 9 DBs return from last seasons 25th ranked pass defense. They lost CB James Burns & CB Darrell Brown to retirement while they allowed 4 aging DBs to walk in free agency. They signed CB Alan Drake, CB Mark Vargas & CB Keith Mason in free agency plus they drafted CB Carlos Smith in the 1st round.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns intact.

PREDICTION
10-6 (2nd)
Offensively, they will look to improve on last seasons 14th ranked offense by QB Beaucamp progressing, the addition of a true RB plus TE John Pine returning to his natural position at TE.
Defensively, they have completed rebuild their secondary in hopes of improving their 25th ranked pass defense & 20th ranked defense.
With Beaucamp taking a giant leap in season 2 and a rebuild secondary improving their overall defense, they challenge Pittsburgh & Toronto for the division.

AXC SOUTH

Dakota 12-4
Orlando 10-6 (WILDCARD)
Texas 8-8
Daytona 1-15

Orlando Guardians
OWNER (YEARS): Shark1720 (2nd season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 10-6 (1st)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 1 season
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 17th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 13th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 16th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 8th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 15th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 10th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -13

OFFENSE
QB: The francise didn't sit idle this off-season after winning their 1st division Title in 18 seasons. They moved from Michigan to Orlando and changed the yeam name to the Guardians. Then they traded starting QB Matthew Whitney and a 2nd round pick to Los Angeles for QB John McCord plus a 4th, 6th & 7th round pick. McCord was taken with the 5th overall pick in the 2043 draft but only made 5 starts in his rookie year. Whitney was the 20th overall pick in the 2041 draft and has made 38 starts plus 2 postseason starts. They also signed veteran QB Wesley Taylor to add to returning QBs Michael Paez & Matthew Gordan.
RB: Every player to rush the ball last season returns including 1,000+ YARD rusher Benjamin Sawyer.
WR: 8 of 10 players who caught a pass last season return as they allowed two 10 year veteran WRs walk in free agency. They traded for ALLPRO WR George Wilson plus signed WR James Sowell & WR Tom Crawford in free agency.
TE: The unit returns intact.
OL: 9 of 11 OL return including 4 of 5 starter when LT Samuel Amos & LT Leonard Morgan were allowed to walk via free agency. They signed LT David Spangler, RG James Seabolt & RT Kent Virgin in free agency plus drafted RT Johnny Thornburg in the 6th round.

DEFENSE
DL: 8 of 10 DL return including ALLPRO LDE Howard Ross who lead the league with 23 sacks last season. They lost depth when RDE John McCue & RDE Lenny Dykstra left via free agency. They signed LDE Elmer Amecuza, DT Christopher Howland & RDE Robert Ware in free agency to replace the loses and compete for the starting lineup.
LB: 7 of 8 LBs return when SLB John Parker departed in free agency. They signed WLB John Washington in free agency from Buffalo.
DB: Only 4 of 8 DBs return from last seasons 15th ranked pass defense. They traded away CB Albert Linton who defended the most passes last season for the team plus lost 3rd leading pass defender CB Roosevelt Moye to free agency. In addition, two aging CBs left, one retired and the other wasn't offered a contract. They traded for CB Tom Hunting, CB Tom Smith, CB Anthony Spring & CB James Atkins plus signed CB James McBride & CB Erwin Theroux in free agency.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns intact. They signed undrafted rookie K Gilbert Hernandez to add an extra kicker in camp.

PREDICTION
10-6 (2nd)
Offensively, they didn't rest on their laurels and made a calculated gamble trading QB Matthew Whitney for QB John McCord. The addition of playmaker George Wilson via trade should improve the offense. They had the 13th ranked pass offense & 16th ranked total offense and the question becomes where will they finish this season after the trades.
Defensively, they finished with the #10 ranked defense but had the 15th ranked pass defense despite having the sack leader so they totally retooled their secondary in hopes of improving the unit.
The francise embraced change from location, to name, to trading for a new QB and rebuilding the secondary. The question becomes what is the net gain/lose from all the change.



Dakota Blizzard
OWNER (YEARS): Cjfred68 (27th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 10-6 (2nd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 26 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 11th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 11th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 9th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 10th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 16th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 12th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -5

OFFENSE
QB: Former league MVP & ALLPRO QB Robert Alvarez returns for his 7th season with the team. He is coming off his worst season with the team and will be looking to have a bounce back season.
RB: The top 4 rushers all return including former ALLPRO & 1,300+ yard rusher Ice Inveins. They lost blocking back Rene Wilson to retirement so the team signed FB Victor Murphy, FB Joseph Crayton & FB Gordon Burnham to compete to fill that void.
WR: They lost 1st ballot HOF WR Gary Hunt to retirement but everyone else who caught a pass returned including 1,000+ yard receiver Eric McFadden.
TE: They carried no true TE last season so they drafted TE Kenneth Arreola in the 7th round plus signed undrafted rookie TE Vernon Alcantara to fill that void.
OL: 10 of 12 OL return including all 5 starters. They lost LG Matthew Li & RG Chester Sage to retirement so they signed RT Eric Dalton in free agency to fill the void.

DEFENSE
DL: The entire unit returns including former ALLPRO & ALLTIME sack leader RDE William Strong. They signed Robert Rivas to add depth to the unit.
LB: All 7 LBs return and they signed Jose Lyon, Salvatore Mello & Michael Williams to add depth.
DB: 7 of 8 DBs return will the retirement of CB John Esterly. They signed CB Robert Yuan, CB Jacob Lindsey & CB George Chisholm to add depth and replace the lose of Esterly.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Both kickers and the punt returner remain but with the retirement of Gary Hunt, they need a new KO return specialist.

PREDICTION
12-4 (1st)
Offensively, they return almost all the core except againg WR Gary Hunt & FB Rene Wilson. They need Alvarez to have a bounce back season despite the fact they ranked 9th in total offense last season.
Defensively, they return the entire defense that ranked 12th last season and supplemented with 7 free agents signings.
Dakota returns essentially the same team minus a few aging players who retired and they added free agents to add further depth but the team is aging as 30 of the 60 players on the roster are in year 8 or more. They are the 2nd oldest team behind Buffalo and need an influx of youth.

Texas Hold'em
OWNER (YEARS): jabillups85 (11th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 5-11 (3rd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 7 of 8 years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 16th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 32nd
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 30th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 27th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 9th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 24th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +6

OFFENSE
QB: QB Robert Williams returns for his 2nd season as starter after being selected with the 22nd overall pick last season. Texas had the 32nd ranked pass offense so clearly they need Williams to take a giant step forward this year. They drafted QB Fernando Thomas in the 4th round this season to hedge their bet and challenge Williams to improve.
RB: Every player with a rush from last seasons 16th ranked Rush offense returns led by 800+ yard rusher Gurley & 700+ yard rusher McLamb.
WR: Every player who caught a pass returns but they signed WR Gregory Hurley in free agency plus drafted WR Stephen Powell in the 1st round to help QB Williams take that next step.
TE: All 3 TEs return intact.
OL: All 8 OL return including the starting 5.

DEFENSE
DL: 9 of 10 DL return including former ALLPROs LDE Johnathon Leonard & LDE Stephen Smith. They lost veteran depth DT Charles Harris to free agency so they drafted DT Elton Poindexter in the 6th round & DT Michael Henderson in the 2nd round
LB: All 8 LBs return from last seasons 24th ranked defense.
DB: 5 of 8 DBs who defended a pass last season return from the 9th ranked pass defense. They allowed three 10 year vets walk to test free agency so they drafted CB Tyrone Birge in the 5th round, SS Albert Dipoetro in the 1st round & FS Larry Roberts in the 7th round to replace the loses and get younger.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns intact.

PREDICTION
8-8 (3rd)
Offensively, everything hinges for 2nd year QB Williams taking a step forward in his development. The running game is good enough but they need way more then 1,259 yards passing & 2 TD passes.
Defensively, they return most of the 24th ranked defense and add an influx of draft picks to help improve the unit.
The team should improve simply by the development of 2nd year QB Williams and the roster has youth on its side with a chance to grow.

Daytona Beach Bull Sharks
OWNER (YEARS): voryzover (18th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 2-14 (4th)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 26 straight
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 32nd
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 26th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 31st
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 30th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 11th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 28th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +6

OFFENSE
QB: William Powers "The most sacked QB" in the history of the XFL returns for his 8th season as starter after being sacked a single season record 107 times last season. They drafted QB Francis Vanmeter in the 2nd round who joins QB Joseph Bingham as Powers has been sacked an amazing 497 times in 7 seasons which works out to 71 times per season. In fact, Powers has 4 of the top 10 single season times sacked record in his 7 years as starter.
RB: The top 2 RBs return this season after veteran backs Ozzy Osbourne & Jared Johnson retired. They ranked 32nd in rushing last season and currently have just the 2 backs on the roster.
WR: Every player who caught a pass last season returns.
TE: The only TE Ronald Maxwell returns after leading the team in receptions & yards last season.
OL: 8 of 9 OL return including all 5 starters when backup RG Clifton Zeimer retired.

DEFENSE
DL: All 7 DL return from last season plus they drafted RDE Daniel Barkley in the 3rd round.
LB: 6 of 8 LBs from last season including 2× former ALLPRO WLB Jamal Grubbs. They lost 3rd leading tackler WLB Bruce Carrier to free agency & WLB Terry Tuohy to retirement. They drafted MLB Vernon Wilson in the 1st round, MLB Michael Tyus in the 6th round WLB Ed Dillon in the 4th round & WLB Barry Lewis in the 5th round.
DB: 7 of 8 DBs return when they lost backups 14 year vet to free agency. They drafted CB Arthur Elliott in the 6th round to replace him.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns intact.

PREDICTION
1-15 (4th)
Offensively, the entire starting unit which ranked 31st on offense returns and they need to run the ball way more in order to protect Powers from taking so many sacks.
Defensively, last seasons 28th ranked defense returns nearly intact with WLB Bruce Carrier leaving in free agency and being replaced by 1st round pick Vernon Wilson.
A team that won 2 games last season lost depth at RB and a 101 tackle LB who was replaced by a 1st round pick. Could they be even worse this season and just how many times will Powers get sacked.



****NXC upcoming!!!!*****

It took me about 1 week to do the AXC so patience please.


Enjoy half for now,

CJ

NXC

NXC EAST
Providence 12-4
Philadelphia 11-5 (WILDCARD)
Brooklyn 7-9
Washington 6-10

NXC WEST
Arizona 15-1
Vegas 8-8
Los Angeles 6-10
Seattle 1-15

NXC NORTH
Gem City 12-4
Montana 8-8 (WILDCARD)
Zehlendorf 6-10
Saint Paul 6-10

NXC SOUTH
Memphis 14-2
Atlanta 14-2 (WILDLCARD)
Carolina 7-9
Tampa Bay 2-14

NXC EAST

Providence 12-4
Philadelphia 11-5 (Wildcard)
Brooklyn 7-9
Washington 6-10

Philadelphia Slayers
OWNER (YEARS): Waitwut (7th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 13-3 (1st)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 6 straight seasons
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 4th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 5th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 5th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 9th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 3rd
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 2nd
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +14

OFFENSE
QB: They traded last years starting QB Juan Payne to Carolina after the team had the 5th ranked pass offense. They signed 16 veteran QB Monty Denham who last started a full season in 2039 with Seattle. QB Robbie Heath enters his 2nd season after being drafted in the 2nd round last season plus they drafted QB Martin Stalling in the 3rd round this season.
RB: The top 2 rushers return including 1,000 yard rusher Arthur Shively but they lost 11 year vet & 700+ yard rusher William Stokes to free agency. They drafted George Leet in the 4th round to help mitigate the lose and in hopes of maintaining last seasons 4th ranked Rush offense.
WR: Every player who caught a pass last season returns except the before mention RB Stokes. They drafted WR George Thompson in the 7th round plus signed WR Alex Star & K. K. Downing in free agency to increase depth & competition.
TE: Both TEs return from last season plus they signed 9 year vet TE Carlo Morgan in free agency.
OL: 8 of 11 OL return including the 5 starters but they lost 3 depth players to free agency including vets LG Alan Steele, C Brian Johannsen & RT Kent Virgin. They drafted LT Earl Neal in the 7th round and LG Jonathon Kay in the 3rd round plus singed LT James Loera & LT Eric Briggs in free agency to replace the loses.

DEFENSE
DL: All 9 DL players return from last season including 2× ALLPRO RDE Mohamed Abron. They drafted DT Jermaine Spadafora in the 2nd round to add youth to the unit.
LB: 5 of 6 LBs return after 5× ALLPRO MLB Morgan Elliot retired. They drafted MLB Pedro Shimer in the 4th round & WLB Victor Sullivan in the 5th round to try and replace the lose.
DB: 6 of 10 DBs return after they traded CB Tom Smith, CB Anthony Spring & CB James Atkins to Orlando for four 2044 draft picks plus they lost CB George Gragg in free agency. They signed CB Lawrence Abraham & FS Hal Browder in free agency plus drafted CB John Rollings in the 2nd round.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns intact.

PREDICTION
11-5 (2nd)
Offensively, they ranked 5th in Total offense last season but will be using either a 16 year vet QB who hasn't been a regular starter in 5 seasons or a 1st or 2nd year QB with basically no experience.
Defensively, they had the 3rd ranked pass defense and 2nd total defense last season but had to rebuild the secondary after a major trade.
The team has been a perennial contender for the last 6 seasons but questions at QB plus the rebuilt secondary may see them slipping some this season.


Brooklyn Hitmen
OWNER (YEARS): Big Poppa (2nd season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 5-11 (4th)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 6 straight
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 28th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 22nd
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 21st
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 23rd
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 31st
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 27th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +6

OFFENSE
QB: Richard Harris who started 10 games last season returns plus they signed QB Keith Garcia who has 1 career start with Oakland and QB Michael Shubert who has 9 career starts with Houston.
RB: 5 of 6 players who rushed the ball last season return as Floyd Gonzales retired.
WR: 11 of 15 players who caught a pass last season return as they lost Gonzalez to retirement and 3 players to free agency including 5th year WR Richard Jackson. They drafted WR Blaine Hansen in the 7th round, WR Earl Jameson in the 5th round & WR Bruce Johnson in the 1st round to add depth and youth to the receiving corp.
TE: Both TEs return from last season.
OL: 8 of 10 OL return including 4 of 5 starters as they lost LG Ken Hendrick & LT Richard Roman to free agency. They drafted LT Randy Rubio in the 6th round, LG Donald Torres in the 4th round plus signed starters LG Floyd Swartz & RT Aaron Bryant in free agency.

DEFENSE
DL: 8 of 11 DL returns as they lost 2 aging vets plus 5th year DT Joseph Rogers to free agency.
LB: 6 of 9 LBs return including ALLPRO SLB Sean Baker and they allowed two 13 vets to walk plus SLB Christopher Montano signed with Carolina in free agency.
DB: 8 of 12 DBs return from last season including ALLPRO FS Leonard Ivy. They lost 3 aging vets including SS Efrain Waters who retired plus they cut CB John Gee. They drafted CB Robert Ellis in the 3rd round, SS Michael Garrett in the 2nd round plus signed FS William Neville in free agency.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns intact.

PREDICTION
7-9 (3rd)
Offensively, they should improve in the 2nd season under new ownership if they settle on the starting QB. They finished with the 21st ranked offense last season and could improve into the teens.
Defensively, last seasons 27th ranked defense should improve since they added speed & youth to a secondary that finished 31st in pass defense.
I'm expecting an overall important for this team this season as new ownership begins to put their stamp on things.


Washington Warriors
OWNER (YEARS): amalric7 (4th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 7-9 (3rd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 3 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 23rd
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 25th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 24th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 22nd
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 13th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 21st
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -6

OFFENSE
QB: Daniel Stoud returns for his 5th season as starter for the team since being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2040 draft. They drafted QB Clifford Adkisson in the 2nd round this draft to be the backup in waiting.
RB: Every player returns including former ALLPRO Brandon Stone except FB Jameson Kelly who left in free agency to Cincinnati. They signed veteran Matthew Emmer in free agency to add depth.
WR: The top 4 receivers return but they lost 2 veteran backups to free agency so they drafted WR Charles Bracewell in the 6th round to replace the lose.
TE: The 3 TEs from last season all return plus they drafted TE Donald Dean in the 1st round to strengthen the unit.
OL: All 10 OL return including the starting 5. They drafted LT Dennis Dorn & RG Samuel Thomas in the 2nd round to add depth and competition.

DEFENSE
DL: 6 of 7 DL return after LDE Charles Lacata retired. They signed DT Donald Cole in free agency plus drafted RFR Claurence King in the 7th round to replace depth.
LB: 5 of 6 LBs return including ALLPRO MLB Carlos Kirby. They lost MLB James Kistner to retirement so they drafted MLB John McNamara in the 4th round & MLB Earl Wilcox in the 3rd round to fill the void.
DB: Every DB who defended a pass last season returns from last seasons 13th ranked pass defense. They signed SS James Keeter to improve the unit.

SPECIAL TEAMS
They lost P Bruce Smith to free agency and as of this writing they have not replaced him.

PREDICTION
6-10 (4th)
Offensively, they need QB Stroud to finally put it all together and RB Brandon Stone to return to his 1,000 yard rushing form in order to improve last seasons 24th ranked offense.
Defensively, the strength of the defense was their 13th ranked pass defense who returns everyone plus adds 5th year SS James Keeter via a 6 year/100 million dollar free agent contract.
The team finished under .500 last season and with the division getting tougher they may find it difficult to change that this season.


Providence Islanders
OWNER (YEARS): brxnivy (5th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 11-5 (2nd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 3 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 9th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 9th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 8th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 6th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 10th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 5th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +6

OFFENSE
QB: Brandon Williams returns for his 4th season as starter since signing with the team in 2041 after being released by Arizona. He is coming off his best season where he led the 9th ranked pass offense & 8th overall offense. They drafted QB Joseph Holly in the 2nd round who they hope can develop into the QB of the future behind Williams.
RB: Every player who rushed the ball last season returns from the 9th ranked Rush offense including 1,000+ yard rusher Scott Turner plus they drafted Mark Romero in the 2nd round who should get some rushes this season once he drops some weight.
WR: Every player who caught a pass last seasons returns from last seasons 9th ranked pass offense.
TE: The only true TE on the roster returns from last season.
OL: 10 of 11 OL return including the entire starting 5 after losing veteran backup RT Louis Adkins in free agency to Zehlendorf. They drafted LT Ronald Mitchell in the 7th round, C Jonathan Chan in the 5th round & RG Michael Valdez in the 6th round to add depth.

DEFENSE
DL: 6 of 7 DL return after veteran RDE Fransico James departed in free agency. They signed veteran LDE Lawrence Steger in free agency to replace him.
LB: Only 3 of 5 LBs return after losing starter WLB Harold Messick in free agency & WLB Donald Harrison to retirement. They drafted WLB Ronnie Emery in the 1st round & WLB Ryan Medford in the 3rd round to replace the loses.
DB: 9 of 10 DBs who defended a pass last season including the top 6 but they allowed veteran depth CB Erick Cox to walk and test free agency. They drafted CB William Barnett & CB Pedro Moore both in the 1st round plus signed veteran CB Dominick Marsh in free agency to improve last seasons 10th ranked pass defense.

SPECIAL TEAMS
P Rafeal Preas left in free agency so the team signed undrafted 2nd year P Daniel Piper to replace him.

PREDICTION
12-4 (1st)
Offensively, the 8th ranked offense returns intact with a few additions which means they should keep inproving.
Defensively, the 5th ranked defense from last season added 3 1st round picks to tge already stout unit.
They have made the postseason 3 straight seasons but have always been the bridesmaid to Philadelphia's bride in the East Division. They have added 8 1st round picks to the roster in the past 3 drafts and this season they finally catch the bouquet and take the division crown.

NXC WEST

Arizona 15-1
Vegas 8-8
Los Angeles 6-10
Seattle 1-15

Arizona Wranglers
OWNER (YEARS): Armoredgiraffe (6th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 15-1 (1st)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 4 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 3rd
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 3rd
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 3rd
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 15th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 4th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 5th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +0

OFFENSE
QB: Reigning league MVP QB Gary Fielding returns for his 4th season as starter for Arizona after being drafted by Dakota in 2nd round of the 2038 draft. The same draft when QB Robert Alvarez was drafted by Dakota and both have won MVPs. Fielding has been traded twice, first from Dakota to Cincinnati in 2038 where he started 2 seasons before being traded again from Cincinnati to Arizona where he has finally reached his potential. They also drafted QB William Karnes in the 2nd round in hopes he could become the QB of the future.
RB: Every player who rushed the football last season returns including 1,000+ yard rusher Son Johnson.
WR: Every player who caught a pass last season returns plus they drafted WR Rusty Rogers in the 3rd round & WR Charles Mobley in the 1st round to add more talent & youth to an already talented & youthful group.
TE: The team doesn't carry a traditional TE again this season.
OL: All 13 OL return including the entire starting 5 plus they drafted C Isaac Orrell in the 7th round & RG Steven Donnell in the 5th round to add some bodies in training camp.

DEFENSE
DL: All 8 DL return from last season including LDE Edward Goldberg & RDE Ronald Kaufman who both had 16 sacks each last season. They drafted LDE Robert Deforge (4th), LDE Caleb Boroski (5th) & LDE Michael Wilson (6th) to add depth.
LB: All 7 LBs return from last season including 100+ tackle WLB Billy Powell. They drafted WLB David Randolph in the 6th round to add depth.
DB: 5 of 9 DBs who defended a pass return from last seasons 4th ranked pass defense. They traded CB Tony Hayes, CB Tom Hunting & CB Daniel Winkel for draft picks plus lost CB Robert Yuan in free agency. They signed CB Daryl Gardner in free agency plus drafted SS Charlie Lee in the 3rd round to mitigate the loses.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns intact.

PREDICTION
15-1 (1st)
Offensively, they return the entire unit from last seasons 3rd ranked offense plus they drafted 5 players to improve the unit.
Defensively, the 5th ranked defense from last season returns the front 7 while they reworked the secondary.
They have become a perennial contender over the past 4 seasons and accomplished everything except winning the Conference or a XFL Title.

Seattle Barbarians
OWNER (YEARS): Rialto (6th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 2-14 (3rd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 12 straight
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 26th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 31st
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 32nd
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 31st
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 27th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 31st
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +6

OFFENSE
QB: They allowed 4 year starter QB Michael Keeler to walk in free agency and he signed a mega 6 year/261.9 million dollar with Gem City. Keeler had just 1 TD pass the entire season and just 22 for his career. Seattle chose to go with one of the three QBs they drafted last season. QB James Johnson (2nd), QB Kevin Green (3rd) & QB David Mitchell (5th) will battle for the starting job.
RB: All 3 players who rushed the ball last season return including 900+ yard rusher John Parker. They drafted FB Douglas Richter in the 5th round.
WR: Only 4 of 5 receivers return from last seasons 31st ranked offense. WR Robert Cady departed in free agency. They drafted WR Robert Childs in the 3rd round to replace him.
TE: Both TEs return including TE Stuart Cooper who led the team in receptions, receiving yards and TD receptions (1). They drafted TE Stanley Pye in the 7th round
OL: 8 of 9 OL return including all 5 starters after they lost RG James Stone to free agency. They drafted LG Alvin Elwood in the 5th round, RG Jason Lopez in the 6th round & RT Dallas Johnson in the 2nd round to add depth & competition.

DEFENSE
DL: 5 of 7 DL return after losing 5th year vets DT Adam Oglesby & RDE Joshua Whitlock to free agency. Seattle has become known for letting 5th year players walk instead of signing them to big money contracts which explains why they have 139 million dollars in cap space available. They drafted DT Brian Manning with the 3rd overall pick to replace Oglesby.
LB: All 4 LBs return plus they drafted SLB Bruce Gordon in the 4th round to add depth.
DB: 7 of 11 DBs return from last seasons 27th ranked pass defense after they lost 4 DBs to free agency including another two 5th year players plus leading pass defender FS Salvatore Mello. They drafted SS Guy Brown in the 4th to help mitigate all the loses.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns intact.

PREDICTION
1-15 (4th)
Offensively, they had the 31st ranked pass offense & 32nd ranked total offense and now will be going to an untested & unproven 2nd year QB. Fortunately, the bar has been set low for improvement so whoever takes the helm will have time to develop.
Defensively, they had the 31st ranked defense and lost key 5 year players in free agency.
They have missed the postseason for 12 straight seasons, 5 under current ownership and it easily will become 13 & 6 as the team actually got worse.


Los Angeles Challengers
OWNER (YEARS): Warthog (2nd season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 0-16 (4th)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 4 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 31st
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 27th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 29th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 24th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 28th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 25th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -7

OFFENSE
QB: New ownership in LA meant a new direction for the team. First, they let 15 year vet QB Christopher Armstong walk in free agency. Second, they traded their other QB John McCord plus draft picks to Orlando for QB Matthew Whitney. Third, they traded a 2nd round pick to Gem City for QB Tom Crawford. Fourth, they drafted QB Shawn Stone in the 6th round.
RB: 3 of 4 rushers return after RB Joshua Green retired. They signed RB Gregory Vuong in free agency
WR: 5 of 7 WRs return after they lost veteran WR Douglas Rousch to free agency and WR Charles Moran to retirement. They signed WR Benjamin McNally & WR Ricard Duty to replace the loses.
TE: All 3 TEs return from last season including top receiver TE Chris Kerr.
OL: 8 of 9 OL return after they let veteran RG Jason Lollar walk in free agency. They traded a 2nd & 3rd round pick to Vegas for RT Terry Ortiz & RT Earl Dolan plus they signed LG George Sanderson.

DEFENSE
DL: 7 of 8 DL return after they released RDE Michael Cline. They signed 18 year vet LDE William Rosado & RDE Louis Knight in free agency.
LB: Only 2 LBs return after SLB Joseph Weaver & SLB Jose Sanders retired plus MLB David Sanders was released. They traded a 2nd & 3rd round pick to Vegas for MLB Mark Brown as part of the same trade that landed them the 2 RTs. They also signed SLB John Parker, MLB William Strode & WLB Roger Deems in free agency plus drafted WLB Frank Gilbert with the #1 overall pick.
DB: Only 3 of 8 DBs return after SS Scott Darden retired, they released FS Benjamin Preas and 3 other veteran DBs were allowed to walk in free agency. They drafted CB Steven Thompson in the 2nd round, CB Bernard Jernigan in the 1st round & CB David Honore in the 5th round. They traded a 5th round pick to Arizona for CB Stephen Collins & CB David Winkel. They also signed CB Roosevelt Moye & CB Kyle Davies in free agency.

SPECIAL TEAMS
P Louis Maxwell was released so the team got sign P Hubert Steele to replace him.

PREDICTION
6-10 (3rd)
Offensively, they had the 29th ranked offense but they upgraded at QB and the OL so things should improve. The question becomes how much.
Defensively, they had the 25th ranked defense last season but were very active in the off-season and almost completely rebuild their LBs and DBs.
New ownership, New expectations from a francise that went winless last season.


Vegas Black Aces
OWNER (YEARS): Claymore (23rd season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 8-8 (2nd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 11 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 5th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 24th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 17th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 26th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 7th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 22nd
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -2

OFFENSE
QB: James Henry & Bernard Ryder both return as they started 10 & 6 games respectively. They drafted QB Joshua Jones in the 6th round.
RB: The majority of players who rushed the ball last season return including 900+ yard rusher Scott Clark. FB Victor Murphy left in free agency to Dakota.
WR: 6 of 9 receivers return after they traded WR Brian Brown to Buffalo for draft picks plus they allowed veteran WRs Clifford Mays & Valentine Ball to test free agency. They drafted both WR Matthew Schupp & WR Vincent Day in the 1st round.
TE: Both TEs return including leading receiver TE Jeremiah Squires. They drafted TE Freddie Franklin in the 5th round to add depth.
OL: Only 2 of 5 starters from last season return as they traded RT Terry Ortiz & RT Earl Dolan to LA for draft picks. Former ALLPRO C Orlando Chamberlain retired plus veteran LGs George Sanderson & Thomas Roosa left via free agency. They drafted LT David Wakefield (3rd), LT Douglas Callahan (5th), LG Leroy Mitchell (2nd), LG Stanley Brown (3rd), C Michael Diglovanni (4th), RG Matthew Born (3rd) & RG George Reed (2nd) plus signed LG Timothy Heilig & C Matthew Barrow in free agency.

DEFENSE
DL: The entire unit returns intact.
LB: 8 of 10 LBs return after they traded MLB Mark Brown to LA for draft picks plus WLB David Rascon retired.
DB: The 8 DBs who defended a pass for last seasons 7th ranked pass defense retrun. They drafted CB Eugene Manzer in the 4th round & SS Alvaro Goddard in the 7th round to add depth.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns intact plus they signed 2 Kickers late last season to compete for the starting job.

PREDICTION
8-8 (2nd)
Offensively, they had the 17th ranked offense led by the 5th ranked Rush offense. They totally rebuild the offensive line and everything will hinge on how well it all comes together plus they added 2 1st round WRs.
Defensively, they return the 22nd ranked defense led by the 7th ranked pass defense.
They have been a perennial contender for 11 straight seasons but the last 2 seasons has been down years where they sneaked into the playoffs in the final week. They made a clear effort to rebuild the offense, more specifically the offensive line.

NXC NORTH

Gem City 12-4
Montana 8-8 (WILDCARD)
Zehlendorf 6-10
Saint Paul 6-10

Gem City Gangsters
OWNER (YEARS): Raidergreg69 (24th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 13-3 (1st)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 7 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 6th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 16th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 12th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 14th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 4th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 8th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +15

OFFENSE
QB: They traded 3 year starter Tom Crawford to LA for TE Bob Cedric then signed QB Michael Keeler & QB Andrew Endo in free agency. Keeler was a 4 year starter in Seattle who threw 1 TD pass last season while Ando has 1 career pass attempt.
RB: Michael J. Fox, a 1,400+ yard rusher last season headlines the return of last seasons 6th ranked Rush offense. They signed FB Benjamin Garcia in free agency.
WR: They lost top receiver K. K. Downing to free agency so they signed WR Richard Jackson to help mitigate the lose.
TE: Both TEs return plus they add TE Bob Cedric in the QB Tom Crawford trade.
OL: 10 of 11 OL return including all 5 starters. They lost depth when RT Aaron Bryant left in free agency so they drafted C Willy Woke in the 3rd round. Woke made headlines when he demanded trigger warnings, safe spaces, and cry closets be added to the training facilities in his contract. Gem City's front office originally bulk at including those changes until 1st round pick P. C. Principal said in an interview that he thought it was politically the correct thing to do. It finally happened when 4th round pick CB Delicate Genius suddenly added the same demands to his rookie contract. 2nd round pick, Fragile Frankie Merman was asked for his comment about the inclusion of these changes in the training facilities during his introductory press conference and he immediately left the interview in tears and locked himself in the nearest closet.

DEFENSE
DL: Every player returns plus they added 1st round pick RDE P. C. Principal, an outspoken player to the unit.
LB: They lost starting MLB Tim "Ripper" Owens in free agency so they signed SLB Ronnie Shanklin for depth plus drafted MLB Fragile Frankie Merman in the 2nd round who is an emotionally motivated player.
DB: 8 player who defended a pass last season return but they lost top pass defender CB Carl Price to retirement. They signed CB Aaron Sumner plus drafted CB Delicate Genius in the 4th round to fill the void.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns intact.

PREDICTION
12-4 (1st)
Offensively, they had the #12 ranked offense last season but they have rolled the dice by trading away their starting QB for the last 3 seasons and signed 2 QBs in free agency that combined for 1 TD pass last season. In addition, they lost their top receiver but the OL & running game return intact.
Defensively, they return most of last seasons 8th ranked defense but 2 veteran starters departed so they drafted 3 rookies and signed 2 free agents to replace them.
They are a perennial contender with stable ownership so it's safe to assume to have made smart chooses and will continue to be relevant.


Zehlendorf Zecken
OWNER (YEARS): ctiger77 (9th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 7-9 (3rd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 7 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 22nd
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 17th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 19th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 18th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 8th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 13th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -6

OFFENSE
QB: Michael Hall returns for his 5th season as starter since being drafted in the 3rd round in the 2040 draft. He is coming off the best season of his young career and will look to build upon it.
RB: 3 of 4 backs return after ALLPRO FB Scott Brown announced his retirement. They drafted RB Elijah Diller in the 2nd & RB Mark Bozarth in the 4th round plus signed RB Zachary Brown in free agency.
WR: 6 of 7 receivers who caught a pass last season return after WR Mike Bunch left in free agency. Bunch had just 5 receptions last season. They drafted WR Nicolas Meyers in the 7th round & WR Wesley Sly in the 5th round.
TE: Both TEs from last season return.
OL: 7 of 11 OL return after 4 players retired including starter LG Samuel Ford. They signed LT Louis Adkins, LG Evan Yang & RG John Lanigan to replace the loses.

DEFENSE
DL: 6 of 7 DL return after LDE Dennis Smith retired. They signed DT Max Arnold to replace the lost depth.
LB: 5 LBs record a tackle last season and they all return. They signed SLB Joseph Cox & WLB George Mitchell in free agency plus drafted MLB Billy Talley in the 4th round & MLB James Manske in the 6th round.
DB: 7 of 9 DBs who defended a pass return after their top pass defender FS Michael Williams & 3rd leading pass defender CB Alan Drake left in free agency. They drafted CB Stevie McLaughlin in the 1st round plus signed CB Jake McLeod in free agency in hopes of replacing the loses.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The entire unit returns intact

PREDICTION
6-10 (3rd)
Offensively, they had the 19th ranked offense led by the 17th ranked pass offense. They need QB Hall to build of last season plus get more out of the running game where the addition of a speedy rookie back could achieve. The OL is considered average and the hope is all the retirements don't make them worse.
Defensively, they had the 13th ranked defense last season led by their 8th ranked pass defense. They lost their 1st & 3rd ranked DBs for passes defended and need the 5th overall pick to start immediately.
This once dominant francise has gone 7 straight seasons without a postseason appearance. They have been improving recently and fell 1 win short of .500 last season. Can they finally get over the hump?


Saint Paul Punishers
OWNER (YEARS): holocron (1st season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 4-12 (4th)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 5 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 30th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 18th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 26th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 20th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 30th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 26th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +4

OFFENSE
QB: Stephen Gibson returns for his 5th year as starter since being taken with the 4th overall pick of the 2040 draft. He is coming off his worst season as starter where he had 3 TD passes & 17 interceptions. They signed veteran QB Joseph Delfalco to challenge him plus drafted QB Douglas Judd in the 6th round.
RB: The top 2 RBs from last season return but they lost depth when RB Jeremy Lewis to retirement. They signed veteran RB William Stokes to fill the void plus signed FB Gordon Drago for added depth.
WR: Only 1 WR returns from last season after leading receiver John Burke retired plus 3rd, 4th & 5th leading receivers departed in free agency. They signed former league MVP Mario Peacock plus drafted Clifford Davis in the 1st round. They have just 3 WRs on the roster but what they lack in quanity is made up for in quality.
TE: Both TEs from last season return plus they signed TE Lee Bordeaux and drafted TE William Thompson in the 6th round to add depth.
OL: Only 3 of 5 starters return after veterans RG Stuart Orcutt & RT Timothy Washington were allowed to walk in free agency. They drafted LT Daniel Sotelo (3rd), LG Carmine Walters (7th), C Timothy Nichols (7th) plus signed LG Alan Steel, C Brian Johannsen & RG James Stone in free agency.

DEFENSE
DL: Only 5 of 8 DL return from last season after they allowed 3 veterans to leave in free agency including 2nd leader sack LDE Elmer Amecuza. They drafted LDE Larry Cusson in the 5th round & DT Frank Mooney in the 2nd round plus signed RDE Joshua Whitock in free agency.
LB: 4 of 6 LBs return after they lost veterans SLB Matthew Farrell to free agency & MLB Fransico Crockett to retirement. They drafted MLB Jimmy Ortiz in the 3rd round & WLB Robert Gonzalez in the 5th round plus signed WLB Bruce Carrier in free agency.
DB: Only 4 of 8 DBs who defended a pass return as CB Ralph Messer & FS Jason Boggs retired plus CB Conrad Luna & FS Richard Clary were allowed to walk in free agency. They signed CB Benjamin Vasquez plus drafted CB Lemuel Hedgepeth in the 2nd round to help replace the loses.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Only the punter returns from last season as they signed K Jared Obrien in free agency & Mario Peacock will become the returner.

PREDICTION
6-10 (4th)
Offensively, they had the 26th ranked offense last season and have retooled the offense including bring in true competition at quarterback.
Defensively, they had the 26th ranked defense last season and the 30th ranked pass defense so they tried to rebuild rebuild by adding 5 draft picks to the defense.
This francise was once a perennial Conference Championship game contender but they haven't made the postseason in 5 seasons and are under new ownership.


Montana Grizzlies
OWNER (YEARS): trslick (25th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 7-9 (2nd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 3 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 24th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 20th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 21st
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 19th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 24th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 23rd
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -2

OFFENSE
QB: Larry Scruggs returns for his 3rd season as starter after being drafted in the 4th round if the 2041 draft.
RB: They lost Zachary Womack so they drafted RB Thomas Obrien in the 6th round.
WR: 4 of 7 WRs return after they lost WR Miron, Smith & Dunn in free agency. They drafted WR McKinley Rivera in the 1st round to replace them.
TE: All 3 TEs return from last season plus they signed TE Walter Norman in free agency.
OL: All 12 OL return including all 5 starters.

DEFENSE
DL: 4 of 7 DL return after losing 3 veteran plays to free agency. They drafted LDE Steven Collins in the 3rd round plus signed DT Gary Cross & RDE Travis Daugherty in free agency to fill the void.
LB: All 5 LBs return from last season.
DB: 7 of 8 DBs return after they lost CB Evan Lehman to free agency so they drafted FS Michael Hayne in the 4th to replace him.

SPECIAL TEAMS
K Dennis Neese left in free agency so they signed K James Shoults to replace him.

PREDICTION
8-8 (2nd)
Offensively, they had the 21st ranked offense last season and added a 1st round WR to improve the passing game.
Defensively, they had the 23rd tanked defense last season and the core returns with 4 new additions.
Montana looked to have turned the francise around with 7 straight non-losing seasons (35-41) before having back to back down seasons.

NXC SOUTH

Memphis 14-2
Atlanta 14-2 (WILDLCARD)
Carolina 7-9
Tampa Bay 2-14

Atlanta Dominators
OWNER (YEARS): Bruno77 (7th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 16-0 (1st)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 4 straight years (3× XFL CHAMPION)
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 1st
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 4th
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 1st
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 4th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 1st
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 1st
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +7

OFFENSE
QB: Michael Ceron returns for his 7th season as starter since being drafted in the 7th round of the 2037 draft. Former league MVP Alvin Johnson is on the roster backing him up.
RB: The entire #1 rush offense returns intact including 2× ALLPRO Leroy Bello.
WR: Every receiver returns from last year's #4 ranked pass defense.
TE: They don't carry TEs on their roster.
OL: The only unit with any changes lost C Curtis Terrell to retirement and LG Terry Buckles to free agency so they signed C Denny Williams plus drafted C John Mattingly, Don Mattingly' nephew.

DEFENSE
DL: All return from last seasons #1 ranked defense.
LB: All return from last seasons #1 ranked defense.
DB: All return from last seasons #1 ranked defense.

SPECIAL TEAMS
All return

PREDICTIONS
14-2 (2nd)
Offensively, they return almost the entire #1 offense.
Defensively, they return the entire #1 defense.
51 of 53 players return from last seasons perfect season Championship team.

Memphis Maniacs
OWNER (YEARS): Legendruthless (5th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 12-4 (2nd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: 3 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 10th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 1st
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 2nd
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 2nd
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 26th
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 9th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +12

OFFENSE
QB: ALLPRO QB Anthony Henderson returns for his 2nd season as starter. QB Lee Huber was signed in free agency to hold a clipboard.
RB: 1,100+ yard rusher George Wilson was traded to Orlando for a 1st round pick & CB Albert Linton. Everyone other player who rushed the ball last season returns.
WR: 10 of 12 players who caught a pass for last seasons #1 pass offense returns including WR James Fain & James Vasquez who have had receiving triple crowns in the last 3 seasons. They lost Wilson via trade and WR George Hurley to free agency. They drafted WR Wilbert Henderson in the 1st round to add even more talent to the top unit.
TE: The team doesn't carry a traditional TE on the roster.
OL: 10 of 10 OL from last season return

DEFENSE
DL: 7 of 7 return from last season including former ALLPRO RDE Timothy Appel.
LB: The only true LB from last season returns.
DB: 10 of 14 DBs who defended a pass last season return but they lost top pass defender CB Keith Mason to free agency along with CB Kyle Davies, James McBride & Kevin Gonzalez. They had the 29th ranked pass defense last season so they drafted CB Kevin Easthan in the 1st round, CB Steven Kearney in the 2nd round, CB Edgar Spillman in the 2nd round & CB William Mears in the 3rd round. They also received CB Albert Linton in the George Wilson trade from Orlando.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Both kickers & their punt returner return from last season but ALLPRO returner George Wilson who set a single season record for KO return TDs was traded to Orlando.

PREDICTIONS
14-2 (1st)
Offensively, they had the #1 pass offense & 2nd overall offense plus added another 1st round talent at WR but they lost their primary rusher in a trade.
Defensively, they had the 9th ranked defense ked by the 2nd ranked run defense but were hamstrung by their 29th ranked pass defense. They spent 4 draft picks plus traded for another CB to improve the unit.
They were already a deadly passing game and added yet another 1st round WR to the roster. If they can improve from last year's pass defense, the sky's the limit.

Carolina Cobras
OWNER (YEARS): Drhayhurst (3rd season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 5-11 (4th)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 6 of 7 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 29th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 22nd
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 27th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 28th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 23rd
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 29th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): +4

OFFENSE
QB: They lost 6 year starter QB Bart Rowland in free agency after he rejected a 6 year/92 million dollar contract to stay in Carolina and he signed a 6 year/161 million dollar contract with Kansas City. They traded for QB Juan Payne from Philadelphia for a 2nd round pick to fill the void.
RB: Only 2 of 5 players who rushed the ball from last seasons 29th ranked Rush offense return. They lost 3 players to free agency so they signed RB Jerry Jennings to help mitigate the loses.
WR: 7 of 12 players who caught a pass last season return after they lost HOF WR Joe Narvaez to retirement plus 4 other players left the team. They drafted WR Francis Justice & WR Robert Pasillas both in the 2nd round plus signed WR Samuel Gaffney
TE: Starting TE Lewis Scanlan returns as the only TE on the roster.
OL: 10 of 12 OL return from last season including all 5 starters after LT Scott Sass retired & LT John Anderson left in free agency.

DEFENSE
DL: 5 of 7 DL return after they lost DT Hierberto Cheney to retirement & RDE Alexander Maple to free agency. They signed DT Juan Peters & DT Dwayne Martinez in free agency plus drafted DT Scott Johnson in the 2nd round.
LB: 6 of 6 LBs return from last season and they signed SLB Christopher Montano to add depth.
DB: 5 of 7 DBs who defended a pass last season from last seasons 23rd ranked pass defense. They allowed 2 veteran DBs go in free agency including top pass defender CB Peter Weir. They signed CB Kevin Gonzalez & CB George Gragg in free agency plus drafted CB Charles Elsass in the 3rd round, CB Brian Ullman in the 5th round & CB Otis Pierson in the 6th round.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Both their P Alfred Hardman & RET Joe Narvaez retired but K Justin Plummer returns so they drafted P Milton Lewis in the 5th round & named WR Norman Bott the returner.

PREDICTIONS
7-9 (3rd)
Offensively, they had the 27th ranked offense last season so the trade for Juan Payne should help improve the offense
Defensively, they had the 29th ranked defense last season and rebuilt their secondary plus added talent to the defensive line.
The addition of QB Juan Payne plus the rebuilt secondary may help them improve overall in a tough division.


Tampa Bay Fireballs
OWNER (YEARS): casualcnote (24th season)
LAST SEASON (PLACE): 5-11 (3rd)
RECENT POSTSEASON: missed 4 straight years
RUSH OFFENSE (2044): 25th
PASS OFFENSE (2044): 23rd
TOTAL OFFENSE (2044): 25th
RUSH DEFENSE (2044): 17th
PASS DEFENSE (2044): 32nd
TOTAL DEFENSE (2044): 30th
TURNOVER MARGIN (2044): -20

OFFENSE
QB: Douglas Brock returns for his 4th season as starter since being drafted in the 4th round of the 2040 season.
RB: 2 of 4 players who rushed the ball last season return including 900+ yard rusher Brian Wood. They lost RB Jay Reynolds to retirement while veteran Joseph Crayton left in free agency. They drafted RB Daniel Stukes in the 2nd round to replace the loses.
WR: Most all receivers return with only the Crayton lose but they drafted WR Jamar Quick with the 8th overall pick and he adds world class speed to the unit.
TE: All 3 TEs from last season return plus they drafted TE Joseph Donner in the 7th round.
OL: Only 1 starter from last season returns and its former ALLPRO C Willie Bledsoe. They lost RT Christopher Contreras to a mega free agent contract while former ALLPROs LT Robert Mays & RG Frederick Pruit both retired. They just let LG Wallace Jackson walk via free agency. They drafted LT Larry Hudson in the 6th round, RG Marcus Caballero in the 5th round & LG Casey Weber in the 3rd round plus signed LG Joseph Carbone & RG Daniel Hood in free agency.

DEFENSE
DL: 7 of 7 DL return from last seasons 30th ranked defense including LDE Dwight White who led the team with 18 sacks.
LB: 5 of 5 LBs from last season return plus they signed WLB Jeremiah Hartzell in free agency to add depth.
DB: 7 of 7 DBs who defended a pass last season return for the league's 32nd ranked pass defense.

SPECIAL TEAMS
K Scott Ruiz retired so they transition to K Aaron Lynch who they drafted in 2042.

PREDICTIONS
2-14 (4th)
Offensively, they had the 25th ranked offense last season and had to completely rebuild their offensive line with free agents & draft picks plus they added 2 rookie playmakers.
Defensively, they return the entire 30th ranked defense & 32nd ranked pass defense with only 1 player added in free agency for depth.
They hope to improve on offense which all depends on the completely rebuilt offensive line plus some rookies playmakers.