Citing a saturation in the New York-area media market, the New York (N) franchise relocated to Providence, Rhode Island.

"New England's Creative Capital deserves a professional franchise that its fans can get behind and call their own," said new team GM RedNU, who recently took ownership of the team that has never known a winning season in its four-year existence in New York City.

The Islanders, as the team will now be known, are coming off a 4-11-1 season as the franchise transitions out of draft mode and prepares for training camp.

GM RedNU must be wondering what in the **** he was thinking as the news out of Islanders training camp was profoundly not good.

The team cut first-round selection FB Ritchie Pritchett prior to training camp after describing him as "a brick who can't run." That may have been giving him too much credit since his training camp score was -7.

That's the good news. We dodged a lemon. Party it up Providence.

Now let's talk about what we didn't dodge. Pain. A whole lot of pain. If you're an unemployed professional football talent scout in the Rhode Island area, keep an eye on the classified section. The Islanders will be posting job ads soon.

7th round selection, WR Ernest Donovan...6/-6.
Free agent pick-up, LG Romeo Pope, drafted 6th round and dropped pre-camp by the Blizzard...1/-9 (at least someone has scouts that *ahem* earn their paychecks)
4th round selection, LG Michael Clements...2/-6
6th round selection, RT David Heavner...star of the Islander 2022 draft class...2/-1
5th round selection, RDE Kelly Compton...4/-3
3rd round selection, WLB Jason Middlebrooks...3/-4
2nd round selection, CB James Shelton...3/-2

Someone needs to scrape off their shoes because they stepped in a big steaming pile of ****.

If you're wanting a positive training camp spin out of the Islanders, second-year CB Larry Ellsworth clocked in at 2/2. The only player on the whole @#$!%ing roster to gain more than a single point at training camp.

The prognosis for first winning record in franchise history this season is very not good.

The Islanders wrapped up their first Providence-based preseason winning one of three games played. Here's what we learned watching the game film...

* We stand by our preseason observation that the first winning season in franchise history will not be this one.

* While the overall talent level still leaves something to be desired, the team will be faster and should have better depth than it featured a season ago. Whether that translates into more victories remains to be seen. The Islanders traded away a couple talented older players in exchange for a rookie and a future draft selection, a seeming acknowledgement that management considers this a building season rather than a contending season. There were rumors QB Eliseo Towne might also move, but that did not come to pass, indicating that management might think it can still utilize the 6-year vet at some stage of the process.

* The running game is more for show than for go. Providence will, of course, run the football, but odds are that rushing will be more for the purpose of keeping defenses honest than it will be a sincere effort to gain major yards. Both the O-line and the backfield are not conducive of a ground-and-pound attack.

* The team that finishes the season in Providence will be different and better from the one that starts the year. With a rumored $18 million or so between current payroll and the salary cap, the Islanders will likely make a run at any talent that hits the waiver wire this season. Our guess is the team will move to add some names almost immediately as the league's cut-down day casualties become known. We wouldn't be surprised to learn of mid-season waiver wire action as well.

OVER/UNDER PREDICTION FROM VEGAS: 5.5 wins

Eliseo Towne threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns to make the franchise's first game under the Providence Islanders moniker a 41-10 success. It is a result that few saw coming given the line that Las Vegas had placed on the action prior to kickoff.

Towne was simply dominant throughout the contest, completing 26 out of 27 passes. Although that's not completely true -- even the one credited miss failed to strike the turf as Pittsburgh intercepted it, so technically speaking all of Towne's throws were completed to someone. Nine different receivers got involved in the action for Providence, none more than TE Tim Boyer who hauled in six passes for 110 yards. William Campbell also had six catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. He added 21 rushing yards.

Gary Porter finished with 87 rushing yards on 10 carries. The bulk of those yards came on a 78-yard breakaway touchdown run early in the second period to elevate Providence to a 21-0 lead and cap a streak of three consecutive touchdown possessions the Islanders scored on a stunned Pittsburgh crowd.

Rookie linebacker Benjamin Truong, brought to Providence via preseason trade, paved the way with a team-high seven tackles as, for at least one night, almost everything clicked. Henry Brown and Larry Ellsworth added interceptions for the defense.

The Islanders will make their regular season Rhode Island debut this weekend when the team hosts divisional foe Washington (0-1) in what the networks have declared the Game of the Week. Not all the news is good heading into that contest. Team officials report both Porter and starting CB Jody Robinson are questionable with undisclosed leg injuries and could be sidelined.

Robert Casillas' 56-yard field goal split the uprights with 49 seconds remaining to complete a 5-for-5 night and secure a 15-13 victory for the Providence Islanders over Washington in the aptly-named Game of the Week.

What the contest lacked in fireworks, it made up for in drama. The Islanders appeared on their way to scoring a potential go-ahead touchdown with less than five minutes to go, but Eliseo Towne threw an interception at the goal line trying to squeeze the ball between three defenders. Providence was able to mount a fantastic defensive stand with the 'Skins backed up deep. Twice it appeared as though the Islanders' defense may have produced a go-ahead safety, only to see officials rule the ball made it out of the end zone. Still, the stand gave the Islanders excellent field position, ultimately setting up Casillas' winning kick.

The Providence kicker was also good from 36, 53 and 22 yards in the contest.

Tim Boyer was outstanding again for Providence, hauling in five passes for 108 receiving yards. William Campbell, forced into a starting running back's role due to injuries elsewhere on the roster, delivered with 108 combined rushing and receiving yards. Larry Ellsworth snatched an interception for Providence while Craig Chang was a beast with 11 stops from the strong safety position.

A crowd of 57,371 showed up for the debut of professional football in Providence. The Islanders, now 2-0, travel cross-country to face Seattle (1-0-1) in their next action.

Jeffrey Patton picked off Seattle QB Clyde Price and raced 49 yards into the end zone for an Islanders defensive score, but it wasn't enough as Seattle delivered the first loss of the season to a badly jet lagged Providence team 16-10.

Patton's score was one of the rare cheering opportunities for Providence fans in the contest. Much of the game had the locals wondering if the team's offense missed its connecting flight. Eliseo Towne looked like he was on another planet the entire night as he went a respectable 21-for-28, but completed those passes for just 102 yards. More deadly, Towne was picked off three times in the contest. As a team, the Islanders struggled for just 182 yards of offense in the game.

Still, the Islanders were able to draw first blood on a 47-yard Robert Casillas field goal. The team, despite the night's hardships, also had time in the waning minutes of the game to try and drive for a potential winning touchdown. But it was not to be. Facing a fourth-and-4 at the Seattle 48, Towne's completion to Joseph Leak was ruled to have come up inches short of converting. The play was reviewed, but the spot stood as called on the field, enabling Seattle to essentially run out the clock in the contest.

Benjamin Truong and Anthony Killinger each had nine tackles for an Islander defense that pretty much did its job by limiting Seattle to just 200 yards of offense in the contest. Normally that total would be enough to win, but not on a night when the Providence offense was collectively missing in action.

That offense had better recover soon. The Islanders travel to Ohio this week for a date with undefeated Gem City. The Gangsters are giving up just over 8 points per game to opponents thus far.

So I'm in the midst of traveling with my debate team that I coach and I've been up for 20 straight hours and getting ready to crash in the hope of getting 5 hours of sleep...not a lot of time to write.

Which is fine since momma taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

We just got whupped 34-0 by the Gangsters. Outplayed in every single facet of the game and then some. Period. Full stop.

I have returned from my trip. The Providence Islanders' offense? Not so much.

Aside from a 72-yard touchdown pass to Tim Boyer near the end of the first quarter, the Islanders' offense accounted for next to nothing in the contest, falling by a final 31-10 final count. In doing so, the Islanders missed a golden chance to move alongside the Eagles for first place in the division.

But that's a goal for another day, hopefully a much less blustery one as the game was played with temps in the upper 50s and a 31 mph wind howling across the field.

On a day where the Providence offense managed just 5 first downs, free safety Anthony Killinger turned in the only real stat of noteworthiness as he finished with 16 tackles and a forced fumble to earn mention among the defensive players of the week.

Providence slides to a mark of 2-3 this season. Next up is Arizona (2-2-1) at home.

Providence and Arizona tangled for 70 minutes without a winner last night as the teams finished an offensive throwdown deadlocked at 28. While the 67,573 fans in attendance didn't get to see a decisive outcome, they did get to witness a rarity under the new 0.4.4 rules as the two teams combined for more than 900 yards of offense in the contest.

It was another blustery day in Providence as a 24 mph wind cooled the 62-degree kickoff. Eliseo Towne was 36-for-44 through the air for 334 yards and a pair of 5-yard touchdown passes. Robert Casillas went 4-for-4 on field goals, including a 41-yarder with 1 second remaining on the clock to force the contest into overtime. From there, a gassed Islander defense somehow found a way to hold on. Arizona moved the ball seemingly at will in the second half, scoring touchdowns on drives of 75, 83 and 75 yards. The last of those scores came with just 3:05 left in the game, but it was enough time for the Islanders to get down the field to kick the tying field goal.

Gary Porter ran the ball 14 times for 127 yards in the contest for Providence. Tim Boyer had 5 receptions for 146 yards. Defensively, Larry Ellsworth came up with an interception.

The Islanders stand at 2-3-1 after the sister-kissing tie. Providence hosts Tampa Bay (1-5) in the Game of the Meek, er...Week. Game of the Week.

Once the Providence Islanders figured out how to stop being their own worst enemies, they were able to move back to .500 for the season with a 21-12 victory over visiting Tampa Bay in a nationally televised contest.

William Campbell appeared to be on his way for a 14-yard touchdown run on Providence's opening possession, but lost his grip on the football mere inches from breaking the plane. The ball was recovered in the end zone by Tampa Bay's David Butler, removing what seemed a sure touchdown from the board.

The Butler did it again on the Islanders' next possession as well. This time Gary Porter was the victim as Butler pounced on the loose ball to set up the Bucs' first field goal of the contest.

Providence managed to hold on to the ball on its next possession, but remained haunted. After a brilliant drive from their own 25 to inside the Tampa Bay 10, setting up what should be a gimme field goal. Gimme a break...the 27-yard boot was pushed wide to the right and Tampa Bay drove down to add a second field goal to its side of the scoreboard.

Starting once again from its own 25, the Islanders finally showcased that they had figured things out. Campbell hauled in a 14-yard Eliseo Towne touchdown pass to temporarily give Providence the lead. The Bucs snuck a 40-yard kick between the uprights for a 9-7 halftime lead.

The second half largely belonged to Providence, which for a second consecutive game seemed to have the offense dialed in. Towne and Campbell hooked up again, this time joining forces from 25 yards away for the go-ahead score on the Islanders' first possession of the second half. Towne found Joseph Wyrick from 33 yards away late in the third quarter for the Islanders' final points. Tampa Bay added a fourth quarter field goal but could manage no more points.

Towne finished 31-for-33 for 325 yards of passing. Tim Boyer pulled down eight receptions for 108 yards in the contest.

Providence (3-3-1) wraps up its October home stand this week when the Portland Thunder (1-5-1) rumbles in to town. The Islanders will be at far less than full strength for that contest. Campbell and Boyer will both miss the contest for the offense. Providence will also be without its sacks leader on defense for the game.