Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

[R. Rich]

Preseason Report
By: Staff


Game 1:
Erie 10
LA Aztecs 30

Game 2:
Erie 13
KC Super Deuces 20

Preseason is over, and it's time for the regular season to swing into high gear. The Assassins made it through the preseason injury-free, which is a plus. The offense showed an ability to run the football and the line looked okay in protecting QB Byron Leftwich, as they did not allow a sack in the 2 preseason games. Leftwich, on the other hand, struggled mightily, throwing 5 interceptions to only one touchdown.

Defensively, the run defense looked weak, allowing 2 100 yard rushers. The pass rush looked better, as LBs Jason Babin and Jonathan Vilma were able to record sacks, and DE Randy Starks led the team w/ 3 sacks in the preseason. Pass coverage? Needs work, as too many 3rd and long plays were given up. Dunta Robinson and Sean Taylor both struggled and must step up their games.


The special teams look pretty solid, as P Brad Maynard was very reliable, K David Akers showed a strong leg and great accuracy, and the coverage units did not allow great field position. This could be a strength of the 2005 Assassins, but they've got a long way to go still and only time will tell.

Overall? There were good things to take from the 2 preseason games and bad things as well. Considering this team is a work in progress and the plan is to build up for a shot @ a title in year 2 or 3, they're just about on schedule.

[R. Rich]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Game 1 Analysis:

Erie Unravels In 4th, Drops Opener To Canadian Radiation Kings 27- 13

By: Editor


The Erie Assassins looked to reverse the trends of preseason, but only continued them as turnovers and a worn out defense again spelled defeat. Byron Leftwich continues to struggle, throwing 4 interceptions and looking confused and overmatched. He has looked okay in the early going, but struggles down the stretch of games. One has to wonder when Coach Ferentz will look to backup Jake Plummer for relief. Scary, as Plummer threw 20 picks himself last season!

The running game looks to be pretty good so far. Julius Jones has shown that he can handle being an every down back, and has looked very strong at times. Jones ran 20 times for 126 yards and a TD for the day. The stronger and more confident he becomes, the more viable a play action passing game becomes for Erie.

Speaking of the passing game, it's nonexistent. Nothing. Nada. Brandon Lloyd, who had 2 100 yard games in preseason, had just 70 yards on his 5 catches, while Kelley Washington, who did his best Claude Reins impersonation during preseason, added just 4 receptions for 53 yards. Ugh! Where was Ben Troupe, the TE they were sooo happy w/ that they didn't want to do a trade for Antonion Gates? Well, he had a monster game: 3 catches for 38 yards! Impressive.

Oh yeah, the offensive line that patted itself on the back for not giving up any sacks in the preseason? Three sacks given up in this one; just as many penalties too. This unit, heck the entire offense sans Jones, needs to do some soul searcing between now and the next game.

Defensively, we're still waiting to see the dominance. Kris Jenkins is supposed to be the anchor for the front seven and spearhead the charge in terms of run defense. Well, 2 preseason games and 1 regular season game later, we've seen 3 RBs get over 100 yards on the Assassins. We've also seen QBs throw @ will on this supposed stout defense. What's the deal? I'm waiting to see the payoff from having guys like Sean Taylor, Dunta Robinson, Bryan Scott, and Quentin Jammer out there, supposedly intimidating opposing receivers. Now, the LBs seem to be coming into their own. Jonathan Vilma is playing as advertised, rapidly becoming the star of this defense. Jason Babin has done well rushing the passer and Nick Barnett has adjusted well to moving back outside after being in the middle in Green Bay, a place where he had some trouble holding up against the big guys in the interior OL. Napoleon Harris may very well be the weak link of the LB corps, which could mean a change is in order if the problems stuffing the run continue.

The kicking game looked very good; Akers connected on a nice 49 yard FG, while Brad Maynard continues to look good. Though only forced to punt twice, he gave the opponent starting position at the 5 and 17, respectively. The coverage units we've heard so much about? They gave up a huge return to Antwaan Randle El @ the absolute worst time, giving up a 48 yard kickoff return after getting w/in 4 of the CRKs (17-13). Not good. We need to be able to depend on the coverage units in just those types of circumstances.

Oh well; on to week 2. It's still early, but the Assassins need to straighten out their run and pass defense, plus get Leftwich to screw his head on right so that they will be able to compete in the BZFL for this year.

[The King]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

so articulate. Ill stick with Mora quotes.

[R. Rich]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

so articulate. Ill stick with Mora quotes.

Being articulate is a bad thing?

Okay, here's a version more to your liking:

Me not happy w/ team. Team is bad. Team sucks. Must get good.

[The King]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Being articulate is a bad thing?

Okay, here's a version more to your liking:

Me not happy w/ team. Team is bad. Team sucks. Must get good.

No I was impressed! I am not that articulate that was the point!

[R. Rich]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Notes From Kirk Ferentz' Press Conference (07/02/05)
By: Staff

Erie Assassins Head Coach Kirk Ferentz addressed the media Saturday on the outcome of the opening game and answered some questions also.

On the issue of Byron Leftwich's horrible outing (18 of 33 for 184 yards, 0 TD, 4 INTs), Coach Ferentz stated that, "Byron is still trying to adjust to our system and is experiencing some difficulty. We are standing behind our decision to make Byron our starter for now. We feel it is much too early to hit the panic button and bench him in favor of backup Jake Plummer." Offensive Coordinator Ken O'Keefe is said to be working extensively w/ Leftwich to calm him down and to get him more used to the offense. When asked about Leftwich's troubles, O'Keefe said, "When Kirk and I coached in Iowa, we used a lot more multiple sets and gave many more looks to the defense. Here in Erie, we've really scaled down the offense so that we can focus on our running game, which we feel is a strong point of our team. What Byron needs to learn is the nuances of the play action pass and when to test the secondary deep as opposed to when to take what they give you."

Ferentz did say he was pleased w/ the running of Julius Jones. "Julius is really hitting the holes with a great burst and is doing a great job of breaking a lot of big gains. He does have the tendency to jump the gun @ times, taking off before his blocking is set. That's something that will come to him w/ more reps. Julius was very strong in the 1st quarter (5 carries for 51 yds, 1 TD) and again in the 3rd (5 carries for 61 yards). What we need to do is to limit our mistakes, so that we can not only continue to utilize his great running, but to get more play action passing off of it."

When asked what he thought of the performance of his defense, Ferentz said, "To be honest, we're disappointed in what we've done so far defensively. We simply cannot continue to allow a succession of running backs to burn us for 100 yard games. Jamal Lewis finished w/ 126 yards on 23 carries, something which should not be happening to us. I've challenged NT Kris Jenkins, our defensive captain, to step up his game and lead this young defense. Of course, we also have to limit our turnovers, so that we're not tiring our defense out. This will come in time." Ferentz also seemed a bit down on his secondary, saying, "This is not how we envisioned our secondary coming out of the gate. We were looking to have an aggressive group that would be able to control the receivers and keep the big plays to a minimum. This is an area we'll be addressing a lot over the next couple of weeks."

Ferentz did have kudos for P Brad Maynard. "Brad did a nice job when we called upon him. He only had to punt twice, and put the opposing team inside the 20 each time (5 and 17 yard line starts, respectively)."

Overall, Ferentz did say that he was pleased w/ some things, such as his running and kicking games, but that there is much room for improvement on his team. The challenge is to get this young team to learn quickly from their mistakes and learn to limit the turnovers to give them a chance to win.

[R. Rich]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Notes From Kirk Ferentz Press Conference (07/09/05)
By: Staff

Erie Assassins head coach Kirk Ferentz addressed the media after last week's 35-23 loss in the home opener against Pittsburgh.

The main question was the health of RB Julius Jones, the BZFL's leading rusher after the first 2 weeks. "Julius is going to be out for the next 6 weeks, which will affect our offense dramatically. Jonathan Wells will take over as the starter for now. We have no plans to bring in a free agent as anything other than a backup, and even that isn't a guarantee. Jonathan doesn't have the same explosiveness or speed that Julius has, but is more than capable of running in between the tackles for us." When asked if there were plans to restructure the offense, Ferentz replied, "We are going to use the 3 WR set a bit more. (Offensive Coordinator) Ken O' Keefe wants to use our 3 man WR rotation of Kelley Washington, Tyrone Calico, and Brandon Lloyd in a few more instances so that we can get the defense to open up a bit. We're confident that our guys can handle this situation. So far, the progress of Lloyd has been pretty good, but we will need to see more out of Calico and especially Washington."

About the team's continuing struggles in pass defense, Ferentz said, "(Defensive Coordinator) Al Golden and I have been working on this for the past few days. Our base defense has been less effective as teams are spreading the field on us. Also, Quentin Jammer needs to work on his recognition, as he's falling for the double move a bit too often. We're happy w/ the play of our safeties so far, as Bryan Scott and Sean Taylor have done a good job in both run support and in coverage. Our nickel and dime backs must also step it up. I expect a turnaround out of Lenny Walls, Nathan Vasher, and Andre Woolfolk with more time spent in our scheme."

In terms of the run defense, Ferentz said the team, "...had improved by leaps and bounds over the preseason and the season opener. Randy Starks and Kris Jenkins both responded well to the 'talk' we had last week. We still are waiting for big things from (RE) Anthony Weaver. Derrick Burgess, his backup, may see some more time in certain pass rush situations."

The play of the offensive line has been okay, for the most part, according to Ferentz. "Jonathan Ogden and Bryant McKinnie have been outstanding in opening huge rush lanes for the running game. Julius had a 60 yard run in large part due to the great blocks thrown by McKinnie and RG Kendyl Jacox. Our left side (G Chester Pitts and Ogden) has been very sound in run blocking. We still could do a bit more in pass protection, but, so far, I'm pleased w/ the progress of our line."

Next up for the Assassins is a trip to the 'Jungle' to meet the Philadelphia Bushwhackers, also winless after their first 2 games. The Bushwhackers have 2 QBs that can cause matchup problems in cousins Michael Vick and Aaron Brooks. If the Assassins aren't up to the task, they could get torched by Philly's passing game. Ferentz expect his team to respond to the challenge by coming out w/ their first win of the season. "We're due for a game where everything falls into place and we put together the kind of effort we're capable of. This could be our week."

[Forward_Lateral]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Well Rich, one of us has to win this week, the loser will be 0-3. I don't have much confidence in my team right now, I envision an Assasins win.

[R. Rich]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Well Rich, one of us has to win this week, the loser will be 0-3. I don't have much confidence in my team right now, I envision an Assasins win.

I've lost my best offensive weapon to an injury that'll keep him out for the next 6 games. I also lost my starting TE for this game also. I now have to rely even more on the very shaky arm of Byron Leftwich. I'm not really very hopeful of my chances.

[R. Rich]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Notes From Kirk Ferentz Press Conference (07/16/09)
By: Staff

Assassins Head Coach Kirk Ferentz was visibly not happy during the conference, looking very frustrated due to the team's 0-3 start. Things don't look to get much better w/ leading rusher Julius Jones still out for the next 5 weeks, Byron Leftwich still making some bad throws @ the worst possible moments, and the run defense continuing its' struggle.

When asked if backup QB Jake Plummer might be pressed into action, Ferentz said, "Right now, we're leaving the option open. Jake has looked pretty solid in drills over the past couple of weeks and appears ready if necessary. I do like some of the things Byron has been able to do, such as the nice working relationship he and WR Brandon Lloyd have developed. Brandon has done well w/ making the big plays for us, but he does need to become more of a factor in the red zone (has 0 TDs so far this season)."

Though the pass defense didn't give up a ton of yardage to Philadelphia (gave up 195 passing yards on 17 for 25 passing), they still are having trouble generating turnovers (0 for the game). On the plus side, they did keep Philly to a 2 of 9 showing on 3rd downs and did put good pressure on QB Aaron Brooks, coming up w/ 5 sacks, 2 by emerging LDE Randy Starks. Ferentz noted that, "our pass defense did play a little better, but we have to do better w/ forcing turnovers. We have good playmakers out there; they just need to step up their games so that we can get some points off turnovers. I expect guys like Jonathan Vilma, Nick Barnett, and Sean Taylor to do better in this area."

The run defense is still having a lot of trouble, as the team gave up another 100 yard performance to an opposing back. This time, it was game MVP Ahman Green, who rushed for 134 yards and 2 TDs on 13 carries. "Our run defense is just plain bad right now. Randy (Starks), Anthony Weaver, and Kris Jenkins have not been as stout as we'd like. Moreover, (RILB) Napoleon Harris is getting killed inside. We will use his injury to see what (backup) Gerald Hayes can do for us. I've also had a talk w/ Jonathan Vilma in order to make him aware of the fact that I expect more out of him also. He was our 2nd player chosen overall in the free agency draft, and the first player we took on defense. We did so because we believe he can be our impact player and a leader for us. So far, he has been underperforming, and he knows it. This is something I believe will change, and soon."

Ferentz did have good things to say, mostly, about his offensive line. "We're doing a much better job of protecting our quarterback, as Leftwich was only sacked once. Our run blocking is very solid, but we are obviously missing Julius (Jones). Without him, we don't have the same explosiveness out of the RB position. Jonathan Wells is a nice power runner, but doesn't have that extra gear like Julius does." There is a matter of penalties to deal w/ though. "We have had some really bad drive killing penalties from our line. Kendyl Jacox, @ one point during the first quarter, had back to back holding calls that took us from our 30 (yard line) to our 10. This just cannot happen, especially since we've been trying to develop some consistency offensively. We start out pretty strong, but usually end up killing ourselves w/ bad penalties and turnovers. We end up putting too much (pressure) on our defense, and they start to break down."


Special teams play was decent, but Ferentz said of his coverage teams that, "we have to get more physical and start to dominate in coverage. We gave up a 31 yard kick return to Dominic Rhodes, which is unacceptable. I put a lot of emphasis on special teams, and this effort was not one of our best. We will work hard this coming week on our kick coverage schemes."

Next up for the Assassins are the unbeaten Jersey Jaguars. The Jags sport a pretty good running game w/ Kevin Jones averaging 4.5 yards per rush and have a decent defense also. Ferentz knows his team will have to play a much cleaner game to come out of this one w/ a win. "We've been in these games going down to the wire, only to have a total meltdown on offense w/ turnovers and penalties, which allowed teams to wear down our defense for some late scores to beat us. One thing we will try to do is run the ball more effectively, setting up play action passing. Brandon Lloyd is having quite a nice season as he is 12th in the league in catches, 5th in receiving yards, and only Terrell Owens has a better yard per catch average than he does. This is definitely someting we can build on. We just need to stop shooting ourselves in the foot in crucial moments."

[R. Rich]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Notes from Kirk Ferentz Weekly Press Conference (07/23/05)
By: Staff


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Erie Assassins head coach Kirk Ferentz reflected on the team’s 0-4 start and also made reference to some changes to be made on both offense and defense.

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Offensively, the rumors of Byron Leftwich’s impending benching continue, after he suffered another terrible performance, going 23 of 39 for 221 yards w/ 3 INTs and 0 TDs. So far this season, he has thrown for 779 yards, 0 TDs and 9 INTs in his first 4 starts. He has been sacked 7 times as well. When asked if backup Jake Plummer, who has looked impressive in workouts over the past couple of weeks, would get a chance to start next week, Ferentz said that, “Jake is ready, if we decide to go that route. We do believe that Byron will come out of this okay, but we also have to make decisions that are best for the team. Right now, I’d say the chance that Jake will get the start next week is about fifty fifty.”

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Another problem w/ the offense now is the total lack of a running game. Jonathan Wells had just 19 yards rushing on 12 carries. Fullback Alan Ricard finished w/ 18 yards on his two carries. Ferentz said the team is , “exploring options” in terms of tweaking the running game. He would not say whether or not that meant help in free agency or not. Wells has rushed for just 115 yards this season on 36 carries, a dismal 3.2 yard per rush average. One option the team may look into is acquiring another runner w/ speed and using a “running back by committee” approach in the absence of Julius Jones, out for another 4 games due to injury.

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Defensively, it was more of the same for Erie, as Kevin Jones finished w/ 100 yards on his 19 carries and Chris Brown added 55 yards on 9 attempts. Both runners scored once. The run defense is still having trouble, and Ferentz alluded to changes that will be made to correct it. “There’s a couple of guys we’ve been monitoring, and we feel that right now, Gerald Hayes should remain the starter @ RILB, even after Nap(oleon) Harris’ return from injury. We’ll continue to use Nap in some of our different packages, but Gerald will be the every down starter for now. We also liked what we saw from Dexter Coakley, and will try to get him in more often as well. Right now, he’s still backing up Jason Babin @ LOLB, and we feel Jason is doing a solid job as our starter [Babin had 3 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 stuffs, and 1 sack in the loss to the Jags].”

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There may also be changes made in the special teams too, as the Assassins are not satisfied w/ the performance they’ve gotten so far from kick returner Bethel Johnson. “Bethel knows he has to step up his performance in the return game.” Ferentz said. “We are not okay w/ a 5.5 yard average on punts and an 18.6 yard average on kickoffs. That has to improve, or we need to look to someone else.”

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In terms of last week’s game, Ferentz again made mention of the team ‘melting down’ in crucial situations. “Hey, this is a young team. We all knew that when we put this team together, but we also told them that since they are professionals, we expect them to mature quickly and meet this challenge head on. We were again in a position to win (down just 14-9) in the 3<SUP>rd</SUP>, then we just gave up some big plays that led to our undoing (a 56 yard pass play that led to a short 5 yard Jones TD run and then Eddie Drummond’s long punt return for a score). This is all a part of the process of growing up as a team, but this had better be the short part of the process.”

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Next up for Erie is a road trip to take on the Kalamazoo Kamikaze Squirrels, a team that is also struggling w/ a 1-3 record. When asked if this was a “must win game” for the Assassins, Ferentz replied, “We will look at every game as a must win game for us, mainly to get some confidence going around here. Once we get that started, I know we’ll start to reverse our fortunes. This team has loads of talent; what it needs to develop is character, poise, and, most of all, confidence.”

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[R. Rich]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Roster Changes Made To Shake Things Up
By: Editor

The 0-4 Erie Assassins, desparately looking to add a spark to their team, announced some lineup changes that they hope will lead to a reversal of the team's misfortunes. The long rumored benching of Byron Leftwich became a reality, as backup QB Jake Plummer will start this week against Kalamazoo. Plummer has had a few good weeks of working out while Leftwich has struggled mightily as the starter, throwing 9 INTs to 0 TDs for the season. Also, newly acquired TE Desmond Clark will be given the start due to the injury to Ben Troupe. Troupe is expected back in action after this week though.

Defensively, head coach Kirk Ferentz mentioned that the team would demote RILB Napoleon Harris and replace him w/ Gerald Hayes, and they did just that. The move was done in the hopes that Hayes, who had a decent performance last week in the loss to the Jersey Jaguars, will hold up better against the run than Harris has. In addition to Hayes, Defensive Coordinator Al Golden has decided to give speedy DE Derrick Burgess the start this week as well, as he will replace RDE Anthony Weaver. Weaver has done an okay job, but the team feels Burgess can give them more speed on the edge which will help both Burgess and team sack leader Randy Starks (4 on the season) get better pressure.

The other move made was to give Bethel Johnson's punt return duties to reserve CB Nathan Vasher. Johnson will remain the team's top option as a kick returner.

[R. Rich]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Notes From Kirk Ferentz Press Conference (07/30/05)
By: Staff

After this week's 28-16 loss to Kalamazoo @ Soldier Field, Assassins head coach Kirk Ferentz was again visibly disappointed @ the performance of his team, especially his defense.

"Defensively, the effort simply is not there overall", Ferentz said. "We're getting some decent play from a few individuals, but we haven't come together as a unit to be what we should be. (Defensive Coordinator) Al (Golden) has said that we're going to modify our schemes a bit and use different personnel." Such personnel could be LBs Karlos Dansby, Dexter Coakley, and James Harrison plus CBs Andre Woolfolk and Lenny Walls, all of whom the coaches say they need to get on the field more.

Ferentz continued to stress the need for improvement in run defense. "This week was awful in terms of run defense. We gave up 100 yards to one back (Chester Taylor ran for 125 yards on just 20 carries) and nearly 100 to another (Emmitt Smith ran for 96 yards and 2 TDs on 19 carries). We made a change @ inside LB, going w/ Gerald Hayes over Nap(oleon) Harris, who we feel right now is better suited as a reserve, used in different blitz packages. We also will use Derrick Burgess @ RDE for the time being, to give us more of a rush from the line. There are some other changes we're considering, but that's something you'll have to wait until game day to find out about."

The sudden decision to start Byron Leftwich surprised some, as the team announced that Jake Plummer would start the game. "(Offensive Coordinator) Ken (O' Keefe) wanted to give Leftwich one more look to see if he could jump start the offense. For now, we feel that we're better suited going w/ Jake. He will become our starter for an indefinite period of time. We also will focus more of our strategy on throwing the ball, especially considering the fine season we've gotten out of Brandon Lloyd. Brandon's currently 11th in the league in catches (w/ 28), 5th in yards (482), and 3rd in average per catch (17.2). We've also seen more out of the TE position (Desmond Clark, filling in for injured starter Ben Troupe, had 5 catches for 46 yards) and it looks like Kelley Washington is starting to come around. He had a decent game (4 catches for 44 yards) and seems to be learning the offense now."

The running game continues to be a non factor, as the team is still struggling to run effectively in the absence of Julius Jones, who was the league's leading rusher @ the time of his injury and will be out for another 3 weeks. "Jonathan Wells had another mediocre game (65 yards on 16 rushes) for us as we are still trying to find a way to run the ball. Coach O' Keefe and I have toyed w/ a few ideas, and some will be on display next week." Ferentz would say no more about this.

The next game for the Assassins is @ RICH Stadium against the Denver Golden Brewsers, a team that is also 0-5 going into this week. When told that the loser of this game would be the lead candidate for the top pick in next year's draft, Ferentz shot back, "I don't give a damn about next year's draft. I'm trying to build some momentum this year. This team needs to get that first taste of success so that they can feed off of it. Right now, morale is pretty low due to the poor start, but I told them that they need to stay focused on the goal of becoming a team and building confidence in themselves and each other. All we need is a spark to get us going, so it's up to each player to step it up now."

[R. Rich]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Notes From Kirk Ferentz Press Conference (08/06/05)
By: Staff



Erie Assassins head coach Kirk Ferentz seemed a bit more positive after the team's come from behind 14-13 win @ home last week against the Denver Golden Brewsers.

"First off, I just want to say that it's nice to get our first win, " Ferentz said. "We needed something good to happen, after all the injuries, penalties, and turnovers that led to our 0-5 start." When someone mentioned that the win came against a team who, like the Assassins, had not won a game going into last week's contest, Ferentz replied that "The Brewsers have had a string of misfortunes as well, as they've been hit hard by injuries and have had to go w/ some players who weren't as experienced. Nonetheless, they're a tough team that has come close to winning on several occasions, so they're no pushover. Remember, they had us shut out over the course of the first 3 quarters of this game [they led 13-0 going into the fourth quarter]."

It was while discussing that fourth quarter surge that Ferentz displayed optimism for his team. "Our guys had a terrific fourth quarter against Denver. The defense was stout, and the offense was unstoppable. Jake Plummer looked great down the stretch and really took over as a leader. He called a quick players meeting for the offense, where he told them that they were not going to lose the game. Then, he led them on 2 scoring drives and another drive that helped to kill the clock."

Ferentz continued by saying, "Now, we need to build on the success of that fourth quarter and continue to play as well. They've seen now that they can get the job done, in all phases. Our comeback started w/ a solid special teams play, as Bethel Johnson returned a kickoff (after Brewsers kicker Ryan Longwell hit a 41 yard FG to put his team up 13-0) for 31 yards to give us great field position (to the Erie 43 yard line). From there, Jake started his great fourth quarter performance." Plummer was 11 of 12 for 128 yards, 1 TD and no INTs or sacks in the fourth. He led the Assassins on 2 scoring drives (a 12 yard Jonathan Wells TD run on a draw play followed by Plummer's 6 yard scoring toss to TE Desmond Clark) and another drive that allowed Erie to kill the clock and prevent the Brewsers from getting another scoring opportunity. The Assassins were 2-3 on third downs and 1-1 on fourth downs in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, the Assassins got back to tough, physical defensive football. They made some roster moves to shake things up, and it seemed to have worked out nicely. First, they moved Anthony Weaver back to the starting RDE spot. Weaver gives them more size than backup Derrick Burgess while still providing a decent pass rush. Weaver finished the game w/ 2 sacks and also had 4 tackles. He gave them good balance on the outside against both the pass and the run. The next move made was @ linebacker, as Nick Barnett was moved inside to RILB and Karlos Dansby was made the starter @ Barnett's old ROLB position. Those moves worked out very well, as Dansby had a 7 tackle, 2 sack, 3 stuff, and 1 pass defensed performance that impressed the coaches. Barnett had a pass defensed to go w/ his 3 tackles inside. Defensive Coordinator Al Golden said the move was made to , "get the best 4 linebackers on our team out on the field @ the same time. We felt that Karlos was being wasted as a situational player and special teamer. He had to be out there in the mix, and he showed us all why." For only the 2nd time this year, the Assassins did not surrender a 100 yard rushing performance to an opponent. This was especially good news after last week's debacle, where they gave up 100 yards to one player and 96 yards to another. Golden and Ferentz now feel that they have their best personnel out on the field and will be better able to stop the run, as well as do better in coverage.

The special teams play wasn't bad either. They kept the Brewsers' return game in check, keeping Lorenzo Neal to just 28 yards on 2 kick returns and Santana Moss to 15 yards on 2 punt returns. As for their return game, Erie kick returner Bethel Johnson stepped up late in the third quarter, giving the team a great 31 yard return to put them almost @ midfield to start the first of their 2 touchdown drives. Beyond that, the returns were not very spectacular. Ferentz said, "We're hoping to build on Bethel's last kick return. If he can get some continuity there, we'll have much better field position which should result in more scoring. He knows that we need him to get us set off correctly."

On the injury front, Ferentz is happy that he'll only have to wait another couple of weeks to get Julius Jones back from his injury. "Without Julius, our offense has really struggled to run the ball. We've had to force our QBs to do more because of that. I think Byron (Leftwich) responded to this a bit badly, but Jake seems to be able to handle it. Byron needs for us to have a strong running game to function well. We'll work more w/ him to get him the seasoning he'll need to be a successful QB. We have NOT given up on him @ all; we just feel that Jake can give us better success @ the present time. Byron is our QB for the long haul, and he knows that."

Next up for the Assassins is a rematch w/ the Pittsburgh Fighting Shih Tzus. Erie lost their home opener to Pittsburgh by a 35-23 score back in week 2. Of this game, Ferentz said, "The guys really want to have a good showing in Pittsburgh. We felt that we should have won the first game against them, but that we blew it w/ some mistakes down the stretch. We did hold Curtis Martin to less than 60 yards in that game, so we know we can limit their success running the ball if we work @ it. The real issue is whether or not we can get after Trent Green enough to stop him from going buck wild on us, like he did last time (he had 421 yards and 3 TDs). This is something that we'll work on a lot for this game."

[R. Rich]

Re: Dossier: The Magazine Of The Erie Assassins

Assassins Make The Right Call; Plummer Leads Team To First Victory Of The Season
By: Editor

After floundering for 5 straight games under the shaky leadership of young QB Byron Leftwich, the Erie Assassins finally made the change to veteran QB Jake Plummer and got their first win of the year, a 14-13 come from behind victory over the Denver Golden Brewsers.

Plummer struggled a bit over the first 3 quarters, going 14 of 23 for 142 yards, 0 TDs and 2 INTs before turning it on in a tour de force outing in the fourth, going 11 of 12 for 128 yards w/ 1 TD and no INTs or sacks (he was sacked twice in the first 3 quarters). In addition, Plummer led the Assassins on 2 TD drives and another drive that successfully killed the clock, allowing them to hold on for the win. The Assassins were 2 of 3 on third downs in the final quarter and successfully converted their only fourth down attempt. When asked about the turnaround in the fourth, Plummer said, “I just got in the huddle and told the guys that we were not losing this game. We had fought hard all game, and I didn’t help matters by throwing a couple stupid INTs earlier. I knew we had the ability to go down the field; we just had to play smart down the stretch , and I think we did that.” Plummer finished his first start for the Assassins w/ a 25 of 35 completion/attempts ratio for 270 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs. He also had 14 rushing yards on 10 carries, indicating that the running game is still a major problem since the loss of starter Julius Jones, who will be out for 2 more games.

Erie also made some changes to their defense. Defensive Coordinator Al Golden said, “We felt like we had to do something to shake up our lineup and to get the best personnel possible on the field. To do that, we moved Nick Barnett inside to RILB and made Karlos Dansby the starting ROLB. We also decided that we’d go w/ Anthony Weaver as our starter @ RDE (after being benched the previous game in favor of Derrick Burgess), since he offers more size and still can generate some pressure.” How did the changes pay off for the Assassins? Well, Weaver had 2 sacks and did a good job of keeping the Golden Brewsers from running to his side while Dansby showed why he should’ve been the starter since the beginning of the season, w/ a 7 tackle/2 sack performance. “Karlos gave us a solid pass rushing effort while also giving us some decent run defense. He looked sharp, shedding his blockers and getting into the backfield on many occasions,” Golden said. “We also slightly adjusted our scheme a bit, so that our guys could be in better position to defend the run more often.” The moves worked, as the Brewsers ran for only 57 yards on 21 carries as a team.


As for the pass defense, Golden stated that, “There is still work that’s needed. Our guys are letting the QBs get into a rhythm, and it shows in their stats.” Brewsers’ signal caller David Carr finished the game w/ 249 yards on 21 of 30 passing, w/ 1 TD and 0 INTs. Golden said, “We are getting decent pressure, but our guys in coverage must be more aggressive against these receivers. They cannot let them go to their spots and catch the ball in front of them. Dunta (Robinson) knows he needs to be tougher @ the line of scrimmage, and will work on it. I’ve been okay w/ Quentin (Jammer)’s work so far, but he has to get to the ball more often.”

Overall, this game had a rough start for Erie, but what a finish! Plummer looked outstanding in leading the Assassins on 2 scoring drives and one great time-killing drive, all in the fourth quarter. He showed leadership, tenacity, and a will to win that was badly needed. It seemed to be contagious, as guys like backup TE Desmond Clark, RB Jonathan Wells, and backup WR Clarence Moore stepped up their games to give Erie a much needed win.

The Assassins won’t have much time to celebrate this victory, as they will look to gain a measure of revenge against the Pittsburgh Fighting Shih Tzus, the team that beat Erie 35-23 back in the home opener in week 2. In that game, the Assassins held BZFL rushing leader Curtis Martin to just 56 yards and a TD on 11 carries, but watched QB Trent Green torch them for 421 yards and 3 TDs. With the current makeup of this team, it will be a very tough game to win. The Assassins had a healthy Julius Jones in the first meeting (he ran for 130 yards), but will not have his services next week. Jonathan Wells will need to do better than he did this week to help give Erie the win.