Assassins Prepare For Second Season
By: Staff
The Erie Assassins hope to rebound from a very difficult first season, one which saw the team go 3-15. Offensively, the team struggled mightily, as QBs Byron Leftwich and Jake Plummer both had lackluster seasons and couldn't get things going. The team also lacked firepower in the passing game, as leading receiver Brandon Lloyd had just one receiving TD.
To correct this, the Assassins made the bold move to trade valuable backup Plummer to the L.A. Playas for the Playas' 2nd round rookie draft pick and for WR Lee Evans, a quick young receiver known for running good routes and having good hands. The Assassins hope Evans will bring a vertical presence to their passing game to offset Kelley Washington, more of a possession type receiver, and Lloyd, who will be moved to the slot receiver position. The team will also use more 3 receiver sets as a result of the trade. They also expect big things out of TE Ben Troupe, who had a solid first year. Troupe finished w/ a team high 2 TDs, something the team plans on expanding, as the addition of Evans should open up the middle of the field more for Troupe.
Running back Julius Jones can, if healthy, become an impact player for the Assassins. The team got some insurance in the drafting of Marion Barber, and expect him to become a good backup for Jones.
Defensively, the Assassins have not ruled out some changes to the lineup. Sources say the team is planning to get more out of pass rusher Derrick Burgess, a backup and situational player last year. Burgess may be moved into the starting lineup, which could mean LDE Randy Starks could become a backup, as the team was very happy w/ the performance of RDE Anthony Weaver. The main concern for the Assassins was the run defense, worst in the BZFL. To address this, the Assassins worked out another trade w/ the Playas, bringing massive NT Ted Washington in to compete w/ Lional Dalton for the starting job. Team sources say that the Assassins may also look to drafting a stud NT for more competition, possibly in the first round. The linebackers are set, w/ Derrick Johnson, Jonathan Vilma, Nick Barnett, and Karlos Dansby ready to wreak havoc on offenses. In the secondary, the Assassins made another bold move, trading away starting CB Quentin Jammer and promoting nickel back Nathan Vasher to the starting position opposite Dunta Robinson. The team feels Vasher made tremendous strides last year, and that he will help give Erie a very good secondary. Which leads us to the safeties. SS Bob Sanders was impressive last year until injury curtailed him a bit. Expect Sanders and Bryan Scott to battle it out in training camp for the starting job. The FS position will be manned by Sean Taylor, who had a solid year and continues to get even better.
The special teams are okay w/ Brad Maynard being one of the more reliable punters in the leauge. The team must deal w/ the injury to K David Akers, so look for a free agent to be signed as a stop gap measure until Akers is ready to go.
Due to the trades that were made early in the postseason, the Assassins now have 3 picks in the second round of the rookie draft, giving them 4 of the first 36 picks in the draft. There has been a lot of speculation as to whether or not the team will draft franchise LT prospect D'Brickashaw Ferguson or trade down to get more picks. The team has met w/ Ferguson and evaluated him on a few occasions. They may be prepared to stand pat w/ the #2 pick and take him, if the Canadian Radiation Kings do select Reggie Bush w/ the #1 overall pick, that is. Ferguson would be incredible insurance for the Assassins, as veteran Jonathan Ogden is getting older and many say is in the twilight of a fantastic career.
There is plenty of drama leading up to the draft. The Assassins have plenty of young talent, but also need to add some firepower offensively and must get deeper in some areas. It should be interesting.