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Hello, I, Thate Osgood, am excited to announce the acquisition of WR [player]Joey Greiner[/player] from the Oregon Ice. I have a prepared statement and Joey does as well, then after that I will take a couple of questions.
It seems like a long time ago that I challenged my team, the Crows, to become the first 4-time champion in the CFL and we have still not been champion once. That challenge was taken as a challenge to the league, but it was more of a challenge to that home locker room and it failed to work. Only 8 franchises have lifted that championship trophy in 16 seasons here in the CFL. I feel the Albany fans have been lucky to see some great players put on that Crows jersey even though we have only been to the playoffs twice winning just one postseason game.
[player]Norm Fisk[/player] gave us 10 great seasons at quarterback and no one could ask for a better leader in the locker room and in the community. We felt we tried very hard during his tenure to field a championship team and could not. We felt it was best to let him go some place else while he is still very productive to maybe have a better chance of getting a ring. The Crows have had some excellent runners behind Fisk through those years and maybe I put too much faith in a quality running game being able to make up for not having 2 quality receivers. The amazing 2006 season of [player]Joel Foran[/player], whose 237 yards in a game that season was at the time the record for one game. [player]Archie Chasser[/player] was a beast in his first 2 seasons in the CFL with us. [player]Mario Atkins[/player] never ran for less then 1,000 yards a season in his 9 seasons with us. These great rushers did not equal great season records or playoff records. I have tried to put together a more complete team and I feel with the addition [player]Joey Greiner[/player] that the Crows have an excellent squad without any glaring weakness. Right Defensive Tackle is honestly the only starting position I feel that we are weak at. Now, Joey has a few words.
[i27ede04]"Hello Albany! It was just a short time ago that I experienced being the 8th overall pick in the draft. When the Ice selected me that high, I really knew they wanted and believed in me and I never thought I would feel as good about myself and my abilities as I did that day. Well, today has eclipsed that day. Upon hearing what the Crows traded to acquire me, I knew this is where I belonged as a player. I knew that I wanted to repay the faith they had in me by giving up so much. Honestly, I do not know what I did wrong in Oregon. I started all 16 games last season as a rookie, but have only started 1 of the 4 games this year. I am not going to talk about moving from an 0-4 team to a 3-1 team, as this is about more then one season, this is about a career. Thate Osgood and the front office here went to great lengths to bring me into the fold, and I want to help bring them some rings to show my appreciation. Thank you."
[/i27ede04]
Just a few questions know, yes you.
"Why in the world did you give up so much for just one player? I understand you may think highly of him, but this seems to be an extremely high price to pay."
[b27ede04]Well, many reasons. I know that 3 Firsts, 4 Seconds, and 2 Thirds over the next 2 drafts seems like a lot, because it is a lot. It is also a lot of money to sign those rookies to contracts. I went into training camp looking at this roster up and down to see what was missing and what was there to work with. What I saw was a very solid, young football team. The second youngest team in the CFL now, and I believe one of the most talented. My scouts and I saw just 2 holes in the starting lineup that we felt needed to be better to be a championship team, the rest we could win it all with. Those holes were #2 wide out and #2 defensive tackle. This trade should fill one of those holes for years to come as it is only Joey's second year in the league. I believe in this roster and most contributors are signed for 3 or more years. I felt the money needed to sign those rookies could be better used keeping this roster together. Let's not forget that we still have a First round pick in each of the next 3 drafts. We will still be able to be a factor on draft day. Next question.[/b27ede04]
"Joey has 1 career touchdown. The man started 16 games last season and caught 36 passes while dropping 6, gaining all of 374 yards. How can you seriously invest this much into this player?"
[b27ede04]My scout team and I saw Joey at the combine not that long ago and knew he was raw technically but was physically astounding. I did not put much stock into his rookie stats as he was learning how to play the position. We have looked over the league and believe that when Joey fully matures, he will be the second best receiver in the league behind [player]Max Gray[/player]. He will team up with who we see as the fifth best receiver in the game, [player]Scott Satterlee[/player] to create a very threatening duo. [player]Kent Garrison[/player] has a very exciting opportunity now in his first season as a starter to have those two to throw to on Sundays. Joey was the league's fastest man last season and is still one of the fastest in the league. We will try to get the ball to him in a variety of ways and let him use that speed in the open field. We cannot and will not discuss his less then stellar numbers at Oregon as I am sure they used him as they saw fit. We just see him as an amazing talent that we will have to try to find a way to get the most out of him. In the least, his presence will help open up the rest of the passing game.[/b27ede04]
I am very excited that Joey is now a Crow and glad he wants to be here. We not only picked up a great player today, but a great person and teammate. We are currently 3-1 and looking to get Joey settled in during the bye week before we face Chicago. We know we just raised the expectations of the Albany fans with this move, and we want to deliver. Good night.
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