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Atlantic City is coming off their worst season since 2029 with a 2-14 record and changes were needed. Heading into training camp, the Phantoms had 8-9 new players who should be starters so that process has begun.
Offense: The Phantoms have been using a two-te offense for a few years now and have had mixed results. Look for the playbook to be opened up a bit more with the receivers getting a chance to show what they can do despite their mediocre skill set.
Quarterbacks
2041
- Tyrus Wheeler – 8th year –48/48
- Howie Boyd – 8th year – 36/36
- Brant Flannery – 2nd year – 17/38
2042
- Tyrus Wheeler – 9th year –53/53
- Brant Flannery – 3rd year – 21/38
- Mel Martin – Rookie – 17/31 - NEW
Wheeler returns as the starter but that is based on the failure to bring in a better starter rather than his performance. In 2041, Wheeler had a 71.8 QB rating with 25 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions. If the team wants to improve from 2 wins, they will need a much better season from their starting QB. The options behind Wheeler are young, untested and quite honestly not the future. Flannery enters his 3rd year and has dropped from a potential 53 QB to 38. Martin was selected in round 4 this year and is a major project who is probably a career backup at best. Basically, the passing game is not going to carry this team to a .500 record.
Running Backs
2041
- Jeffrey Emack – 2nd year – 59/59
- J.R. Brustkern – 9th year – 49/49
- D.J. Logan – 4th year – 41/41
2042
- Jeffrey Emack – 3rd year – 59/59
- D.J. Logan – 5th year – 40/40
Brustkern retired after 9 seasons with Atlantic City. His carries declined over the past 5 seasons so it isn’t as big of a loss as you might expect. He did start his career with seven straight 1,000+ yard seasons and will go down as one of the better running backs in team history. Emack supplanted Brustkern as the starter in 2040 and ran for 1,519 yards and seven 100+ yard games last year to become the primary back. The biggest issue for Emack is his finishing ability in the red zone as he averaged 2.49 yards on 39 attempts inside the 20. Logan is a quality backup who should help take some of the load off of Emack. Look for ACI to sign a third running back after the final cuts around the league. A good special teams performer would be a nice addition.
Fullbacks
2041
- Daryl McClinton – 6th year – 50/50
- Hunter Dail – 12th year – 40/40
- Zion Price – 2nd year – 33/50
2042
- Daryl McClinton – 7th year – 43/43
- Zion Price – 2nd year – 49/49
- Hunter Dail – 13th year – 33/33
McClinton started all 16 games for the Phantoms last year and did not have a single carry. He did catch 17 passes to go along with 15 KRB and 38 KRO, which shows his value in the running game but he did take a bit of a hit in training camp. Price, a former second round pick, has progressed nicely and very well may take over the starting job early this year. Veteran Dail was an unrestricted free agent but decided to return to ACI on a one year deal. His return is big as he is the backfield leader and is still a very good all-around back.
Wide Receivers
2041
- Steven Andrews – 7th year – 42/42
- Herb Carruthers – 6th year – 39/39
- Malcolm Schlecht – 11th year – 37/37
- Jerald Francis – 6th year – 38/38
- Malik Burnside – 3rd year – 36/36
- Edgar Terrell – 6th year – 30/30
2042
- Jose Robinson – 6th year – 46/46 - NEW
- Steven Andrews – 8th year – 37/37
- Herb Carruthers – 7th year – 39/39
- Jerald Francis – 7th year – 39/39
- Malik Burnside – 4th year – 37/37
- Ben Sutton – 5th year – 37/37 - NEW
Wide receiver has been a weakness for Atlantic City for many years. This group may be a bit better but is still a below average unit. Robinson was the big offensive addition as he was signed from Denver to be the #1 receiver. In 2041, he caught 26 passes and only had 2 starts so this is new ground for him (and a sign of just how mediocre the receivers have been). Andrews (54 catches) is the top returning starter for ACI and should be a decent #2. Carruthers only caught 16 passes last year but that was in limited action. He has huge big play receiving numbers (97) so he may get a chance to see what he can do as the primary split end. Francis is another guy with a nice big play receiving rating (87) and will see plenty of action. Another new addition is Sutton, who caught 24 passes for Tucson last year. Throw in Burnside, who has acquired from Omaha last year for his return skills but turned out to be a good receiver, and you have a deep group of similar talents.
• Late Addition – Shortly before the start of the 3rd pre-season game, Atlantic City traded a 2043 4th round pick to Durham for WR Zack Heath. Heath (44/44) had been pushed down the receiver order in Durham by two rookies but quickly becomes the #1 SE for the Phantoms.
Tight Ends
2041
- Carlos Polhemus – 8th year – 75/75
- Myron Learned – 10th year – 46/46
- Casey Ford – 8th year – 42/42
2042
- Carlos Polhemus – 9th year – 71/71
- Casey Ford – 9th year – 42/42
- Scottie Hopper – 5th year – 40/40 - NEW
Polhemus is still the biggest offensive star on the Phantoms roster. Over the past two years, he has caught 62 passes, which is actually a step down from the first three years in Atlantic City when he caught 78+ passes per season. The move to a more balanced offense and Myron Learned moving on via free agency should open up more opportunities for the former 1st team all-league tight end. Ford moves up to the #2 tight end spot after playing third fiddle behind Polhemus and Learned since joining ACI in 2040. An excellent route runner and run blocker, Ford will definitely get his chance. Hopper signed a two year contract to provide some depth at the position. He has played for five teams the past four seasons while catching 53 passes in his career.
Centers
2041
- Roosevelt Shepard – 13th year – 60/60
- Buddy Segal – 6th year – 41/41
2042
- John Woodson – 5th year – 40/40 - NEW
- Buddy Segal – 7th year – 29/29
The mainstay of the offensive line is gone and the replacements are not that highly rated so we will see how this affects the offense. Shepard was not offered a new contract while Segal and new signee Woodson are being asked to step up. So far, it has not looked good as Segal went from 40 to 29 at training camp. This makes Woodson the starter. He is a very good run blocker but is not good in the passing game. Not to mention he has only started 2 games in his career.
Guards
2041
- RG – Sedrick Janjic – 5th year – 77/77
- LG – Shovel Barton – 8th year – 51/51
- LG – K.C. Norton – 10th year – 49/49
2042
- LG – Sedrick Janjic – 6th year – 69/69
- RG – Shovel Barton – 9th year – 49/49
- LG – K.C. Norton – 11th year – 41/41
There was some shuffling at the guard spot over the offseason. Janjic moved from LG to RG while Barton moved from RG to LG to bring them more in line with the weights and measures for these positions. Will it help? I have no idea but any small upgrade will help cover the weakness at center. Janjic was named the Phantoms franchise player before signing a new 4 year deal. The 2040 leagues strongest man is a force on the offensive line. Barton has taken a few hits in his blocking strength but is still an excellent run blocker. He is another lineman with a big pass blocking weakness however. Norton is a veteran and the offensive line leader. He is unhappy at the moment but the same can be said for management as he lost 8 ratings points in the off season.
Tackles
2041
- RT - Carlos Urbanchek – 7th year – 67/67
- LT – Bart Zepeda – 5th year – 41/41
- RT – Joe Kaplan – 9th year – 43/43
- LT - Dwayne Clements – 3rd year – 33/37
2042
- RT - Carlos Urbanchek – 8th year – 68/68
- LT – Bart Zepeda – 6th year – 41/41
- RT – Joe Kaplan – 10th year – 36/36
- LT - Dwayne Clements – 4th year – 33/33
Urbanchek had a bit of a down year in 2041 but the teams hopes he has a bounce back season. He is clearly the best tackle on the roster and just signed a new 4 year deal of his own. Zepeda is a fierce run blocker who, like many other Phantom offensive linemen, is poor in pass protection. With the lack of quality left tackles in the league, Zepeda signed a 3 year deal to stay in Atlantic City rather than test the free agency waters. Kaplan is just about out of gas and is nothing more than a run blocking backup at this point in his career. That is still better than 2039 1st round pick Clements, who has been a huge bust. He has two more years on his contract but with his bonus number dropping below $1,000,000 in 2043 it is likely he will be cut as soon next year (his 2042 bonus # is $4,150,000).
Defense: Before the start of the 2041, Atlantic City switched to a 3-4 defense to take advantage of the perceived strength in the linebacker group. However, the trade of LB Dominic Castillo for DE Winston Harper just days before the season and an early season injury to Billy Joe Butler changed those plans. Halfway thru the year, the Phantoms were back with the 4-3 and while they played better the season was already on course for disaster. Some new additions and potential growth of the young tackles should provide a much stronger defense.
Defensive Ends
2041
- LDE – Winston Harper – 5th year – 65/65
- LDE – Tony Nuston – 9th year – 34/34
- RDE – Eric Beaudoin– 6th year – 35/35
- LDE – Nathan Romanos – 8th year – 31/31
- RDE – Matthew Button – 9th year – 27/27
2042
- RDE – Winston Harper – 6th year – 60/60
- LDE – Justin Ford – 5th year – 46/46 - NEW
- LDE – Tony Nuston – 10th year – 33/33
- LDE – Avery Ingram – 2nd year – 21/33
The past two years has brought a complete change in the defensive ends on the roster. Harper was acquired via trade shortly before the start of the 2041 season and responded with 10 sacks. Beaudoin was the revelation of 2041 with 8 ½ sacks in 13 games but then held out for crazy money before training camp. He was subsequently released and as of this writing was still looking for a job. Luckily, ACI won the bidding for Ford, a former 1st round pick who had 8 sacks for Oregon last year. Nuston was a free agent signing before 2041 and chipped in with 3 sacks as one of the primary backups. He did take a huge hit in training camp so it is unclear what his immediate future holds. The Phantoms raided the Oregon roster once again to grab Ingram late in free agency to provide some depth. Ingram recorded 2 ½ sacks in 2041 and has some pretty good rushing skills despite his low overall ratings.
Defensive Tackles
2041
- LDT - Brenden Maloney – 4th year – 80/80
- LDT - Jumbo Bertrand – 2nd year – 33/45
- RDT - Ted Scancella – Rookie – 31/49
- RDT - Norbert Umphenour – 9th year – 32/32
2042
- LDT - Brenden Maloney – 5th year – 77/77
- RDT – Benjamin Holmes – 5th year – 70/70 – NEW
- RDT - Travis Osborne – 6th year – 45/45 – NEW
- LDT - Ted Scancella – 2nd year– 42/50
- LDT - Jumbo Bertrand – 3rd year – 37/42
Two new tackles were brought in via free agency and should give Atlantic City a very good rotation in the middle of the line. Maloney returns for his second year and despite costing the Phantoms the 2nd overall pick in the 2042 draft, he did solidify the tackle spot with 54 tackles and 5 sacks. Joining Maloney will be Holmes, who is the biggest offseason signing for the Phantoms. Holmes had 4.5 sacks for Arizona last year and was 2nd team all-league in 2040. Another new addition is Osborne, who signed a 3 year deal after being a primary backup for Durham. He will provide some run defending in short yardage situations. Scancella was the Atlantic City’s 1st round pick in 2041 (giving the team five former 1st round picks on the defensive line). While he has not evolved into a true #1 defensive tackle he did have 2 sacks last year and should prove to be a solid backup. Bertrand was an under the radar signing in 2041 who is another quality backup who can step in as needed.
Linebackers
2041
- SLB – Corey Fisher – 8th year – 78/78
- WILB – Elliis Oland – 5th year – 31/31
- WLB – Ariel “Porsche” Carrere – 22/53
- SLB – Billy Joe Butler – 4th year – 42/42
- SLB – Ernest Malicki – 8th year- 32/32
- SILB – Blaine Harper – 6th year – 37/37
- SLB – Danny Howren – 8th year – 30/30
2042
- SLB – Corey Fisher – 9th year – 66/66
- MLB – Marlon Walton – 8th year – 54/54 - NEW
- WLB – Ariel “Porsche” Carrere – 2nd year – 34/52
- WLB – Billy Joe Butler – 5th year – 42/42
- SLB – Dexter Vanhorn – 8th year – 43/43 NEW
- MLB – Elliot Earle – R – 22/52 - NEW
For the first time in his career, Fisher may be showing his age as he had a pretty big drop in ratings. However, he is still one of the better linebackers in the CFL and is the leader of the linebacker group. Walton was brought in via free agency to plug the middle of the defense. He is not only a solid linebacker but he is a big time special teams player. A former 6th round pick, Carrere has been a pleasant surprise. With 92 run potential and excellent rushing skills, it will be interesting to see where he ends up playing in the future. For now, he will rotate with Butler at WLB. Butler was one of the bigger acquisitions of 2041 but suffered an ACL injury in week 1. He spurned other offers and decided to return to Atlantic City and will be out to prove that he is worth the trust that the team has showed in him. Vanhorn is another new player on defense, coming over from St. Louis to provide quality depth behind Fisher at SLB. Earle was ACI’s 6th round pick this year and hopes to follow in the footsteps of Carrere and be a late round sensation. With 52 potential he is on the right track.
Safeties
2041
- SS - Oliver Baker – 7th year – 34/34
- FS - Zach Dallesandro – 7th year – 40/40
- SS – Harvey Glover – 4th year – 33/33
- SS – Greyson Josiah – 2nd year – 21/35
- FS - Quentin Painter – Rookie – 14/22
2042
- FS – Ronnie Bonney – 10th year – 37/37 NEW
- SS – Craig Fann – Rookie – 36/51 - NEW
- SS – Mitch Schroeder – 6th year – 35/35 NEW
- SS – Renaldo Hudson – 5th year – 35/35 NEW
The safety group was the weakest point of the defense in 2041 and as such is all new for 2042. On paper they are better (but not by much) but only time will tell how it turns out in the end. Bonney was a very late signing as the Phantoms scoured the waiver wire for some safety help. The reason for that search was the holdout of Dallesandro, who decided that he wanted a ton of money and was then cut by ACI. He ended up signing with Baltimore for less money than his contract with Atlantic City. Back to Bonney, he is a very good zone defender who has had 4+ interceptions four times. Fann was drafted as a CB but showed the size and skill set to make the switch to S. In fact, his ratings improved after the switch to the point where he is now the starter at SS. Schroeder and Hudson were brought in at the suggestion of the new analytics department in the Atlantic City front office as both players had 78-80 pass defense %’s.
Cornerbacks
2041
- RCB – Ralph Myers – 6th year – 59/59
- LCB – Seth Hutchins – 7th year – 52/52
- LCB – Sammy King – 6th year – 44/44
- LCB – Leo Pasquarella – 10th year – 35/35
- RCB – Donte Upshaw – R – 14/29
2042
- LCB – Seth Hutchins – 8th year – 51/51
- RCB – Sammy King – 7th year – 47/47
- RCB – Alex Dunn – 2nd year – 41/41 - NEW
- LCB – Travis Fairley – 6th year – 29/29 - NEW
- LCB – Donnie Banks – R – 18/31 - NEW
Another big change was made at cornerback, as the poor pass defense of 2041 was not just the result of the safety play. The most obvious change was not attempting to retain Ralph Myers. ACI decided that the amount of money he was asking was not equal to the performance that he exhibited on the field. This moves King into the starting spot at RCB despite having a very poor season in 2041 as the nickel and backup LCB. Hutchins returns as the starter at LCB and the secondary leader. Dunn was signed from El Paso as the nickel back and has a strong relationship with Hutchins that should help. Fairley is another analytics signing after having around an 85 pdpct over the past two seasons. Granted it is based on a limited number of plays but should be an interested story to follow. Banks was selected in the 7th round and will likely be inactive for most of the year.
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Last edited by rbeyer on Fri May 22, 2015 12:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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