With River City closing up shop last week, owner Jeff Sprowls wasn't about to let that talent go to waste and with confirmation of a 22-player deal, the Omaha Beef have just become the United Conference favorite.
The deal, which Sprowls confirmed to me this morning sent Joe Bevis, Ben Sankey, Paul Simpson, Darnell Terrell, Cornieules "Pig" Brown, Byron Jones, Daryon Bruteley, Ben Sankey, Luke McCardle, Randy Bell, Shawn Piper, Anthony Harris, Richard Birch, Joel Clinger and George Batiste to the Rage.
River City acquired Brent Hafford, Dorsey Golston, Harold Clewis, Zach Gradoville, Ricky Lebeda, Demitrius Wilbert, Johnnie Taylor in the deal that and were released, along with the rest of the Rage roster, on October 15.
The addition of "Pig" and Bevis alone provide the Beef with a huge upgrade on defense where they struggled at times last year, allowing nearly 47 points per outing.
On the offensive side, I see more negative than positive potentially coming out of this.
It is great to have a plethera of playmakers, but at some point players are going to get fustrated when balls don't come their way and may cause a rift in the locker room and with the amount of talent in the Beef locker room, there is not enough pigskin to go around.
Obviously we are a long way from seeing out it plays out -- all the players involved in the trade must sit out the first three games of the season according to league sources -- but as of now the Omaha Beef definatley have the look of a championship contender...
For more on the trade read the story in Thursday's Billings Gazette. (www.billingsgazette.com)
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That is a joke. Unreal that the league would APPROVE of something of that nature. Here lets "trade" the best players from the other team I own to one with a better market, which I also happen to own. Thus the reason that this league's credibility is still in question. Letting coaches play midseason, backing out of medical bills, teams playing without insurance, this league needs to lay down the rules... and follow them.
ReplyDeleteWhat coaches played mid-season?? I know the IFL has a very "strict" policy against coaches playing...
ReplyDeleteI also don't think the other owners are overly worrried becuase by the first week of the season the Beef have to cut their Roster down to 30 by the first week of the season and then those 15 players aren't eligilbe until week four.
Sonny Cumbie did in the Lone Star Conference. Who cares if the coaches are worried about it, it's a second rate bush league way to handle a situation of that nature.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you. Every player from the Rage should have become a free agent. If they really wanted to play for the Beef they would sign there anyway.
ReplyDeleteSome people say there should have been a dispersal draft to the new franchises which you can't do because you can't force these guys to go play in Wasilla, Alaska or Richmond, Virgina.
I just think the owners said "yeah whatever, good luck figuring your roster out and we will continue to load up on talent ourselves."
However bush league it may seem the trade was legal, it's just to bad Saginaw players are now without jobs just becuase they didn't have a second team to go to.
The trade, by league rules (the way I interpret them) left these players ineligible for the first three games of the season. Rather a bizarre move.
ReplyDeleteA dispersal draft is unprecedented at this level, and would be a logistical impossibility.
I’m not sure the league has ruled on this matter yet, since the makeup of the board of directors and Executive committee are not set yet. But since it involves the Sprowls, the same owners that weren’t paying league dues late in the season, including rumors of forged letters of credit, were allowed to “catch up” without penalty, the league will look the other way.
To the “anon” commenter, The IFL imposed harsh sanctions on the offending team that was found in violation of league insurance rules. The league office may, or may not have done its due diligence in checking things before the start of the season, but they were harsh in their penalty. I assure you no one will do it again.