Draft done, Free Agents added and so to camp....

Let me take you through it.

QB

Cheekie 'Fat' Rascal won this battle hands down and will likely lead the Street Urchins for the next decade and beyond. Carroll Evans or Christmas to his team mates may be able to fill a hole somewhere around the league. Jackson Lewis future looks much more debatable and his best hope is with a team prepared to sacrifice a roster spot for a kick holder.

Freddie Shivers is an interesting free agent pick up and his veteran savvy could prove very useful in aiding Rascal's progression through his rookie year (and possibly beyond).

Backfield

Artful Dodger was the great white hope for the RB crew but despite making progress the coaching staff don't think he'll be a stud. With doubts surrounding Dodger (who may be switched to WR to make full use of his athletic abilities) we made the decision to move Rick Shaw, who was a Tight End in College to running back.

Shaw is on a crash diet but has the Coaching staff very excited with what he has shown in camp. He looks to be very much a North/South rusher and should therefore be the Street Urchins battering ram. Ideally, Dodger's speed will offer a complimentary style on the edges

Warren Smith is another converted TE and should improve as his weight drops. The Coaching staff tell me he will outperform expectations and prove to be a reliable back up. David McLaughlin is a free agent pick up and again provides good depth.

In the Full Back department Don Hobo is one of the best in the League at his position and will cover some back up duties at both TE and RB. William Williamson is another project pick 'Two Bills' has elite speed but doesn't have the handling skills we look for in a WR or a RB. We love his running style and feel his power and blocking ability can open holes.

Johnny 'Quarrels' is another conversion as we look to get the absolute most from the players that were available. We feel he lacks the speed to be a workable RB but should be able to run and catch the ball at the FB position. The downside is his blocking is virtually non existent, Quarles is the sort of versatile player you want on a roster but his ceiling is very low for growth and he may end up as depth in several positions or possibly a pass catching TE.

Tight Ends

We drafted several with the idea of letting them try out at other positions (RB/FB/OL even WR) with the theory that one or more could be switched back if it all goes wrong. Spanky Rowbottom is a great all rounder but lacks the speed to be truly elite, he'll likely play a key role for us. Rob Mercier has the inside track on the back up role. He's shown in camp, he's a quick learner but looks to be limited long term.

Despite at first glance only having two TE's on the roster the position is very much fluid and nothing is locked down yet.

WR

Lynn Grifter is going to play in the slot, by far the best technician in the group. Everything else, is up for grabs. We're expecting Burton Lance and Daniel Miller to be two most likely to take the role of the 'jet speedster'

We've picked up a couple of quality WR's in free agency in Merle Jones and Keith Curry, who are potentially going to be returning kicks if nothing else. Donald Barnard adds depth and versatility but seems to be a longshot to see out his current two year contract.

Offensive Line

The news coming out of camp is 'Work in progress'. Having got solid blockers at FB and TE and a charging bull at RB, the Street Urchins have to be papering over the cracks somewhere and here it is. The line is expected to be somewhere between mediocre and shambolic.

Can they generate enough holes for Shaw or enough time for The Rascal remains to be seen.

Defensive Line

Swoope, Dempsey and Nye may sound like a firm of chartered accountants but they will be creating havoc. It is a very young group though and they could well be vulnerable early season - even more so if injuries kick in as depth looks a little sparse.

Linebackers

It looks like Irvin 'Magic' Johnson will be the lynchpin for this unit. The LB crew is made up largely of late round picks and undrafted players. However, bucking that trend is WLB Mark Edie who played DE in College. His job is to create havoc and disrupt plays on the other side James Benefield is a converted Safety in what is very much a 'mish-mash' of a team in it's inaugural year.

Secondary

This looks to be a solid, if somewhat under-rated unit. Kirkland is a solid Corner and veteran Joseph Stewart looks an OK option to play on the opposing side. Thomas Hull had a disappointing camp but has the athletic ability to be a fine Nickelback nonetheless. Joseph Drake is a player we're really sweet on, despite a horrible rating and trade value. He may even prove to be a starter on day one.

Anderson Doering and Anthony Young are yet more converted players, with both moving from LB in College to CB in the Pros. The hope is their Athletic ability will overcome some limited technical attributes. Neither had particularly good camps but both should improve massively as the season goes on. We especially like Young's coverage attibutes.

The Safety spots look to be the strength of the Secondary with Franklin Fontana (The Lounge Singer - don't ask!), Bob Ventura and Ryan Perkins all came through Camp with flying colours. Ventura and Fontana are likely to be kept busy but should keep us in games. Perkins looks to be a rare late round steal and though undrafted Billie Holiday looks good for a roster spot.

Kicker

Jose Holland is a real concern, the rookie has a weak leg and needs to vastly improve his accuracy in a short space of time. The waiver wire will be scoured...

Punter

Jose Schell is another who we'll need to be patient with. I expect us to ride out his rookie year and see him having a long career here.


In Summary

This is a team that really needed a longer pre-season. They don't have it. I would expect them to improve gradually as the season wears on and they may be pushing hard late on for a playoff position.

They have enough talent to be dangerous and enough holes to get outclassed from time to time. The next two years of drafting are likely to be filled with Offensive Linemen and then and only then they may be realistic contenders for the title.

This year 9-7 is always the benchmark, anything less than that is not winning (unless it's 8-7-1). The playoffs is the goal, as it should be every year. A Division title would be a bonus, anything beyond that is just a pipe dream at this point.

The team is young and has square pegs in round holes all over the roster. Can they make it work?

An expectedly ugly game. Positives, a nice TD, a win and a shutout. A decent platform to build on

Following the loss to the 86ers, it is being reported that a major reshuffle of the Coaching team is about to be announced. Will Frank Solis keep his job as Head Coach? Will the reshuffle produce a reaction from the players? Or is this all just rumours and nonsense?....