[b0b53385]Denver Dynomite
Last year's performance - 12-4[/b0b53385]
Denver came very close to winning back to back championships, falling just short against Charleston in the title game, 33-31. Their rushing defense was stellar a year ago, allowing just 83.6 yards per game to lead the league. That coupled with a balanced offense made them tough to beat all year.
[b0b53385]Strongest Unit - Defensive Backfield[/b0b53385]
Two of the elite defensive backs in the league play for Denver in CB Joel Sanderson and safety Jack Upshaw. Sanderson had career highs in pass break ups (23) and interceptions (4) last year and is really just entering his prime. On paper, the defensive backfield is Denver's strongest unit despite something of an achilles heel at RCB, which should either be Joe Dizon or Otis Ames. However, they gave up a lot of passing yardage last year, and 2008 was their worst year yet in total yards allowed at 356.1, so it'll be interesting to see if they can get these problems corrected.
[b0b53385]Weakest Unit - Linebackers[/b0b53385]
Wow. It was really hard to pick a weakest unit. I ended up going with the linebackers more for their lack of tackles and sacks than the amount of talent they have. There is talent there, but the complete lack of sacks or hurries on top of some pretty low tackle numbers suggests that perhaps the linebackers aren't doing enough and could be to blame for the defensive breakdowns a year ago.
[b0b53385]Key Unit - Offensive Line[/b0b53385]
Somewhat like Detroit, Denver has two very good running backs, neither of which is great. They have a very good quarterback who isn't quite great. And like Detroit they will rely on their offensive line to make the offense work this year. It's not a bad deal as the Denver offensive line is deep and excellent. Additionally, one thing the Dynomite have that Detroit doesn't is a legitimate number one wide receiver in Curtis Plotkin who will at least take a little pressure off the line.
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Impact Newcomer - CB Joe Dizon
Key Loss - none[/b0b53385]
[b0b53385]Outlook[/b0b53385] - The whole team is basically back. These guys are going to be really good yet again. RB John Lubin has rushed for over 1100 yards every year in his career and will do so once again this year, although now in his eleventh year, he'll let his offensive line do most of the work. The Denver defense looks great on paper, but didn't perform up to expectations this past year so they do have some things left to figure out. The schedule is brutal. [b0b53385]Projected record: 11-5[/b0b53385]<img src="
http://www.thecfl.net/images/players/tulsaol.jpg" width="250" height="200" alt="Tulsa O-Line" align="right">
[b0b53385]Tulsa Talons
Last year's performance - 10-6[/b0b53385]
Tulsa finally put everything together last year. Butch Fulton rushed for 1863 yards and 10 touchdowns to win the Offensive Player of the Year award, and Donnie Lowe had a career year passing for 3508 yards and 25 touchdowns. The Talons got hot at the end of the year, winning 7 in a row and beating Honolulu in the franchise's first ever playoff game.
[b0b53385]Strongest Unit - Offensive Line[/b0b53385]
With the numbers that Fulton and Lowe put up last year, this offensive line deserves a lot of credit. Tulsa's offense is excellent from top to bottom, but the starting 5 up front are amazing. On top of being talented, they are a veteran unit that have been starting together for 6 years and none of them missed a start last year.
[b0b53385]Weakest Unit - Defensive Line[/b0b53385]
Despite the fact that they've used 3 of their last 4 first round picks on defensive tackles, the Talons are pretty soft up front defensively. Norman Rodgers, a converted defensive end, enters his second year starting and is their best player at d-tackle. Their best defensive end a year ago, David Hance, is gone. Matt Bevis is the best returning defensive end, tallying 7 sacks and 11 hurries last year. They have brought in rookie DE Seth Patton to try to shore up the defensive line specifically as a much needed pass rushing presence, but he looks to be at least a year away from making a huge impact.
[b0b53385]Key Unit - Linebackers[/b0b53385]
Being pretty solid in the secondary and pretty weak along the line puts all the pressure on a veteran linebacking unit. Last year Nickolas Snodgrass and company rose to the challenge, allowing less than 100 yards rushing per game. These guys will have to play over their heads again to give the offense enough help to win games.
[b0b53385]Impact Newcomer - K Craig Schanding
Key Loss - DE David Hance
Outlook[/b0b53385] - The offense will be great again. They will need to control the clock to take some pressure off their defensive front, which does have some holes. The offense really is explosive, though. I haven't even mentioned TE Daniel Cone and FB George Welton who are both great. Tulsa will certainly be able to compete with anyone on any given day, but they say defense wins championships and Tulsa is maybe a guy or two short on that side of the ball. The schedule is favorable early and tough late so they'll need to start hot. [b0b53385]Projected record: 9-7[/b0b53385]<img src="
http://www.thecfl.net/images/players/cooley.JPG" width="238" height="240" alt="Ernie Cooley" align="right">
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Fargo Boxcars
Last year's performance - 9-7[/b0b53385]
Fargo's transition to new ownership was relatively successful as they recorded just the second winning season in franchise history, but fell just short of earning the first Boxcar playoff berth. The offense was the best in the CFL scoring 26 points per game.
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Strongest Unit - Receiving Corps[/b0b53385]
The Fargo wide receivers are lead by Ernie Cooley who is coming off an impressive rookie campaign in which gained 1158 yards receiving and 7 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 18.9 yards per catch. Tight End Delbert Lonergan is one of the best receiving tight ends in the league. If third year player Les Disney, a first round pick two years ago, can make some progress toward reaching his potential, the team will be deadly out of a 4 wide set.
[b0b53385]Weakest Unit - Cornerbacks[/b0b53385]
The addition of Franklin Painter will help, but until rookie Cris McGarrity develops into a contributor, the corners will be the weakness of the team. The pass defense last year was the worst in Fargo history, giving up 257.0 yards per game through the air. They may improve some on that this year, but they will have to outscore opponents in shootouts to win more often than not.
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Key Unit - Quarterback[/b0b53385]
Dwayne Bridges was the franchise in Fargo for the past few years, and now he is gone. For them to have any kind of success at all, newcomer Brett Hedges will have to play extremely well. The offensive line is decent with no exceptional talents or gaping holes. The forementioned receiving corps will provide fast, plentiful targets, and the scoring will have to be just as plentiful with the current state of the defense. Hedges has to play up to Bridges' level.
[b0b53385]Key Newcomer - QB Brett Hedges
Key Loss - QB Dwayne Bridges
Outlook[/b0b53385] - Fargo should be pretty good on offense, though maybe not quite what they were last year. Elias Alvey had a great year, but I'm afraid he still has a lot of fumbling to get out of his system. I don't think Hedges can quite fill Bridges' shoes. Fargo is headed in the right direction over all, but this year will be a small step back for them. [b0b53385]Projected record: 6-10[/b0b53385]
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El Paso Rockets
Last year's performance - 8-8[/b0b53385]
El Paso exceeded expectations in 2008. Cap problems forced them to trade away big name players on both sides of the ball, and with the way QB Dustin Hayes had played in 2007, the Rockets looked like a sure fire choice for a losing record. As it turned out, Hayes got a lot better fast, and the team wound up being the best scoring offense in El Paso history averaging 21.1 points per game, which was good enough for a .500 record.
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Strongest Unit - Offensive Backfield[/b0b53385]
The offense as a whole is pretty solid, but the backfield is great now and should be together for at least the next few years. Hayes passed for over 4000 yards last year and now has a legitimate rushing threat in rookie RB Jeff Reid to bring balance to the El Paso attack. Reid will have one of the league's best fullbacks paving the way for him in veteran Shaun Easterday. These guys should put up amazing numbers.
[b0b53385]Weakest Unit - Defensive Line[/b0b53385]
The Rockets have no quality starters along the front three, though rookie end Adam Elliott and rookie tackle Criss Ross should develop into decent players in the future. Most offensive lines should absolutely dominate the Rocket's front seven, which is a recipe for El Paso failure. They've traded away a lot of talented d-lineman the past couple off-seasons and it will take some time to overcome that.
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Key Unit - Defensive Backfield[/b0b53385]
The secondary will have to step up. The team has two good safeties in Albert Bennett and Calvin Bush, and they will need those two to play a big role in run defense as well as coverage to have any kind of success. Jeffrey Dresslar will man the right cornerback spot and there are a handful of guys competing for the other starting slot. With essentially no pass rush to help them out, these guys will probably have a tough year.
[b0b53385]Impact Newcomer - RB Jeff Reid
Key Loss - $38.73 in cap room
Outlook[/b0b53385] - With their cap troubles, El Paso will struggle to even field a full roster. They have talent on offense and a bright future, but right now they are in trouble, especially on defense. Next year they will have a little more room to maneuver and will return a solid nucleus on offense. [b0b53385]Projected record: 5-11 [/b0b53385]
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