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The Dawn of a New Era
Where defense is the best offense.
The Albany front office was recently asked, "Will the winning ever start, or will the franchise just settle for mediocrity?" Many people have been wondering the same thing, given that the new ownership has been here for 2 years already. In those 2 years, Albany has failed to make the playoffs, decreased their win total, and will open the season with the 3rd different starting qb in as many years. Do you care to know what the blueprint is? Of course you do.
When GM Brandon Berg was asked what the first step was to turn Albany into a winning franchise was, he simply answered, "Defense." In 2023, the Crows allowed the least yards on the ground of any team in the CFL. Their passing defense was also stout, finishing 7th best in the league. The Crows were middle of the road in points allowed, but that can be attributed to their biggest weakness, offensive production.
On offense, the Crows scored 18 points per game, 22nd in the league, and that's where the focus fell to this season. The Crows didn't make a huge splash in free agency this year, but they made an attempt. They signed a solid center, Horace Humphries, who should be an upgrade over Grandpa Deon Seymour. Seymour had a great career but no value going forward. The Crows also made a run at LT Darren Singleton, but the Hartford Attack beat them out, which prompted the next move for the Crows.
The CFL Draft hits full swing. Berg on evaluating the Crows' first pick, Roger Bruner, "We looked long and hard at Chucky Rogers. He was more highly touted than Roger Bruner, but we liked Bruner's versatility and size better than Rogers. We thought he would have a longer career than Rogers, and could be the back on the field in any given situation." On LT Benjamin Donavan, "After failing in the Singleton or just expecting to not get him, we decided to draft Donavan, someone Irving Norried can depend on to keep him protected. I think we found the right guy for the job. We didn't waffle on this pick one bit." On pick 2.12 TE Brad Osborne, "We knew that the wide receivers available weren't the guys we were looking for, so we decided to go another direction and get a receiving option coming off the line. Osborne is a great receiver and could very easily be the starter by the end of the season."
The biggest problems the Crows had last year were moving the chains, especially on the ground. It quickly became obvious that Rex Kelley was not the answer at running back so the Bruner pick only seems logical. Drafting Donavan and signing Humphries should help that situation. The other project they have is developing young QB Irving Norried. Drafting Donavan to play the crucial LT position, and drafting a receiving threat in Osborne should aid his development. The Crows look to get a WR in the near future or next year's draft as Scott Satterlee won't be around forever.
Week 1, 2024, will mark the dawn of a new era in the Albany Crows franchise. Stay tuned...
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