*Grey Ducks S28 Preseason Review

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Minnesota Grey Ducks Season 28 Preseason Review

Well everyone, the preseason for the DSFL has now officially come to a close and our anticipation for the regular season is growing ever larger! And like last season, with the preseason under wraps, I want to look yet again at the results, player statistics, contested roster spots/top player at the position group, and finally determine the strengths and weaknesses of the team! Using this information, I will then make my prediction for how well the Grey Ducks will perform this season. As we all know, preseason success directly correlates with regular season success [citation needed].

Before I dive into this season, I want to briefly review my prediction last season. I was not super convinced in the team back then, having only predicted a 7-7 record which would have tied the Season 26 record. I did have some hope though, since I predicted they would end up finishing second in the division to make it to the playoffs. Nevertheless, I was still hopeful, and I wanted to be proven wrong, and I was!!

…We went 6-8 and missed the playoffs. Not only that, but we were also 6-7 headed into our last game, and had we won it, my 7-7 and 2nd place prediction would have been dead on the money! I was disappointed in so many ways that night. Now as for what that means for this season’s prediction. Despite my bias being a Grey Duck myself, I still try to make a fair and levelheaded takes in order to more accurately gage the success of the team. You won’t catch me claiming we will go 14-0, but I am still going to be slightly more optimistic than doom and gloom.

Now, without any further rambling, let us first dive into the preseason game breakdowns!

Team Scores and Breakdown

Week 1: Minnesota at Tijuana

Final score: 19-20

With the first preseason game, the Grey Ducks flew south for the winter and faced off against the Tijuana Luchadores. And while the game was very entertaining by being very close for a majority of the game, many described it as a roller coaster where one team appeared to dominate the other from quarter to quarter. The entire game came down to who would outlast the other in the fourth quarter and, for a split second, many thought the game was sealed when Maximus kicked a 39 yard field goal with only 42 seconds left. But the Luchadores wasted no time, and drove nearly half the field to kick a super clutch 51 yard field goal to now seal the game. Many Minnesota fans were upset at the refs as rookie linebacker Frank got called with a neutral zone infraction penalty that they claimed to be ticky-tack. Nonetheless, this penalty was costly and almost secured Tijuana the win.

Overall, though, the Grey Ducks had a really good performance, especially on defense which is almost as expected for Minnesota. The player of the game was most certainly defensive tackle Daniel O’Leary, who racked up double digit tackles and 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack! Simply a dominant performance by him that did not go unnoticed despite the loss. Rookie linebacker David Frank also had a great showing, especially for his first ever DSFL game played. While he only recorded 4 tackles, he made his presence known early by recording 1 tackle for loss and 1 sack.

On offense, the rookie quarterback Kazimir Oles Jr far exceeded expectations by amassing 143 yards on 14 completions and 21 attempts. He also was responsible for the only touchdown of the night with a huge 52 yard touchdown pass to veteran tight end Bobby Tarantino. Rookie wide receiver Janis Lux also had a productive night averaging 13.8 yards per reception on 5 catches with a long of 31 yards.

The production of veteran kicker Gluteus Maximus should also not go unnoticed as he was responsible for 13 of Minnesota’s 19 points. He went 4/5 on field goals for the night but his single miss inside the 30 was the most devastating as that kick would have been the difference between a win and a loss. But not all the blame can be placed on the kicker.

Week 2: Dallas at Minnesota

Final score: 31-28

After the heartbreaking loss in preseason week 1, the Grey Ducks travelled back home to take on the Dallas Birddogs, the defending South division champions. Expectations were high for this matchup, preseason or not, and a close hard-fought game was expected. The game began with Minnesota striking first after Lawrence McCoy punished Dallas with an 18 yard touchdown run. But Dallas then struck back and didn’t look back by scoring 21 unanswered points and a 31-14 run to close out the game. Minnesota made a hard-fought battle to drive to the redzone once they came back within 1 score of the Birddogs. But with 31 seconds to go on the Dallas 10 yard line, the rookie quarterback made a crucial mistake by throwing a game sealing interception to safety Maxwell in the endzone. When all the Grey Ducks needed was a field goal to tie the game to send it to overtime, the interception silenced all the fans who attended the Minnesota preseason home opener.

Hoping that devastating losses won’t become the norm in Minnesota, the Grey Ducks still put on a valiant showing on both sides of the ball, which was a refreshing take considering offense was their biggest weakness last season. Beginning with offense, 1-year veteran and presumed starter Jacob Raske had a much improved second game completing 17 passes for 217 yards and a completion percentage of 70.8%. Combined with his 2 touchdowns on the night and 1 interception, he recorded a respectable passer rating of 109.2. Many fans and teammates hope tonight’s Raske continues to show up to games rather than the old Raske we all know and love. Of course, the old Raske will never die so long as he keeps giving away an average of 1 interception a game as always.

While the running game was mostly neglected, having played from behind for a majority of the night, the wide receivers had a field day. Most notably Joe Bay who racked up 123 yards on 8 receptions, averaging 15.4 yards per catch. Tight end Tarantino had yet another impactful day with 79 total yards and a team leading long of 36 yards.

On defense, defensive tackle O’Leary was the leader in tackles recording double digits in now back-to-back games. While the rest of the defense performed like a well-oiled machine all together, no other individual players stood out on the stat sheet, mostly since the defense allowed more than 30 points. Hopefully we won’t see such an occurrence in the regular season. Lastly, veteran defensive backs and leaders, Anton Bruckner and Tim Soulja, finally made some splash plays. Each recorded a pass defended, while Soulja recorded the only sack of the night and Bruckner the sole turnover. Many are hoping for more Safety of the Year performances from Soulja and less quiet nights like tonight, while a much improved sophomore season for Bruckner is outright expected.

Week 3: Minnesota at Norfolk

Final score: 28-49

Hoping to get their first preseason win, the Grey Ducks fly down to Norfolk for their third matchup. Despite this being a preseason game, many of the veteran players were still circling this game on their calendars for revenge, as they all remembered back to last season’s final game where Norfolk crushed Minnesota’s post season aspirations with a devastating loss. Tensions were high for the newfound cross division rivalry, and Minnesota came out swinging by stopping the Seawolves with a three-and-out and an early touchdown drive led primarily by the rookie quarterback, Oles.

However, after the first half came to an end, Norfolk began to take the lead and ran away with it, going on a 35-7 run of points until halfway into the third quarter. The Grey Ducks tried to keep the game close by scoring touchdowns on consecutive drives to end the third quarter, but the Seawolves’ lead did not falter. They also retaliated by scoring two touchdowns of their own in the fourth quarter.

With quite easily being the most embarrassing loss of the preseason, the defense was mostly to blame allowing 6 total touchdowns. Most disappointingly on the defense was veteran safety Tim Soulja who not only recorded a measly 3 tackles, but he was also responsible for three drive extending penalties. Such mistakes need to be addressed by the team leaders before the regular season. In addition to the lackluster performance by the defense as a whole, the stat sheet further embarrasses them as only 1 big play was recorded: a sack by veteran linebacker Brooks Bane. For a defense that was supposed to be inspired, they did not play like it.

Conversely, on offense much promise was shown by both quarterbacks, Raske and Oles Jr. Raske recorded another night with a passer rating over 100, going 10 for 13 with 261 passing yards and a touchdown. Oles’s averages were not nearly as impressive with under 50% completion percentage and less than 4 yards per attempt. However, he was responsible for two touchdowns which inspired his coaches and teammates. Like clockwork, however, each quarterback threw an interception. An age old Minnesota tradition. Oles was also sacked for a safety, but most credit was given to Seawolves defensive end Doom for the amazing play and effort.

At other offensive positions, the rushing game was stagnant yet again, mostly from being behind a majority of the game. But this only means the receiving group flourished with 4 different targets each with averages over 14 yards a catch. Rookie wideout Catowize had the longest play of the night with a 67 yard reception. Tarantino and Bay were close seconds with longs of 61 and 50 yards, respectively. Despite the offensive performance, it was truly a shame to see such a loss.

Many are beginning to question whether this game was truly a rivalry considering the Seawolves win streak in recent history. Nevertheless, the regular season matchups between these teams should be interesting to watch!

Week 4: London at Minnesota

Final score: 13-27

Coming off their third straight preseason loss, the Grey Ducks were hoping to close out the preseason with at least one win. So for the final week, the London Royals came to the Twin Cities hoping to complete the preseason sweep over Minnesota. The game started off as a tight blood match with each team scoring once in the first quarter. That is until recently traded cornerback and returner Amy Wong ran back a 107-yard kickoff return for a touchdown! The blow did not shock London, however, as they drove down past midfield, afterwards, to kick the game tying field goal right after the end of the first quarter.

The Grey Ducks then responded themselves sustaining a 86 yard drive for a touchdown to rookie wide receiver Jack Sparrow. And with that score, the game had effectively ended as the Grey Ducks defense returned to form by allowing only one extra field goal in the second half. To ensure the victory, the offense drove for one more touchdown drive after the half with a 45 yard pass to Lux from Raske. The final points scored in the game was a 34 yard field goal by Maximus early in the fourth quarter. The Minnesota defense took care of the game from there and helped to finally earn their first win of Season 28.

First, let’s go over the offensive performances, Raske’s consistency is finally looking nice with yet another game with a passer rating of 117.9 and a touchdown to boot. Oles performed well  going 7 for 13, 99 yards, and a touchdown, but racking up another interception will most likely guarantee his spot as the backup/rotation player. This game the running back position finally got going with veteran full back McCoy accounting for 61 yards on the ground.

For the receptions, Lux had the longest catch of the night with their one and only 45 yard touchdown grab. Veteran tight end Bobby Tarantino lit up the field yet again averaging 20.8 yards per catch and a long of 35 yards. Sparrow also had a good showing with a pair of catches with one being for a touchdown.

Onto defense, rookie defensive tackle Connor Craig Jr. led the team in just about every non-defensive back category. He recorded 9 total tackles, 2 for loss, and 1 sack. Rookie undrafted free agent Duck Awntop also performed really well recording 5 tackles, 1 for loss, and the other sack recorded by the Grey Ducks on the night. Other notable performers include cornerback Bruckner who had 2 passes defended, which shows much more promise for this season compared to last.

Season predictions

Having analyzed each of the preseason games individually, it’s now time to predict some roster spots and roles, as well as the season outlook for the Grey Ducks as a whole. First, let’s start with the offense, specifically the quarterback position. Despite Oles Jr’s promise, it is clear that veteran QB Raske should get the start moving forward. He has much improved from last season and his stats and averages are too convincing to not start. He may throw his guaranteed interception, but that must be a price Minnesota is willing to pay!

For the top rusher, it will be exciting to watch the rooking running back Huntsman grow, but for the meantime, veteran fullback McCoy will most likely be getting a bulk of the carries. However, with constant improvement, I would not be shocked if Huntsman ends up taking the lion’s share of carries come mid-way through the season. At receiver, the top target will easily be veteran tight end Bobby Taranatino considering his production and outright burst on the field. Plus the large target is already a favorite of both the QBs who will end up splitting the snaps anyway. For the wide outs, my hot take is that Lux will be this season’s top wide receiver by the end of the season. But the production of Joe Bay will be the only thing to prevent that prediction from coming true, at this point in time.

On defense, most of the number one positions are set and locked in with the exception of defensive captain. From on the field production alone, I would take a guess that either veteran defensive tackle O’Leary or rookie linebacker David Frank get the nod considering their presence. If I were to choose, I would lean more towards O’Leary given his experience and his upward trend. Finally, on special teams, I believe it is a clear choice to start Amy Wong as the primary returner. I also believe this is further backed up by their 100+ yard kick return touchdown. You can’t get much better than that, and let’s just hope they produce similar ones in real game situations!

So now’s the time for me to predict the Grey Duck’s overall season. I firmly believe this team will go back to their roots of last season again and be defensive heavy. But I also like that we are now more passing heavy too, especially with the improvement in Raske despite losing Negs. They say defense wins championships, and while I won’t go as far to say they will win the Ultimini, I am going to predict the Grey Ducks finish second in division at 9-5! A huge improvement over last season, but this will be no small task considering the similar strength from their division rivals in Kansas City, London, and Portland. I will even take this prediction one step further and firmly predict that no matter who the North division champion is, the North will win the Ultimini this season!

So that’s everything friends. I look forward to the start of the DSFL season, and I hope you do too! Just please don’t take my word as gospel. Like any of it. I know nothing.

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