BITTERROOT HAS ONE MORE TRAIL TO BLAZE…

ALL THE WAY TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Team preview by: Jared Neumeier

HAMILTON – Saying that Justin Nixon, and his almost 1500 rushing yards was the Blaze “team” last season, is an extremely near-sighted simplification.

To say that without Justin Nixon, the Blaze wouldn’t have made the playoffs… would have been extremely accurate.

There is no doubt that Nixon rushed his way to pay-dirt and helped carry the expansion Bitterroot Blaze to post-season glory, however, he did so with a very solid offensive line… and a quarterback, who although did not perform great, at least did what was asked for the team to win… in ONLY their first season.

Now… they will be even better.

To an already great array of players, the Blaze get back a league-leading star linebacker, top-notch, proven receiver… and the confidence that they will be back as a team … and as a team, expect no less than a Championship in 2007.

The Blaze finished 2006 ranked 3^rd in the North Conference behind Great Falls… by virtue of their inability to actually defeat Great Falls on the football field (both teams finished 5-3). Well, you heard it here first… Great Falls/Bitterroot will be the biggest rivalry in the RMFL in 2007. Not just the AA, the entire RMFL.

The Blaze needed an offensive weapon option… in the event that Justin Nixon gets either slowed by injuries or gets keyed on with 8 or 9 defensemen in the box… Along comes Grant Roman, the Missoula Raptors top receiver from two seasons ago. A player that Blaze quarterback, Buckie Brawley knows all too well; a player that may help ignite the Blaze’s biggest weakness… their offensive passing game.

On defense, there is little to improve when you are ranked #2, but improve they did. With the addition of Roman, the Blaze move probably their best athlete (T.J. Ward), to full time defense. They get Tad Sheridan, a terror as well two seasons ago with the Raptors… along with Brawley… and Roman. With their secondary seemingly stronger and their front 7 perhaps second to no one; what could stop this remote team from a small town area in southwestern Montana?

At this writing, I’d have to say .. only injuries.

They have a number of key players that have proven to be injury prone… none the least of which is their star, Justin Nixon, himself. Nixon battled almost all of 2005 with injuries while playing on the Raptors. As a result, no one outside of Montana had probably ever heard of him. Had he not been bit again late last season, we might even be talking about this team as the “defending champions”.

But not just Nixon, this team has plenty of size, skill and experience along both sides of the line… and very little depth. A cursory review of the Blaze’s current roster shows a decent amount of players (46). Players with jerseys numbering from 50 thru 99, exluding wide receivers? Answer: 9.

If they don’t suffer any key injuries, they should clear the Gladiator obstacle and be a home playoff seed. If they do suffer many… in the wrong places; this team could plummet fast.

I think they will keep it together… and add some depth and I do see them in Utah on July 1^st playing for the title.

KEY ADDITIONS:

Christian Brown - Cornerback

Kyle Rausch – Free Safety

Grant Roman – Wide Receiver

David Kearns - Center

KEY LOSSES:

Nick Bain - Cornerback

Kris Rausch – Wide Receiver

OFFENSE:

If one were to not only review the Bitterroot Blaze offensive performance from 2006, but also project the offensive performance in 2007, you would need not look to much past two words: Justin Nixon. Nixon had the greatest rushing season every by an RMFL running back in 2006, rushing for 1,427 yards on 199 carries over an 8-game span. He scored another record, 15 rushing touchdowns and a couple of 2-point conversions to boot. With the obvious assistance of some great offensive line play, Nixon set the North Division on fire and lead the expansion Blaze not only into the playoffs, but to a first round victory at Great Falls and into “Mud-ville” versus the eventual AA champion, Muddogs down in Salt Lake City. Contrarily, however, the Blaze passing game was almost non-existence. The lack of offensive pass production, however, begs the following question: was the passing game so insignificant because Nixon was running so well… or was Nixon used so much because the passing game was so insignificant. The best case study might be the two playoff games the Blaze played, one a defensive struggle victory over Great Falls, the other a defensive struggle loss to the Muddogs. In both games, Nixon was stymied… and in both games, the passing game did not come to the rescue. Blaze quarterback, Buckie Brawley was a combined, 6-14 for 96 yards and 2 interceptions for those games. For now, lets just say that the Blaze MUST improve their passing game or risk another earlier than desired, playoff exit. Nixon is back and should be pretty motivated. After such a monster regular season, his final playoff games and all-star game performances were rather pedestrian (8 carries, 9 yards vs. Great Falls; 11 carries, 17 yards vs. Muddogs; 5 carries, 16 yards in All-star game). Returning in the backfield with Nixon and Brawley, who finished 2006 with a quarterback rating of only 46.67, completing only 30 of 100 passes and only 6 touchdowns, will be fullback, Tyler Jolley. Jolley’s first job, of course will be to lead block for Nixon, however Jolley was good for 142 yards on 33 carries last season himself. Another Brawley, Chris Brawley (6’2, 245) comes in to play tight end (moved from center). Head coach, Joe Murawa says he isn’t just a great blocker, but has “great hands” as well. The Blaze lost their top receiving threat from 2006, Kris Rausch (8 catches, 183 yards, 2 TD’s) and the other primary receiver, T.J. Ward, is expected to concentrate on defense. This opens up two slots, with one being admirably filled by former (2005) Missoula Raptor star receiver, Grant Roman. Roman lead the Raptors in 2005 with 16 catches for 361 yards and 5 touchdowns. His quarterback that season? Answer: Buckie Brawley (his quarterback this season as well). Utility receiver from 2006, Micheal Rasmussen (5 receptions, 51 yards in ’06) gets promoted to the #2 receiver position and the Blaze are counting on a lot more production from the passing game having reunited Brawley with his favorite receiver from his Raptor days. The offensive line, which didn’t need much of a makeover, did not get one. Coming back will be Brian “Porkchop” Golnick (6’2, 315), Jason “Nasty” Schumacher (5’11, 275) and Ben “Tootsie Roll” Nelson (5’10, 280). The Blaze have added David Kearns (6’0, 305) to the team and he will take over center position as Chris Brawley moves out to tight end and Blake Cranmore (6’2, 270) receives a full-time promotion and will team up with Nelson on the right side. There is no question that Gollnick and Schumacher may be one of, if not the best, guard/tackle tandem in the RMFL, as witnessed by the great Blaze rushing game of a season ago, however, pass protection for the unit as a whole, could stand some improvement. Although the Blaze only gave up 13 sacks on the season, Brawley only attempted 100 passes! This is not the kind of ratio that inspires a great passing game and this slightly re-tooled offensive line will have to improve on that aspect if this unit will help take the Blaze to the “ship” in ’07. Place-kicker, Eric Peterson, returns from a solid 2006. Peterson was perfect 21 for 21 on extra points in ’06 and showed a big-time leg, booting a 51-yard field goal during the regular season. Projected Offensive Rank: 2^nd

DEFENSE:

Not a lot of work need on the defensive side of the ball for the Blaze in their second season. The Blaze defense finished 2^nd last year in defense (2^nd vs. rush, 5^th vs. pass) and look to come back stronger… and better than ever. Combine a defensive front 4 that is honestly probably the best in the AA division and array of great linebackers that, this season, will also include the league leading tacklers from the past two seasons, Jamie Jones (2006) and Tad Sheridan (2005). Sheridan (6’1, 255), actually finished 3^rd, overall in the RMFL in tackles in 2005, including finishing second in the league in quarterback sacks with 9. Sheridan missed most of 2006, nursing injuries and was a non-factor for the Blaze last year as Jamie Jones (6’2, 245; 64.5 tackles) stepped up to the plate and, along with Chris Jones (6’3, 220; 42.5) leading the Blaze in tackles… Jamie Jones, actually, lead the entire AA in tackles en route to a first-team, all-star selection. Now the three of them will team up behind… as I said, what might be the best front 4 in the AA. That includes all returning from 2006, head coach and defensive leader, Joe Murawa (6’1, 265; 5-1/2 sacks in ’06), Paul “T-Bone” Tryon (6’3, 300; 2 sacks in ’06), Bryan Hellyer (6’1, 225; played mostly linebacker in ‘06) and Brian Buckreus (6’0, 225; 7 sacks…4^th in the AA in sacks). As a front seven, the Blaze finished 4^th in sacks with 31, however, they were only a shade lower than the 3 teams that finished ahead of them (Great Falls 32, Helena 32, Vipers 35) and with Sheridan back on the field full time will settle for nothing less than the defensive sack title in 2007. The secondary, as well, is pretty much in tact from last season. Returning will be Kurt Rausch who recorded 30 tackles last season from the defensive secondary, playing cornerback this season. Also returning will be a great coverage safety in Kyle Rausch who will team up with T.J. Ward, who comes over full time after playing primarily offense in 2006. The new addition to the team will be Christian Brown at the other corner position. Murawa loves Brown’s quickness and sees a lot of interceptions from his secondary… especially with himself, Buckreus, Hellyer and Tryon puttin’ on the pressure! I think this is a great example of a team that will be better by not having to do too much. Sheridan is not a youngster anymore, but he proved that he can be an extremely active dangerous player. He will be an upgrade at a position that wasn’t even a weakness in 2006 (freeing up Hellyer to play defensive line) In fact, if this unit stays healthy, I would expect they will really be battling it out with the Vipers for the #1 spot all season long. The really, really good news for the Blaze defense? Answer: they don’t have to try to stop Justin Nixon for two games a season! Projected Defensive Rank: 2^nd

COACHING AND INTANGIBLES:

There is no doubt that although the Blaze didn’t make it all the way to the RMFL Championship game last season, as they contemplated their accomplishments in 2006, the Bitterroot Blaze were VERY happy with what they accomplished. They came into the league as an expansion team from a small market area and they made the champions from the big market area really sweat out a home victory en route to their title. Further, they beat arch-nemesis, Missoula both times last season, a memory that probably kept them warm all Christmas season long. So why did they have such trouble with the Gladiators (two losses)? The problem for the Blaze is clear… if an opponent can shut down Nixon and the Blaze rushing game… they have the Blaze in a tough spot. When Nixon was slowed by injuries late in the season, the offense just wasn’t the same. Don’t think THAT isn’t a lesson that 4 Montana opponents won’t be taking to heart as they prepare for the Blaze in ’07. However, this team now has a full season to come together and mesh. Further, they haven’t made too many off-season changes, and the two biggest notables, the full-time return of Sheridan and the reunion of their quarterback Brawley with Grant Roman, should just be enough to take the Blaze to that next step. For the Blaze, after a great first season, the “next step” is none other than the Championship game.

OVERALL PROJECTION: 2^nd