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The DSFL season is nearing it's start, and every team is scrambling to get their depth charts and strategies figured out before the first sim. A few teams are looking incredibly strong following the amateur draft, and one of those team is the Chicago Blues. Last season, the Blues posted the best regular season record of any team but fell short in the playoffs, failing to live up to the standard they had set for themselves. Despite their losses, the Blues have regrouped and look to fly a new flag under a rookie group that will challenge the status quo of what a young team can do with a harsh training regime. Today we'll be looking at the different areas of the Blues team and talking about where they will see success, and where they will need to improve this season.
Draft Class
Chicago pulled in a magnificent draft class, selecting rookie wide out phenomenon Fresh Booter with their first round selection. Booter was a draftee free agent with the Blues in S3, and saw some success with them at the tail end of the season. Closely following Booter is a player who would have been defending him, Tegan Atewell. Atwell is the first female player in DSFL history, and is primed to shatter records this season as a talented young defensive back. Another player who stood out from the pack in this draft class for the Blues is underage wide receiver Dustin Atkins, who's name has been on the tips of every players tongue since his name was called in the fourth round. Watch for this draft class to drastically improve the Chicago game.
Offense
Heading into their second season in the league, the Blues are primed to have one of the most dominant passing games in the DSFL. Headlined by sophomore quarterback Mark Strike and with new offensive tools like Booter and Atkins, the air game just got much more deadly in Chicago. David Turner and Atahualpa Romero will be sharing minutes and carries while running the ball, while Booter (TE) and Jazzy J will be making the big blocks on the offensive line. Strike is a quarterback who sacrifices arm for accuracy, which will go perfectly in hand with his two wide outs who are a route runner (Atkins) and red zone threat (Booter). The three way team coupled with the rushing game and offensive line will make the Blues a force to be reckoned with.
Defense
This draft class has undeniably helped the Blues become even stronger, having brought in some pieces that will be very key to their success. The most notable of these is the new defensive back star Tegan Atwell, who will be joining Eric Forman, Jackie Jordan, and Artist Boogie in the backfield. This team of talented young player will be shutting down opponents passing lines and making dominant stoppages along the way. Teams will have to sacrifice yards in order to advance against this tight pass blocking defense. Joining these four we see Matt Edilio and Bert Macklin making tackles at linebacker, two players who have fallen behind in recent years in terms of developments. One of the biggest pieces of what looks to be a successful defense is defensive end Lightskin Thor who will look to be a massive part of the front seven for the Blues this season.
Special Teams
The Blues added a second special teams member to play alongside Stephon Simpson this season, grabbing Peg Leg with the eighteenth overall (third round) pick in the S4 DSFL Entry Draft. These two players will be taking the league by storm this season, showing that a team can be exponentially better if it's supported by a solid kicking staff. Simpson will be able to lay back on minutes this year as Leg is expected to take the majority of the play time from the seasoned veteran.
Overall
In summary, this season the Blues are looking stronger than they've ever been before. It's hard to know how well they will do thought as many other teams have added key pieces in the draft and put forward dynamic offenses and defenses that will be able to shut down the Blues play style. That goes in reverse though, so we're expecting a great season of amateur football. In our bold prediction of the day, we're taking a wild shot in the dark and saying the Blues remain at the top of the league but separate themselves more from the pack then they were able to do last season. If the team does not make the league championship it will have to be by fluke as this is not only a skilled team, but an experienced one too.
Thanks for reading my latest segment, I'll be back with more in the weeks to come.
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