With the exception of the role of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, no job carries a curse quite like a GM position with the Colorado Yeti. Former FO staff have been forcibly removed from power, driven to abandon the league at the peak of their powers, and generally had their careers ruined.
But this hasn't deterred new co-GM Scott Michaels.
While Michaels officially took over from Matthew Vincent after Week 10 this past season, it wasn't until the Kansas City Coyotes' playoff loss - after which he vacated the head GM role of the DSFL franchise - that his focus has been solely on the Yeti.
And he wasted no time attempting to leave his mark.
Michaels immediately sprung into action, contacting GMs across the league, in search of suitable trading partners. He had come into the front office of a team that possessed, in all likelihood, only a single meaningful pick across the next two NSFL drafts. The Yeti held draft picks from round 4 and beyond in Season 10, had retained their first-round pick in Season 11, and would not pick again until round four and beyond within the same draft.
With an ageing front seven and a championship window that appeared to be closing as quickly as it had opened, Michaels felt that it was time to make moves to bolster the roster as best he could. His first move was to trade the Yeti's Season 10 and 11 fourth-round picks to acquire veteran CB Terrell Brister from the San Jose SaberCats, who had announced he would be retiring after the upcoming season. It was a win-win trade for both teams, as the Yeti got a strong piece for their secondary - something they have been trying and failing to do for some seasons now - and the SaberCats got two draft picks for a player who would no longer be in the league after this season, and were not in a position to compete in any case.
His next move was bolder. He traded the Yeti's Season 11 first-rounder for a slew of fringe players from the Philadelphia Liberty, and to move into the third round of the upcoming draft. The players he acquired were:
Ryan Flock was another key short-term piece. Having already added Terrell Brister to the roster to strengthen the Yeti secondary, Flock comes in as a good depth piece or nickel corner for what is a very thin position for the team. It also means former starters Desta Danger and Oskar Ludvig can be relegated to strong backups rather than acting as poor starters.
The more enduring move, however, was to bring in Norman Bagwell as a long-term piece for the Yeti's defensive line. Having just lost surefire Hall-of-Famer Dan Miller, Michaels was eager to bolster Colorado's front seven as best he could. At 330 TPE and still three seasons from regression, Bagwell is an above-average starting defensive end whose inclusion allows the Yeti to continue to run the 4-3 or Nickel packages effectively.
Aside from the level of success the Yeti experience in Season 10, what will no doubt end up defining the strength of this trade is who the Yeti draft at pick #19 in the upcoming draft. If they can find a strong long-term starter in round 3, the loss of their first-round pick in Season 11 will be mitigated.
Michaels' only draft that can be evaluated to determine the likelihood of hitting on such a pick was the Season 9 draft for Kansas City. Of the 6 picks the Coyotes had, 5 turned into highly active players in the league, and it appears as though their names will be peppered throughout the early rounds of the upcoming NSFL draft. Of note are Michaels' fifth-round and seventh-round picks, which turned into Danny Grithead and Jordan von Matt respectively.
Of course, Michaels is no stranger to blockbuster trades, having moved up in the DSFL draft to acquire star wide receiver Kazimir Oles. Unfortunately for Michaels and Kansas City, their strong draft wasn't enough to break the Coyotes' Ultimini drought.
In his two seasons with the Coyotes, Michaels had a regular season record of 19 wins and 9 losses (.679) and playoff record of 1 win and 2 losses (.333), and claimed the NFCN division title twice, the NFC conference championship once, and lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Tijuana Luchadores in the Season 8 championship game.
Since joining the Colorado front office after Week 10 this past season, Michaels and the Yeti have a regular season record of 3 - 1 (.750) and played their first playoff game since the league's inaugural season. They narrowly lost to the Baltimore Hawks, but are buoyed by their success in Season 9 and eager to commence the new season with what they perceive to be a stronger overall roster.
Time will tell if Scott Michaels will be the difference-maker that the Colorado Yeti have long sought. But one thing is for certain: he's confident that he is.
But this hasn't deterred new co-GM Scott Michaels.
While Michaels officially took over from Matthew Vincent after Week 10 this past season, it wasn't until the Kansas City Coyotes' playoff loss - after which he vacated the head GM role of the DSFL franchise - that his focus has been solely on the Yeti.
And he wasted no time attempting to leave his mark.
Michaels immediately sprung into action, contacting GMs across the league, in search of suitable trading partners. He had come into the front office of a team that possessed, in all likelihood, only a single meaningful pick across the next two NSFL drafts. The Yeti held draft picks from round 4 and beyond in Season 10, had retained their first-round pick in Season 11, and would not pick again until round four and beyond within the same draft.
With an ageing front seven and a championship window that appeared to be closing as quickly as it had opened, Michaels felt that it was time to make moves to bolster the roster as best he could. His first move was to trade the Yeti's Season 10 and 11 fourth-round picks to acquire veteran CB Terrell Brister from the San Jose SaberCats, who had announced he would be retiring after the upcoming season. It was a win-win trade for both teams, as the Yeti got a strong piece for their secondary - something they have been trying and failing to do for some seasons now - and the SaberCats got two draft picks for a player who would no longer be in the league after this season, and were not in a position to compete in any case.
His next move was bolder. He traded the Yeti's Season 11 first-rounder for a slew of fringe players from the Philadelphia Liberty, and to move into the third round of the upcoming draft. The players he acquired were:
- (S1) Ryan Flock - S - 208 TPE (Auto-retired after S10)
- (S2) Fox North - WR - 390 TPE (Retiring after S10)
- (S6) Willy Nyquist - RB - 132 TPE
- (S6) Norman Bagwell - DE - 330 TPE
Ryan Flock was another key short-term piece. Having already added Terrell Brister to the roster to strengthen the Yeti secondary, Flock comes in as a good depth piece or nickel corner for what is a very thin position for the team. It also means former starters Desta Danger and Oskar Ludvig can be relegated to strong backups rather than acting as poor starters.
The more enduring move, however, was to bring in Norman Bagwell as a long-term piece for the Yeti's defensive line. Having just lost surefire Hall-of-Famer Dan Miller, Michaels was eager to bolster Colorado's front seven as best he could. At 330 TPE and still three seasons from regression, Bagwell is an above-average starting defensive end whose inclusion allows the Yeti to continue to run the 4-3 or Nickel packages effectively.
Aside from the level of success the Yeti experience in Season 10, what will no doubt end up defining the strength of this trade is who the Yeti draft at pick #19 in the upcoming draft. If they can find a strong long-term starter in round 3, the loss of their first-round pick in Season 11 will be mitigated.
Michaels' only draft that can be evaluated to determine the likelihood of hitting on such a pick was the Season 9 draft for Kansas City. Of the 6 picks the Coyotes had, 5 turned into highly active players in the league, and it appears as though their names will be peppered throughout the early rounds of the upcoming NSFL draft. Of note are Michaels' fifth-round and seventh-round picks, which turned into Danny Grithead and Jordan von Matt respectively.
Of course, Michaels is no stranger to blockbuster trades, having moved up in the DSFL draft to acquire star wide receiver Kazimir Oles. Unfortunately for Michaels and Kansas City, their strong draft wasn't enough to break the Coyotes' Ultimini drought.
In his two seasons with the Coyotes, Michaels had a regular season record of 19 wins and 9 losses (.679) and playoff record of 1 win and 2 losses (.333), and claimed the NFCN division title twice, the NFC conference championship once, and lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Tijuana Luchadores in the Season 8 championship game.
Since joining the Colorado front office after Week 10 this past season, Michaels and the Yeti have a regular season record of 3 - 1 (.750) and played their first playoff game since the league's inaugural season. They narrowly lost to the Baltimore Hawks, but are buoyed by their success in Season 9 and eager to commence the new season with what they perceive to be a stronger overall roster.
Time will tell if Scott Michaels will be the difference-maker that the Colorado Yeti have long sought. But one thing is for certain: he's confident that he is.
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[div align=center][SELECT style="background-color:maroon; color:white; font-family:Arial; font-size: 12px; width: 400px; "][br]
[OPTION]Scott Michaels || Colorado Yeti General Manager || #YetiNoises
[OPTION]Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION] NSFL Regular Season Record
[OPTION] S9: 3 - 1
[OPTION] S10: 9 - 5
[OPTION] S11: 8 - 6
[OPTION] S12: 6 - 8
[OPTION] S13: 8 - 6
[OPTION] Career: 34 - 26 (.567)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]NSFL Playoff Record
[OPTION] S9: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S10: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S11: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S12: DNQ
[OPTION] S13: 1 - 1
[OPTION] Career: 1 - 4 (.200)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION] DSFL Regular Season Record
[OPTION] S8: 10 - 4
[OPTION] S9: 9 - 5
[OPTION] Career: 19 - 9 (.792)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]DSFL Playoff Record
[OPTION]S8: 1 - 1
[OPTION]S9 0 - 1
[OPTION] Career: 1 - 2 (.333)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Accolades
[OPTION]S11 NSFL GM of the Year
[OPTION]S9 DSFL NFCN Division Champions
[OPTION]S8 DSFL NFC Conference Champions
[OPTION]S8 DSFL NFCN Division Champions
[OPTION]===========================================
Update Page
[div align=center][/align]
[div align=center][SELECT style="background-color:maroon; color:white; font-family:Arial; font-size: 12px; width: 400px; "][br]
[OPTION]Scott Michaels || Colorado Yeti General Manager || #YetiNoises
[OPTION]Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION] NSFL Regular Season Record
[OPTION] S9: 3 - 1
[OPTION] S10: 9 - 5
[OPTION] S11: 8 - 6
[OPTION] S12: 6 - 8
[OPTION] S13: 8 - 6
[OPTION] Career: 34 - 26 (.567)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]NSFL Playoff Record
[OPTION] S9: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S10: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S11: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S12: DNQ
[OPTION] S13: 1 - 1
[OPTION] Career: 1 - 4 (.200)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION] DSFL Regular Season Record
[OPTION] S8: 10 - 4
[OPTION] S9: 9 - 5
[OPTION] Career: 19 - 9 (.792)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]DSFL Playoff Record
[OPTION]S8: 1 - 1
[OPTION]S9 0 - 1
[OPTION] Career: 1 - 2 (.333)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Accolades
[OPTION]S11 NSFL GM of the Year
[OPTION]S9 DSFL NFCN Division Champions
[OPTION]S8 DSFL NFC Conference Champions
[OPTION]S8 DSFL NFCN Division Champions
[OPTION]===========================================