The Baltimore Hawks have finished the preseason 4-0. They got off to a strong start blowing out the Colorado Yeti and Yellowknife Wraiths in their first two games and then finished up with a couple close games against the Orange County Otters and Arizona Outlaws.
"Everything isn't set in stone just yet" said the Hawks coach. "We were experimenting a bit with certain schemes and formations while moving some of our players around. It was a good start to see how we stacked up with the rest of the league but the regular season is a different animal, we start earning our paychecks week one."
Individual standouts of the preseason for the Hawks include Scrub Kyubee who completed 59% of his 117 passes for 787 yards and seven touchdowns, the running back duo of Marcus Robinson and Levon Novel who accounted for 358 rushing yards, and their go to wide receiver Damian West with his 16 catches, 292 yards, and two scores. On the defensive side of the ball linebacker Kurt Hendrix led the way with 42 tackles, defensive end Alistair Amir notched a sack in each game for a grand total of four, and safety Antoine Delacour broke up six throws and picked off two passes. Place kicker Turk Turkleton banged through nine of his eleven field goal attempts.
"There's still a lot of improvement that has to be done, however, we're very happy with how training camp went and our preseason performance. At the inaugural draft our staff targeted determined players that are dedicated to their craft. I feel they're getting into a groove with each other" explained the Hawks GM.
Preseason polls didn't look too favorably on the Hawk's chances this season. This has led to the locker room embracing the underdog role. "I feel like people are sleeping on us a bit" said linebacker Kurt Hendrix. "We have playmakers on both sides of the ball and feel we could hang with anyone. Maybe this performance has opened up some eyes, we plan on keeping the momentum going into the regular season."
The regular season is a grind. It's a 14 game marathon that will surely have its ups and downs. That's where the Hawks, and every team for that matter, will have to prove themselves. The Hawks will open up the regular season in Colorado against the Yeti. Could the Hawks be a surprise team? Only time will tell.
"Everything isn't set in stone just yet" said the Hawks coach. "We were experimenting a bit with certain schemes and formations while moving some of our players around. It was a good start to see how we stacked up with the rest of the league but the regular season is a different animal, we start earning our paychecks week one."
Individual standouts of the preseason for the Hawks include Scrub Kyubee who completed 59% of his 117 passes for 787 yards and seven touchdowns, the running back duo of Marcus Robinson and Levon Novel who accounted for 358 rushing yards, and their go to wide receiver Damian West with his 16 catches, 292 yards, and two scores. On the defensive side of the ball linebacker Kurt Hendrix led the way with 42 tackles, defensive end Alistair Amir notched a sack in each game for a grand total of four, and safety Antoine Delacour broke up six throws and picked off two passes. Place kicker Turk Turkleton banged through nine of his eleven field goal attempts.
"There's still a lot of improvement that has to be done, however, we're very happy with how training camp went and our preseason performance. At the inaugural draft our staff targeted determined players that are dedicated to their craft. I feel they're getting into a groove with each other" explained the Hawks GM.
Preseason polls didn't look too favorably on the Hawk's chances this season. This has led to the locker room embracing the underdog role. "I feel like people are sleeping on us a bit" said linebacker Kurt Hendrix. "We have playmakers on both sides of the ball and feel we could hang with anyone. Maybe this performance has opened up some eyes, we plan on keeping the momentum going into the regular season."
The regular season is a grind. It's a 14 game marathon that will surely have its ups and downs. That's where the Hawks, and every team for that matter, will have to prove themselves. The Hawks will open up the regular season in Colorado against the Yeti. Could the Hawks be a surprise team? Only time will tell.
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