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SURVIVING THE CHANGES
For over half a decade the Patriots were use to operating the same old way. Hitting in practice doesn't
start until June and July is the first time the team laces up their cleats on game day. The transition to the
Great Lakes Football League (GLFL) wouldn't be so smooth.
The GLFL's regular season kicks off in June and pre-season games start in May. When the Patriots
departed the North American Football League they anticipated there would be some bumps but did not
expect the road to be so rough.
"We were not prepared for this transition but sometimes life throws you a curve ball; we'll just have to keep
on swinging," said Director of Operations and Interim Head Coach Brad Lyon.
In previous seasons the schedule permitted the Patriots to carry athletes who attended college out of the
area. Often, these athletes would be returning from college in June and would have weeks of prep time to
get ready for the first game. This time around many of the athletes wouldn't even be here for the first few
games. To top it off, the Patriots will be without a pre-season game due to the schedule shift.
"It really took its toll on our roster and we've been very depleted these first few weeks. Our hopes were to
stay healthy so that we would be fully loaded by the time July hits." Though a number of veteran players
have returned this past week those hopes weren't fulfilled as several players have been injured over the
course of the first two games.
The first two games have not been pretty for the Patriots as the team has failed to put up points in both
games. The offense was held to only 5 first downs in their opening week against Detroit and under 100
yards of total offense. Week 2 showed minor improvement as the Patriots neared the 150 mark but were
still far from competitive. Wide Receiver Anthony Pendergrass leads the team with only 3 receptions for 42
yards and Fullback Brad Lyon has totaled 74 yards on 20 carries. Safety Tellis Thompson has paced the
defense with 11 tackles.
On the bright side, the Royal and Scarlet are a veteran based team for the first time in years, suiting up
19 players with two or more seasons of Minor League experience. Though this may look to be a rebuilding
year, an experienced group of players may be able to turn things around once they get accustomed to
played together this season.
"We have a lot of experience this year and to top it off the character of these guys is outstanding. In the
past I've seen a lot of players on this level pack it up early when faced with this kind of adversity but not
these guys. This is a team full of fighters with pride and commitment. They'll see this through and make
this one very interesting season."
Next up for the Patriots is the Lakeshore Cougars who are undefeated in Great Lakes Football League
play.
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