Tennish National Gridiron Football Team (Foireann Peile Iarann Náisiúnta)
Governing Body: Sraith Peile Náisiúnta Iarann (SPNI)--National Gridiron Football League
Nickname: Volunteers (Coincidentally, they share this nickname with the Port Pierce Volunteers of the SPNI)
Colors: Green, Silver, and Blue
Uniforms:
The SPNI has a massive following in Tenburg, becoming the third-most watched sport in the country, behind only association football and hockey, both of which have been played in Tenburg since before its founding. Tennish gridiron football is noted, even among other nations who play the sport, for its violence; the SPNI is significantly more lenient regarding distribution of penalties than other leagues. In an international governing body such as the World Bowl, this could prove to be an issue, as the Volunteers may find themselves receiving penalties for hard hits and other actions which would not get them in trouble in the SPNI.
Head Coach: Jim Roe, Crosskeys Oilers
O. Coordinator: Peter McGuinness
D. Coordinator: Tom Hill
ST. Coordinator: Erin O’Neill—noted for being one of three female coaching staff members in the SPNI
Head trainer: Andrew Scott
When the decision was made to establish a national team instead of simply sending the league champion, it was agreed upon that the head coach would bring in all his/her own staff, as learning conflicting coaching philosophies would be detrimental to the progression of the team.
Offensively, the Volunteers take a balanced approach, with a healthy mix of run and pass plays, to keep the defense honest. Formations of any standard sort can be seen, but it’s unlikely for one to see any trick plays beyond the traditional play actions. Most run plays are between the tackles and straightforward, as the typical Tennish halfback and fullback would much rather run over a defense than dance around it. The passing game requires a strong offensive line and a quarterback who can take a lot of punishment, as only a few Tennish wide receivers are exceptionally fast, thus it takes longer than normal for pass plays to develop.
Defensively, the base formation is 4-3, but occasionally the 3-4 and Nickel will be mixed in as well. The front seven is formidable, as a consistently dangerous defensive line becomes a nightmare when accompanied by the occasional blitzing linebacker. Many would argue that the defensive line is the strongest unit on the team, as it is perfectly capable of taking over a game without blitzing, which is good, because the linebackers can then drop back into a pass defense role, masking a secondary that is notably weak outside of the Strong Safety. This makes blitzing a high-risk, high-reward prospect.
Depth Chart (Number, Name, SPNI Team):
OFFENSEQuarterbacks:
#6 Damien MacGregor, Crosskeys Oilers
#19 Kelly Jones, Tallow Hawks
#23 Aidan Snow, Port Pierce Volunteers
Mobile quarterbacks are now beginning to establish themselves in the SPNI. Generally speaking, however, if a quarterback is running out of the pocket, it’s to avoid getting his head taken off by a charging defensive end. Quarterbacks in the SPNI are tough—the must be—and should have an ability to mentally bounce back from bad plays. Damien MacGregor is of the rare breed of dual-threat quarterback, having led the Oilers to their second straight SPNI Championship this last season, throwing 38 touchdowns against only four interceptions and rushing for 552 yards and five touchdowns.
Halfbacks:
#47 Kevin Mullen, Hawbowline Generals
#3 Will Munny, Letterkenny Bootleggers
#29 Jim Shockey, Crosskeys Oilers
Kevin Mullen is the undisputed #1 superstar of the SPNI, having lead the league in rushing yards and non-quarterback touchdowns in both his two years in the league. He is a tough, powerful runner, who can occasionally turn on some reserve of speed if necessary, but is much more content with simply running over a linebacker instead. He is one of a few “sixty-minute men” in the league, playing both on offense and defense. The other on the national team is center/linebacker Conor McKellan.
Fullback:
#33 Eamonn Castillo, Letterkenny Bootleggers
Fullbacks in the SPNI rarely see the ball themselves, and are generally used for blocking the first guy who tries to hit the halfback. Eamonn Castillo has made a name for himself, however, for his added ability to catch short passes out of the backfield.
Wide Receivers:
#21 Patrick Coley, Crosskeys Oilers
#1 Essex Johnson, Port Pierce Volunteers
#82 Terrance McDonald, Tallow Hawks
#88 Marcus Grace, Crosskeys Oilers
#25 Adrian McElroy, Tallow Stars
#84 Tommy Callahan, Southern Colme Suns
Tennish receivers as a whole are not particularly fast, and are instead big-bodied, physical players who will jump over whomever they need to in order to get the ball. The standout exception to this is Essex Johnson, the fastest player in the SPNI, who currently leads the league in 60+ yard receiving touchdowns.
Tight Ends:
#87 Michael Floyd, Southern Colme Suns
#80 Brent Jones, Bartram Wheels
#89 Jim Fleming, Hawlbowline Generals
Tennish Tight ends are mainly used in pass and run blocking, but occasionally will run short-to-medium length routes in the middle of the field. Michael Floyd, standout player for the Southern Colme Suns, is the best hybrid tight end in the league.
Tackles:
#71 Jeremy Peterson, Hawbowline Generals (Left)
#69 Kevin Higgins, Bartram Wheels (Right)
#73 Devon Lewis, Port Pierce Jets (Right)
#53 Damien Smith, Tallow Stars (Left)
The tackles are the anchor of the pass protection. Tennish tackles, like the rest of the offensive line, need a high motor, and need to be able to endure multiple pass rush attempts as the receivers find a way to get open.
Guards:
#77 David Williams, Hamilton Bears (Left)
#61 Patrick Cain, Hawbowline Generals (Right)
#79 Pierce Connelly, Blackpool Huskies (Left)
#72 Tim Haggard, Greystone Pirates (Right)
David Williams, the left guard, is the elder statesman on the offensive line, And while he’s built like a bus and still playing at a high level, his age is catching up to him, and his lack of speed means that any halfback screens are ran to the right side.
Centers:
#60 Conor McKellan, Southern Colme Suns
#75 Vincent Cameron, Hamilton Bears
Centers by default are some of the toughest on the offensive line, as they lined up against the toughest players on the defensive line. Additionally, they should be the smartest, as they relay what blocking schemes are needed to their line-mates if the quarterback calls an audible at the line of scrimmage.
DEFENSEDefensive ends:
#92 Donald Black, Greystone Pirates (left)
#76 Mike McCutchen, Greystone Pirates (right)
#96 Morgan Garnet, Port Pierce Jets (right)
#91 Shane Patrick, Tallow Stars (left)
Tennish ends are quick and relentless, and score the majority of QB sacks. Donald Black has lead the league in sacks thrice in his five-year career, including this last season with 18.5.
Defensive tackles:
#99 Tyrone White, Greystone Pirates
#78 Thor MacEalar, Hamilton Bears
#63 Seamus McElheney, Greystone Pirates
The Tennish defensive tackle is the toughest man on the line, as star players, like Tyrone White and Thor MacEalar, end up fighting through two and even three linemen to get to the quarterback.
Outside Linebackers:
#60 Conor McKellan, Southern Colme Suns (Left)
#98 Jeramiah Hutchison, Greystone Pirates (right)
#44 Andrew Pearson, Crosskeys Oilers (left)
#52 Killian McMurphy, Bartram Wheels (right)
The outside linebackers need to be especially fast to be able to track down receivers in the slot if they come close, as well as taking down players coming out of the backfield.
Middle Linebackers:
#55 Colin Murphy, Tallow Hawks
#56 Daniel Collins, Tallow Stars
#90 Doyle Lonergan, Greystone Pirates
Tennish MLBs have garnered a reputation as being especially brutal, showing no pity to any receiver or tight end unlucky enough to come across the middle.
Cornerbacks:
#10 Danny Tatum, Greystone Pirates
#17 Todd Anderson, Blackpool Huskies
#8 Danny Driver, Tallow Stars
#40 Enrique Velasquez, Letterkenny Bootleggers
#13 Henry Douglas, Hamilton Bears
#29 Jim Lattimore, Bartram Wheels
Tennish DBs are slower than most, as they are competing against slower wide receivers. This flaw will inevitably lead to a few getting burned for long TDs in the World Bowl. Despite this they have a great nose for the ball and will pick it off any chance they get.
Free Safeties:
#43 Miles Dawkins, Southern Colme Suns
#20 John McCall, Crosskeys Oilers
Tennish Free Safeties are hard-hitting and efficient at tackling in open field, but suffer from the same speed problems as the cornerbacks.
Strong Safeties:
#47 Kevin Mullen, Hawlbowline Generals
#30 Sean Morrison, Greystone Pirates
In addition to being the starting halfback, Kevin Mullen starts at strong safety for the national team. He is known for his ability to track the ball, his aggressiveness playing it in the air, and his merciless hitting of receivers.
Kicker:
#16 Patrick O’Brien, Hawbowline Generals
Punter:
#2 Tim Donovan, Hamilton Bears
TL;DROFFENSEStrengths: Offensive line, running game
Weaknesses: slow receivers, long pass play development
DEFENSEStrengths: Front seven, short pass defense
Weaknesses: mid-to-deep pass defense, high risk of allowing big plays when blitzing
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:Choose my Scorers: Yes
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