By Ryan Michaels
Team Name: Dallas Lobos (Formerly Dallas Ruffnecks)
Home Stadium: The Hunting Grounds
Staff –
- Owner/Offensive Coordinator: Steven Mullenax
- Defensive Coordinator/GM: Crash Combs
- Assistant GM: Ray West
Ray West has stepped up his involvement with Dallas this season, becoming one of the first Assistant GM’s in the SFL
The Dallas Lobos are an old team hoping that a new name will bring about a change in fortunes. In Season 10, the Lobos, then known as the Dallas Ruffnecks, had an unfortunate run of bad luck during the season. Constant missed progressions by their players, a few players even going AWOL and eventually being released, losses by the narrowest of margins; each of these contributed to a season most would like to forget. However, all was not lost. A mid-season addition of cornerback, Crash Combs, would prove a huge pickup for Dallas. His energy and enthusiasm lit a fire under the Dallas squad as he became their defensive coordinator after a few weeks. Under his new scheme, the Dallas defense went from one of the worst to one of the best as the season drew to a close. The season came to end with Dallas sliding in at dead last with a 2-10 record, but even with the terrible record there is an excitement around this team with how they finished out their last few games of the season.
The Season 11 Dallas Lobos Roster
OFFENSE
QB- Shabazz Psynergy: (Energetic playmaker who played backup in Season 10 for the Lobos after a stellar Season 9)
RB- Royce Robbins: (Rookie running back looking to make his mark on the league. Lots of room to grow his talent; definitely a kid worth keeping an eye on this season)
WR1- Mike Osayi: (Veteran wide receiver. Dallas will look for him to make plays in the passing game early and often as well as expecting him to be a leader for their rookie WR’s)
WR2- Junior Senior III: (First of two rookie wide receivers for Dallas. Although he is fresh to the league, I expect Mr. Mullenax will make full use of this athletic rookie)
WR3- Mason Kirby: (Second of the two rookie wide receivers in Dallas. Just because he is the third string receiver, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sleep on him. I expect the former quarterback to line up in the slot and make opposing linebackers and safeties look silly)
Mason Kirby has switched to the other side of the pass for Season 11
WR4- Crash Combs: (Crash lined up on the other side of the field at this position, playing cornerback. Apparently Steven Mullenax saw something he liked and wanted to move him to the offensive side of the ball to see what this young man can do)
DEFENSE
LB- Ray West: (Ray West played for the Lobos last season. Expect him to make big plays as a sideline to sideline linebacker)
LB – EK Vinson: (Vinson came over from Atlanta and slid into the LB spot, moving from his FS he home played for the Swarm)
CB – Dante West: (Dante came in to fill the void of Crash Combs at cornerback from Vancouverand I expect him to be used to shut down opposing number one receivers)
CB – Iverson Gamble: (Another returning player for Dallas, Gamble showed flashes of brilliance in coverage last season. I expect him to only get better this season)
SS – Cain Vasquez: (Cain left London to come back to the United States and found a home in Dallas as their strong safety. This addition can only strengthen this defensive secondary)
The Big Hitter
FS – Tom Taylor: (Tom played for the San Antonio Vaqueros, now Denver Nightwings, last season. He was a big part of their pass defense and in tandem with Vasquez, opposing quarterbacks may have a hard time trying to go over the top of this defense)
The Playmaker
The Bottom Line
With the Southern Conference being stacked full with playoff teams from last season, the Dallas Lobos have their work cut out to make it to the playoffs in Season 11. If they were to do so, I would see them most likely sliding in as a Wildcard team. They retained their big pickup last season in DC/GM Crash Combs, brought back the Rookie of the Year contender from Season 9 in Shabazz Psynergy at QB, and added some very crucial pieces in the rookie draft in the form of WR, Junior Senior III and RB, Royce Robbins. Along with the rookie draft they shored up their defense some more in free agency, with the additions of SS Cain Vasquez, and FS Tom Taylor.The sky is the limit for this team and I’m excited to see how Crash Combs will do in his first full season as a defensive coordinator in the SFL.
A word from the Dallas Lobos staff about their expectations for Season 11
“I expect to see unprecedented success in Dallas this season. After two back-to-back disappointing seasons, general manager/defensive coordinator Crash Combs and myself have devoted countless hours in preparing a playbook we believe will make us very competitive in Season 11. I have personally never committed as deeply to playbook construction as I have this offseason. Combined with the stellar recruiting skills of assistant genernal manager Ray West, we have assembled an All-Pro cast of users that we believe will achieve player progression every single week as well as being ultra-active in both game and team chats. Our re-branding has energized us. So make no mistake: The Dallas Lobos are out for blood this upcoming season.” – Steven Mullenax, Dallas Lobos Owner
“My expectations for season 11 are very high. We have, in my opinion the most talented defense in the league and expect to show that every week. We have Steven back at the helm of the offense and he is fantastic in that regard as shown by Season 7, when he led Dallas to the championship. I would not be surprised for our record to be swapped from Season 10.” – Crash Combs, Defensive Coordinator and General Manager
