The Patriot Insider - Genesee County Patriots Minor League Football in Michigan

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THE PATRIOT INSIDER

The Patriot Insider is a publication provided directly by the staff of the
Genesee County Patriots to give you an inside look at the Patriots and
events around the world of Minor League Football. Archives of previous
Patriot Insider will be posted online shortly.

ISSUE INTRODUCTION

January 5, 2007

Article 43

A new year brings many new changes in all areas of life. That holds true
in the North American Football League as coaching legends retire, new
franchises emerge, and whole regions realign. Once again the case in the
Great Lakes Region, a new look begins to take shape.

Though nothing is set in stone, rumor has it the Western Lakes Division is
breaking up and teams are on the move. The powerhouse Kane County
Eagles could move Northwest to the Minnesota divisions in another region
while the Hurricanes look to head south. Only Racine is projected to stay
in the Great Lakes Region, anchoring the Western Lakes Division.

If this becomes reality, a power shift may being that could have the
Eastern Lakes Division challenging for Region superiority. In past years,
the Regional Champion has always came from the West, with Kane
County dominating the championship banner collection. Now, the steadily
improving Eastern teams have a great opportunity to contend with the
winner of the West for Regional power.

(Projection: Look for the winner of the Eastern Lakes Division to face
Racine in a shoot out for the Great Lakes Regional Crown.)

THE TEAM

Many new staff members are now on board and helping lead the way for
the new look Patriots. The Advertising department has a new head in
Frank Caruso, a long time print and promotional media executive out of
the Chicago and Detroit area comes to the Patriots to pave the way for a
more aggressive advertising approach. Public Relations has a new
helping hand to with a new associate in Amanda Walker; Walker owns Lily
Pad Public Relations and has a solid background in music industry
marketing and adds that flavor to the Royal and Scarlet. While another
new face takes hold of the camera with Ronny Moore coming in as the
Team Photographer. Moore has a rich portfolio from his work as on of
Michigan's top Modeling Agency's choice photographer for years.

AROUND THE NAFL

Former Patriot Head Coach Art Sleight isn't the only coach to retire in
2006. NAFL legend Jim Rivito retires after seven years with the Central
Penn Piranha. Rivito led the Piranha to three NAFL Championship
appearances, winning two of them. He has a 96-6 record as a Head
Coach during that time frame and never lost a home game.

Many considered Rovito one of the NAFL's premier coaches for obvious
reasons. His decision to retire came on the back of his Nomination to the
Minor League Football News Hall of Fame in 2006.

ON THE WIRE

The hunt for free agents has officially began with the dawn of the New
Year. With Michigan's rich tradition of Minor League programs, there will
be a great number of players on the market this season. Though January
does start the free agent hunt, it is usually mid to late February before the
largest crop of free agents begin signing with new teams.

Free Agents are athletes who have previously signed with a Minor
League Football team in a previous season and are no longer on contract
for the current year. While these athletes are considered free agents,
former college and major professional athletes who have not been signed
to a Minor League contract before are still considered rookies. The
coaching staff and management have placed an emphasis on seeking
those "rookies" this season and have developed a recruiting and scouting
department for this. While they will be seeking out highly experienced
talent, they won't pass up brining in young prep athletes who could be
core depth players and develop into Minor League All Stars.

A couple such recent additions of prep athletes include:

Justin Irish, WR, 5"7' 141 lbs. - Burt, Michigan
Though considered undersized, the Birch Run High School prospect has
a solid track background and will help add depth to the receiving core.
Projected as a slot receiver and back up Kick Returner, Irish graded very
high in agility testing and fits well into the West Coast offensive system.

William Deola, RB, 5"8' 184 lbs. - Otisville, Michigan
A former prep power lifting stand out, Deola brings a good deal of
strength in a condensed package. However, that did not make him just a
power back as he timed out in the 4.8 40 range and had High School
Personal record times in the 4.6 area. Deola is also a former teammate of
QB Ryan Streichert in the Lakeville High School backfield, adding a
comfort level for the transition to the Minor League game.