The Smashmouth Football League or we usually call the SFL is going to enter its fourth season. The first 3 seasons have brought us 3 different champions in each season, with the Rams claiming the title in 2002, the Ravens doing it in 2003, and the latest the Redskins surprisingly pulling it out in the 2004 season. Behind each of these 3 Super Bowl winning teams, there was a wonderful General Manager (GM) who held the team together and hauled his ass to brought them to the promise land. Let's give a round of applause to all of you guys, the GMs in the SFL for your dedication to your team and of course to this league. To give some appreciation, I compiled a list of the 10 winningest GMs in the young history of our beloved league, the SFL. To make it a fair ground for all GMs, this list only counts the records in the regular season. One tricky question, do all the 3 Super Bowl winning champions make the list? You will soon find out the answer by reading through the article. Enjoy!
Note: To be eligible, the GMs must have been with the league for at least 2 seasons or more.1st. Travis Robbins | 3 seasons | New England PatriotsWIN: 37 LOSS: 11 .PCT: .771The name Tom Brady is probably one of the very reasons the Patriots are in the first place here on this list. TOM BRADY equals WINNING just like in one of the universe of our multiverse football world where the Buccaneers signed a 42-year-old free agent Brady in hope of winning something instantly. Is it a coincidence? Or Madden just loves the Patriots? Probably. But don't understate the role of Travis Robbins here in making this team great in the SFL. He surely know what he is doing with this team. Whether it deals with free agency, draft, veterans or even on field strategy. Travis has brought this Patriots team to 3 straight double digits wins, 3 straight division titles, and 3 straight playoff appearances. To put it simple, AFC East Division is his bitch (#pardonmylanguage
). He still hasn't won a Super Bowl ring for Brady yet with his highest playoff appearance so far is last season loss to the Dolphins in the AFC Championship game. But I am quite sure he will definitely get one with Tom as his QB sooner or later.
T-2nd. Ian Coyle | 3 seasons | Indianapolis ColtsWIN: 35 LOSS: 13 .PCT: .729Inheriting a stacked Colts team from the 2002 SFL Team Draft, Ian Coyle wasted no time to be in the biggest stage of the SFL. He took this team to a Super Bowl appearance in the inaugural season of the SFL. However he lost in that game and since then the team has shown some decrease in performance especially without Peyton Manning under center, which was mostly the case in the past 2 seasons. Ian still managed to record double digit wins, reach the playoffs, and win the AFC South division titles in each of the three seasons. Yup, another team that can claim their division as their bitch. With Peyton still very well in his prime for several years to come, that bitching condition may not change in the near future unless the Titans or the Texans pull some magic up their sleeves. The Texans almost dethroned the Colts last year but fell short on the last minutes. Maybe it's time for the Titans to do so considering the offseason moves they have made so far. But until then, Ian Coyle still owns the AFC South.
T-2nd. Gary Hickman | 3 seasons | Green Bay PackersWIN: 35 LOSS: 13 .PCT: .729Green Bay is one of the three teams that won their division in 3 straight years, as mentioned previously NE and IND are the other two. Gary also brought the Packers to 3 consecutive double digit wins. This should be a no surprise since he got the ageless Favre. However, with Favre looks like to retire in the next season or season after that, Gary must do something to surround him with talents to make use of however many seasons left on Favre. So far, their playoff trip only last one game in each of the past three seasons. I think they should have done better than that considering Favre's talent and experience alone is like half of the needs for a winning team. However, with the rapid development of other teams in the NFC, both on offense and defense, Gary's job to get a Super Bowl ring for this franchise may be even harder. Especially if Favre decides to retire after this season. So Gary, I suggest you to pray for Bret to be as nearly ageless as possible with the real Bret Favre in the NFL universe or do the rebuild sooner than later.
4th. Bryan Mellon | 3 seasons | Washington RedskinsWIN: 33 LOSS: 15 .PCT: .688The defending Super Bowl Champions, GM Bryan Mellon actually recorded less wins in last season than in each of the previous 2 seasons. However, his team peaked at the correct time to bring the SFL trophy to Washington. Bryan is one of the most controversial GMs in the young history of SFL. Frequently antagonizing himself to tease the 'Roger Goodell ' of SFL Mr. William Cook, he actually is a master of strategy and quite knowledgeable about the ins and outs on how to best GMing in a GM mode league. Some of us might question his out of the box decisions such as when he offered a max deal to wide receiver Eric Moulds (which turned out to be worth every penny due to his out of the world performance that helped the Redskins to win the Super Bowl) or his recent trade with the Bills that sent the Super Bowl winning quarterback, Steve McNair, and some other capital for a young but raw QB Rex Grossman. When GM Will Cook laughed at it he just simply replied that he wouldn't trade for Rex if he didn't know already how to use him well in the game. I personally admire his bold strategy and I consider him as a great rival in other Madden universe (MFL). Well, time will tell how Rex going to pan out. Until then, I would like to congratulate GM Mellon for his achievement last season. Looking forward to our next game in the MFL or SFL.
T-5th. Norbert Huszti | 3 seasons | Baltimore RavensWIN: 32 LOSS: 16 .PCT: .667Another Super Bowl Champion making this list proved that you have to win consistently to get the ultimate prize. GM Norbert Huszti brought a defensively stout Ravens team to back to back Super Bowl appearances in 2002 and 2003, losing one and winning the other. That is probably the sweetest revenge story in the young history of SFL up until now. However, Norb seemed to lose his touch last season leading to their first time missing the playoffs and lost the division title to the Bengals. It also marked the first time they didn't record double digit wins in a season. Some say it was Super Bowl hangover, others say it was just not their season. But whatever it really was, I am pretty sure GM Norbert will bounce back hard this upcoming season. He still got enough talents to do so and the Super Bowl winning QB Jeff Blake is still there, even though not for too long. If he turns out to be retired after this season, the Ravens and GM Norbert need to start to rebuild.
T-5th. Dhani Aldila | 3 seasons | Atlanta FalconsWIN: 32 LOSS: 16 .PCT: .667Well, for starter I am quite surprised I made this list and secondly it is odd to write a career review on myself. But I will try to be as unbiased as possible here (like I could
). Bringing the Falcons to an 8-8 record in the inaugural season of SFL, I considered that as an achievement due to the thin depth on my team especially the secondary. However I wanted more wins to improve or at least to not lose my contract year in the following season. Surprisingly, my midgets secondary were able to give me my first playoff birth. But going up against the defending Super Bowl Champions back then in 2003 season, the Rams, I knew I got very small chance. We kept the score close though. Expectations for the 2004 season then ran high but still we got too small secondary. It even got worse when we lost Trent Green for the season. Even though Grbac kept the playoff hope alive up until the last week, I realized our team didn't have enough weapons to compete in the playoffs. But let bygones be bygones. Now, I think my team is ready to compete especially if we can add some talent on secondary and keep other stars healthy all season long especially Green and the newly acquired big wide receiver Joe Jurevicius.
7th. Kevin Mullendore | 3 seasons | New York JetsWIN: 31 LOSS: 17 .PCT: .646GM Kevin Mullendore is probably of of the best GMs in SFL for his management skills and on field strategy just like GM Mellon. He just takes different approach to GM Mellon does in league relationship. But they both are thoughtful strategists. Being in the same division with the Patriots didn't prevent them from making the playoffs in 2002 and 2003 seasons. However, last season GM Kevin found it hard to compete after he traded his franchise QB Chad Pennington to the Chargers. Possibly, he didn't like Pennington's not too strong arms, wanted a rebuild, and opted to do it sooner than later. Even with backup caliber QBs, he still managed to won 8 games last season. Imagine if he can convert Jake Plummer from scrambler to balanced this season. The Jets will be a powerhouse in the AFC again.
8th. Daren Roberts | 2 seasons | Miami DolphinsWIN: 20 LOSS: 11 .PCT: .641GM Daren Roberts and the Dolphins have surprised many of us this past 2 seasons. Joining the league in 2003, GM Darren immediately put his mark in the league by taking the Dolphins to the playoffs with their secondary boasting as the best in the league. He even improved in his second year in the league, taking the Dolphins to the biggest stage in SFL, the Super Bowl. Even though they were kind of anti-climaxing in the Super Bowl, losing easily to the Redskins, their trip alone to the event could be considered as a success. I am sure they will still become one of the favorites to dethrone the Patriots from the top of AFC East division.
T-9th. Brent Lachapelle | 3 seasons | Chicago BearsWIN: 29 LOSS: 19 .PCT: .604GM Brent Lachapelle and the Chicago Bears have experienced ups and down in the 3 year span of SFL. After a strong campaign in 2002, they went south in 2003, winning only 6 games. However they bounced back hard last season by winning 12 games and won one wirdcard spot in the last week of the regular season. Unfortunately, they had to face the Washington Redskins and eventually lost to them in the wildcard. Going into this season, GM Brent decided to do an overhaul of the roster sending out their best weapons especially some players who contributed a lot to their high octane offense game last year. But I think they will still find a way to win if not sooner than later.
T-9th. Peter Fenger | 3 seasons | San Francisco 49ersWIN: 29 LOSS: 19 .PCT: .604The last but not the least GM that made this list, GM Peter Fenger, is known for his iconic voice and in depth analysis in his radio shows. But he is not just good on the radio, he is also good in how to win games. Even though he only got double digit wins in one season (2003) out of the past three seasons, he still managed to make 2 playoffs appearances (2003 and 2004). Considered as one of the favorites to make a Super Bowl run last season, GM Peter and the 49ers fell out of that favor especially when their starting QB Jeff Garcia went down due to injury and could not return in time for the wildcard round where they lost to the Vikings. With no more Garcia under center and Terrell Owens on the outside, GM Fenger might draft their future franchise QB and enter the total rebuilding mode this upcoming season.
That is all about the top 10 GMs in the SFL with the most wins. This list is made just for fun so don't take it too seriously. However if you can find something useful from it that would be my pleasure as the writer. See you all on the next article.
