By Michael Voitek
The European League of Football season is fast approaching which means it’s time to break down these rosters. I decided to start with one of my favorite teams, one of the best fan bases, and one of the original members of football in Europe – the Barcelona Dragons.
The Dragons, one of the founding teams in the ELF, suffered through their worst season yet winning just two of their 12 games. They opened with promise winning their first two games but then lost the remaining 10 to finish second to last in the Central Conference.
Barcelona has made some major changes in the offseason including the hiring of a new head coach, David Shelton who is clearly putting his stamp on the team.
Let’s take a look at the roster that will hopefully help restore Barcelona to a position of respect.
Offense
Quarterback
We start at quarterback where the Catalan team looks to replace a great starter in Conor Miller with Levi Lewis. This will be Lewis’ first year in Europe playing professionally but he has a fantastic resume which should allow him to prosper in the ELF. Lewis played for Division-I University of Louisiana and absolutely tore up the Sun Belt Conference. In five years playing there, he threw for over 8,000 yards and 74 touchdowns. Levi is a proven winner, as well, leading the Ragin Cajuns’ to a 34-4 record in his time as their starter. He should be effective immediately in Barcelona.
Running back
The Dragons are sticking with the same running game as last year with Toni Monton leading the charge. I don’t hate this call to stay with a guy who works hard for them and use their A and E imports on different positions.
Wide receiver
Barcelona adds a speedy WR for Lewis to throw to in Imoni Donadelle. The former Northwest Missouri State standout should be the guy Lewis looks to for big plays and quick slants. Alex Pacheco will also be a name to look out for in the receiving corps as well as Aaron David who had an excellent year in the Spanish league.
Imoni Donadelle
Tight end
This position could be a make or break spot for the Dragons this year. They have signed an E-import in British tight end Stephen Mccluskey, who played college football at Northwestern Oklahoma State University and then played for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns last season in the German Football League. I worry about him not having seen a lot of action while playing for them last year (13 catches for 168 yards and 2 TDs), but hopefully he learned a good amount while there.
Stephen Mccluskey
Offensive line
This group gave up 16 sacks and had under 1,000 yards rushing on the year: not great. They bring back Mikel Gomez and Jose Ariza, good for experience, but their main addition to this group will be Paul Jakob. Jakob played for the Leipzig Kings before they withdrew and then for the Stuttgart Surge last season riding with them all the way to the championship final. If the Dragons are going to be any good this season this group must be better.
Defense
Defensive line
This line could be a big problem for other teams in the ELF. They bring back solid players in Benjamin Egbudiwe and Mamadou Ka Thiobane who played well for them last year. They will use another A-import in Derrick Brumfield who played for the Raiders Tirol two years ago and in the Mexican LFA league last year. He should wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. Outside of there, look for Munashe Nunarai to have an impact.
Linebacker
Great players for the Dragons here as well. Alex Gonzales, Cesare Brugnani, Andrian Novella and new addition Jai Albert Jackson all make this linebacking group fierce.
Defensive back
This is a group you have to worry about for the Dragons. They were bottom four in passing defense last year, but they did re-sign Canadian college player, Lautaro Frecha (University of Waterloo) as an E-import and then added Dominique Shelton as an A-import. Shelton played for the Berlin Thunder two years ago and the Stainless Steel Warriors in the Italian Football League last year. If these two guys can stay healthy and play up to expectations this Dragon’s team can have one of the best defenses in the league.
Dominique Shelton
Wrapping up
I had a lot of faith in the Dragons last year, possibly because of how much I love their logo and old school uniforms, but this year I have real reason to believe that Barcelona can compete. Although they may be giving up some homegrown talent to the newly formed Madrid Bravos, they look good on paper. They’ve improved in almost every aspect of the game and have a quarterback who could turn out to be the best in the league. If their offensive line and defensive backfield can play well, I see this team making the playoffs.