Post by DiamondThief on Mar 23, 2019 22:25:23 GMT -8
OVERVIEW
The Portland Forest Dragons are a Champions Internet Fantasy League football team which was formed in February 2016. They play in the IFL Division of the CIFL, which was formed in January 2016. The team is named after the former Arena Football League's Portland Forest Dragons, which played 1997-99. The current Forest Dragons are based out of a Portland, Oregon suburb, with a satellite office in Boise, Idaho from where the team will be operated for the majority of the season.
The CIFL plays its games using a combination of players from the Indoor Football League and Champions Indoor Football. The CIFL begins its season the weekend of March 29-31. Eight teams make up the league, forming two divisions, the IFL and CIF. The 2019 will be held over a multi-day span in late March. During the first two seasons of the league, eight teams competed. The Quad City Steamwheelers returned to the CIFL after a one-year hiatus. In 2018 there were 10 teams, but that was downsized due to ownership decisions.
During the inaugural 2016 season, the Forest Dragons went 7-3, ending in a three-way tie for first in the IFL Division with the Rochester Raiders and the San Diego Riptide. However, the Forest Dragons were eliminated from the playoffs due to a tiebreaker. The lost their first game in the consolation round before picking up seventh place.
In 2017 the Forest Dragons finished the regular season at 3-7. They were out of playoff contention and would be reverted to the Consolation Round. They lost both their games in the post season and finished eighth. That would give Portland the highest seed in the 2018 CIFL Draft among returning teams. The Forest Dragons made the playoffs in 2018, but fell to the San Diego Riptide in the semifinals.
Through random draw, Portland had the fourth pick in the IFL Division of the first round and first pick of the second round of the 2019 CIFL Draft. That meant the Forest Dragons had the fourth pick in all odd-numbered rounds and the first pick even-numbered rounds. With their first round selection, they selected Iowa Barnstormers quarterback Daquan Neal, followed in the second round with the selection of running back Davonte Sapp-Lynch of the Nebraska Danger. Other notable selections included San Diego Strike Force wide receiver Julian Stafford (third round), Omaha Beef running back Antonio Bray (sixth round), Sioux Falls Storm Defense (ninth round) and San Diego Strike Force kicker Ernesto Lacayo (13th round).
The Forest Dragons are innovative when it comes to technology and created the league's first media guide blog and thread in March 2016. This is the fourth incarnation of that blog. The team is run by using a notebook computer, tablet and cellular phone. This enables its executive staff the flexibility in coordinating activities involving both the team and the league; 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Forest Dragons are owned by Angela Martin, a native of the Portland area who is in her final college in Boise, Idaho. She also serves as the team's General Manager. On March 17, 2016, Martin announced that her youngest sister, Monika, would serve as a consultant for the team. On March 14, 2018, Monika Martin was promoted to the positions of Director of Player Personnel and Lead Scout.
Portland plays its games on the fields of the aforementioned league's indoor football arenas and is filtered through Goal Line Software.
2018 Portland Forest Dragons Media Guide Blog
2017 Portland Forest Dragons Media Guide Blog
2016 Portland Forest Dragons Media Guide Blog
OPENING DAY ROSTER
REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Week 6 - vs. Rochester Raiders
Week 7 - vs. Georgia Fire
Week 8 - vs. San Jose Sabercats
Week 9 - vs. Alaska Wild
Week 10 - vs. Albany Firebirds
Week 11 - vs. Everett Hawks
Week 12 - vs. Charlotte Rage
Week 13 - vs. Rochester Raiders
Week 14 - vs. Georgia Fire
Week 15 - vs. San Jose Sabercats
*The weeks of 1-5 are not listed as they are not on the CIFL schedule, but include games in the IFL and CIF.
OWNER'S STATEMENT
"In a world with such a lack of definition, we, the Portland Forest Dragons will seek to bring stability to the CIFL's Championship trophy. Mainly, we aim to bring that trophy to the Rose City and keep it here. This season will be the first step in that process. We want to bring our fans exciting football with talented players who will represent our region well. My sister and I are engulfed in the painstaking, and exciting, process of building our roster to a championship pedigree. Our draft board was large, but we narrowed our options to those players who we feel will fit with the Portland community. We are excited to continue play in a progressive league such as the CIFL. We're looking to make a run through the regular season, and intend to see our fans on the other side of the CIFL Bowl hosting the championship trophy."
FOREST DRAGONS SMACK TALK STATEMENT
"And the Dragon emerged from the Forest. Its opponents quivered, shook and ran. Alas, there was no being outside of the Dragon's grasp. Its fire was far-reaching and limitless. In the end, all others were burned, and the Dragon stood tall and victorious."
CIFL TEAM MAP
2019 CIFL DRAFT AND OWNER'S DRAFT ANALYSIS
SELECTIONS BY ROUND
1. Daquan Neal, QB
2. Davonte Sapp-Lynch, RB
3. Julian Stafford, WR
4. Rashad Pargo, WR
5. Marquel Wade, WR
6. Antonio Bray, RB
7. Shaquon Curenton, WR
8. Donovan Porterie, QB
9. Sioux Falls Storm, DEF
10. Anthony Jones Jr., WR
11. B.J. Hill, WR
12. Dezmon Epps, WR
13. Ernesto Lacayo, K
14. Mike Jones, RB
QUARTERBACKS
"We fully intended to go big on this position, and I think we hit a couple of long bombs. Daquan (Neal) is a strong, dual-threat guy who has stepped into the shoes of the position for the Barnstormers and been impressive week in, week out. We are thrilled to have a player of tremendous talent lead our team into the 2019 season. We couldn't believe Donavan (Porterie) was available in the eighth round. He's a veteran and clearly one of the best the CIF has to offer. We see him as being able to push Daquan and step in in any given situation. At the quarterback position, we feel tremendous."
RUNNING BACKS
"First of all, who wouldn't want to pick up Marshawn Lynch's kid brother, you know? Davonte is really stepping into his own and is one of the rushing leaders in the IFL. He's doing some great things with the Danger and we expect him to do some great things with the Forest Dragons. Antonio is going to be a guy to watch. He has the talent to be a breakout star in indoor football. We feel great about having such a talented and explosive player on our roster. Mike Jones is a guy who is going to surprise a lot of people. We feel we could put him in during any game and get positive results. This trio is going to solidify our rushing game and be a whole lot of fun to watch."
WIDE RECEIVERS
"With due respect to the previous receivers which have called Portland their home, even temporarily, this is the most explosive and exciting group we have ever had. From top to bottom, these seven guys are going to give our opponents fits. Julian is already one of the best receivers in the league. The guy just catches passes and scores touchdowns; it's in his DNA. We were thrilled to bring Rashad Pargo back to Portland. He did some great things for us last season and is only going to get better and better. We're glad we could get him back. Hands down, Marquel Wade is one of the best receivers in the indoor game, and he was still out there in the fifth round. That's literal insanity. Fans are going to love this guy's dedication and athleticism. Shaq Curenton is our secret weapon. Just when defenses think they have an answer for us, we're going to throw Shaq at them and watch them scurry. Anthony Jones, Jr. is a young prospect who is already beginning to make a name for himself in indoor football circles. We see great things in store for him in a Forest Dragons uniform. With our back-to-back picks in the 11th and 12 rounds, we picked up a couple explosive playmakers. B.J. Hill is already an IFL Hall of Famer who is still kicking it, but this time on offense and as a return man. We're also thrilled to bring in one of the most explosive players in all of football in Dezmon Epps. I hope our fans don't blink their eyes, or they might miss him making a huge play."
DEFENSE AND SPECIAL TEAMS
"We were able to bring back the Storm defense and we feel that's going to pay major dividends for us this season. They run a tremendous system, they're opportunistic and they swarm the ball carrier. They continually present nightmares for opposing offenses, and we anticipate that being no different with us here in Portland. Ernesto Lacayo is probably the biggest bright spot for the Strike Force. The guy almost never misses and can be relied upon to nail the big kick when needed. This is a bit of a homecoming for Ernesto, as we have had our eye on him since the 2016 season when he kicked for the now-defunct Portland Steel of the AFL."
FEATURED PHOTO
Forest Dragon fans gather in downtown Portland to welcome first found pick Daquan Neal to the Rose City.
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