The Big Smoke - The NFL Heads to London

[mvp]

not a bad squad

[Count]

Got some really good running backs. Been a big fan of Spears and Warren in Madden this year

[djp73]

not a bad squad

looks like we have some ballers but we're the lowest rated team in the game. Lots of young guys with potential so hopefully they will develop into a nice bunch. Thanks for following!

[djp73]

Got some really good running backs. Been a big fan of Spears and Warren in Madden this year

Yup. I got Ekeler before I thought about chising this. Almost wish we didn't have him. Might send him away and pretend we never signed him for realism. We'll see. Thanks for the post!

[Agent]

Chris Rodriguez sighting

[djp73]

Picadilly Pigskin

Monarchs position battles to watch
By Stephen Sherrod



As the Monarchs get set to open the preseason against the Patriots here are some key position battles to keep an eye on.

Quarterback
Darnold and Brown are the favorites to battle for the starting job. The coaching staff has said their preference is to let Brown learn behind Darnold for a while but Brown's athleticism and arm strength could be hard to keep on the bench. Willis has an outside shot as well as he has the strongest arm but would need to show he has made strides in decision making and accuracy. UDFA Nielsen is a camp arm with a shot to make the practice squad.

Runningback
Less of a position battle and more of a "who gets the most touches" battle. We'd fully expect Spears, Warren and Rodriguez to get playing time with Gore on the outside looking in.

Wide Receiver
OBJ is WR1 clearly. After that it's muddled. The coaching staff is certainly hoping rookie Daquan Boothe (6'4" 234) will assert himself into a starting role outside. If he does that will allow them to use OBJ inside with Pierce outside or shift OBJ outside and use Brown or Austin in the slot. It will all come down to who separates themselves from the pack during the preseason.

Right Tackle
First rounder Brooks Horn will get every opportunity to be the starter here with Andrew Wylie a solid option if Horn shows he is not ready yet.

Kicker
Really? Kicker? Yes. The Monarchs come into the preseason with three on the roster, veteran Ka'Imi Fairbairn, seventh round pick Luke Leonard and UDFA Wyatt Nugent. Fairbairn probably has the inside track but could be a valuable trade asset if one of the rookies looks ready to go. Nugent, who was signed after going viral hitting 60+ yard kicks on TikTok, has a very strong leg but struggled with accuracy at Oklahoma while former Tennessee Volunteer Leonard has limited range.

[djp73]

Picadilly Pigskin

Game Report
2024 Preseason Week One

10 - 20
Monarchs take down Patriots in preseason opener

ALEC PIERCE SCORES THE MONARCHS FIRST TD

Words

Box Score
NE|00|00|03|07||10
LON|07|07|00|06||20

Scoring
1Q LON Alec Pierce 14 Yd pass from Sam Darnold (Luke Leonard kick)
2Q LON Kaylen Warren 1 Yd run (Luke Leonard kick)
3Q NE Chad Ryland 28 Yd FG
4Q LON Wyatt Nugent 41 Yd FG
4Q NE Christian Wilkins returned fumble 48 Yds (Chad Ryland kick)
4Q LON Wyatt Nugent 40 Yd FG

Key Stats
Monarchs
S. Darnold - 9/13 107Yds 1TD
C. Brown - 5/10 42Yds 1Int, 2Car 24Yds
C. Rodriguez Jr. - 10Car 63Yds
T. Spears - 6Car 55Yds
J. Warren - 10Car 44Yds 1TD, 2Rec14Yds
A. Pierce - 2Rec 43yds 1TD
C. Austin III - 2Rec 33Yds
T. Hill 4Rec 28Yds
J. Davis - 7Tkl
P. Mathis - 5Tkl, 2TFL, 1.0Sck
L. Canidate - 3Tkl, 1TFL, 2.0Sck
J. Carruthers - 5Tkl, 1TFL, .5Sck
A. Jones Jr. - 2Tkl, 1TFL, .5Sck
W. Nugent - 2/2FG

Patriots
M. Jones - 4/6 73Yds
T. Heinicke - 14/18 104Yds 4Sck
R. Stevenson - 8Car 46Yds
E. Kelley - 5Car 25Yds
J. Reagor - 4Rec 70Yds
T. Thornton - 6Rec 56Yds
J. Smith-Schuster - 1Rec 27Yds
D. Forrest - 10Tkl, 1.0Sck, 1FF
J. Peppers - 8Tkl, Int
C. Wilkins - 1Tkl, 1TFL, 1FR, 1TD

[djp73]

Picadilly Pigskin

Game Media
2024 Preseason Week One

[KimJongBaze]

Nice win, team showed a lot of promise even though it's just the preseason.

[djp73]

Nice win, team showed a lot of promise even though it's just the preseason.

Solid showing for sure.