PLL Offseason Preview- Whipsnakes LC

Ah here we go, the last protected roster analysis. It’s a big one folks. Whipsnakes LC, the first team to ever win a PLL Championship will be disbanded. Tragic really, but also isn’t this the beauty of a new league? We know what would happen if the rosters were the same next year. Would TD Ierlan and his collegiate crew shake things up a little bit? Probably. But I watched last season. The Whipsnakes won. Is it not more entertaining to see if they can do it again after they are stripped of some of their depth? Every league goes through a period of time where there is a team that just cannot be beat. The Golden State Warriors with Kevin Durant, Tom Brady and the Patriots winning 6 Super Bowls, Tim Lincecum and his hair going for 3 World Series in 6 years, and the Blackhawks embarrassing the rest of the NHL in 3 easy Stanley Cup victories between 2010-2015. Its unavoidable. When you win, you want to keep winning. It’s what makes superstars like Klay Thompson take pay cuts in his salary to keep Steph Curry in the bay. Inevitably, however, the dynasties must fade.

Madison Bumgarner got his bones replaced by porcelain, Brady got a few grey hairs, Durant left for more money, the Blackhawks got old (I am convinced Patrick Kane was 24 for eight years before turning 31 last November), and the respective leagues move on. What happens when a team is forced to lose some of their players? Could the Patriots have won if you took away Edelman? Or less extreme, someone like James White? I am eager to see what the answer is with the Whipsnakes. Enough with the talking, lets dive into this roster.

Protected Players: Matt Rambo, Jake Bernhardt, Ty Warner, Mike Chanenchuk, John Haus, Michael Ehrhardt, Matt Dunn, Tim Muller, Bryce Young, Kyle Bernlohr, Joe Nardella, Brad Smith (exempt)

Notable Unprotected Players: Jay Carlson, Ryan Drenner, Ben Reeves, Connor Kelly, Drew Snider, Foster Huggins, Jacob Stover

Wow is that a good protected roster. Simply based on talent, this is probably the best roster in the league. Matt Rambo needs no introduction as the reigning MVP led the PLL in points and was unstoppable all year. Mike Chanenchuk has an absolute cannon from 2-pt land, and is not afraid to let it fly, as he led the league with 24 attempts. Scoring at a 29% clip, he is second in the league in 2-pt scoring percentage (based on players with 8+ attempts). That kind of outside shooting is huge, and with Rambo dishing it to him, this might be the best one-two punch in the league.

Add short-stick defensive midfielder Jake Bernhardt, who is, in my opinion, the best two-way player in the league, and you are looking at a lethal attack. While he does not put up the points Rambo does, Bernhardt is arguably just as important to this team. If you trust your SSDM to run back in transition and quickly spark your offense without the need to substitute, you increase the chances of the defense being caught off guard and you can have an extra man. In a league with a shortened field and a 52 second shot clock, that is such a valuable asset to have. It is one of the reasons why the Whipsnakes take 6.8 more shots a game than their opponents, 1st in the league. This play here shows this the best:

#83 Bernhardt runs back after the turnover and ends up right in front of the goal. He does not get the ball, but his impact is clear. Look at the defense. The Whipsnakes have an extra man and the defense is on skates the whole time. Without a SSDM that you trust, this play does not happen. Transition goals on the short field are the key to winning in this league. Fast paced play and the awareness from Bernhardt to head straight to the goal instead of the substitution box gives the Whipsnakes a 5-0 lead in a game they would go on to win 17-4 in what ended up being a preview to the championship game.

All of that should be enough to prove the Whipsnakes are poised to have another great year, but we have not even gotten to the defense yet. This is the only team to keep their entire defense on their roster. They all have more than earned their spot. Michael Ehrhardt is the best long pole midfielder in the game, Kyle Bernlohr is a stud in the cage, and Matt Dunn, Tim Muller, and Bryce Young are perfect compliments to each other. Head coach Jim Stagnitta gave more context on the decision, “We felt like if we lost and let any one of those guys go, we could not replace them because each in their own, in their own way, has a skillset that makes our defense really tough to play against.”

The problem with this, of course, is they gave up Ryan Drenner, Connor Kelly, and Ben Reeves, who accounted for 52 points last season. The only protected attack is Matt Rambo, and if Drenner and Reeves are selected by the Waterdogs (which is highly likely), they will be stretched extremely thin there. Thankfully, this is one of the deepest rookie attack classes ever, and even with the 7th pick in the draft the Whipsnakes can find a guy like Jeff Teat out of Cornell. Teat would be an ideal fit in this offense because he excels at stretching the field. He works defenses well enough without the ball to facilitate that great transition offense the Whipsnakes excel at. Teat has 241 points going into this season, 104 goals and 137 assists, so his contributions on offense are relatively balanced, which is perfect for a team who jumped ship on all but 1 attack. If Teat climbs up draft boards around the league, however, we could see Jared Bernhardt team up with his brother Jake in a Whipsnakes uniform. Jared is an extremely versatile player, with the ability to play attack and midfield, and as we all know, chemistry is everything in this league. He makes for a risky pick, as Jared has announced he plans to play football next fall, so they will have to wait a season to get him, but he just might be worth it. I can tell you now, no Archers fans are complaining about having to wait for Pat Spencer.

Whipsnakes fans need to accept Drenner and Snider being gone. There is no way they will be back. At this point, you just pray the Waterdogs leave you with Reeves and Kelly. Expansion drafts are not meant to be fun to the reigning champs. The title defense starts now, buckle up Whips.