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WRAPPING UP THE ROSTER
With two weeks left in the signing period the staff made several moves to patch up holes and solidify the
team. A half dozen players were signed while several more were deactivated to make room for the last two
weeks of free agent activity. North American Football League (NAFL) teams have up until Week Six to sign
athletes for the current season.
"We had multiple positions we needed to increase depth and add competition to and I think we took the
required steps to do that today, " said Director of Operations Brad Lyon. "We signed athletes where we
needed immediate help either by improving that position or adding depth. Meanwhile, we were able to
deactivate a number of athletes to help us make room for both those we already signed as well as space
for a couple more additions in these upcoming weeks."
Headlining the new additions is Bobby Blazevski, who was signed from the AA Michigan Renegades on
July 29. Blazevski, a 6'1 Slot Receiver, is a two year veteran from the Renegades who has defensive back
and punting experience. "Bobby is one those athletes who is versatile enough to help a team in several
areas and brings with him a quality work ethic. He is a character guy teams look for to build the right type
of atmosphere." Beyond his on field abilities, he also helped in the front office in a semi-management role
for the Renegades.
Adding size to the receiving core seemed to be a sudden priority when Alan Russ was moved from
receiver to Quarterback, leaving only one receiver (Josh Maes) over 6'. On top of Blazevski, receivers
Jason Pepin (6'2, 192) and Mike Roe (6'2, 185) were signed. Both are tall and big framed receivers who
add another dimension to the Patriot offense while creating improved one on one match ups.
The fourth set of brothers, and second set of twins in Patriot History, were also brought on board this past
week. Flint natives Charles and Charvez Stewart were added July 24. Charles (5'11, 205) is an athletic
linebacker who is expected to add competition at Sam or Will and may be looked at as a possible addition
at Bandit. The Bandit position is a hybrid linebacker/safety position used in one of the base defensive
packages of the Patriots. Charvez (5'6, 188) looks like a more of a skat back but runs with unique power
and solid bad level. He is added at a perfect time when running back Tellis Thompson and Slot/RB Mark
Merna are both expected to see limited duty due to short term injuries.
Lastly, one of the primary areas of concern has been depth at the offensive tackle position. This was
addressed with the signing of Dominik Chapman (5'11, 258) who the staff hopes will quickly push the
current offensive tackle group for time and work his way significantly into the rotation.
All of the above mentioned players are expected to be activated for this week's game versus the Detroit
Diesels. They come at an ideal time as starters Josh Maes (WR), Bill Meany (OT), Juanito Escamillia
(OG), and Isaiah Brown (TE) are all anticipated to be unavailable or injured for the game while Mark
Merna (CB), Chuck Wheeler (FB), and Tellis Thompson (RB) may miss significant reps due to injuries.
A complete list of the deactivated players can be found on our roster page. Deactivated players are
Athletes, who due to injury, performance, team suspension, or other various reasons, are not activated for
the current season. These athletes remain on contract for its duration. Deactivated athletes may be
reactivated at any time.
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