1st- RB Socrates Rogers(TCU)
Rogers was our top-rated RB on the board. He is strong, fast, and has good hands. He will be our featured back with some more development. He along with last season’s 2nd round pick McCarter should bring a nice tandem for the future of the franchise.

2nd- LB Jeremiah Wick(CFL)
Well we had expectations for him as a starter, but training camp was not kind. He has the speed and strength to play a few positions, but will serve as a backup LB.

3rd- DE Bo Jaworski(Kansas State)
Jaworski was another long shot we had high hopes for, unfortunately he had a horrible training camp and there is a good chance he won’t make the team.

Rookies that had strong training camps:
LT Mitchell Jackson(6th round, Air Force)
DT Robert Rameriz(6th round, Grambling)
K Brian Johnson(5th round, USC)

The VooDoo are coming off a dismal 1981 season after compiling a 5-11 record, the 2nd lowest in franchise history. There were questions regarding ownership and the front office, with the result greyghost eventually maintaining the franchise. The off-season could have been a complete re-tooling of the offense and defense, but there was very little activity. The beginning of the 82 campaign has shown there is a plan that ghost will follow.

Prior to the beginning of game 1, the VooDoo sent their 1984 3rd round and 1985 4th round pick to the San Jose Sabercats for QB Bruno Wilson. The readers may be asking themselves who? at this point. Wilson was a 1979 3rd round pick out of Tennessee. He had 6 pass attempts prior to this season. He immediately was thrust into the starting QB position and has responded with 2 wins and although he hasn’t put up HOF numbers, has been consistent. QB Steven Moore was thought to have the upper hand at the future of the franchise, but that has now become cloudy. The starter for the past two seasons James Lightfoot has been placed in the #3 slot.

The next moves came with two waiver wire signings. First FB Daniel Reiss was claimed from Oakland. He was placed into the starting FB spot and has responded. He is a young, strong back that can block and catch the ball out of the backfield. The second waiver signing was RB/TE Joe Daniels from the New York Stars. It was unsure exactly how he would be used but lined up as an RB and TE with 4 receptions and 7 carries. “The signing of Daniels has enabled us to move Boyd to TE full time.” Said Offensive Coordinator Jeff Granderson. The past couple of seasons had become an issue for the all-time leading rusher in VooDoo history as Boyd was lost. The move back to his original position seems to be the right medicine as 4 catches for 78 yards in his first game back.

“The start we have is a tremendous vote of confidence. Our defense has remained intact with a few off-season fill in moves made. The most recent moves on offense with our other weapons Socrates “Ironhead” Rogers, Bernard McCarter, James Sheckler, and Ricky Hash give us hope for the future.“ said owner greyghost.

“No Way! Didn’t even consider it.” Said owner greyghost on the teams surprising 4-0 start. “We were not sure what we had coming out of the gate, we were going to re-evaluate the entire franchise after last season.” Added ghost. The VooDoo are not a powerhouse team, but the numbers so far this season are indicating otherwise. The VooDoo has the 6th ranked offense and the 2nd ranked defense and are completely bewildered on how they have achieved their early season success. “We knew we had stability on offense, but our defense has surprised us.” Said HC Alan Bridges. The defense has given up an amazing 5 pts per contest and up until the 4th quarter against Michigan had not given up a touchdown, 15 straight quarters.

The magic of the VooDoo continued in the 4th quarter against Michigan as backup LDE Thomas Mandell sacked Michigan QB Jerry Ruiz and RDE Paul Walker picked up the fumble and raced 23 yards for the touchdown, to seal the victory. Walker is a journeyman that has spent time with 4 teams, but due to the injuries to RDE Alfaro and backup Mouton who were both inactive was signed the previous day and pressed into duty. He contributed 2 tackles, 1 sack, and the fumble return. “We have been fortunate in the moves we have made this season and just hope the magic stays with us.” Said ghost.

“Our goal was 6 wins this season. We didn’t expect much, but obviously the players and coaches had other plans” said owner greyghost. The VooDoo have not only exceeded expectations but shattered them. The 7-game winning streak out of the gate is the record best start in franchise history, breaking the mark from the inaugural 1974 season of 6 wins in a row. It could be said up is down and down is up in New Orleans as the much thought of offense has not produced as anticipated and the defense has not only been good but is ranked #1 in fewest total yards allowed per game. “We have just put the talent on defense in a position to succeed and they have stepped up” said defensive coordinator Claude Hedgepath. Hedgepath has been the only defensive coordinator in VooDoo history.

It is hard to find one star on the VooDoo, if there is a leader on the team it could be first year QB Bruno Wilson. Wilson doesn’t lead the league in any category but is among the leaders in all of them. He has brought a stabilizing consistency, but not to hear him say it. “Our running backs keep me safe by keeping defenses honest. They have a bruising style and have just enough speed to break a long run if the defense cheats.” On the defensive side of the ball, a person could just pick a name. There is not one standout, but they all play as a defense possessed.

“We just want the team to go out and play their best” said ghost. Their best has been good enough to bring them to the brink of the division crown and the #2 seed currently. They seem to have put enough pieces together both young and old to make at least a good run this season.

It is known as the Big Easy, known for the Bayou, creole, Cajun, crawfish, jazz and their football team the New Orleans VooDoo. If it is possible for a successful franchise like the VooDoo to be considered a “Cinderella” team, this season would be the one. The have exceeded expectations beyond owners, coaches, fans and critics expectations. This team has a unique identity, as in the fact that the represent cast offs from other teams as well as their own homegrown talent. The front office is loyal to their players as CB Larry Ackman, LB Anthony Munoz, and Kenneth Boyd can swear to. These three have played their entire careers with the VooDoo and ownership has already confirmed will retire with the team. The ownership is a throwback to the Steelers and Raiders NFL mentality from the 70’s. Each player is an individual if that individual becomes part of the collective in the idea of winning. Each personality brings their own part to that idea. If someone observes the VooDoo, they won’t see All-pro candidates, MVP candidates, or league leaders, just players that perform and win.

“The Generals are a class franchise with one of the great owners, not just in the USFL/WFL, but in MFN overall” said owner greyghost. The owners who have become friendly rivals over the seasons in MFN. This represents the National Conference as it should, these two teams have been the conference champion the past 3 seasons. Amazingly they have never played each other in the playoffs, this will be the first. “My theory is this, the Generals are the champions until someone beats them” said ghost. This is a battle of the top two defenses not just in the NFC, but in the USFL/WFL. The difference in the game could be the powerhouse offense of the Generals, as that is where their strength lies. There is no question this could be a game to remember in USFL/WFL history.

This is the final installment of the VooDoo State for 1982 season. This comes on the heels of a hard-fought loss to the New Jersey Generals 10-7. The season ends, but there will not be any negatives taken to the off-season. “This accomplishments of this team that had no expectations coming into the season, far exceeded what anyone anticipated” said owner greyghost. There were many highlights, but none of the those are highlighted more by these numbers.

13 wins- tied for the highest in franchise history
7 straight wins starting the season- new team record
161 points allowed- new team record

There were probably other records set or broken by this team yet to be determined, but after the struggles through the 1981 season in the front office, this team stood strong. The question of rebuild plagued the front office this past off-season but considering that 10 of the 22 starters have less than 5 years’ experience, a total rebuild is not a consideration. “We have some spots coming up that will need to be addressed. We don’t have any draft picks next season, but fortunately we will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 65 million under the cap, so we will be looking hard at free agency” said ghost. The 1982 season may not be over, but in New Orleans it is 1983.