The Massachusetts Pirates are back as they kick off their season on Friday night at home against the Jacksonville Sharks.
The Pirates return 10 players from last year’s Eastern Conference Championship team with four on offense and six on defense. The offense has also added two players who have previously played in Massachusetts.
Offensively, the three headed receiving monster of Thomas Owens, Issac Zico and Teo Redding returns. Owens, Pirates all-time leading receiver returns after a year where he caught a total of 20 touchdowns which ranked him fifth in the league. A two-time All-IFL First-Team selection, Owens owns nine regular season and seven team playoff records.
Former URI standout Isaiah Coulter, a former fifth round draft pick of the Houston Texans, Damon Hazelton, R.J. Mobley and Jovonhn Tucker are also competing for playing at wide receiver.
Who will throw the ball to this talented group of receivers is still up in the air. After the retirement of Alejandro Bennifield, the MVP of the 2021 Pirates IFL Championship team, quarterbacks Kenji Bahar and Aeneas Dennis have been competing for the starting job. Bahar was a starter for the Houston Gamblers of the USFL in 2023.
Replacing Bennifield will be tough enough but perhaps the biggest shows to fill will be those of running back Jimmie Robinson who signed with the Jacksonville Sharks earlier this off-season. Robinson has been one of the best running backs in the IFL the past two seasons and a dual threat. Replacing him will be virtually impossible. Former Kansas running back Pooka Williams will get the first crack.
Navaughn Donaldson, a 6’7″ 335 pound former All-IFL Rookie Team member returns for his third season with the Pirates. Donaldson has played in 28 games over the past two seasons. Joining him will be two former Pirates. Jordan McCray, an All-IFL First-Team performer from the Pirates 2021 Championship team who is back along with Tommy Champion who was with Massachusetts in 2023. Also ready for camp is Nick Ford, who checks in at 6’5″, 317 lbs. He was a three-time All-Pac-12 performer at the University of Utah.
Defensively, the line will once again be led by Guy Thomas. Thomas was an All-IFL Rookie Team selection. Last year Thomas appeared in 13 regular season games, making eight starts. He finished the regular season making 44 tackles with 14.5 tackles for a loss with 4.5 sacks.
Thomas is joined by Ifeanyi Maijeh who played two games with the Pirates last season and Jeblonski Green Jr. Former Alabama national champion D.J Dale signed with the Pirates and should factor
Vasean Joseph and Jamoi Hodge will man the linebacker spots. The Pirates have seven defensive backs on the roster, three of them were with the team last season. Matt Elam had 52 tackles in 15 regular season games. He also had a “pick-six” in the Pirates win over Green Bay to clinch the Eastern Conference title.
CJ. Holmes and Paris Ford. Holmes made four starts with 13 tackles and three passes broken up.. His playoff interception against Green Bay was one of four turnovers the team caused in the Conference Championship win. Ford, a veteran of the USFL, appeared in eight regular season games last year, starting five times making 16 tackles with one for a loss while breaking up three passes.
They will be joined by defensive backs Maquis Waters who has played in the CFL along with Sal Lupoli Jr. from Bentley College, and Donnie Lewis Jr., a former seventh round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2019. Lewis Jr. also played with the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL. Marcis Floyd, who played collegiately at Murray State and the University of West Virginia, rounds out the group.
Kicker Timmy Bleekrode takes over for Josh Gable.
The Pirates have a lot of new faces including Frederick Griggs at head coach. Griggs did a great job with the defensive backs last season. He will have to try to find a way to manage the roster and get the most out of the guys who will be there all season long.
Losing Bennifield and Robinson is not ideal. Neither is replaceable. The Pirates will have to win in all three phases now, not just offense.