Bulldogs Insider - New season. New attitude. New result?

There is a new insider for 2010! Each week Bulldogs Slotback Kevin Padley will be giving you an insightful look at the North Bay Bulldogs. Enjoy!

The Northern Football Conference has expanded this season, welcoming back one team from a rebuilding year and adding a new team in the nation’s capital. The league consists of teams from Ottawa, Oakville, Milton, Kitchener/Waterloo, Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie, two from the GTA and North Bay. The champion of the league takes on the winner from Canada West in September. The Sault Ste. Marie Steelers were last year’s NFC and National Champion.

After a disappointing season last year with a 2-6 record and an embarrassing first round playoff exit, coaches and team execs realized that offensive and defensive changes needed to be made for success in the 2010 season. There have been a lot of alterations to the team this off-season from top to bottom, starting with adding new executive members and adding coaching staff. Many of the senior Bulldogs have moved on to become coaches or take on executive positions to help the youthful offense have success in the NFC.

The game plan on defense hasn’t changed with Dave Boyd returning to defend his NFC defensive MVP title. Veteran cornerback Russ Burns and Chris Cull coming from Acadia University will be leading the least experienced defensive unit the Bulldogs have had since 2007. The offense has been totally rebuilt and has high expectations for the upcoming season. Former Bulldogs center Jason Partridge, back from a 2 year hiatus, along with quarterbacks Matt Gordon and Andre Landry will be looked at for leadership for the younger and less experienced players in the huddle. After getting his first taste of the NFC last year, Wideout Nick Graham from Scollard Hall is looking to have a big impact every Saturday.

The Bulldogs are traveling to Toronto this weekend for the season opener against the Maddogs. Revenge for last years disappointing 2 point loss is definitely on the minds of all returning players. The team has been focused on this game since day one of training camp and they have put in hard hours of practice to avoid costly mistakes on game day. Games are won and lost in the second half of football games, being able to outplay the opponent in the third and fourth quarter is essential to winning football games. New Head Coach John Smales and Offensive Coordinator Ryan McGowan realize this and they have focused on conditioning along with execution late in games.

The Bulldogs start their season this Saturday, May 29th in Toronto at Birchmount field at 7 pm.