Season Preview: Level of competition rises with more American QBs

IBM head coach Shinzo Yamada sees it in terms of a recent marketing theory. “It was a blue ocean in the past, but right now it’s a red ocean,” he says, referring to other teams following the BigBlue’s lead and bringing in a high-level American quarterback and other skilled players.

The Asahi Beer Silver Star and Nojima Sagamihara Rise are the latest teams to enter the waters by adding American QBs to their rosters, moves that can only increase competition among the X-League’s elite teams when the season starts Saturday.

For the Silver Star, the addition of quarterback Mason Mills, out of San Diego State, along with former Princeton wide receiver Roman Wilson, marks a drastic change for one of the league’s oldest teams. The Silver Star, founded in 1970, had never before had a foreign player, and they are hoping the two can help restore some of the luster of a once-powerful club that has seen hard times in recent years.

Mills and Wilson, who played last season with the second-tier Iwatani Sidewinders, gave what they hope will be a preview of things to come in the two exhibition games this spring, when the Silver Star defeated both the BigBlue and the Rise. All sides realize that the results of those games meant little, but it gave the Silver Star an indication they are on the right track.

“We’ll see if what we did in the spring was right or not,” says new Asahi Beer head coach Kiyoshi Oka. “We’ll prepare as well as we can and play hard. Compared with last year, we have more ability to score points by adding Mason, Roman and other players. I’m anxious to see what happens.”

Asahi Beer will be tested right out of the blocks, as they face the defending Central Division champion Lixil Deers in their opening game on Sunday at Fujitsu Kawasaki Stadium. The two faced each other last season, with the Deers coming away with a tough 20-10 win.

“It will not be an easy game,” Lixil head coach Kiyoyuki Mori says. “Our opponent has gotten much stronger, they’re raising their level and moving forward. We have to keep our concentration on each and every play.”

Lixil provided the surprise of the 2014 season by handing the Obic Seagulls their first fall season loss since 2009. The Deers remain the lone team among the nine that finished third or higher in their respective division to not have any foreign players on their roster.

“We feel we’re confident within the limits of the players we have,” Mori says. “Without making excuses, we’ll play as hard as we can.”

The Rise, grouped in the East Division with the defending champion Fujitsu Frontiers and Obic, made a late addition in picking up quarterback Benjamin Anderson, a 23-year-old out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Rise head coach Takayuki Sunaga says the team was looking to add a quarterback, although not necessarily an American one. “There were no Japanese quarterbacks available,” he says.

The Rise, who kick off their season against the All-Mitsubishi Lions on Sept. 6, also bolstered their defense with the additions of defensive back Manu Ngatikaura, out of San Jose State, and linebacker Art Laurel, a burly Hawaii product.

Fujitsu, which won its first-ever league title in December by beating IBM in the Japan X Bowl, saw the departure of defensive end Austin Flynn, but added linebacker Nixon Trasaun, out of New Mexico.

“He has pretty good size and good speed,” Fujitsu head coach Satoshi Fujita says of the 1.86-meter, 106-kilogram Trasaun. “Once he gets back to his condition, he should be super.”

Fujita, perhaps a bit diplomatically, says he doesn’t feel like the team will begin the season as defending champion.

“It’s kind of to get a new championship with a new team,” he says. “Because we lost a couple of players and we got new players. And other teams got new foreign players. So 2014 is over.”

Quarterback Colby Cameron, who suffered a shoulder injury during the Japan X Bowl, returns for his second season, while league MVP and running back Gino Gordon and defensive back Al-Rilwan Adeyami are back for their third tours of duty.

Fujita says Cameron is about “60 to 70 percent” recovered. “He could play from June, but we had off, a summer break. So it’s now a month that he’s started real practice. It’s getting better every week.”

Fujitsu starts the season on Saturday against the Meiji Yasuda Penta-Ocean Pirates, who will hope to become more competitive under new coach David Powroznik. The former San Diego State coach returns to Japan, having guided the now-defunct Onward Oaks to glory in the 1990s.

For the first time in five years, the Seagulls will not be defending the title, having been dethroned last season in a semifinal loss to Fujitsu. Obic biggest change came on the sidelines with the hiring of Jared Woodruff as offensive coordinator.

“Everything is a real challenge,” says head coach Makoto Ohashi. Asked if he was confident of regaining the title, he replied, “I had confidence last season, and also two years ago. Now I have big expectations.”

Ohashi says he welcomes the influx of American players to bring more parity to the league. “Personally, I like this situation. Every team is getting better…every team is changing their standard. But as the Seagulls head coach, my situation is now harder.”

IBM started the trend in 2012 by bringing in former UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft, who has a trusted receiver in tight end John Stanton. That helped put the BigBlue into the elite, and led to a first-ever appearance in the championship game last season.

“There is no pressure, but the thing is, we cannot stop,” coach Yamada says. “We can’t play like last year and expect the same result. I think we have to keep evolving.”

IBM picked up Demetrius Eaton to pair up with James Brooks as the defensive ends. The 32-year-old Eaton, out of Northwestern, played on the winning U.S. team at the 2007 World Championship in Kawasaki.

In their opening games on Sept. 5, Obic will face the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Dept. Eagles, who returned to X1 after winning the promotion playoff, while IBM takes on the Hurricanes.

In the West Division, the Elecom Kobe Finies will attempt to repeat their stunning run to the division title from last year, which made them the first-ever champions other than the Panasonic Impulse and Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers.

The Finies added defensive lineman Dustin Martin, out of Weber State, and offensive lineman Thomas Gaul, out of Iowa, while quarterback Inoke Funaki and defensive lineman Tyler Osbourne are back for another season.

Panasonic, which won the last of its six league titles in 2008, revamped by loading up on American players. The newcomers are: defensive back Emory Polley (Brown), defensive lineman Carlton Jones (Arizona State), running back Benjamin Dupree (The Citadel), and offensive lineman Edmond Davis (Arizona State).

The Challengers picked up linebacker Eki Faagai, out of Weber State, and wide receiver Donnie King, out of Hawaii, as they aim for their first division crown since 2008.

—Ken Marantz for the X-League