Not a whole lot to say for the Stuttgart Surge. They have 2 wins in the history of the ELF for an average of one win a season for those mathematically challenged. They’re coming off a winless season (hello, Dan Orlovsky) and need a boost on both sides of the ball. If they don’t start winning, I could see the fans tire of them. The league is better off if the Surge win some games.

QB – Reilly Hennessey will take over the reins of an offense that was worst in the league at passing last year. Frankly, they were the worst in everything, that’s the only way you go winless. Hennessey has dominated in the Italian league before and has collegiate experience, but the ELF is a different monster. I see Hennessey leading this offense to a positive record if his skill players catch the ball for him.

RB- Asnel Robo was mostly a fullback in the CFL, but I expect him to take over the running attack for a team that didn’t even rush for 1,000 yards total last year, but I must say they weren’t last in the league. They outrushed the Centurions by a single yard. Robo has played against great competition and will look to bring a fiery attitude and grit to this team.

WR- Bryce Nunnelly is their biggest signing of the year. The star WR played at Western Michigan and University of Tennessee Chattanooga and was a force. He played in the German league and won a Championship, and now he comes to the ELF. Paul Steigerwald was their top receiver last year and he will also be back. Louis Geyer was a top receiver for the Centurions last year and he is taking his talents to Stuttgart for an offense that seems to have completely loaded up. It seems the Surge are ready to make a surge in the standings this year.

O-line – Being the worst passing and worst rushing attack means the O-line probably struggled mightily all year, and I would say that’s a correct assumption. Here’s to hoping for a better year. Allesandro Vergano is an experienced lineman who plays for Italy’s national team. They have Darnell Munro who has the experience of playing in a championship game with the Galaxy in 2021. I look for the 6’7 325 pound Luka Jokiel to really take a stand this year. Am I saying that because his name sounds like 1st round pick Luke Jokiel, maybe, but the guy also got an invite to the international NFL combine. He’s athletic, skilled and ready to crush some souls.

Defense – They were miserable on this side last year too as you could expect. Last in rush defense and 3rd to last in pass. The Surge made some key signings in the offseason but will it be enough?

D-line – They signed Eastern Michigan product Ville Valasti, who should help up front. They will also bring in Secan Vardar, who sat out last year, but was a big piece of their defense in 2021. I wish they got another piece for this line, but I think it could still work out for them.

LB – They lose their top tackler last year in Lakalaka (amazing name), but made a bunch of great signings elsewhere. They signed the brothers of doom, the Jelvani brothers. The older Jelvani, Sasan, lead the GFL in sacks and TFL’s in 2021 before an injury in 2022 derailed his season. The younger played under Jim Tomsula last year and should bring that knowledge into this year. The real star of this defense should be Khaylon Kearse-Thomas. He was a three-year starter at Arizona State and played in summer camp with the Titans. He should really change the script for one of the worst defenses in the league last year. They did lose their second team all-star Precious Ogbeveon, but their signings have made up for it.

DB’s – Their biggest signing has to be Goran Zec. Zec was a beast last year earning a second team all-star selection and leading the league in interceptions. Then they got Mitch Fettig, a Division-I stud for Eastern Washington where he was the captain and earned all-big sky honors. The Surge spent their imports in the secondary and it looks like it can pay off for them. Look for young DB Ben Wenzler to also have a good year in the defensive backfield.

Ok, so a lot of people are saying the Surge might make a playoff run. I’m not so sure about that. A lot of the top teams have lost some talent (looking at you Sea Devils), but I think it would be a lot for a team to go from 0-12 to playoffs. I just don’t see it happening, but I do think they get some wins and may even have a positive record. There is something good on the horizon, but maybe tamper expectations.