I'm open to question on all topics, so ask away.
Give me your thoughts on your personal performance this season.
I know it’s cool to get up at the podium and say, “I was awful,” but I think I had a pretty good individual season. I’m not going to stand up here and reiterate a bunch of stats, but ninth in the league in tackles isn’t bad for an unheralded mid-round player. That said though, I’m a coverage linebacker at my core, so I’d have liked to record more pass defenses and interceptions. But that’ll come with more experience and spending maybe a little longer on the JUGS machine.
Give me your thoughts on the team's performance this season.
Well … we tied for the worst record in the league, which to me speaks for itself. We have a good core of guys here: Alex, Bailey, Ben [Longshaw], John [Canton], Dan and I’m happy to have had the opportunity to play alongside them this season. But we were bad this season and, at this risk of being trite, I just don’t want to do that again. I have one season left on my contract and I’m not a four-win player, so something’s going to have to give.
What should the 'Cats be targeting in the upcoming draft?
As someone who follows the NBA pretty closely, one of the things that strikes me is how wildly overrated “natural talent” is in the drafting process. Ability is important but work ethic, attitude and culture fit also should be determining factors, the vast majority of sport happens off the field of play. I don’t really have any interest in guys who put on a big show of where they will and won’t go. This isn’t to say I don’t respect them or don’t respect their freedom to make choices within the rules, I just don’t think that it’s necessarily beneficial to a team-first mentality. Within that context of weighing off-the-field considerations, I’m very very keen on bringing back Ardie. The dude’s a fucking gamer, plain and simple. And, as we’ve seen with the Ethan Hunt fiasco, loyalty to an organization through its growing pains is just as important as skill.
Who do you think will win the first Championship, the Colorado Yeti or the Arizona Outlaws?
I’m going to be completely on the level here, I truly couldn’t care less. I have nothing but love and respect for everybody suiting up later today and I’d kill to be in their shoes … but I’m not. Whether the Outlaws win or the Yeti do, I’m going to go to sleep tonight as someone who isn’t likely to be named to the Pro Bowl on a 4-10 team. My job is to fix that, not worry about a football game in the desert.
Thoughts on expansion itself and on the two teams chosen?
From the financial perspective of the league, expansion is basically printing money. The NSFL gets to tap into new markets, meaning that it can fill more stadiums, sell more jerseys and get more viewers. I am a little worried that we’re diluting the talent in the league a little bit, maybe not at positions like quarterback, but offensive linemen without a doubt. Philly and Vegas are both great cities and they’ll make great additions to the NSFL family. It is a little curious though that Vegas went from being perceived as not having the fanbase to support one team to a city that has a hockey team and two pro football ones, so I think that’ll be interesting to watch play out.
What is your favorite thing about being a linebacker in the NSFL?
The talent level in this league is just so high man. In college you’d have maybe three or four matchups against elite playmakers, be they tight ends, running backs or slot receivers. In the NSFL? There are literally no games off, even the teams that aren’t known for offensive production have guys that will burn you if you take your foot of the gas. Being able to go up against that level of talent game in and game out is just an unbelievable experience. All that is to say nothing of measuring yourself against the elite linebackers that this league has to offer
What do you think was the biggest shortcoming of the sabercats the past season?
I’m pretty sure I made reference to it earlier, but the quarterback play in the beginning of the season hurt is pretty badly. When the defense gets a stop only for the QB to give the ball right back, it gets to be pretty demoralizing. The rest of the offense showed out, but on the defense we have to step up next year. We didn’t rank very well in any of the defensive categories and that’s something we’re all looking to improve upon.
What do you think seperates you from other linebackers?
Well if we had some way to quantify every player’s attributes, like Madden or something, I’d hazard a guess that it’d show I was the smartest linebacker in the league by a pretty wide margin. I also think my presence is close to irreplaceable. I’m not a particularly vocal leader, but I think I exert a pretty strong calming effect in the locker room and on the field.
What is the main reason that drives you to succeed
There are lots of personal reasons here that I’m going to save for my memoir, but I will say that one of the things that drives me is the desire to show out for my city. Baltimore gets a really bad rap compared to some of the other areas in the country and I want to go out and prove that a kid from Baltimore can not only succeed, but be the absolute best.
Favorite Linebacker?
I’m going to shout out a couple of guys here. Kurt Hendrix put up insane tackle numbers the entire season and he did it for my hometown. It’s a shame his from the inferior coast, but what matters is where you are, not where you were. I also want to give credit to the entire Outlaws linebacking corps, Brady, Harrif and Jaylon are all monsters in their own ways and it’s great to see such a synergistic trio. Finally, I have to mention Alex, the 1A to my 1B as SaberCats linebackers go. His work ethic may leave a little to be desired but he wasn’t second in the league in tackles for nothing.
Outlaws or Yetis?
Damn, y’all really want to know this, huh? Well I can never bet against great linebackers, so I’m going Outlaws in a game that will be one for the ages.
What is a stat you want to improve for Season 2? What was your favorite stat you had from Season 1?
I think I spoke to this at the beginning of the press conference, but I’d really like to improve my coverage stats: passes defended and interceptions. I’m not sure what my more advanced coverage stats were i.e. passes allowed per coverage snap or completion percentage when targeted, but those could always be improved as well. I was pleasantly surprised by my tackle-for-loss numbers last year just considering my role, but hopefully I can replicate that performance again next year.
Wordcount: 1224
GRADED - thanks to the perfect formatting, I'll round up your payout as a result.
Give me your thoughts on your personal performance this season.
I know it’s cool to get up at the podium and say, “I was awful,” but I think I had a pretty good individual season. I’m not going to stand up here and reiterate a bunch of stats, but ninth in the league in tackles isn’t bad for an unheralded mid-round player. That said though, I’m a coverage linebacker at my core, so I’d have liked to record more pass defenses and interceptions. But that’ll come with more experience and spending maybe a little longer on the JUGS machine.
Give me your thoughts on the team's performance this season.
Well … we tied for the worst record in the league, which to me speaks for itself. We have a good core of guys here: Alex, Bailey, Ben [Longshaw], John [Canton], Dan and I’m happy to have had the opportunity to play alongside them this season. But we were bad this season and, at this risk of being trite, I just don’t want to do that again. I have one season left on my contract and I’m not a four-win player, so something’s going to have to give.
What should the 'Cats be targeting in the upcoming draft?
As someone who follows the NBA pretty closely, one of the things that strikes me is how wildly overrated “natural talent” is in the drafting process. Ability is important but work ethic, attitude and culture fit also should be determining factors, the vast majority of sport happens off the field of play. I don’t really have any interest in guys who put on a big show of where they will and won’t go. This isn’t to say I don’t respect them or don’t respect their freedom to make choices within the rules, I just don’t think that it’s necessarily beneficial to a team-first mentality. Within that context of weighing off-the-field considerations, I’m very very keen on bringing back Ardie. The dude’s a fucking gamer, plain and simple. And, as we’ve seen with the Ethan Hunt fiasco, loyalty to an organization through its growing pains is just as important as skill.
Who do you think will win the first Championship, the Colorado Yeti or the Arizona Outlaws?
I’m going to be completely on the level here, I truly couldn’t care less. I have nothing but love and respect for everybody suiting up later today and I’d kill to be in their shoes … but I’m not. Whether the Outlaws win or the Yeti do, I’m going to go to sleep tonight as someone who isn’t likely to be named to the Pro Bowl on a 4-10 team. My job is to fix that, not worry about a football game in the desert.
Thoughts on expansion itself and on the two teams chosen?
From the financial perspective of the league, expansion is basically printing money. The NSFL gets to tap into new markets, meaning that it can fill more stadiums, sell more jerseys and get more viewers. I am a little worried that we’re diluting the talent in the league a little bit, maybe not at positions like quarterback, but offensive linemen without a doubt. Philly and Vegas are both great cities and they’ll make great additions to the NSFL family. It is a little curious though that Vegas went from being perceived as not having the fanbase to support one team to a city that has a hockey team and two pro football ones, so I think that’ll be interesting to watch play out.
What is your favorite thing about being a linebacker in the NSFL?
The talent level in this league is just so high man. In college you’d have maybe three or four matchups against elite playmakers, be they tight ends, running backs or slot receivers. In the NSFL? There are literally no games off, even the teams that aren’t known for offensive production have guys that will burn you if you take your foot of the gas. Being able to go up against that level of talent game in and game out is just an unbelievable experience. All that is to say nothing of measuring yourself against the elite linebackers that this league has to offer
What do you think was the biggest shortcoming of the sabercats the past season?
I’m pretty sure I made reference to it earlier, but the quarterback play in the beginning of the season hurt is pretty badly. When the defense gets a stop only for the QB to give the ball right back, it gets to be pretty demoralizing. The rest of the offense showed out, but on the defense we have to step up next year. We didn’t rank very well in any of the defensive categories and that’s something we’re all looking to improve upon.
What do you think seperates you from other linebackers?
Well if we had some way to quantify every player’s attributes, like Madden or something, I’d hazard a guess that it’d show I was the smartest linebacker in the league by a pretty wide margin. I also think my presence is close to irreplaceable. I’m not a particularly vocal leader, but I think I exert a pretty strong calming effect in the locker room and on the field.
What is the main reason that drives you to succeed
There are lots of personal reasons here that I’m going to save for my memoir, but I will say that one of the things that drives me is the desire to show out for my city. Baltimore gets a really bad rap compared to some of the other areas in the country and I want to go out and prove that a kid from Baltimore can not only succeed, but be the absolute best.
Favorite Linebacker?
I’m going to shout out a couple of guys here. Kurt Hendrix put up insane tackle numbers the entire season and he did it for my hometown. It’s a shame his from the inferior coast, but what matters is where you are, not where you were. I also want to give credit to the entire Outlaws linebacking corps, Brady, Harrif and Jaylon are all monsters in their own ways and it’s great to see such a synergistic trio. Finally, I have to mention Alex, the 1A to my 1B as SaberCats linebackers go. His work ethic may leave a little to be desired but he wasn’t second in the league in tackles for nothing.
Outlaws or Yetis?
Damn, y’all really want to know this, huh? Well I can never bet against great linebackers, so I’m going Outlaws in a game that will be one for the ages.
What is a stat you want to improve for Season 2? What was your favorite stat you had from Season 1?
I think I spoke to this at the beginning of the press conference, but I’d really like to improve my coverage stats: passes defended and interceptions. I’m not sure what my more advanced coverage stats were i.e. passes allowed per coverage snap or completion percentage when targeted, but those could always be improved as well. I was pleasantly surprised by my tackle-for-loss numbers last year just considering my role, but hopefully I can replicate that performance again next year.
Wordcount: 1224
GRADED - thanks to the perfect formatting, I'll round up your payout as a result.
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