04-09-2018, 03:41 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-09-2018, 07:00 PM by DestaDanger.)
The Duval Dailey Bugle
April 6th, 2018
From Jacksonville to Colorado
I’m here catching up after a long week of NSFL action. So much has happened that its hard to put into perspective. However, most recently, the NSFL draft has wrapped up and future pieces of each team is now in place. Most notably, the Otters snagged a couple of the best players in the draft to reload their already potent roster, the liberty shrewdly added draft capital while still acquiring a player of choice, and the Yeti traded up to fill their roster with much needed first round talent. One of those very players happens to be Jacksonville native, Desta Danger. Danger was taken in the first round, pick 6 overall. Luckily, I was able to catch Danger as he was preparing for training camp which should officially open by the time this article prints. He was gracious enough to grant me another interview where he discusses his draft process and hopes for the future.
Q: Alright Desta, how are you feeling right now? You were just drafted by the Colorado Yeti in the first round with tons of young talent around you. What are your first thoughts?
A: Well honestly, it still hasn’t hit me completely. I had spoken to a lot of teams before the draft and pictured myself in each uniform, how I would be used in each system, the coaching staff. But ultimately, I knew I didn’t have much say in where I went and I just had to be coachable from the start. However, after getting that phone call and seeing my name on the draft board, I had a feeling that Colorado was truly home. The guys certainly gave me a…..interesting welcome as well.
Q: Oh, so you have already met members of the team?
A: Haha, umm yea. I flew into the team facilities where I was able to meet with the coaching staff and a few of the vets like to be there to give each rookie a welcome.
Q: It sounds like you’re holding out on me. Is it true that the Yeti locker room is full of pranksters?
A: Well, Ryan’s suit can certainly attest to that….Bly and Tillman were great, certainly invited me in to the backfield family. Ish is just excited to have someone to do his laundry now. But they really are all great guys.
Q: Well its great to hear that you guys are building that team chemistry early on. And speaking of that, you were training this offseason with one of your new teammates. Isn’t that correct?
A: Oh yea, Feve and I trained for a little bit together. I think the best way to improve is to find someone that can push you, and he can certainly do that. Granted, I had to deal with him bragging about going a pick ahead of me all draft but he earned it so I let it slide.
Q: And how did that training help you?
A: Well the combine was very important to me. I needed to show people that I could match up on the field physically and I felt like I showed that. The on field drills were important coming up as well. I was competing against guys like Vlad after all. So having a training partner to push me through drills certainly helped. For a guy of his size, Feve is surprisingly agile and plays a lot smarter than most at his position. Getting some insight into his game and how he sees the field helps a lot.
Q: So two young guys trying to build each other’s draft stock?
A: My coach had a saying. Iron sharpens iron. I think me and Feve going high, and all those KC boys going high in the draft as well shows that saying to be true.
Q: And tell me about your new teammates. How do you feel you all will affect the team?
A: I can’t think of any team that has more to look forward to than we do. This was a great draft class and I’m hoping to go down as one of the top draft classes in NSFL history. Our QB of the future is here. He has weapons. We added a couple of swiss army knives on defense. We have the tools we need to succeed. Now we just have to be patient and work hard.
Q: That must be exciting. There seems to be so much talent coming into the league this year. Who do you look forward to playing against most?
A: Well, I was really excited to go against Howard Miller. I wanted the challenge of taking the biggest and baddest. However, I now get to line up against him everyday at practice which is great. Guys like him really force you to stay at the top of your game. However, now? Its tough…I would love to push inside or play little safety to take on L’Verso. He was the embodiment of consistency in this rookie draft so I would love to give my pal the goose egg. In all seriousness, he is such a fierce competitor and taking him on would be such a great experience.
Q: Alright, I greatly appreciate your time. To wrap it up, you have to tell us. What do you see for the Yeti this season? How close do you believe the team to be to make a playoff push?
A: Oh wow, great question. Listen, with the team we have, time is on our side and we know that. We are looking to do what we can this season. But we have to be realistic. We have a rookie QB. We trust him and are super excited for what he brings to the table but, there will be a learning curve. I’m staying up in the NSFL so I will also have a huge learning curve. This season is about taking some bumps and bruises but building up momentum along the way. Mark my words, in three seasons time, we’ll be hoisting a trophy. We have the locker room. We have the staff. We have the foundation needed to do some damage.
And there you have it folks. Bold words coming from a man on a team at the bottom of a tall mountain to climb. Will his words hold true? Or are these false promises from a hopeful young man? Only time will tell but we surely hope for the best for our hometown hero! He came off a stellar combine and is reporting to training camp day one. Tune in as we bring more stories as the season goes on.
Word Count: 1113
Ready to be graded
April 6th, 2018
From Jacksonville to Colorado
I’m here catching up after a long week of NSFL action. So much has happened that its hard to put into perspective. However, most recently, the NSFL draft has wrapped up and future pieces of each team is now in place. Most notably, the Otters snagged a couple of the best players in the draft to reload their already potent roster, the liberty shrewdly added draft capital while still acquiring a player of choice, and the Yeti traded up to fill their roster with much needed first round talent. One of those very players happens to be Jacksonville native, Desta Danger. Danger was taken in the first round, pick 6 overall. Luckily, I was able to catch Danger as he was preparing for training camp which should officially open by the time this article prints. He was gracious enough to grant me another interview where he discusses his draft process and hopes for the future.
Q: Alright Desta, how are you feeling right now? You were just drafted by the Colorado Yeti in the first round with tons of young talent around you. What are your first thoughts?
A: Well honestly, it still hasn’t hit me completely. I had spoken to a lot of teams before the draft and pictured myself in each uniform, how I would be used in each system, the coaching staff. But ultimately, I knew I didn’t have much say in where I went and I just had to be coachable from the start. However, after getting that phone call and seeing my name on the draft board, I had a feeling that Colorado was truly home. The guys certainly gave me a…..interesting welcome as well.
Q: Oh, so you have already met members of the team?
A: Haha, umm yea. I flew into the team facilities where I was able to meet with the coaching staff and a few of the vets like to be there to give each rookie a welcome.
Q: It sounds like you’re holding out on me. Is it true that the Yeti locker room is full of pranksters?
A: Well, Ryan’s suit can certainly attest to that….Bly and Tillman were great, certainly invited me in to the backfield family. Ish is just excited to have someone to do his laundry now. But they really are all great guys.
Q: Well its great to hear that you guys are building that team chemistry early on. And speaking of that, you were training this offseason with one of your new teammates. Isn’t that correct?
A: Oh yea, Feve and I trained for a little bit together. I think the best way to improve is to find someone that can push you, and he can certainly do that. Granted, I had to deal with him bragging about going a pick ahead of me all draft but he earned it so I let it slide.
Q: And how did that training help you?
A: Well the combine was very important to me. I needed to show people that I could match up on the field physically and I felt like I showed that. The on field drills were important coming up as well. I was competing against guys like Vlad after all. So having a training partner to push me through drills certainly helped. For a guy of his size, Feve is surprisingly agile and plays a lot smarter than most at his position. Getting some insight into his game and how he sees the field helps a lot.
Q: So two young guys trying to build each other’s draft stock?
A: My coach had a saying. Iron sharpens iron. I think me and Feve going high, and all those KC boys going high in the draft as well shows that saying to be true.
Q: And tell me about your new teammates. How do you feel you all will affect the team?
A: I can’t think of any team that has more to look forward to than we do. This was a great draft class and I’m hoping to go down as one of the top draft classes in NSFL history. Our QB of the future is here. He has weapons. We added a couple of swiss army knives on defense. We have the tools we need to succeed. Now we just have to be patient and work hard.
Q: That must be exciting. There seems to be so much talent coming into the league this year. Who do you look forward to playing against most?
A: Well, I was really excited to go against Howard Miller. I wanted the challenge of taking the biggest and baddest. However, I now get to line up against him everyday at practice which is great. Guys like him really force you to stay at the top of your game. However, now? Its tough…I would love to push inside or play little safety to take on L’Verso. He was the embodiment of consistency in this rookie draft so I would love to give my pal the goose egg. In all seriousness, he is such a fierce competitor and taking him on would be such a great experience.
Q: Alright, I greatly appreciate your time. To wrap it up, you have to tell us. What do you see for the Yeti this season? How close do you believe the team to be to make a playoff push?
A: Oh wow, great question. Listen, with the team we have, time is on our side and we know that. We are looking to do what we can this season. But we have to be realistic. We have a rookie QB. We trust him and are super excited for what he brings to the table but, there will be a learning curve. I’m staying up in the NSFL so I will also have a huge learning curve. This season is about taking some bumps and bruises but building up momentum along the way. Mark my words, in three seasons time, we’ll be hoisting a trophy. We have the locker room. We have the staff. We have the foundation needed to do some damage.
And there you have it folks. Bold words coming from a man on a team at the bottom of a tall mountain to climb. Will his words hold true? Or are these false promises from a hopeful young man? Only time will tell but we surely hope for the best for our hometown hero! He came off a stellar combine and is reporting to training camp day one. Tune in as we bring more stories as the season goes on.
Word Count: 1113
Ready to be graded
