[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Andrew Reese Gears Up for Week 1
![[Image: 5c009ccb40c42.image.jpg?resize=400%2C296]](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/theadvocate.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/04/8045cde8-f445-11e8-b0a5-6fdf3d61ce1f/5c009ccb40c42.image.jpg?resize=400%2C296)
[/div]
In just a few hours, Andrew Reese will march onto the field in Philadelphia, where he will join his Outlaw teammates in taking on the Liberty. What makes this game different is that it will be Reese’s first regulation NSFL game as a Quarterback. Reese played QB in college and the DSFL, but made a surprisingly unusual move to Defensive Tackle after a lack of interest from prospective teams. In an even more unusual twist, Reese announced at the end of last season that he would be returning to the QB role to take over for Kevin Fitzpatrick, who retired at the end of last season. Reese cited injuries caused by the high-impact demands of the DT role as well as the team’s need for an experienced leader to step into the role.
Reports during the off-season have led many to believe that Reese’s move back into his old role has not gone smoothly. The amount of weight that he was forced to lose to switch roles made it difficult for him to focus directly on his new role, instead putting high amounts of effort into cardio. According to trainers, it was the right move for his long-term health given the amount of weight he was carrying compared to his 6’ frame, but it undoubtedly led to some delays. After all, the drastic changes Reese was undergoing made it impossible for him to undergo the level of rigorous practice that a new QB would undergo in preparing for the pro level.
Despite the challenges of a difficult off season, though, Reese showed up in Philadelphia with a smile on his face. Teammates close to him have stated that he’s eager to stand on his own merit and let his performance on the field speak for him. For now, we’ve only had rumors to go off of, but a strong opening performance by Reese tonight would certainly put that to rest. Reese spoke to reporters momentarily outside of the team locker room before dressing out for the game.
Media: How have you been progressing throughout training camp?
Reese: Certainly, there are a lot of rumors out there and I won’t deny there’s so truth to that. This has been a very challenging off season. However, I pride myself on being able to make adjustments quickly and returning back to the role that I fell in love with early on has been something that’s really motivated me. Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in a day, but we’ve been trying to spread my time out wisely. I managed to drop about 50 lbs. in eight months, which is not impossible by any means, but that type of change does take its toll. My mobility at this weight is a lot better, though. My knee feels good. We took the protective brace off in April and I haven’t had a need for it since then. All in all, it’s been a difficult journey, but it feels like we made the right move.
Media: Reports from practice suggest that your coaches are concerned about interceptions being a big area of concern. How do you plan to avoid them?
Reese: I don’t know that it’s possible to avoid them altogether. And certainly I’m going to take my lumps just like any Quarterback learning to play at a higher level like this. Really, it’s just an issue of timing and chemistry. The more games I can get under my belt, the quicker my natural instincts are going to kick back in. Mentally, I’m prepared to make a few mistakes. It’s not something that rattles me; if anything, our secondary is pretty good at not letting me live it down when I throw picks in practice. Jeffery Murphy in particular likes to give me a hard time. He’s a fun guy, but he’s not going to let me screw up and just brush that off. Ultimately, though, that’s kind of the mentality we have as a unit and I think it’s the right one. The team needs me to be accountable; otherwise, this is never going to work. And the last thing I want is for me to be the reason that we’re losing games. Lining up at DT doesn’t require me to carry that type of burden, but QB is obviously a different story.
Media: How is your chemistry developing with your receivers?
Reese: I like the crew we’ve got this year. We’re an underrated bunch, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m really excited that we were able to bring in Sam Hardwick. I’ll miss Bucky Barnes being in our locker room, but perhaps selfishly, I’m okay with a having a really talented, young receiver there to catch the ball. Trey Willie is obviously a legend and I still haven’t gotten over the fact that we’re playing together. Of course, we’ve been on a team together for a while, but it’s a lot different when it’s me throwing the ball to him. Felix Hasselhoff was another great pick-up. Miss Danvers has been hard at work making trades and I’m excited to have the young talent here that we have. Felix is taking still taking the time to learn the playbook since he came in via a trade a little later in the off season, but I feel like he’s going to play a key role this season. And I can’t forget the two guys lining up right beside me on every down, Slim Shady and Steven Moore. Everyone thinks of Shady as a pure rusher, but he’s a really versatile guy and I think he’s going to be a major cog in our offense, both in the air and on the ground. And Moore is just a tremendously well-rounded player. He can block, but he’s a great receiver and I think we’re going to see him move up into an entrely new tier now that Balthazar Crindy has gone to Colorado. When one spot opens, someone has to step up and, from what I’m seeing, Moore is absolutely capable of being that guy. Overall, I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to throw to in my first season out there as a pro Quarterback.
Media: What area do you feel you still need to make the biggest improvements in?
Reese: This is going to surprise a few people, but at this point, it’s really my arm strength. Coming from Defensive Tackle, you might expect strength to be my strong point, but sacrifices have to be made when you lose a large amount of weight in a relatively short period of time. I’m healthy and thankfully feeling very mobile, but I’m certainly not equipped to block for anyone at this point. If the d-line gets to me, I’m not going to stay on my feet as easily as I did at 310 lbs. Fortunately, brute strength isn’t the same as throwing strength and my arm feels pretty good. I still have a lot of progress to make there, but it’s hardly the “wet noodle” a few analysts described it as. It may take a few games to get it exactly where I want it, but none of us are walking into this game in mid-season form. It takes time to get there whether you’re playing at DT or QB. If I can be allowed to name drop, I got some really great tips on my technique from Outlaws legend King Bronko and it’s allowed me to make some really big leaps in a short period of time.
Media: What do you say to critics that feel you’re going to struggle this season?
Reese: Fortunately, we won’t have to speculate much longer. I mean I get it…. these talking heads are paid to keep the conversation going and sometimes the truth doesn’t make for the most entertaining television. At the end of the day, I’m very confident that my performance on the field will speak for itself. There may be games where I struggle and, if that happens, then that’s on me. I’m not one to make excuses. But when you have a bad game, you head back to the locker room, you watch the film, and you make adjustments. That’s the only way you can get better. We’ve got a great coaching staff that is committed to pushing me to be the best I can be and I don’t intend to let them down. I wouldn’t have come back to this role if I didn’t believe I could be one of the best QBs in the league. But you have to walk before you run and, right now, I’m just excited to step back here and get to toss the ball across the field. I really think tonight is going to be something special.
The Outlaws staff ended the interview shortly after that, allowing Reese to return to his pregame preparation. There are a lot of questions in the air concerning the Outlaws’ offense, but tonight should yield some answers.
1631 Words
Ready for Grading
[/div]In just a few hours, Andrew Reese will march onto the field in Philadelphia, where he will join his Outlaw teammates in taking on the Liberty. What makes this game different is that it will be Reese’s first regulation NSFL game as a Quarterback. Reese played QB in college and the DSFL, but made a surprisingly unusual move to Defensive Tackle after a lack of interest from prospective teams. In an even more unusual twist, Reese announced at the end of last season that he would be returning to the QB role to take over for Kevin Fitzpatrick, who retired at the end of last season. Reese cited injuries caused by the high-impact demands of the DT role as well as the team’s need for an experienced leader to step into the role.
Reports during the off-season have led many to believe that Reese’s move back into his old role has not gone smoothly. The amount of weight that he was forced to lose to switch roles made it difficult for him to focus directly on his new role, instead putting high amounts of effort into cardio. According to trainers, it was the right move for his long-term health given the amount of weight he was carrying compared to his 6’ frame, but it undoubtedly led to some delays. After all, the drastic changes Reese was undergoing made it impossible for him to undergo the level of rigorous practice that a new QB would undergo in preparing for the pro level.
Despite the challenges of a difficult off season, though, Reese showed up in Philadelphia with a smile on his face. Teammates close to him have stated that he’s eager to stand on his own merit and let his performance on the field speak for him. For now, we’ve only had rumors to go off of, but a strong opening performance by Reese tonight would certainly put that to rest. Reese spoke to reporters momentarily outside of the team locker room before dressing out for the game.
Media: How have you been progressing throughout training camp?
Reese: Certainly, there are a lot of rumors out there and I won’t deny there’s so truth to that. This has been a very challenging off season. However, I pride myself on being able to make adjustments quickly and returning back to the role that I fell in love with early on has been something that’s really motivated me. Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in a day, but we’ve been trying to spread my time out wisely. I managed to drop about 50 lbs. in eight months, which is not impossible by any means, but that type of change does take its toll. My mobility at this weight is a lot better, though. My knee feels good. We took the protective brace off in April and I haven’t had a need for it since then. All in all, it’s been a difficult journey, but it feels like we made the right move.
Media: Reports from practice suggest that your coaches are concerned about interceptions being a big area of concern. How do you plan to avoid them?
Reese: I don’t know that it’s possible to avoid them altogether. And certainly I’m going to take my lumps just like any Quarterback learning to play at a higher level like this. Really, it’s just an issue of timing and chemistry. The more games I can get under my belt, the quicker my natural instincts are going to kick back in. Mentally, I’m prepared to make a few mistakes. It’s not something that rattles me; if anything, our secondary is pretty good at not letting me live it down when I throw picks in practice. Jeffery Murphy in particular likes to give me a hard time. He’s a fun guy, but he’s not going to let me screw up and just brush that off. Ultimately, though, that’s kind of the mentality we have as a unit and I think it’s the right one. The team needs me to be accountable; otherwise, this is never going to work. And the last thing I want is for me to be the reason that we’re losing games. Lining up at DT doesn’t require me to carry that type of burden, but QB is obviously a different story.
Media: How is your chemistry developing with your receivers?
Reese: I like the crew we’ve got this year. We’re an underrated bunch, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m really excited that we were able to bring in Sam Hardwick. I’ll miss Bucky Barnes being in our locker room, but perhaps selfishly, I’m okay with a having a really talented, young receiver there to catch the ball. Trey Willie is obviously a legend and I still haven’t gotten over the fact that we’re playing together. Of course, we’ve been on a team together for a while, but it’s a lot different when it’s me throwing the ball to him. Felix Hasselhoff was another great pick-up. Miss Danvers has been hard at work making trades and I’m excited to have the young talent here that we have. Felix is taking still taking the time to learn the playbook since he came in via a trade a little later in the off season, but I feel like he’s going to play a key role this season. And I can’t forget the two guys lining up right beside me on every down, Slim Shady and Steven Moore. Everyone thinks of Shady as a pure rusher, but he’s a really versatile guy and I think he’s going to be a major cog in our offense, both in the air and on the ground. And Moore is just a tremendously well-rounded player. He can block, but he’s a great receiver and I think we’re going to see him move up into an entrely new tier now that Balthazar Crindy has gone to Colorado. When one spot opens, someone has to step up and, from what I’m seeing, Moore is absolutely capable of being that guy. Overall, I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to throw to in my first season out there as a pro Quarterback.
Media: What area do you feel you still need to make the biggest improvements in?
Reese: This is going to surprise a few people, but at this point, it’s really my arm strength. Coming from Defensive Tackle, you might expect strength to be my strong point, but sacrifices have to be made when you lose a large amount of weight in a relatively short period of time. I’m healthy and thankfully feeling very mobile, but I’m certainly not equipped to block for anyone at this point. If the d-line gets to me, I’m not going to stay on my feet as easily as I did at 310 lbs. Fortunately, brute strength isn’t the same as throwing strength and my arm feels pretty good. I still have a lot of progress to make there, but it’s hardly the “wet noodle” a few analysts described it as. It may take a few games to get it exactly where I want it, but none of us are walking into this game in mid-season form. It takes time to get there whether you’re playing at DT or QB. If I can be allowed to name drop, I got some really great tips on my technique from Outlaws legend King Bronko and it’s allowed me to make some really big leaps in a short period of time.
Media: What do you say to critics that feel you’re going to struggle this season?
Reese: Fortunately, we won’t have to speculate much longer. I mean I get it…. these talking heads are paid to keep the conversation going and sometimes the truth doesn’t make for the most entertaining television. At the end of the day, I’m very confident that my performance on the field will speak for itself. There may be games where I struggle and, if that happens, then that’s on me. I’m not one to make excuses. But when you have a bad game, you head back to the locker room, you watch the film, and you make adjustments. That’s the only way you can get better. We’ve got a great coaching staff that is committed to pushing me to be the best I can be and I don’t intend to let them down. I wouldn’t have come back to this role if I didn’t believe I could be one of the best QBs in the league. But you have to walk before you run and, right now, I’m just excited to step back here and get to toss the ball across the field. I really think tonight is going to be something special.
The Outlaws staff ended the interview shortly after that, allowing Reese to return to his pregame preparation. There are a lot of questions in the air concerning the Outlaws’ offense, but tonight should yield some answers.
1631 Words
Ready for Grading
![[Image: welcomeBraxtonEast.png?ex=677e7b1f&is=67...y=lossless]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/357281973594619905/1319836335887880192/welcomeBraxtonEast.png?ex=677e7b1f&is=677d299f&hm=c03a86226787bfca2f2d024eb23c800c6f1ecd647532e0419a9d0218636d40e4&=&format=webp&quality=lossless)
![[Image: baby-yoda-by-jango-sm.png]](https://i.ibb.co/1rgfYXP/baby-yoda-by-jango-sm.png)
Thanks to Jangorhino for the sig.
