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Ready to be graded (2757 words)"Well unfortunately, New Orleans' season came to an early end. But that means I have more time for the media, and since it's been a while since I've held a presser, I figured this would be as good a time to do one as any. So go ahead and ask away."
While team success was not in our books, how happy are you overall with Bode's individual season? --JuOSu
"I'm quite happy with my personal performance this season. It got off to a rough start, at least in my mind: I have really high expectations of myself, so while the numbers themselves looked good, I knew they weren't indicative of how well I could actually do. I talked with the coaching and training staff a lot, and made some small but significant changes to my training regimen a few weeks into the season. After that, I really felt a lot better and I think I played a lot better, and the numbers ended up reflecting that. I finished the season in second for tackles, which I'm very pleased with. I also set a new personal best for TFLs in a season, and tied my PD season best. There are definitely still a few areas I could improve on, and I'm going to spend a lot of time during the offseason training in those areas, but I'm really happy with how my personal season went. Obviously winning the Ultimus is the main goal every season, but you have to be able to find silver linings, and my personal performance this season is one of them for sure."
Quenton Bode is on a great track to become all-time leader in tackles one day. Is that a big goal for you? Do you think it is achievable? --JuOSu
"You know, when I first came into the league, I never really considered that that would be a possibility for me. I knew I wanted to have a big on-field impact, so I expected that I would be recording a lot of tackles. But I never imagined that I'd have a legitimate shot at the all-time tackles record, especially considering all the great players that have played and are playing in the league. A lot of that goes to the great coaching staff and training staff we have: they keep me in shape and make sure I'm in a good position to make some stops, so none of this would be possible without them. Obviously my number one goal is and will always be winning an Ultimus, but the tackles record would be fantastic too. I'd love to have my name in the record books, and I definitely think that it's achievable for me."
Where do you see NOLA headed in the next few seasons? --JuOSu
"I know I'm biased, but I truly believe that NOLA is destined for at least one Ultimus in the next few seasons. We have a great young group of guys, and we're set to add some more young talent in the season 19 draft. On top of that, players like myself and Slothface and Gump are in their prime and performing incredibly well, and our veterans are proving that they can still hang. So I expect that we'll win it all very soon. Other than that, I think New Orleans is quickly becoming an attractive free-agent destination. We've struggled with that a bit in the past; it hasn't really affected us because of how well we've drafted, but it's still a problem we need to address. Fortunately we're getting to a point as a team where other players can recognize what we're doing and want to join in. And all it takes is one big free agent signing to really get other players' attention and really get them to consider us as a destination. I think the next few seasons will see a continuation of the great upward trajectory that New Orleans has been on."
Other than all-time tackles leader, what are some other goals you have for your career? --JuOSu
"I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but winning the Ultimus will always be my main goal. Doesn't matter how long I've been playing or how many championships I've won: each season, my number one focus is winning the Ultimus. Besides that and the tackles record, I don't have many specific goals in mind. I found out earlier this season that I'm in the top ten for all-time fumble return yards, which kind of surprised me, so I think it'd be cool to climb higher up that list by the time I retire. I also found out quite recently that I'm fifth all-time in tackles for the New Orleans franchise, and that I should be able to crack the top three within the next couple of seasons. That's honestly really crazy to me, and I'm truly amazed by it. I think that, even if I don't achieve any of my other goals, I just want to be remembered as a fierce competitor and a good teammate. I want to set a standard for future Second Line players, and for future players in general."
Which New Orleans player do you get along with best? Who do you look up to? --JuOSu
"I think I get along with everybody on the team. I know that sounds impossible, but I swear to God it's the truth. I truly enjoy talking with every one of my teammates, and our locker room attitude is phenomenal. It's a fantastic atmosphere and I'm truly honored to be a part of it. The two I look up to the most are probably Slothface and Gump. Gump is an absolute workhorse: I think he's the hardest working player on the team, which is saying something because we all work incredibly hard. I'm glad that his hard work is finally starting to pay off, and that the rest of the league is noticing him. And Slothface is a great team player: he's always willing to do what's best for the team, regardless of what's asked of him. He spent a good portion of this season playing out of position, but I never heard him complain about it. He's only concerned with seeing the team succeed, and I think that's really admirable of him."
Do you feel that being a bear gives you a competitive advantage? --IsaStarcrossed
"I think that the advantages of being a bear are cancelled out by the disadvantages of being a bear. I'm definitely stronger and faster than a lot of other players, which has definitely helped me. But my big bear paws make it harder for me to actually grab the ball, which I think is part of the reason my PD and INT numbers are so low: I can get to the ball and get paws on it, but I have a hard time actually grabbing it and making that defensive play. Overall it's probably a slight advantage, but I think all the hard work I put in to training and practice gives me a bigger edge over the competition than being a bear does."
Do you think there should be more bears in the league? --IsaStarcrossed
"Absolutely! Growing up, I never saw bears playing sports at any level. I'd watch games on TV, and I never saw a single bear at any level of competition, in any sport. So it was hard not having a role model like that when I was a cub. Now that I'm here and I've proven that bears can compete at the highest level of sport, I want to be that role model for other bear cubs out there. That's why I make such an effort to be a good teammate, and to not cause any drama in the locker room or in the media: I want to be the positive role model that I didn't have. I hope that we'll see more bears in the league someday, and I'm really excited to have paved the way for that to happen."
Why would NOLA be better if it was all bears? --IsaStarcrossed
"Oh man, what a loaded question! I'd certainly be interested in seeing what an all-bear NOLA squad could do on the field, but the truth is that I'm beyond happy with how our squad is now. We've got a great group of humans, and I couldn't imagine replacing any of them with bears. Maybe if I had a bank account like Ironside's, I'd start a bears-only football league after I retired from the NSFL. That would certainly be something to watch."
Do you plan to join Bjorn Ironside in his offseason training at the peak of Mount Everest? --IsaStarcrossed
"Oh, absolutely. I'm honestly surprised you even asked. Bjorn has really lit a fire under all the guys in the locker room, rookies and vets alike, to step up their training and preparedness. I respect the hell out of him, and I think he and I are going to continue to get along very well. I'm actually leaving tomorrow for Nepal to go join him, and I'm bringing a bunch of tacos with me."
What do you feel New Orleans can do to most increase its chances at a playoff berth next season? --woelker11
"Man, I really don't know. We got off to a really strong start this season, so we definitely have the ability to be one of the best teams in the league. But then we just had a long string of games where every little thing went against us. Like, we had a bunch of games that were basically coin flips, they could've gone either way. And for whatever reason, they all just did not go our way. I don't really know how to fix bad luck. I know we're all gonna work hard this offseason to be even more prepared for the season, which will hopefully minimize those kinds of games. And while our performance this season was disappointing, it gave us great positioning for next season's draft, so we'll have a great opportunity to build up our roster and shore up whatever holes we might have. So I think that everything that can be done to improve our chances is being done."
Who will you be rooting for in the playoffs, and why? --woelker11
"I'm an old-school competitor, man. I really don't have it in me to root for my opponents, whatever the circumstances. I know we'll get some good football--at least, I hope we do--but as far as actually cheering for a team that isn't mine? I don't know about that. I don't wish any ill will toward anybody on any of those teams, don't get me wrong. I just find it hard to cheer for a team that's chasing my dream. There were times this season where some of my teammates were saying things like, 'Oh, we want so-and-so to win this matchup because that gives us better playoff odds or a higher draft pick, so we need to root for them' and I'm like, 'Nah, I'm good.' Like, I definitely understand the mathematics there, and obviously I want things to happen in a way that benefits our team, but I'm not gonna cheer for another team. I cheer for my team and my teammates, and that's about it."
Any names you'd be interested in seeing join the team through the draft? --woelker11
"Absolutely! The front office is really excited about this draft and our standing in it. Last I heard, we had three picks in the first round alone, and two of them were #1 and #3 overall. We're in a really good spot to land some players that we think will have a big impact right out of the gate. I don't want to say too much: I've been helping the front office and GMs make some of these decisions about the draft, so I'm afraid I'll accidentally give too much away and I'll get in trouble. But I'll say that we're all really excited about the draft."
Which players do you feel may be overlooked for awards this season, and why do they deserve them? --woelker11
"I think that Slothface is unfortunately not gonna get as much love this awards season as he should. The awards voters really care about stats, and his really suffered from the time he spent playing out of position. So I think he's gonna get overlooked, which is unfair to him: like I said earlier, Sloth is a hell of a player and teammate, and the impact he has on the game goes well beyond the boxscore. He absolutely deserves some recognition from the awards committee. Beyond that, I really don't know. Since I don't care very much about the end-of-season awards, I don't really pay attention to who's contending for them and potential dark horse candidates. All the names that come to my mind are people who I feel are pretty clear front runners for the awards. I'm definitely not the best person to ask about awards races, for better or for worse."
Will NOLA regret any of the trades they did? --ValorX77
"I know there's been a lot of noise and even controversy surrounding some of the moves we made this season, but I don't think NOLA will regret any of them. I know the front office only makes trades as an absolute last resort, and only after coming to a unanimous agreement about it. Basically, we don't make trades unless we feel like they're both necessary and beneficial to all parties involved. So I really feel for the guys who were traded away, I really do, but I think the front office really tried to look out for them and to get them to places where we felt like they would succeed. If one or two of those moves turn out to be bad moves in the long run, well you just have to shrug it off and move forward. Hindsight is 20-20, so it's important to remember that the deals you make are made with all the information available to you at the time. Nobody can predict the future, so you just have to make the most informed decision and stick by it. Again, we hate to trade players away, but I think the front office did a good job in getting those players to situations where they would be happy and successful, and it's rare to find a front office that cares about their players that much."
What is your personal input of NOLA's sudden collapse? --ValorX77
"Personally, I wouldn't call it a collapse. To me, a collapse is a team completely falling apart: players retiring or leaving in droves, terrible game planning, making bad trades and signing bad contracts, stuff like that. In that regard, New Orleans didn't collapse. We have an incredibly talented roster and we're set to add even more talent to it, we were fully prepped for every game, and the front office has done a good job in terms of trades and contracts. We definitely struggled in the second half of the season, I won't argue about that. But I think that's a function of our tough schedule more than anything. Like I mentioned earlier, we had a lot of games that we felt like were basically coin flips, and for whatever reason we just were on the wrong side of a lot of those coin flips. So maybe on the field we 'collapsed' in that we got into a losing streak and hurt our playoff chances. But I think that from a big picture perspective that New Orleans is doing just fine, and that we're gonna come back even stronger next season."
Quenton Bode steps away from the microphone.
"Thank you all for your questions, but that's all the time I have for today. I'll definitely hold another presser soon, I love talking to you guys. Thanks again."
Quenton Bode leaves the room.
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