02-29-2020, 02:01 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-03-2020, 11:13 AM by Fordhammer.)
Many prospects like to make a show of how calm and unconcerned they are, but if you ask Rick Skuff he'll be the first to tell you he was on pins and needles.
"It's the most nervous I've ever been," Skuff said in an interview right after the draft. "Just hoping to hear my name called, for somewhere I'd like to go. Maybe I should've gone out on a boat fishing somewhere, but I was surrounded by my family and friends, just waiting and waiting. We had to send Jeb on two supplementary beer runs due to all the nervous drinking."
Skuff went around where he was projected, and while he didn't have any complaints about going in the fifth he did admit to a bit of envy during the draft.
"Each running back I saw go off the board stung a little. I know I came a little later than most of these guys, but I'm a competitive guy. I'm not saying I'm keeping a list of every team that passed me over, and how many times, but... let's just say I'll be making little tick marks on a chart each time I cross the goal line."
While he didn't have any preconceptions about the various NSFL teams, Skuff quickly became excited at the prospect of being a Hawk.
"The team reached out right away and I immediately felt at home. It helped even more that Matt Hole, a teammate from the Ducks, was already with the team. It seems like a great, active locker room and everybody new they brought in seems great. Well... almost everybody."
Notably, just a few picks after taking Skuff, Baltimore went out and got LB Shepherd Marshall, out of Norfolk. Skuff and Marshall had an altercation earlier in the season and had sniped at each other in social media over the last few months. Skuff had even addressed the possibility of them getting drafted together, accepting it as a possibility even if it wasn't ideal. When the pick came through he had mixed emotions.
"A lot of things went through my head after they took... that guy. I knew there was a chance it would happen. Like I said earlier, I guess now I get a chance to hit him every week in practice, not just a couple games a week."
"Maybe we'll be able to patch things up. I don't see us being drinking buddies any time soon, but I know I want whats best for the team. Hopefully he does too and we can all just be adults about it."
A constant source of concern for draftees is contract negotiations and call-up/send-downs. While he was concerned about the draft, he doesn't seem too concerned about the business end.
"It'll take care of itself. I've looked at what's reasonable for someone in my draft slot, and I think we'll be able to make the ends meet pretty easily. I would like to go ahead and move on to the NSFL, but if the best thing for everybody is for me to spend some more time in the DSFL it'll be fun to get some more time on the field down there. It's a win/win as far as I'm concerned."
Finally, regarding his role on the team and future training plans, Skuff sounded open minded.
"I've had some preliminary talks with the trainers and coaches about the direction they think makes sense for me going forward. I've done a lot of work on my speed, and they agree it may be time to start rounding that out, and looking at different roles that will help the team and help me find places to be on the field "
"I love playing runningback, whether it's at the fullback or halfback position, and they seem to be happy to give me some opportunity back there, but I'm a bit more open now about potentially lining up at some other spots. The H-Back spot seems to be making a come back and my combination of above average strength and my improved speed could set me up to fit in perfectly there. I'm hoping to get some more time in the backfield down the road, but I'd much rather be getting on the field at H-back or even tight end than sitting on the bench waiting for a shot at halfback."
Overall the NSFL draft was kind to Skuff, and he seems happy about how everything has worked out. He won't have that chance he dreamed about to run Marshall over at the goal line, but perhaps the two players can push each other to heights they wouldn't have achieved alone. We will all be watching excitedly to see how it plays out going forward.
"It's the most nervous I've ever been," Skuff said in an interview right after the draft. "Just hoping to hear my name called, for somewhere I'd like to go. Maybe I should've gone out on a boat fishing somewhere, but I was surrounded by my family and friends, just waiting and waiting. We had to send Jeb on two supplementary beer runs due to all the nervous drinking."
Skuff went around where he was projected, and while he didn't have any complaints about going in the fifth he did admit to a bit of envy during the draft.
"Each running back I saw go off the board stung a little. I know I came a little later than most of these guys, but I'm a competitive guy. I'm not saying I'm keeping a list of every team that passed me over, and how many times, but... let's just say I'll be making little tick marks on a chart each time I cross the goal line."
While he didn't have any preconceptions about the various NSFL teams, Skuff quickly became excited at the prospect of being a Hawk.
"The team reached out right away and I immediately felt at home. It helped even more that Matt Hole, a teammate from the Ducks, was already with the team. It seems like a great, active locker room and everybody new they brought in seems great. Well... almost everybody."
Notably, just a few picks after taking Skuff, Baltimore went out and got LB Shepherd Marshall, out of Norfolk. Skuff and Marshall had an altercation earlier in the season and had sniped at each other in social media over the last few months. Skuff had even addressed the possibility of them getting drafted together, accepting it as a possibility even if it wasn't ideal. When the pick came through he had mixed emotions.
"A lot of things went through my head after they took... that guy. I knew there was a chance it would happen. Like I said earlier, I guess now I get a chance to hit him every week in practice, not just a couple games a week."
"Maybe we'll be able to patch things up. I don't see us being drinking buddies any time soon, but I know I want whats best for the team. Hopefully he does too and we can all just be adults about it."
A constant source of concern for draftees is contract negotiations and call-up/send-downs. While he was concerned about the draft, he doesn't seem too concerned about the business end.
"It'll take care of itself. I've looked at what's reasonable for someone in my draft slot, and I think we'll be able to make the ends meet pretty easily. I would like to go ahead and move on to the NSFL, but if the best thing for everybody is for me to spend some more time in the DSFL it'll be fun to get some more time on the field down there. It's a win/win as far as I'm concerned."
Finally, regarding his role on the team and future training plans, Skuff sounded open minded.
"I've had some preliminary talks with the trainers and coaches about the direction they think makes sense for me going forward. I've done a lot of work on my speed, and they agree it may be time to start rounding that out, and looking at different roles that will help the team and help me find places to be on the field "
"I love playing runningback, whether it's at the fullback or halfback position, and they seem to be happy to give me some opportunity back there, but I'm a bit more open now about potentially lining up at some other spots. The H-Back spot seems to be making a come back and my combination of above average strength and my improved speed could set me up to fit in perfectly there. I'm hoping to get some more time in the backfield down the road, but I'd much rather be getting on the field at H-back or even tight end than sitting on the bench waiting for a shot at halfback."
Overall the NSFL draft was kind to Skuff, and he seems happy about how everything has worked out. He won't have that chance he dreamed about to run Marshall over at the goal line, but perhaps the two players can push each other to heights they wouldn't have achieved alone. We will all be watching excitedly to see how it plays out going forward.
