*Bork Björnsson: Taking off the Mask

[bovovovo]

Bork Björnsson has made quite the name for himself during his rookie season in the NSFL, though he hasn’t reached the same level as other “Tier 1” defensive linemen such as Tuck, Ramrio, Hendrix, or Wozy. But since being drafted by the Yellowknife Wraiths, Bork has largely kept to himself, choosing to stay out of the public’s eye, much unlike fellow Wraiths rookie Kevin Cushing. Today, NSFL Insider reporter Shmadam McSchefter brings you this exclusive look into Bork Björnsson’s rookie year, and his outlook going forward.



Shmadam McSchefter: It’s an oppressively cold morning in New York City when I met with Bork, and I’m sitting in my living room watching Bork look at all my stuff. I had messaged Bork the night before, suggesting we could meet either at his place or mine, and he told me he’d come here. So now he’s sitting a few feet away from me, his 320 pound frame sinking into my sofa. When he sat down, he scanned the room, his eyes darting about as he takes in my books on the bookshelf, my movies, the fake grapes sitting on the coffee table. Bork has a reputation of being a private person, and I realize that the reason he wanted to meet at my place instead of his was probably so that I couldn’t describe his living room to my readers the way that I just had to describe mine.

He rests one leg on the other and asks me where I’d like to start. “Probably at the beginning.”




The S2 Draft

Being an NSFL draft prospect is an exciting time for some, who love the attention and having the spotlight thrust upon them as they try to make a name for themselves. Many new rookies are instantly claimed off of waivers before the draft even comes and before they have a chance to do any trainings, with teams willing to shove out $2 million just to have a raw rookie to fill out their depth charts. Bork recalls being hopeful that someone would claim him. After all, he was the only defensive tackle prospect at the time.

But no teams claimed him.

“I remember being a little confused, to be honest.” Bork speaks slowly, as if he’s being careful to choose his words wisely so as to not be taken out of context. “There were some teams still using Bots on their defensive lines. I remember seeing some rookies get claimed off the waivers just to be a backup slot receiver. I think I understood that defensive tackles typically aren’t high demand, but I was definitely surprised that no teams called me.”

I asked if it discouraged him, or left a chip on his shoulder.

“I think it just gave me a taste of what being a defensive lineman in this league requires … you have to prove yourself.”

And he certainly did that during the prospect games, where prospective rookies who were unclaimed got to play against each other to show the league what they could do. Bork recorded at least one sack in every single prospect game that he played in, including a safety. Many started to notice the defensive tackle hailing from Iceland, and some even claimed that he was the best defensive player on his prospect team, the Mongooses.

While nobody claimed him off of waivers, teams started reaching out to Bork as they scouted him for the draft.

“It was exciting. I didn’t really have any idea of where I would go, but I figured I would be a first round pick. There was a lot of really great talent in that draft, and a lot of the rookies had already gotten to play in the league as they were claimed and I figured teams would want to get their guys back. Which you can’t blame anybody for.”

Bork had caused a bit of a media frenzy when it was revealed that he would not be attending the NSFL draft in person. Instead, he went fishing with his father at Lake of the Woods in Minnesota, their favorite fishing spot. Stephen A. Smith was especially vocal in his criticism of Bork, claiming that it was “disrespectful” and “selfish.”

But anyone who knew Bork knew that he was just avoiding the cameras, the limelight, and the pesky reporters that keep asking him loaded questions.

Bork was taken 5th overall by the Yellowknife Wraiths, behind fellow defensive lineman Blaster Blade who went 2nd overall.

“It was cool. Having this billion-dollar organization decide to pick me, and tell me that they trusted me enough to spend a first round pick on me. I didn’t feel a whole lot of elation or anything though, I just felt like this was only the beginning and the real work was just getting started.”




The Yellowknife Wraiths

The Wraiths have likely the most unique home city out of all the NSFL: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. When I asked Bork what his first thoughts were when he realized he would have to live in Yellowknife, he chuckled.

“I had no idea what to expect. I couldn’t even find Yellowknife on a map, and if it weren’t for the Wraiths I don’t think I would have even known that Yellowknife existed. I walked out on the tarmac in Yellowknife and there were crowds of fans cheering for me and the other rookies that had just arrived. It may be remote and cold, but they made me feel at home.”

Bork was joining a team at a crossroads, and a team with many strengths but also glaring weaknesses. They had the best wide receiver in the league in Josh Garden, the reigning MVP Bubba Nuck, the best tight end in the league Ricky Maddox, and the elite Chris Orosz at quarterback.

But the defense was different. The Wraiths had their star CB Dermot Lavelle returning, but had lost the core of their defense. Tyler Varga, Mark Ramrio, and Sinjin Flimjollywop had all either left or been traded to the Las Vegas Legion. The Wraiths were hoping Bork could help fill in Ramrio’s shoes.

And those were big shoes to fill.

“Ramrio’s probably the best defensive tackle in the league. Nobody explicitly stated it, but I knew they were hoping I would anchor their defense and make up for all their defensive pieces that they lost. I wanted to go somewhere where I could make an impact, so I was pretty happy with me role.”

The Wraiths also drafted rookie Kevin Cushing, the polarizing and outspoken linebacker who was already very familiar with being the center of NSFL drama.

“I wasn’t surprised that the Wraiths picked up Cushing. He was polarizing, but he could play. And they needed to fill in their gaping hole at linebacker.”

I asked Bork what he thought about Cushing before and after being teammates with him. After all, there were reportedly rookies who told teams that they did not want to be on the same team as Cushing, outright stating that if the team drafted Cushing then they should cross their name off their draft board.

I was expecting Bork to dodge the question, but surprisingly, he didn’t.

“I’ll admit I was curious. I know the media likes to take things out of context and talk things up for the drama, and the NSFL tends to eat that right up. But he’s awesome in the locker room. He helps people, he takes an active role in our strategizing sessions, and he’s nothing like what the media portrays him as. At least in the locker room, on the field he goes pretty crazy, but I think he embraces that role and he really thrives in it.”

Surprised at how candid his response was, I decided to push my luck. I asked what Bork thought about his GM, Spike Crown. Spike Crown has been criticized by pundits for taking in the “controversial” players. He pounced on Kevin Cushing when other teams publicly stated they were avoiding him. He snatched up Matt James, the rookie offensive lineman who was holding out and demanding more money from the Philadelphia Liberty. He went after star receiver Bailey Cook who publicly demanded a trade out of San Jose. I asked about the locker room that Crown had created with these apparent cast offs.

Bork sighs.

“Honestly I think you guys have blown all of that out of proportion. I don’t think anybody in the entire NSFL, from the GMs to the front office to the players, think that Spike Crown’s moves have been controversial in the slightest. The only person that thinks that is the talking heads who get paid to make drama.”

"I think the thing I appreciate most about Spike Crown is that he let's us be ourselves, and he's fantastic at taking what you guys call outcasts and finding us a place on his team, making us feel valued, and helping us be dominant in that role."

“But the locker room is awesome. Seriously, awesome. I think I’ve really grown to appreciate it after some of the new guys that we traded for come in and talk about their old locker rooms and how ours compares to it. They love how active it is, how we all take part in coming up with the strategy for games, and how we all help each other. Spike Crown has created that, and it really does feel like a family.”

The Yellowknife Wraiths finished the season at 8-6 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Baltimore Hawks.

“Yeah that was disappointing. Not because we lost, but because we knew we could have done better. We knew we should have had a better record than we did, and we knew we should have beaten the Hawks. Not to take anything away from them of course, they’re an outstanding and well-coached team, but I think we all felt we didn’t give our all that game.”





On Bork’s Play Style

Bork prides himself on being able to play all positions along the line. He started at the defensive tackle position, and was widely successful playing in the Nose Tackle position in the Wraith’s 3-4 defense. He was later shifted to the outside, playing the defensive end position.

Despite Bork’s success at playing in multiple positions, many point out the gaping holes in the Wraith’s defense that Bork cannot hope to fill on his own.

“I just want to contribute in any way that I can. If that’s at the defensive tackle position, that’s fine and I’ll find a way to excel in it. If that’s at the defensive end position, then that’s fine too and I’ll find a way to excel in that too. If you want me to play a blitzing linebacker position I could find a way to excel there too.”

Scouts have noticed Bork’s exceptional speed and agility for a man his size, but it’s apparent that he isn’t able to leverage his strength the way that more dominant linemen like Tuck and Ramrio can. Only time will tell if Bork is able to elevate his game to the level of dominance that every NSFL player strives for, and if he and the rest of the Wraith’s defense can turn things around next year.

As we wrap things up and Bork stands to leave, I ask him one last question out of curiosity. What do you think about all of these rookie holdouts, trade demands, and players seeking the big free agency money lately?

He just shrugs.

“I think people can do whatever they want. If they really want to demand to be drafted by a certain team, that’s fine. If you want to get traded that’s fine, and if you want the big money instead of taking a team-friendly deal that’s fine too. Just be sure you show up on game day.”

I think that encapsulates Bork Björnsson’s attitude in a nutshell. He’s not flashy or sexy (very rarely are any linemen these days), and he doesn’t go out of his way to make a name for himself the way that many in the NSFL are in the habit of doing. He just shows up.

He shows up to the training. He showed up to the prospect games. He showed up when the Wraiths asked him to play Nose Tackle and he showed up when they asked him to play Defensive End. And now he’ll show up to whatever role the Wraiths ask him to fill next.



(2082 words, ready for grading)


Shout out to my homies:
@kckolbe
@Bzerkap


GRADED

[Bwestfield]

Great story!

[Roshambo]

Borkborkbork!

[SimmerDownBruhh]

BORK SAUCEEEEEEEE ????

Can't wait until S3, brotha!

[Ben]

Bork in Legion colours?? I love this!

:cheers:

[bovovovo]

Bork in Legion colours?? I love this!

  :cheers: 

Don't look into it too much

[Ben]

Don't look into it too much 

I'm on the phone to @Bzerkap as we speak