We just finished another 0-14 campaign. In spite of this, I'm hoping to make my first Pro Bowl appearance. We have lost one of our major building blocks in Carlito Crush, and my Co-GM just stepped down.
With the draft not yet occurring and team morale possibly at an all-time low, I'm here to take your questions. Fire away.
My prediction: 3 date=]Did carlito crush curse the Otters?[/quote]
Haha, man, he might have. They looked like the team to beat in the Ultimus, didn't they? I mean, plenty of things went wrong for them during that game, but Carlito's crippling fear of the end zone certainly didn't help. I mean, the dude led the team in receptions and yards for both playoff games but didn't find the end zone even once? That's some kind of complex right there. Maybe it's because he never had any practice at it in Colorado, but he clearly has some sort of uncertainty about what to do when he hits the end of the field.
Ultimately, my answer would probably have to be Howard Miller. He definitely shows wisdom beyond his years. He's been helpful in strategy discussions, and he loves the detail of personnel work. Additionally, the guy works as hard as anyone on the practice field. He's out there teaching me stuff about how to cover routes and running me through speed and agility drills in our free time. I mean, he just finished his rookie season and he's already been made an offensive captain. That definitely says something about his game knowledge and his character.
Sorry, that's not to put down anyone else in the locker room. I just think we've had the best connection so far.
As for rivalries, there really aren't too many guys left from my draft class that are performing at a high level, but I'm always gonna compare myself to Noah Goodson. He was taken two picks ahead of me, as the number one draft pick and linebacker off the board. We've never really talked in person, but he's someone who I want to outperform badly. Someone else that I always keep my eye on is not from my draft class: Julian O'Sullivan. JuOsu is a year older than me, and he just went to play in NOLA this season. And let's be real; the Second Line and the Yeti are likely to be the best rivals to each other going forward. We're building in similar ways, and we're both struggling pretty hard right now. But Julian and I have talked a little bit, and we've got a friendly rivalry thing going on. It's nice to have someone to measure yourself against. So far it's been pretty back and forth, and that's the way a good rivalry should be.
) to returning kicks and punts and generally being a danger there, to mentoring guys in the locker room, to keeping spirits up when we've lost seemingly a thousand games in a row. The guy is simply irreplaceable. If he were to leave, it would set us back significantly, and I would be losing a good friend out of the locker room as well. I hope he sees how valuable his role is here, and I hope we can show him the appreciation he deserves. If he goes, I'm really not sure what the future holds for this team.
As far as free agents are concerned, I really like the way that we've been building this team. Building through the draft is how dynasties are born (that or cheating), and we've been doing a fantastic job as far as I can tell. That being said, at some point we are probably going to need to bring in some guys from other teams. It's just the nature of the game that some personnel movement is necessary to keep everyone competitive. I just hope that we can continue to be savvy with our moves, get help where we need it, and not bet the farm on players that don't pan out. Free agency is always exciting, but for now, the draft is where we're focused primarily. And I like it that way.
[!--QuoteBegin-dub date=1526951040]A lot of front offices of rebuilding teams tell fans to "trust the process". What's the process for Colorado?[/quote]
Our process is a pretty simple one. We're building for the future by creating a solid foundation of good draft picks and high-value free agents. Once we decided that we were entering a full rebuild phase, it became easy (strategically, not emotionally) to start shedding older players for some future value. We've gotten young, and so many of our picks have panned out. Sadly, not every single one has been a hit, with one even retiring recently in just his, what, second or third year, after never having shown up to practice anyway. But that's to be expected. What we're really focused on is the guys that are here and work everyday. And that core is as strong here as it is anywhere else in the league -- I think even stronger. Our process has definitely hit some setbacks along the way, and our original season 7 timeline has had to be pushed back to maybe season 9 or 10, but we're making progress, and it's all going to come together somewhere down the line. I do "trust the process," and it's time to start reaping some rewards.
With the draft not yet occurring and team morale possibly at an all-time low, I'm here to take your questions. Fire away.
(05-18-2018, 10:02 AM)Supersquare04 Wrote:How confident are you in the offense this season?I'm not gonna lie; Our offense still has a ways to go. I've looked at the stats from this season, and they aren't pretty. Our points for are abysmally, historically low. Our YPC in the run game are worst in the league, and our QB had by far the worst rating in the league as well. Will we be better next year on offense? Undoubtedly. The call up of Mark Grau is gonna be big for us, and not having a rookie QB is only gonna help. That being said, I don't expect us to make historic gains. We very well could still have the worst offense in the league, but I expect it will be much closer this year than last.
Quote:[table border=\\\'0\\\' align=\\\'center\\\' width=\\\'95%\\\' cellpadding=\\\'3\\\' cellspacing=\\\'1\\\' id=\\\'QUOTE-WRAP\\\'][tr][td]QUOTE [/td][/tr][tr][td id=\\\'QUOTE\\\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]What are your expectations as far as record for the Yeti?As you can tell from my previous answer, I don't think I'm being unrealistic about my expectations for next season. I expect our offense to struggle. However, as our gains on offense are incremental, I expect our gains on defense to be better. Without so much time on the field, our defense is in a position to put up some pretty decent numbers. We can cause turnovers, get sacks, and get off the field on third down on many occasions. If our offense can start sustaining some drives, our defense can put us in position to have some short fields that we can hopefully take advantage of. Add to that the fact that our special teams is no joke in the return game, and we have a shot at getting some wins.
My prediction: 3 date=]Did carlito crush curse the Otters?[/quote]
Haha, man, he might have. They looked like the team to beat in the Ultimus, didn't they? I mean, plenty of things went wrong for them during that game, but Carlito's crippling fear of the end zone certainly didn't help. I mean, the dude led the team in receptions and yards for both playoff games but didn't find the end zone even once? That's some kind of complex right there. Maybe it's because he never had any practice at it in Colorado, but he clearly has some sort of uncertainty about what to do when he hits the end of the field.
Quote:[table border=\\\'0\\\' align=\\\'center\\\' width=\\\'95%\\\' cellpadding=\\\'3\\\' cellspacing=\\\'1\\\' id=\\\'QUOTE-WRAP\\\'][tr][td]QUOTE [/td][/tr][tr][td id=\\\'QUOTE\\\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]Who is the best guy in the locker room in colorado?Man, this is a hard question to answer. So many guys bring so many different things. Saint is always gonna be the first guy I consider when it comes to questions like this. He's solid and steady. He's also pretty quiet. He's more likely to fire you up with his play on the field than any pep talks in the locker room.
Ultimately, my answer would probably have to be Howard Miller. He definitely shows wisdom beyond his years. He's been helpful in strategy discussions, and he loves the detail of personnel work. Additionally, the guy works as hard as anyone on the practice field. He's out there teaching me stuff about how to cover routes and running me through speed and agility drills in our free time. I mean, he just finished his rookie season and he's already been made an offensive captain. That definitely says something about his game knowledge and his character.
Sorry, that's not to put down anyone else in the locker room. I just think we've had the best connection so far.
Quote:How has regression hurt your team? Do you think it is messing up the Yeti more or less than other teams?Honestly, regression hasn't been an issue for us. Our guys are either hitting their peaks or just about to get there. Our older players like Saint and Dan Miller are gonna start feeling it a little bit, but they're hard enough workers with good enough results on the field that I don't think it's gonna impact their stats or what they contribute to this team. Other teams are the ones fielding these older guys at every position. We're obviously not doing that, so regression isn't gonna bite us for another few seasons.
Quote:Do you think you will be the #1 linebacker at some point now that some of the greats are entering regression? Is there a linebacker from your draft class that could be your rival?Oh man, I would hope that my name could be up there at the top of the linebacker lists. I'd be lying if I said that the Hall of Fame didn't show up in my dreams every now and then. But it's hard to envision something like that when guys like Winchester and Sharpei are still taking the field and performing the way they are. I'm gonna have to wait until those guys decide to hang it up before I can start thinking about a lasting legacy here.
As for rivalries, there really aren't too many guys left from my draft class that are performing at a high level, but I'm always gonna compare myself to Noah Goodson. He was taken two picks ahead of me, as the number one draft pick and linebacker off the board. We've never really talked in person, but he's someone who I want to outperform badly. Someone else that I always keep my eye on is not from my draft class: Julian O'Sullivan. JuOsu is a year older than me, and he just went to play in NOLA this season. And let's be real; the Second Line and the Yeti are likely to be the best rivals to each other going forward. We're building in similar ways, and we're both struggling pretty hard right now. But Julian and I have talked a little bit, and we've got a friendly rivalry thing going on. It's nice to have someone to measure yourself against. So far it's been pretty back and forth, and that's the way a good rivalry should be.
Quote:Do you think we will re-sign Bly? Or do you think we will get a big free agent pull?Man, I really hope we resign Bly. He is so valuable to this team, from locking down opposing wide receivers (which we all hope to see more of in the future
) to returning kicks and punts and generally being a danger there, to mentoring guys in the locker room, to keeping spirits up when we've lost seemingly a thousand games in a row. The guy is simply irreplaceable. If he were to leave, it would set us back significantly, and I would be losing a good friend out of the locker room as well. I hope he sees how valuable his role is here, and I hope we can show him the appreciation he deserves. If he goes, I'm really not sure what the future holds for this team.As far as free agents are concerned, I really like the way that we've been building this team. Building through the draft is how dynasties are born (that or cheating), and we've been doing a fantastic job as far as I can tell. That being said, at some point we are probably going to need to bring in some guys from other teams. It's just the nature of the game that some personnel movement is necessary to keep everyone competitive. I just hope that we can continue to be savvy with our moves, get help where we need it, and not bet the farm on players that don't pan out. Free agency is always exciting, but for now, the draft is where we're focused primarily. And I like it that way.
Quote:Best guess, what's Colorado's record next season?3-11, with room for another win or two. It might be a little optimistic given our last couple of seasons, but there are some games where we had the right gameplan in place, and we just didn't get the bounces we needed. I know the scores weren't close, but trust me when I say that the games we're closer to winning those games than anyone realizes.
[!--QuoteBegin-dub date=1526951040]A lot of front offices of rebuilding teams tell fans to "trust the process". What's the process for Colorado?[/quote]
Our process is a pretty simple one. We're building for the future by creating a solid foundation of good draft picks and high-value free agents. Once we decided that we were entering a full rebuild phase, it became easy (strategically, not emotionally) to start shedding older players for some future value. We've gotten young, and so many of our picks have panned out. Sadly, not every single one has been a hit, with one even retiring recently in just his, what, second or third year, after never having shown up to practice anyway. But that's to be expected. What we're really focused on is the guys that are here and work everyday. And that core is as strong here as it is anywhere else in the league -- I think even stronger. Our process has definitely hit some setbacks along the way, and our original season 7 timeline has had to be pushed back to maybe season 9 or 10, but we're making progress, and it's all going to come together somewhere down the line. I do "trust the process," and it's time to start reaping some rewards.
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