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+---- Thread: * - Michael Rood Talk Prospect Bowl, Upcoming DSFL (/showthread.php?tid=12625)
* - Michael Rood Talk Prospect Bowl, Upcoming DSFL - DCross - 03-15-2019
Walking off the field, his teammates celebrating, Michael Rood looks more relieved than anything else. His Prospect Bowl team, the Atlantic Blackbirds, has won just their second game of the tournament in a hotly contested game against the Southwest Foxes.
The normally soft-spoken Rood agreed to an interview, noting this may be his last chance to make an impression on GMs before the DSFL Draft.
Rood was asked to comment on the news that the Atlantic Blackbirds had gained a berth in the Consolation Cup. He responded,
"Honestly, it's a little disappointing. We had a great bunch of guys on this team - Hardshaft, Rey, everyone on the team is someone I'd love to have on my team in DSFL. We just couldn't get it done on the field, and to be fair to our defense - they played like a bunch of animals - it seemed like us offensive guys struggled to get going. Just couldn't get any momentum going, and I really do think it cost us a shot at the Prospect Bowl Championship."
The Blackbirds defense ranked 3rd in the Prospect Bowl for Points Against, but the offensive struggles held the team to the second-worst record in the tournament.
When pressed for comment on his individual performance, Rood was reluctant. He said,
"I'm not one to go to the media and say things like 'Oh, I'm the easy choice for GMs looking to fill a TE spot'. I try to let my play speak for me, everything else is really out of my control."
Rood had much better Prospect Bowl than he acknowledges, leading all TEs in number of receptions (24) and tying for the lead in TDs by players at the TE position (1). Rood's TD reception was a solid catch in traffic from 2 yards out, increasing the Blackbirds lead over the Foxes to 16-3 early in the 4th quarter. When asked about that catch specifically, Rood nodded and said,
"Yeah, it was a tough one. Hard to hang on to those, but when it's 3rd down like that you have to know that a drop is unacceptable."
Rood finishes the Prospect Bowl tournament with 24 catches for 123 yards and 1 touchdown. Asked if leading all Prospect Bowl TEs in receptions and tying for the TD lead had been his expectation, Rood spoke plainly,
"Y'know, I don't know if thought I'd play as well as I did but all you can do is strap up the pads and do what the team needs. I'm happy I played well, but I wish I could have done more to translate that into wins for the team."
Final questions concerned Rood's future in the DSFL, and if any GMs had seemed particularly interested. Rood responded,
"I'm not too keen on bringing a lot of that into the light, but I will say that at least one or two teams have reached out in regards to bringing me on next year. Like I said, I can go out there and play the best I can, but everything else is out of my control. I hope I end up on a roster that needs a TE to make meaningful contributions, other than that we can work the details out when I get there."
Rood walked to the locker room with his quarterbacks, rehashing details of the game and ways they could improve together. His impressive numbers may have turned some heads, but only the DSFL GMs can truly know what's in store for one of the leading TEs in the S15 Prospect Bowl.
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Ready for grading, 581 words* - Michael Rood Talk Prospect Bowl, Upcoming DSFL - slothfacekilla - 03-15-2019
A DSFL team is gonna get a great security blanket in Rood next Monday!
* - Michael Rood Talk Prospect Bowl, Upcoming DSFL - DCross - 03-15-2019
Appreciate the kind words @slothfacekilla - best of luck to you as well!