+- International Simulation Football League (https://forums.sim-football.com)
+-- Forum: Community (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: Media (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=37)
+---- Forum: Graded Articles (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: *Crooks Shares Soulja's Story Upon New Season (/showthread.php?tid=21811)
*Crooks Shares Soulja's Story Upon New Season - The_Kidd - 04-30-2020
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Ready to be Graded[/div]
As he sits, staring at the world through his rearview, pen in hand, music echoing throughout the serene Kensington scenery, Lesean Paris Crooks(also known as Two) doesn't fret over a winless preseason by his London Royals. Instead he sits and engages in other talents: fine arts - poetry, drawing, and screenwriting.
"Trophies aren't won in August or week 1. Our goal is to be on top after week 14 because we're in a marathon, not a sprint."
Wise words are not rare from Crooks; he can thank his upbringing for molding such an insightful brain. Two's parents were both political activists, close to the likes of Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad. Crooks has been exposed to experiences any normal child, let alone adult, would likely never encounter. Which included losing contact with his father and his mother being hunted by the FBI, leading to him being born in a prison cell.
"I wont deny it, I cant hide it, I am who I am because of them(his parents) and I wouldn't wish my life any different. There is no guarantee that my life would be better if something changes. When you play the game, you don't let the cards dictate your style, your style dictates how the cards are played and in this world it's about power and money, riders and punks - which side are you on?"
Although some people may take Two's brash bravado as asinine arrogance, Two does keep a balance of cognizance about how he carries himself and his perspective on life. Crooks has a couple of notebooks filed on his desk labeled "jewels", that he grabbed and proceeded to explain:
"This right here, this is life right here. Doesn't matter how you start, how you finish is what people see, and what they see is what they remember. Keep yourself sharp, never be afraid to learn, because even the smallest stories can provide the biggest changes. So that's where I keep my lessons - my rules. This is how you cultivate the garden of youth and watch your seeds blossom into roses. With this, you can grow a rose out of concrete, like me - that's how I view myself. Someone not destined to make it, but I did. And that's how I see the team."
Crooks points to various articles he has clipped out predicting the misfortune the Royals will undergo during this season.
"This right here, people on the inside looking out. They are all comfy in their glass house on the hill looking down on us in the jungle doing what we gotta do to survive. One day, we''l be on the other side of the hill in a brick house, with a spare one to toss at their house to show them why they should have let us in. They could've learned to not live in a house of glass if they actually came outside. People writing us off before the season even started, they don't see what goes on behind the scenes. We know how hard we work, because we know any time you stop working, the next man gets better, and any time lost is lost forever. So we may not want to win the first legs of the race, but we damn sure are preparing everyday to show up everyday and win the entire race."
Crooks, referencing the seeming unilateral preseason prediction of the upstart Royals continuing the trend of newborn futility, is determined to prove his critics wrong. The success of the Royals always superseded individual goals, but the emphasis has been magnified now that seemingly the entire league is looking down at them. Crooks understands that certain sacrifices are always necessary to build up the team, but as a rookie, on a young roster -- a young franchise at that -- Crooks sees an opportunity to bring a confident, borderline arrogant attitude to the Royals locker room.
"It's only arrogance if you can't back it up. Closed mouths don't get fed and right now, we hungry. I'm not coming in here to bark orders and be a dictator, but I'm going to do my best to ensure that we're doing our best, bringing our best effort. And that can only start right here(pointing to his chest). If I don't handle my own business, how can I expect others to respect me? People will listen if they see you willing to get down in the trenches and get dirty. No one wants a fat cat pounding his fist on the table from his penthouse on the 50th floor. So I'm still maneuvering my way through, making sure I handle mine."
Initially, at the onset of the preseason, critics and analysts foresaw the worst for the Royals in part to them being the least active and least upgraded roster. If you looked on the surface, a winless preseason with each loss by two possessions, it seemed like the Royals were doomed, but Crooks saw positives throughout the darkness.
"We have talent, especially on the defense. [Linebacker Eric] Richards is a monster, he's swarming all over the place. [Cornerback Mickael Van] Perkins had a TD. We have those two, plus [Safeties] Greedy Sly and Ball. We have talent, and if you look, we never won time of possession and usually played from behind but we never rolled over. If there's one thing we won't do is go out on our knees. Yeah, we're not perfect, [Defensive Lineman] Large Sternum could use some help --- we definitely can shore up against the run to keep opponents from eating up the clock. Our offense just needs to find its' rhythm and we can do some big things."
Crooks references the porous Royals run defense, ceding 937 yards over the 4 game stretch, an average of 234 yards on the ground in each contest. For reference, the best rushing attack in the Developmental Simulation Football League in Season 21 averaged 214 yards per game. Crooks is doing his part to aid the defense. In week 1 against Minnesota, Crooks finished with 2 pass deflections and 5 tackles. He only allowed 44 receiving yards against his matchups. Against Norfolk in week 2, Crooks amassed 3 tackles, allowing 27 receiving yards to his matchups. Crooks allowed 56 yards to his matchups on 4 catches, while racking up 5 tackles in the week 3 loss to Myrtle Beach. And in week 4, Crooks had an uncharacteristic showing, conceding 41 yards on two catches against Dallas.
"I was feeling myself out, in college, I needed a little time to pick up on schemes, and get a feel for the game. I couldn't get to training right away because I had passport issues."
The dilemma may have been a blessing indeed, as it allowed Crooks to analyze his weakest areas and harmonize with his teammates in regards to how to best better himself for the start of the season.
"I spent time analyzing film, just watching, replaying scenarios in my head. Just always learning. I got help form Sly, Duke, and Nick about what I should focus on to build my ability up. Just building camaraderie with the guys, cause at the end of the day, those are my guys, that's my family --- on and off the field. They think because we didn't use up all our TPE right at the start that we were going to accept being at the bottom. It's not about who strikes quickest, it's who strikes lands last."
While showing me around the museums and lavish arts culture that embodies the Kensington borough, Crooks encounters a few friends: popular R&B artist Mark Morrison, Chelsea F.C. star N'Golo Kante, and one of his new teammates and secondary starters, #1 overall pick in the DSFL --- Safety Greedy Sly. Sly and Crooks have bonded early, despite Sly being a highly touted prospect and Crooks being selected in the late rounds. The two share the sense of brotherhood and sharing a family identity in the locker room. Sly has helped Crooks out along the way. The two only live about 10 minutes from each other as well. Sly decided to even join in and share some insight on his career as well.
When asked about comparing his expectations from when he first started playing versus entering this season, Sly responded:
"Man…. this is a great question. When I first started on the site, I really don’t know that I had many expectations at all. I was completely new to sim leagues, and just curious what it was all about. As I’ve learned more I’ve grown more invested in the league, and it’s really helped shape my experience here.
Now that I’m a little established here, it’s awesome. The people are great! I’m in a bunch of different locker rooms, and I bounce between them regularly chatting with different people from all the different teams. I love the sense of community, and friendliness that is present throughout. Perhaps it’s different at the NSFL level, but from what I have experienced thus far most people get along, so long as you aren’t [being rude and disrespectful towards others]."
That warmth not only comes from Greedy's open personality and kind nature, but likely from the aura he carries for being such a talented but humble prospect. Him being willing to sacrifice his time to help his other teammates, when his own career is at a huge transition, shows the humility and leadership any team would want. He has no qualms with how everything has played out and with how he conducts himself, as evidenced below by his thoughts on his expectations of the league,
"In a word… Incredible. I have really grown to enjoy the league, and the people within it. There’s just so many talented and creative individuals who make this league what it is. I’m really excited to be a part of this community, and want to do my part in improving and adding to it as much as I can.
Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how helpful and thoughtful everyone has been throughout my time here…. There are so many names, without whom I probably would have never made it this far without. Huge shoutout to all you awesome people!"
Sly still makes time to better himself everyday, Crooks gets to ride shotgun and feed into an equally thoughtful but determined person. Sly's ambition has never waned, some of his goals may seem far-fetched for others, but realistic for him,
"[The premise of] going first overall is something I have been working towards for some time now, and hope to achieve… Beyond that, I don’t know what’s in store for Greedy. I’m pretty flexible both as a user, and with my player so I’m excited to see what the future holds… I’d love to win an Ultimus or five before it’s all said and done. Short term, I have always wanted to be considered for the first overall pick in our draft class. That was something that during my DSFL scouting process I made clear to any scouts that asked… I don’t know that I’ve accomplished that goal, but I hope I’ve at least given those teams at the top something to consider."
Crooks and Sly both share the mantra of confidence being substantiated arrogance, if you can show and prove, no one will question your heart. Sly also has bigger dreams beyond playing, showing a nuanced balanced into how he treats football and life in general,
"Long term, I’d like to work with Head Office and other members of the league to continue improving the new user experience as best I can. I’d also like to continue making my own podcast, and improving the quality of it, while also spotlighting some of the incredible people from around the league."
When asked about his best features, I decided to coin the two: The Duality Duo, based on their self-reflective nature and ability to switch on and off from athlete and person,
"It starts with the looks. Greedy Sly is an incredibly handsome man, with kind eyes and a warm smile. Rumor has it that London drafted him first overall on sex appeal alone, and while I can neither confirm nor deny those rumors… I’m not denying them if ya know what I mean."
Crooks slyly interjects, "Hmmm, then how come I'm the one doing Versace photoshoots? You train me to ball, I'll train you to look almost as good as me."
"Moving on from his looks, Greedy has a fantastic physique, well suited for the rigors of an NSFL season. Standing at just over 6 feet, he has long strides and a huge wingspan allowing him to make plays on the ball anywhere on the field. Furthermore, after years of training he has developed an Olympic level endurance which makes it possible for him to play the majority of games without taking a break. If the NSFL allowed it, he’d potentially be their first Ironman player… no doubts about it.
Arguably his strongest feature, Greedy has the mind of a true ballhawk. He’s learned to focus more on where the Quarterback wants to put the ball, rather than where the receiver intends to catch it. Because of this foresight, Greedy is able to make quick reads on the ball while it is still in the air, netting him multiple turnovers. Over time this mental fortitude has also proved incredibly valuable in the rushing game as well. Greedy closes on the ball quickly, or even more preferably, breaks to the Quarterback prior to the hand off or pass. The insatiable lust for a big play drives Greedy forward down after down."
Crooks gleefully interjects again, "We're gonna bring that Doomsday Defense back, baby! He'll be Steve Atwater, I'll be Lester Hayes!"
The Royals hope that the combination of intelligence and talent can infect not only Crooks, but the rest of the defense they invested heavily in during the draft. The Royals lost 9 players on defense last year and almost all stayed up in the NSFL. The team should hope the two bond on the field they way they have bonded off the field so far, enough to where Crooks takes over the interview ---- "So, tell the people why you're the man, not by what you do on gameday, but by how you help the community, like me?"
"Off the field, Greedy is passionate about the work that he does in the Greater London area. Sly has been working on building several literacy programs for underprivileged kids within the area, and hopes to continue that work even after he moves on from London. Alongside these initiatives he has also begun working with several after school programs, ranging from athletics to science clubs, to help fund the kids further education. When not working towards these goals, Sly enjoys reading a good book or listening to an excellent podcast. A student of history, Sly enjoys reading about various historical figures and how they shaped our current world."
The Royals started off their second season with two dominating wins. Against Kansas City, the Coyotes passing attack was stymied by the Royals defense. However, Crooks showed promising merit in aiding the porous run defense, with all 6 of his tackles coming against the run. In week 2 against Tijuana, the defense came out looking to improve upon the prior week. Despite an early safety, they yielded a quick score. However, the entire team locked in. The Royals then outscored the Luchadores 37-9 after the first quarter, with the opposing scores coming from the backup QB. The defense filled the statsheet, including Crooks who compiled 4 tackles, allowed 8 yards on two completions and forced and recovered a fumble in the 2nd half to help destroy any momentum Tijuana might have garnered for a late comeback.
Perhaps, some teams are late bloomers. Indeed, no one remembers how the race starts, but how it finishes.
WC = 2658 / 100% to The_Kidd
*Crooks Shares Soulja's Story Upon New Season - The_Kidd - 05-14-2020
this article is ready to be graded