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+---- Thread: *Interview with Grey Duck Cornerback Tyron Shields (/showthread.php?tid=22429)
*Interview with Grey Duck Cornerback Tyron Shields - Tylus - 05-25-2020
Today I’ll be sitting down with Minnesota Grey Duck cornerback Tyron Shields, aka @TheCC. Shields is having a great season, pushing his TPE high enough to take over the CB2 position. Shields is having a ultra lockdown season for us, and is definitely part of the reason we’ve made it into the playoffs. With such a great season for the Grey Ducks so far, and such great play from Tyron Shields himself, we wanted to sit down and ask him a couple of things about the season for the team and for his player so far. Having Shields as one of our lockdown corners has been a blessing for the team, and probably helped us eek out a few wins we might not have otherwise. Shields and theCC are great players and members of the league, and should do great things for his new team in Chicago. Well, without further ado, we’ll jump right into some questions with the current Grey Duck and future Chicago Butcher.
Q: We’ve had a great season so far, and in my opinion, have the best locker room in the league. Whether it's the firm but friendly, yet elite general management of Dewalt and Rampage, Jango coming in to hype up the room, or Jamar posting that laughing old man emote. Who are some of your favorite Grey Ducks, and why?
A: There’s so many great Grey Ducks, it’s really hard to narrow it down. I think that I could name any of the guys that are active in the locker room and I can’t really go wrong here. Jango is obviously one of my favorites. He’s probably the nicest person I’ve met so far in the league. He’s always upbeat about our chances each game. I remember after our awful 1-3 start to the season, he was in the locker room telling us that we would turn it around, and to just keep working and updating and don’t lose hope. Well, look at us now. We’re the #1 seed in the North. He might be crazy, but even crazy people are right sometimes, hahah. Then there’s the general managers, Dewalt and Boomer, who I love as well. I think I could write an article on my favorite Grey Ducks, so I’m just going to rattle off a few of my other favorites and not give explanations: You, Darkness Rising (Kai Sakura), Macho (Daymond Brooks), Sim SnowBow, Crayons (Julio Jones), Reaper (Matt Krause), and Jamar Lackson. There’s others that I enjoy talking to as well - those are just the ones I thought of off the top of my head.
R
reponse) I agree, it’s so hard to choose favorites on a team with so many great characters. Jango is also one of my favorites, in fact, I still maintain that I don’t know if I would be a Grey Duck right now without having seen the hype and positivity he brought to the locker room before I was drafted. Dewalt and CLG Rampage are two amazing guys, and anyone is lucky to be drafted to a team managed by these guys. Every single person you listed is an awesome, positive influence for us, you really can’t go wrong!Q: This season has had its ups and downs, starting 1-3 and finishing 8-6. Considering our play during this season, how do you feel about the Grey Ducks playoffs and Ultimini chances?
A: I feel pretty good about our chances to make some noise in the playoffs this season. It’s kind of crazy that we ended up as the number 1 seed in our conference after starting the season 1-3, but we just really found our groove. We were able to progress a lot this season, in terms of TPE. Our general managers have done a great job bringing in active players that can help us out, and you guys have done a great job testing, to give us the best possible chance to win. I think we have a shot at the Ultimini. We’re the number one seed for a reason. Tijuana would be an extremely tough match up if we both made it to the big game. It would be an uphill battle against the Luchadores, for sure, but it’s not impossible. If Norfolk knocks them out, it will be a slightly easier match up, but still tough nonetheless. If a team is in the Ultimini, they’re going to be tough to beat. We have to make it there first, though, so let’s just focus on the next order of business: London at Minnesota.
R: You’re one hundred percent correct. We can talk about our Ultimini chances all we’d like, but at this point, it's put up or shut up. We have the talent and a great team working on simming for us. With the team we have and the leadership above us, I believe we have as good of a chance as anyone to take it home though!
Q: You’re a Chicago Butcher now, and have a very long and most likely great career. What are some of your goals in the NSFL?
A: I really only have two main goals. Anything else is just icing on the cake. My first goal is to win an Ultimus. Chicago is in pretty dire straits currently, finishing the season in last place at 1-12, and unfortunately not even being the owner of their own first round pick. Being in Chicago, though, you can sense that things are starting to turn around. I know that may sound crazy or dumb or homer-ish, but it’s true. We’re under fantastic leadership and there are some good people in there. I think we’ll be contenders sooner than people are expecting. An Ultimus is the crown jewel of the NSFL. I want one associated with my name for the rest of time. My second goal is to be the biggest steal of the S22 NSFL draft. I just have a bit of a chip on my shoulder. Not because I feel that I fell too far in the draft or anything like that. I deserved the spot that I was taken at. I think that I feel that way because nobody expected anything out of me. I just want to surprise everyone and be one of the best players in my draft class, despite being taken in the 11th round.
R: I think you definitely will end up one of, if not the best pick that late in the draft. The Chicago GMs are making great moves, and I’m honestly impressed with the leadership there. I think the Butchers will be better quicker than people think.
Q: What is it like being a member of the Chicago locker room?
A: It’s honestly been great. Everyone in there is very nice and seem like a bunch of fun people. The locker room is active, although I would say just barely not as active as I think it needs to be. We just need to bring in a few more active people during this offseason and I think we may be where we want to be at in terms of the locker room. We’re all on the same page. We all know the goal, and we all know how to get there. It’s just going to take some time and effort. We’ll make it there eventually.
R: Sounds like a great place to be for players with a long term vision. I’m on the Chicago bandwagon already!
Q: Who are some elite players you emulate your game after, and why?
A: I think that the main person that I’ve been trying to mold my game towards is Osiris Firestorm-Fjord (HalfEatenOnionBagel). That’s going to be my partner in crime next season when I get to Chicago, since he’s the undisputed number one cornerback up there. He’s been helping me with my build a ton. I’ve also been getting some great advice from Bayley, who has a little bit of experience at corner in the past, with a retired cornerback who is in the Hall of Fame. I’ve also recently been gearing my game more towards the way that Matt Krause plays. After seeing how dominant he’s been on the field in Minnesota this season, I decided to try to progress like he does. He put some points into intelligence and just started picking balls off left and right, so I’m going to raise my intelligence soon, I think. They’re the experts, so I think that if I keep earning and building the way they say I should, I’ll be a lockdown corner in no time.
R: Those are definitely great guys to model your game after. Although, I imagine someday someone will be basing their game after your play!
Q: How do you feel about Chicago’s future, behind the leadership of Bayley and Muford?
A: Bayley and Muford are awesome. I know that Chicago has had their fair share of issues in the past, but we are in solid, solid hands. They’re friendly, talkative, smart, they work extremely hard, and perhaps most importantly, they appear to know what they’re doing. Those two only missed on one pick in the last draft, and I believe it was the 11th rounder that was taken just a few spots before me. They were able to find value at nearly every single choice in the draft. That is just so impressive to me. I didn’t know anything about them (or any other general managers, I suppose) when I got to Chicago, but I had a great first impression with them. Even though I was a very late pick, they kept in touch with me and treated me the same as they’d treat any other pick, I think. Even though I didn’t know anything about them, seeing other players on other teams rave about how much they liked them just confirmed the fact for me that I was in good hands.
R: As I said before, I really have a lot of respect and am inspired by the leadership in Chicago. Anyone who can take the situation they were given, and handle it with grace and a smile, is a winner in my book.
Q: Who is someone in the league you admire, or are inspired by?
A: I’ve been asked this at least once before, and my answer was Jango. That’s still 100 percent true, I do look up to Jango. But since I’ve talked about that, I’ll mention someone else this time. This time, I’ll say Daymond Brooks (Macho), for a few reasons. He was an extremely late pick in his DSFL draft, falling to 208, I believe. He was pretty much inactive for his first season, similar to me. He watched the next season’s DSFL draft, where our Minnesota Grey Ducks ended up choosing two wide receivers: the one and only Tychondrius Hood, and Kai Sakura. Two wide receivers who turned out to be bonafide max earners. After seeing this, and hearing Boomer mention something along the lines of “no hard feelings, but Brooks just hasn’t been what we needed”, he completely turned around. He hit the DSFL cap this season, and stayed out in front of both of you guys, even though you’re max earners. He was our primary receiver this season, tying the Minnesota Grey Ducks season/career receiving touchdown record with I think two games to go. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to snag the record. He actually got passed by you, Tychondrius Hood, who only had one touchdown through most of the season, if I remember correctly. You passed him and set the new receiving touchdown record, and he wasn’t upset in the slightest. We all felt bad for him, and poked fun about how he might be mad, but all he said was, “why would I be mad?” He was just happy for his teammate. One final reason I admire him is because of how talented he is with graphics. He pumps these things out like it’s nothing, and they are always so high quality. That’s not all though, he has made a lot of us Grey Ducks sigs, just randomly without even asking. I had never even mentioned a sig around him, and one day he pinged me in the discord server with two sigs. Isn’t that the coolest thing you’ve ever heard? He’s also probably the funniest person I’ve met in the league. And he has a cute little ass.
R: I’ll never forget the grace shown by Daymond when I passed him for the Grey Ducks single season and career receiving touchdown record. Truly a team player, the Hahalua are blessed to have a player like him waiting in the wings. Also one of the best graphics makers on the site, and don’t even think about DMing me about that.
Q: Is a hotdog a taco? Why or why not?
A: The classic conundrum. I’m going to say no. No shade towards hot dogs, but just because something is shaped like a taco doesn’t make it a taco. If you put ground beef, cheese, and lettuce inside of a hotdog bun, it’s still not a taco. The shell is a crucial piece to the taco equation. You can’t just replace the shell with some bread and expect to keep it the same identity.
R: I don’t agree with you, but I respect your firmness with your answer. Taco’s are hotdogs and vice versa, sorry.
Q: As you are leaving the Grey Ducks soon, is there anything you want to say to your GMs and teammates before you go?
A: Oh man, don’t remind me that I have to leave soon… When I joined the Grey Ducks, I never expected it to be such a tight knit group of people. You guys have honestly made me laugh so much, and just all around made my days better. Hanging out in the Grey Ducks locker room has been one of the most fun things of the quarantine. It’s so crazy to me that I didn’t join the locker room until my second season. I wish I could go back, just so that I could have some more time here with everyone. But I’d like to thank Dewalt for continuing to reach out to me through Discord DMs, even when I appeared to be inactive. Without that, I probably wouldn’t have come back this season. You guys have been an absolute joy to hang out with. I’ve loved my time here. I’ll still be in the Future Grey Ducks channel often, I’m sure, next season, and maybe I’ll pop in the voice chat during some of your guys’ games. Before I move on to Chicago, though, I think we still have some unfinished business to attend to in Minnesota. QUACK.
R: It has been an amazing and wild ride being a part of the Grey Ducks team this season, and with players like yourself on the team, it’s been nothing short of a blast. I wish you nothing but luck in the future, but for now, lets get two more DUBS! Thanks for doing this interview, it was a real treat to have you in!
(2501 words, please split evenly(50/50) between @Tylus and @TheCC
*Interview with Grey Duck Cornerback Tyron Shields - TheCC - 05-25-2020
Thanks for the interview, my dude! It's always fun talking with you.
*Interview with Grey Duck Cornerback Tyron Shields - Bayley - 05-25-2020
Fantastic interview here! Good work guys!
*Interview with Grey Duck Cornerback Tyron Shields - Blueline - 05-25-2020
Quack!
*Interview with Grey Duck Cornerback Tyron Shields - CLG Rampage - 05-25-2020
Calling me an elite GM is certainly an interesting tidbit.