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+---- Thread: *The Endzone: The Man behind the Mac - Interview with Mac Mannheim, Linebacker, Unive (/showthread.php?tid=50127)
*The Endzone: The Man behind the Mac - Interview with Mac Mannheim, Linebacker, Unive - ACynicalGamer - 03-13-2024
*Disclaimer: Apologies I got a bit carried away here and this ended up being way longer than initially anticipated, wanted to do a bit more of an exploration of my players history and may have gone too deep, but hope you enjoy reading about his journey so far!
**If the 2x First Gen bonus is still a thing can I use it please - only other media I've produced was for the rookie task so I believe this should be valid (assuming it's still in place)
The Endzone: The Man behind the Mac - Interview with Mac Mannheim, Linebacker, University of Washington.
Host: "Whaaaaats up guys, it's ya boy, Emerson Rattler and welcome to a very special edition of The Endzone: Your number one spot for ISFL and DSFL news, rumours, discussion amd that sweet, sweet football discourse!! Today we have an exclusive interview with everyone's favourite Husky and one of the hottest prospects coming into draft season, it's weird to see him without Cheese, it's Mac Mannheim everybody!!"
Mac: "Ahahaha that's an awesome introduction, thanks Emerson, it's awesome to be here, really appreciate the opportunity to be on the show"
Host : "You appreciate the opportunity? Man, when my producer told me getting to sit down with you was a possibility I could not believe it, trust me, I'm more excited about this episode than you are!!"
Mac: "Ahh I dont know about all that man, I'm not normally good with this whole media thing but I've been a fan of the show for years so I just had to come on and talk ball with you"
Host: "Oh brother, I'm feeling the energy right now, this is gonna be a good one!! Right guys, before we get into it please make sure you drop a like below, subscribe to the channel if you're new, and don't be afraid to hit me up on twitter @TheEmerzone, I try to interact with as many of you guys as I can over there. What d'you reckon Mac, you on twitter, you into your socials?"
Mac: "Ahh man, socials aren't really my thing if I'm being honest, I dabble on twitter but more for news from the league than anything else"
Host: "Go ahead man, drop that handle"
Mac: "You can catch me @TheBiggestMac, but I'll warn you now, I don't post much!"
Host: "There's still time man, there's still time! Now thats an awesome handle, I gotta ask man because I've wanted to know ever since I realised it's a nickname...."
Mac: "Oh boy, here we go..."
Host: "Ahaha, yeah man, straight into the juicy stuff! Now your real name, like the name on your passport is Travis, correct?"
Mac: "Yes sir, Travis Jeffrey Mannheim"
Host: "So where does Mac come from?"
Mac: "Ahaha fair enough, I get the question a lot but I've got to give y'all the heads up, it's not as good a story as everyone expects it to be. I've gotta thank my boy Alejandro Tedesco for that one, we played ball together in high school and we were always tight. We'd practice together, train in the gym together, y'know how it is, all that good stuff. Anyway, one time, I think we must have been around Junior year in high school, and this was around the time I was tryna bulk up y'know, tryna get that weight on."
Host: "It's always bulking season for the football team!!"
Mac: "Ahaha for sure, for sure. So we were travelling somewhere, me, Alejandro and a couple of buddies, can't remember where, and I'd barely eaten that day so we pulled off the highway to grab a bite, right. Only place around was a McDonald's, and I didn't eat at McDonald's much so was kinda unsure what to get, y'know. Now I'd heard of a Big Mac right, because, y'know, who hasn't? And walked back to the car. Now this is where I struggle to explain the rest of the story, for some reason Alejandro just found this hysterical man, even he couldn't explain it. And then over the course of the next 10 minutes the other guys joined in, and it just devolved into jokes about me being fat and living off Big Macs. And no one can explain why, but it just stuck, from then on I was the fat kid in the group, whenever anyone would go past a McDonald's I'd get sent a selfie with the sign, and then, y'know, over time Big Mac became just Mac."
Host: "And you've been Mac ever since?"
Mac: "Yeah man, even my mom calls me Mac!!"
Host: "Ahahaha NO WAY!! That is wild man, so you bought a burger once and got called 'fat' and 'big mac' for the foreseeable future?"
Mac: "Ever since."
Host: "Well I gotta say man, that is not what I was expecting the story to be! Did it ever bother you? Were you ever like 'guys, come on, my name is Travis'?"
Mac: "Nah it never really bothered me to be honest, I knew the guys were just joshing around, it was never meant to be insulting, just dudes being dudes y'know"
Host: "Hell yeah man, that's awesome. So how often do you have a Big Mac?"
Mac: "Oh hardly ever man, can only have been a handful of times since that initial incident"
Host: "But still Mac?"
Mac: "Yeah man, thats what we're rolling with"
Host: "But absolutely nothing to do with mac and cheese?"
Mac: "Ahaha nah man, at least not that I know of, who even knows at this point! Mac and cheese over a big mac every day of the week though aha"
Host: "Aha yeah I feel ya, alright alright, ok I gotta get on to the meat of this before the comments start berating me, let's talk some ball!"
Mac: "Hell yeah man, let's do it"
Host: "So let's start at the beginning, what first drew you towards wanting to play football?"
Mac: "Oh man that's easy, my dad, no question"
Host: "Oh yeah? Your dad a big football guy?"
Mac: "Oh yeah, aha, oh yeah, not sure there's anything more in this world my dad loves more than football, except maybe KC barbecue"
Host: "Amd who can blame him?! That's what built America!!"
Mac: "Ahaha you ain't lying brother"
Host: "So go on, how has your dad featured in your football career so far?"
Mac: "He's everything to my career man, not sure I'd have one with him. My dad played back in the day, he played quarterback in college"
Host: "Oh yeah? Where'd he play?"
Mac: "Clemson"
Host: "Oh that's awesome"
Mac: "Yeah, he was good too, the guys I've spoken to who saw him play thought he was destined for the league"
Host: "Oh really, what happened?"
Mac: "He was in a car accident midway through his Junior year at college, think they were undefeated at the time, favourites to make the playoffs, that whole thing, something like that anyway"
Host: "Oh man, that's rough, and what? He just wasn't the same again?"
Mac: "Yeah man, he never walked again, he's been in a wheelchair ever since"
Host: "Oh Christ, I'm sorry to hear that man, that's awful"
Mac: "Yeah it hit him pretty hard I think, he doesn't like to talk about it much, if I'm being honest most of what I know about his playing career has come from talking to other people about him, even this many years on it's still pretty raw for him"
Host: "I can't even imagine, that's such a tragic story"
Mac: "Yeah man, so growing up hearing about what my dad had taken from him, hearing about how good he was from my uncles and my mom, it just made me look at him and the things guys like him can do with a ball with such awe"
Host: "Yeah sure man, that makes total sense. So you just started from there?"
Mac: "Yeah that was it really, I was hooked, I'd wait all week for redzone to start and me and my dad would just watch ball, he'd talk me through what he was seeing on the tv, the parts of the play I wouldn't have looked at otherwise, he showed me the insane detail football comes down to and I just couldn't get enough. If I wasn't out throwing a ball around I was watching tape, anything I could, whole game re-runs, player compilations, anything that was football and I was happy"
Host: "Who were your favourites to watch?"
Mac: "I watched who my dad watched, and his favourite tape of all time was Trevor Lawrence when he played at Clemson."
Host: "Trevor Lawrence? That's not who I was expecting you to say, not to take anything away from Trev, he had a quality career in the league, it's just not a common answer to that question. Sorry just had to get that in before the whole of Jacksonville come for me!"
Mac: "Ahaha yeah I know man, most people grew up watching Brady and Mahomes, I watched Trevor Lawrence and Joe Montana"
Host: "Ok, Joe's a bit more predictable. Why Lawrence?"
Mac: "I think there was an element of nostalgia there for my dad, I think the national title win is the first big ball game my dad remembers watching and he was rooting for 'the orange team', so I think he was just a fan from then"
Host: "Awesome man, that's awesome. So Lawrence and Montana? Ahhh I'm seeing a pattern here, that why you wear number 16?"
Mac: "Yes sir, number 16, worn by the prince who was promised, Joe Cool, and my dad"
Host: "And your dad aswell?"
Mac: "Yes sir"
Host: "So that's a pretty special number for you then?"
Mac: "Yeah of course, it reminds me of why I play the game, of what my dad lost, and of all the happy memories I have of watching and talking ball with my dad. It wouldn't feel right to play without it"
Host: "That's awesome man, appreciate you sharing that with us. Alright guys, we'll be right back to talk through Mac's ELECTRIC on field career, because you've had a pretty unusual path to where you are right now, is that correct?"
Mac: "Ahaha yeah I guess you could say that"
Host: "Not giving much away, I like it, I like it, right guys we'll be right back after this word from our sponsors"
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Host: "Right then man, let's get down into the nitty gritty of it"
Mac: "Oh brother, you sure know how to get a man interested in a conversation, let's go"
Host: "Ahaha I like to hear it man, so let's go back to day one, you used to play quarterback, is that right?"
Mac: "Yeah man, that's absolutely spot on, always wanted to be a QB"
Host: "And is that because of your pops?"
Mac: "Yeah exactly that, just felt like I owed it to my dad to give it a shot, see if I could achieve his dream"
Host: "That's awesome man, yeah I totally get that"
Mac: "So yeah, played QB through my first couple of years at high school"
Host: "Any good?"
Mac: "Well I thought so but I'm not a QB now am I ahaha"
Host: "Ahaha yeah fair enough"
Mac: "But yeah, my freshman year of highschool I was starting QB for the all freshman team, amd then I got a shot at varsity when Car broke his arm"
Host: "Who broke their arm? The varsity starting QB?"
Mac: "Yeah exactly that, Carson Hunt, it was brutal too, happened mid-game, heard the snap from the sideline"
Host: "Oh man stop, you're gonna make me hurl"
Mac: "Ahaha yeah man, it was proper gnarly, felt bad for the guy"
Host: "Yeah that's awful luck for him, silver linings for you though, you got your shot!'
Mac: "Yeah it was weird, I was excited man, I mean who wouldn't be, but I couldn't help but feel for the guy, strange position to be in that's for sure"
Host: "Yeah I can't even imagine, that's a bit of a conflict. So how was it, being the main man?"
Mac: "Oh I loved it man, I had so much fun. Just being a part of it all on that side of the ball, hands on the ball every snap, you just feel like, well you've said it, you do just feel like the main man, y'know"
Host: "For sure brother, for sure, that must have been awesome"
Mac: "Yeah it was man, and we did well, second half of my freshman year we got some decent results and things looked good going into my sophomore year, we felt good, the guys felt confident"
Host: "And as I understand you guys had a pretty successful year, is that right?"
Mac: "Yeah I'd say so, we went to and ended up winning a Missouri state championship game"
Host: "Oh man, that must have been awesome"
Mac: "Yeah man, that was just something else, unreal experience to go through with the guys, and it was an awesome group to do it with as well, couldn't have asked for better teammates"
Host: "Yeah I bet, but it wasn't all roses for you was it?"
Mac: "The team got the win man, that's what counts"
Host: "No of course man, but come on, you know that's not what I'm asking"
Mac: "Ahh go on then, ask your question"
Host: "So I heard despite your efforts throughout the season, it wasnt you that lead the team out for the championship game?"
Mac: "Yeah man, I picked up a knock down the stretch so Alejandro stepped in as a freshman"
Host: "Oh mad, so pretty similar situation to how you got your shot"
Mac: "Ahaha yeah man, thanks for that, the irony of the situation is not lost on me"
Host: "That must have been gutting"
Mac: "Yeah I was pissed I couldn't play, wanted nothing more than to go all the way on the field with those guys, but it just wasn't to be unfortunately. Couldn't have given the opportunity to a nicer guy though man, Alejandro is my boy, he's my guy, and I'll deny I ever said this, but my god was he talented"
Host: "Oh yeah?"
Mac: "Yeah man, he was just different, unreal athlete and just a gifted playmaker with the ball in his hands, I wanted to hate him man"
Host: "I gotta ask, was he better?"
Mac: "Oh yeah man, no question, I wish he wasn't and at the time it was a tough decision to take when he got the starting gig the next year but looking back on it, I cant argue with it, watching him play man, I'd drop me!!"
Host: "Ahaha love that man, there's definitely some maturity in that answer."
Mac: "Ahh man, I wish I could argue against it, but he was just the guy"
Host: "So what happened after that? That must have been pretty tough to take"
Mac: "Yeah it knocked me back for sure, confidence took a hit, wasn't sure what to do with myself really"
Host: "Yeah I can imagine man, so how did you end up switching sides of the ball?"
Mac: "That was coach man, that was entirely on coach, and I am forever grateful for the decision he made because it's what has given me this opportunity"
Host: "Oh yeah? How did that even come about? That must have been an interesting conversation"
Mac: "I was hesitant at first for sure, I wanted to be a QB man, my dad had been a QB, it was all I'd wanted, but to be fair to coach he was awesoke the whole way through"
Host: "So how did it end uo going down?"
Mac: "So coach pulled me into the office at some time in the week after the championship game"
Host: "Straight after the game?"
Mac: "Yeah man, it was a few days I think, and he just sat me down and was like 'You know I love what you do for the team, you know I love your passion, but I gotta be honest with you champ, we're gonna give Alejandro the starting job next year'. And I was just like, sh** man, what the f*** do I do now, started spiraling in my head, y'know, just didnt know what to do. But he continued, and he was like 'I've had a chat with some of the other guys, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and with the way you read the game we want to give you a shot at safety next year'.
I'll be honest man, I thought he was joking, I was just sat there like, you can't be serious, I'm a QB, I'm gonna play QB, let me win the job back. But the more we sat and talked about it the more I was just like, coach knows what's best, if he thinks it's best for the team for me to give safety a shot then f*** it man, I'll give safety a shot"
Host: "Ahahaha thats awesome man, and that was that, you were converted to the dark side?"
Mac: "Yeah man, I worked with the defensive guys all summer, watched as much tape on defensive guys as I could, y'know the old school boys Kam, Earl and Sean Taylor, Minkah and Antoine Winfield Jr, I think I must have watched everyone that had been an All-pro at safety since 2000 that summer"
Host: "That summer?! Holy sh** man thats an insane amount of tape"
Mac: "Ahaha yeah man, if I wasn't training I was watching tape, just like 3 months solid"
Host: "Christ man, that's one hell of a grind. So then what? You were a convert?"
Mac: "Yeah man, that first practice of my junior year, that first big hit I was like 'Oh ok, yeah I get it, this is awesome', playing safety I just got to fly around, 100% all the time and I had a blast man, it was awesome"
Host: "And so you played safety your last 2 years of highschool?"
Mac: "Yeah pretty much, coach moved me around a bit my senior year, played mostly at safety but had some snaps as more of a linebacker, dropped into the slot sometimes, just whatever coach wanted me to do"
Host: "And then you were a 3 star recruit end of high school, is that right?"
Mac: "Ahhh man, yeah apparently, I'm still not happy about that"
Host: "What d'you mean?"
Mac: "3 out of 5 man? Like come on, that's 60%, that's like what, a D, maybe a C at a push?"
Host: "Ahahaha you know that's not how it works right?"
Mac: "Yeah I know man, I was just, nah man, still gets to me"
Host: "Fair enough, can't fault the competitiveness. Then your recruitment wasn't simple either, is that right?"
Mac: "Ahahaha why you worded it like that, making me sound like hard work or something"
Host: "Well it does seem like you've had hurdles at every step!"
Mac: "Yeah man, I guess that's true, I'd never really considered that before. But yeah, I guess you could say it was a little dramatic, got my first offer through from Stanford and that was it for a while, and I was determined to wait for a big programme, not anything against Stanford or anything but I was dreaming of Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Clemson, y'know, the big fish"
Host: "Yeah man, totally get that, everyone wants to go to the top spot they can"
Mac: "Yeah exactly man, so I waited, and I waited, and just no other offers were coming through man, so I sat down with my dad and he was like 'Look buddy, you've got an offer, this still gives you a shot, let's just take it', and so I took it. And then, as soon as I hung up the phone, literally like half an hour later, I got a call from the boss at Washington, and I was just like, nah man, I gotta get in here, I gotta get this shot. So I ended up de-committing from Stanford, and then that was that really, I was a Husky"
Host: "I gotta say man, you look good in the purple and gold"
Mac: "Ahaha hell yeah brother"
Host: "We'll get into your time at college after this word from our sponsors"
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Host: "Right then, college, was it all it's painted out to be?"
Mac: "Oh man, my time at college was awesome, I loved every second of it, if you get me reminiscing too much I might have to go back for another year!"
Host: "Ahahaha, that's wild brother, surely you'd rather go to the league?"
Mac: "Yeah of course man, I can't wait to get things going, I'll just always look back on my time at college with a different perspective, y'know"
Host: "For sure man, I'm with you. Now if I'm not mistaken, you were recruited as a safety, correct?"
Mac: "Yessir, safety out of highschool, played solely as a safety in my freshman year, then coach decided he wanted to mix things up once I'd packed some size on"
Host: "That was my next question, how'd you transition to LB from there?"
Mac: "If I'm being honest I was never the most athletic kid, even through high school there were always dudes that were bigger than me, faster than me, stronger than me. So while I wasn't playing a huge amount in my freshman year, I decided I was going to maximise the athleticism I did have. So I got in the gym, well, lived in the gym really, learnt what I could about resistance training, exercise physiology, nutrition, that kinda stuff. And then once I'd packed some size on coach got me repping with the linebackers in practice throughout my sophomore year, don't think I played many game snaps as a linebacker that year, mostly as a safety still, but towards the end of the yesr and into my junior year coach decided he wanted me to play linebacker instead, so that's exactly what I did"
Host: "Oh nice, looking at you now you don't look like you were a skinny kid!"
Mac: "Aha thanks man, that means a lot, but trust me, I definitely was"
Host: "Did much change when you moved to linebacker? Were practices much different?"
Mac: "Oh man, those first few weeks I felt like a freshman again, there was so much new stiff to get to terms with!"
Host: "Oh yeah? Was there one thing that stands out more than the rest looking back?"
Mac: "Oh gotta be the getting off blocks/pass rushing stuff, like granted I had some experience of being used as a blitzer, but half the time you're blitzing it's disguised or there's an overload on one side, yknow, straight up beating a man who's trying to block you one on one is a totally different ball game, there was a lot of learning to be done there, for sure"
Host: "Oh that's true, I hadn't considered that being all that different but now you mention it that makes a lot of sense! How did you get around that? Just reps or anything more specific?"
Mac: "There was definitely an element of just getting experience in those situations for sure, but the biggest thing for me was grabbing a couple of the big guys after practice and just getting them to go through hand usage and leverage techniques with me, like some of those guys have been doing this stuff for years so I found their insight really useful"
Host: "Oh that's awesome, did your coach set that up for you guys?"
Mac: "Nah man, I just went up to them, said something along the lines of 'any chance you'll go through some stuff with me for half an hour? Chicken sandwiches on me after" or something and they were in! It was awesome for them to go out their way to help me man, can't fault those guys"
Host: "Ahahaha no way! Crazy man, I think you've cracked it though, the way to the big guy's hearts is definitely through their stomachs"
Mac: "Man those guys can eat, I swear, at one point I thought I was gonna have to sell my car just to fund the sandwiches!"
Host: "Big men, big eats brother, always the way"
Mac: "But yeah, I love my time at college man, such a community, such a connection with the fans, I'm looking forward to the league for sure but I feel like my time as a Husky will always have a special place in my heart"
Host: "Yeah I get that man, college crowds are just something else"
Mac: "For sure man, we had some top top dudes in the locker room as well, it was just an awesome experience and I owe this opportunity to each and every one of them, and of course to coach man, what a man"
Host: "That's awesome to hear boss, love that, I know you guys up in Washington have a reputation for being a close locker room so it's good to hear that holds up. Did you notice any other changes moving to linebacker?"
Mac: "Not really if I'm being honest, obviously theres more of a focus in the run hut I'd like to think I've always been a pretty physicall football player so the coming up and hitting guys didn't really change, I guess the ehole gap assignment thing was new and I had to really work on my discipline for that, learn to stick to my job and let the guys around me do their thing too, but the coverage stuff was all pretty much the same"
Host: "Nice man, would you go back to safety if you could?"
Mac: "Hmmm, good question, I dont think so, I mean I'd be pretty happy playing wherever the team needed me to, but linebacker has really suited me these last few years, if I had to move I'd rather go back to safety than start something new, but ultimately I'll do what the team need me to do, whatever gives us the best chance of winning man, if I can get a championship then who cares if I was playing linebacker, safety, defensive end, whatever, hell I'll kick the damn ball if it will get me a title ahaha"
Host: "So winning comes first?"
Mac: "Come on man, is that a serious question?"
Host: "Hey I'm just doing my job man!"
Mac: "Yeah of course winning come first, winning comes first, second, third! If I was in this for just myself I'd still be trying to play quarterback!"
Host: "Ahahaha yeah I guess thats true huh, right Mac, it's been a pleasure, anything else you want the guys and girl at home to know before we wrap thsi thing up?"
Mac: "I don't think so man, just know if your team drafts me, I'm gonna give my all every single play I'm on the field, hopefully that becomes obvious to you fans out there pretty quickly, that's about it aha, see you out there"
Host: "Mac, thanks very much for joining us on The Endzone today, it's been awesome having you on the show"
Mac: "It's been an absolute pleasure Emerson, any time!"
Host: "Ladies and gents at home, drop a like if you enjoyed the episode, dont forget to subscribe if you're new, and we'll see you back here next week, I'm Emerson Rattler, amd this has been The Endzone, catch you on the flipside!"