The National Simulation Football League's ninth season is now in the books. The Colorado Yeti made the playoffs for only the second time in their short history, having last done so in the league's inaugural season, the year when they lost in the championship game to the Arizona Outlaws.
To celebrate the team's success, reflect on the season that was and look forward to the season to come, we decided to sit down with the Yeti's star wide receiver and one of the team's captains, Howard Miller.
Q. Howard, thanks for taking the time to speak with me today. I'm sure you must be busy preparing for next season.
A. It's my pleasure. Absolutely, there's a lot going on at the moment as the team prepares to make another playoff push next season. But it's nice to get away from it all every now and then. We do need to take some breaks!
Q. First of all, congratulations on such a successful season. Not just for the team, but for you personally.
A. Thank you, I appreciate that. It was a real thrill to be a part of the team that took Colorado back to playoffs after such a long drought for the team. Even though we lost, the city was buzzing, and there's a real atmosphere of excitement around for the upcoming season, too.
Q. It was incredible to witness even as an outsider. The win against Yellowknife to secure your spot, but then taking it one further and beating Orange County on your home turf to cap off the year - what a great couple of weeks for fans of the game, and fans of the Yeti in particular.
A. Yeah, it was surreal, to be honest. We were only two seasons removed from my rookie year when we didn't win a game. And it wasn't so long ago that we'd lost 30 in a row. It felt like being on a completely different team.
Q. It must have been a great feeling after the disappointment of your rookie season.
A. Honestly, I knew what I was in for my rookie season. It wasn't fun, but I had resigned myself to focusing on getting better and not worrying about the scores. In truth, I was way happier for the guys who have been here long-term, and really seen some s*#t. I only suffered through one bad season before we turned it around.
Q. You mention focusing on getting better - that certainly seems to have paid off. You've taken great strides forward in your second and third years in the league. The most reason was your best statistically by every metric, and of course in terms of league success. What do you attribute your improvement to?
A. It's cliché, but honestly, just working hard. I'm always one of the first - if not the first - to practice, I watch a heap of tape, I look after myself and I really just live football for most of the year.
Q. Well, it certainly seems that this regime works for you. In Season 9 you had 77 receptions, over 1300 yards with a yards-per-catch average of 17.5, and 6 touchdowns.
A. Yeah, it was definitely a good year for me. There were some PBs in there for sure. I think I can do much better, though.
Q. Well, to put things in context, you had the third-most yards in the league, second-best yards-per-catch, and were in the top 10 for receptions and touchdowns.
A. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with how the season went. But looking around the league at guys like Crush hauling in 17 touchdown passes and over 1500 yards, I can't say I'm satisfied with where I'm at right now.
Q. I can see you've certainly got that drive that great players often speak about. Is there anything else that pushes you to continue to compete at this level?
A. I mean, apart from wanting to better than the rest of the guys around the league, it definitely helps to have Dwayne to go up against, too. The moment I knew I was going to Colorado I wanted to be the number one option for their quarterback. Dwayne was their established starter, and wanting to beat him out really made me train harder than I ever have before.
Q. And is there any animosity between the two of you?
A. No, not at all. Dwayne is a team guy through and through. He was probably happier than anyone else on the roster with how these last two seasons have gone. He was going crazy when I made plays against the Wraiths and was basically my hype man. Plus, if I draw all the attention from the good defensive backs, it makes his life a lot easier.
Q. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear you say that. Now, looking forward to the upcoming draft and the season, what are your expectations for the team? Your new general manager, Scott Michaels, has made some intriguing moves so far this offseason. It looks as though the team is preparing for a big playoff push this season. What are your thoughts?
A. I mean, the draft is a bit of write-off, seeing as we've only got the one pick. But I like the moves we've made to strengthen our roster and take a shot while our defence has its foundation players here. I think Saint is going to be one of the next foundation guys to leave the league, and some of the guys around him are in their twilight years too. Our offence is young, and I think we'll build up another good roster again before the day comes that guys like myself or Applehort slow down, but this is definitely the last window for our veterans on the other side of the ball. I'm glad we're taking a shot, and I think this could really be our year...
To celebrate the team's success, reflect on the season that was and look forward to the season to come, we decided to sit down with the Yeti's star wide receiver and one of the team's captains, Howard Miller.
Q. Howard, thanks for taking the time to speak with me today. I'm sure you must be busy preparing for next season.
A. It's my pleasure. Absolutely, there's a lot going on at the moment as the team prepares to make another playoff push next season. But it's nice to get away from it all every now and then. We do need to take some breaks!
Q. First of all, congratulations on such a successful season. Not just for the team, but for you personally.
A. Thank you, I appreciate that. It was a real thrill to be a part of the team that took Colorado back to playoffs after such a long drought for the team. Even though we lost, the city was buzzing, and there's a real atmosphere of excitement around for the upcoming season, too.
Q. It was incredible to witness even as an outsider. The win against Yellowknife to secure your spot, but then taking it one further and beating Orange County on your home turf to cap off the year - what a great couple of weeks for fans of the game, and fans of the Yeti in particular.
A. Yeah, it was surreal, to be honest. We were only two seasons removed from my rookie year when we didn't win a game. And it wasn't so long ago that we'd lost 30 in a row. It felt like being on a completely different team.
Q. It must have been a great feeling after the disappointment of your rookie season.
A. Honestly, I knew what I was in for my rookie season. It wasn't fun, but I had resigned myself to focusing on getting better and not worrying about the scores. In truth, I was way happier for the guys who have been here long-term, and really seen some s*#t. I only suffered through one bad season before we turned it around.
Q. You mention focusing on getting better - that certainly seems to have paid off. You've taken great strides forward in your second and third years in the league. The most reason was your best statistically by every metric, and of course in terms of league success. What do you attribute your improvement to?
A. It's cliché, but honestly, just working hard. I'm always one of the first - if not the first - to practice, I watch a heap of tape, I look after myself and I really just live football for most of the year.
Q. Well, it certainly seems that this regime works for you. In Season 9 you had 77 receptions, over 1300 yards with a yards-per-catch average of 17.5, and 6 touchdowns.
A. Yeah, it was definitely a good year for me. There were some PBs in there for sure. I think I can do much better, though.
Q. Well, to put things in context, you had the third-most yards in the league, second-best yards-per-catch, and were in the top 10 for receptions and touchdowns.
A. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with how the season went. But looking around the league at guys like Crush hauling in 17 touchdown passes and over 1500 yards, I can't say I'm satisfied with where I'm at right now.
Q. I can see you've certainly got that drive that great players often speak about. Is there anything else that pushes you to continue to compete at this level?
A. I mean, apart from wanting to better than the rest of the guys around the league, it definitely helps to have Dwayne to go up against, too. The moment I knew I was going to Colorado I wanted to be the number one option for their quarterback. Dwayne was their established starter, and wanting to beat him out really made me train harder than I ever have before.
Q. And is there any animosity between the two of you?
A. No, not at all. Dwayne is a team guy through and through. He was probably happier than anyone else on the roster with how these last two seasons have gone. He was going crazy when I made plays against the Wraiths and was basically my hype man. Plus, if I draw all the attention from the good defensive backs, it makes his life a lot easier.
Q. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear you say that. Now, looking forward to the upcoming draft and the season, what are your expectations for the team? Your new general manager, Scott Michaels, has made some intriguing moves so far this offseason. It looks as though the team is preparing for a big playoff push this season. What are your thoughts?
A. I mean, the draft is a bit of write-off, seeing as we've only got the one pick. But I like the moves we've made to strengthen our roster and take a shot while our defence has its foundation players here. I think Saint is going to be one of the next foundation guys to leave the league, and some of the guys around him are in their twilight years too. Our offence is young, and I think we'll build up another good roster again before the day comes that guys like myself or Applehort slow down, but this is definitely the last window for our veterans on the other side of the ball. I'm glad we're taking a shot, and I think this could really be our year...
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[div align=center][SELECT style="background-color:maroon; color:white; font-family:Arial; font-size: 12px; width: 400px; "][br]
[OPTION]Scott Michaels || Colorado Yeti General Manager || #YetiNoises
[OPTION]Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION] NSFL Regular Season Record
[OPTION] S9: 3 - 1
[OPTION] S10: 9 - 5
[OPTION] S11: 8 - 6
[OPTION] S12: 6 - 8
[OPTION] S13: 8 - 6
[OPTION] Career: 34 - 26 (.567)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]NSFL Playoff Record
[OPTION] S9: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S10: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S11: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S12: DNQ
[OPTION] S13: 1 - 1
[OPTION] Career: 1 - 4 (.200)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION] DSFL Regular Season Record
[OPTION] S8: 10 - 4
[OPTION] S9: 9 - 5
[OPTION] Career: 19 - 9 (.792)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]DSFL Playoff Record
[OPTION]S8: 1 - 1
[OPTION]S9 0 - 1
[OPTION] Career: 1 - 2 (.333)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Accolades
[OPTION]S11 NSFL GM of the Year
[OPTION]S9 DSFL NFCN Division Champions
[OPTION]S8 DSFL NFC Conference Champions
[OPTION]S8 DSFL NFCN Division Champions
[OPTION]===========================================
Update Page
[div align=center][/align]
[div align=center][SELECT style="background-color:maroon; color:white; font-family:Arial; font-size: 12px; width: 400px; "][br]
[OPTION]Scott Michaels || Colorado Yeti General Manager || #YetiNoises
[OPTION]Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION] NSFL Regular Season Record
[OPTION] S9: 3 - 1
[OPTION] S10: 9 - 5
[OPTION] S11: 8 - 6
[OPTION] S12: 6 - 8
[OPTION] S13: 8 - 6
[OPTION] Career: 34 - 26 (.567)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]NSFL Playoff Record
[OPTION] S9: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S10: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S11: 0 - 1
[OPTION] S12: DNQ
[OPTION] S13: 1 - 1
[OPTION] Career: 1 - 4 (.200)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION] DSFL Regular Season Record
[OPTION] S8: 10 - 4
[OPTION] S9: 9 - 5
[OPTION] Career: 19 - 9 (.792)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]DSFL Playoff Record
[OPTION]S8: 1 - 1
[OPTION]S9 0 - 1
[OPTION] Career: 1 - 2 (.333)
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Accolades
[OPTION]S11 NSFL GM of the Year
[OPTION]S9 DSFL NFCN Division Champions
[OPTION]S8 DSFL NFC Conference Champions
[OPTION]S8 DSFL NFCN Division Champions
[OPTION]===========================================