Ready to be graded (1213 words)
I got a chance to sit down with Rookie Palm Beach safety Quentin Sinclair after his first season to ask him about his first DSFL season what's next and got to learn more about him.
How do you feel your first DSFL season went?
QS: I feel like I did a lot of growing this season. Obviously it didn't turn out how we wanted but I'm lucky that I'm even in the league. So many guys come out of college and try to make a living in this league and can't. I didn't even start playing football until about four or five years ago so just being in this position is a blessing. I love my fellow players and GMs for helping me grow as a player and a person.
So obviously Palm Beach didn't do too well this season, what do you attribute that to?
QS: Well it wasn't the players or the GMs that's for sure. Every player in that locker room is a great player and an even better person and the GMs are awesome. I don't know if I'm supposed to share this but when we going through our slump one of our GM's came in and offered to trade us to another team if we were unhappy. For a GM to take the player's wants over the immediate success of the team told me all I needed to know about this team. The GMs were always there to answer any questions we had and my fellow teammates were always supportive of everyone. If I had to give one reason for our lackluster record it would be that we were a new team. We only had 1 draft to fill an entire roster and that's a herculean task for anyone. The fact that we won any games is a testament to how hard we worked all season and the preparation that our GMs put into the draft. I can only hope that my NSFL team is this well run.
Speaking of the NSFL, where do you see yourself next year?
QS: I honestly don't know, if my [NSFL] team has a spot for me I'll be ready to jump in and play my heart out. That being said I would love to come back to Palm Beach for another season and show everyone what we can do. I feel like I disappointed the fans and want another chance to come back and show them that their faith in me was not misplaced.
Do you have any specific team you want to be drafted by?
QS: Well I'd love for any team to draft me but if I was able to choose I would have to choose Orange County. I grew up on the border of Orange and Los Angeles counties so to be able to play for the home town team would be a dream come true, as well as being able to be stay close to family and friends. Plus the warm weather is also a big selling point, especially after living in Wisconsin for four years.
Where do you see yourself going in the draft?
QS: *laughs* last time I tried to guess when I would get drafted I was way off so I have no idea. The only difference now is that people know what to expect from me. I'll go out there and leave it all out on the field. I think going so late in the DSFL draft was a nice wake up call. It taught me to not be complacent and to work as hard as I can. Now I'll do everything I can, even the stuff that only improves my game one or two percent because that stuff adds up. So my mentality going into the draft is just to be happy wherever I end up going. So many guys, including myself not even a year ago, work hard to prove their doubters wrong. I think that's the wrong approach. It may get them to their goal but many of those players end up unhappy. More players should work to prove their supporters right. Anger is a good motivator but love is a better one.
That's some good advice, do you have any other things to say to any NSFL hopefuls out there?
QS: Yeah, it's never too late to start. I played rugby up until college and never picked up a football until my first day of practice. The most important thing is to start now. The more time you have to learn the game and perfect it, the better the odds you have of making it to the next level. It's also important to be able to take criticism. Some of it may just be noise to discourage you but a good amount of it will be legitimate. You can never be too good at something. Being able to take and act upon legitimate criticism is a trait every great player has to have.
Who do you model your game after?
Probably Eric Weddle. He's getting up there in years but his days in San Diego were underrated in my opinion. Just being able to watch him as I was growing up and seeing how he played was really attractive to me. My favorite part of his game is the mental aspect, he's able to get everyone into position based on the opposing offense and that's something I strive to be able to do.
You grew up in Southern California right? Was there any difficulties moving from one coast to the other?
QS: Well I was born in Christchurch in New Zealand and moved to Long Beach when I was young. Long Beach and Palm Beach aren't too different weather wise. But holy cow Palm Beach is way smaller than Long Beach and I love it. The small population makes it so I always feel at home. Long Beach had over 400,000 people and everything just felt less personal than it does in Palm Beach. Not that I dislike Long Beach at all, there are advantages to living in a large city but Palm Beach is just more suited for me.
You grew up being a rugby player, what made you switch to football?
Well after I graduated high school I had initially planned to move back to New Zealand to play for the All Blacks. It turns out that I was ineligible to play right away so I went to college here in the states and picked up football to keep in shape. I fell in love with the game and after being denied again by the All Blacks I decided to pursue a career in football and I love it so far.
What was the biggest hurdle transitioning from rugby to football?
QS: Honestly it was putting all my effort out there in every play. In rugby union, there are no downs. The play is always live so I was used to being as efficient as possible while on the field to be able to make it through the whole game. When I started playing football my coaches yelled at me for my "poor effort" and it was hard to train myself to give it my all every play of the game because I was so used to conserving my energy.
Well I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions
QS: Of course, any time.
I got a chance to sit down with Rookie Palm Beach safety Quentin Sinclair after his first season to ask him about his first DSFL season what's next and got to learn more about him.
How do you feel your first DSFL season went?
QS: I feel like I did a lot of growing this season. Obviously it didn't turn out how we wanted but I'm lucky that I'm even in the league. So many guys come out of college and try to make a living in this league and can't. I didn't even start playing football until about four or five years ago so just being in this position is a blessing. I love my fellow players and GMs for helping me grow as a player and a person.
So obviously Palm Beach didn't do too well this season, what do you attribute that to?
QS: Well it wasn't the players or the GMs that's for sure. Every player in that locker room is a great player and an even better person and the GMs are awesome. I don't know if I'm supposed to share this but when we going through our slump one of our GM's came in and offered to trade us to another team if we were unhappy. For a GM to take the player's wants over the immediate success of the team told me all I needed to know about this team. The GMs were always there to answer any questions we had and my fellow teammates were always supportive of everyone. If I had to give one reason for our lackluster record it would be that we were a new team. We only had 1 draft to fill an entire roster and that's a herculean task for anyone. The fact that we won any games is a testament to how hard we worked all season and the preparation that our GMs put into the draft. I can only hope that my NSFL team is this well run.
Speaking of the NSFL, where do you see yourself next year?
QS: I honestly don't know, if my [NSFL] team has a spot for me I'll be ready to jump in and play my heart out. That being said I would love to come back to Palm Beach for another season and show everyone what we can do. I feel like I disappointed the fans and want another chance to come back and show them that their faith in me was not misplaced.
Do you have any specific team you want to be drafted by?
QS: Well I'd love for any team to draft me but if I was able to choose I would have to choose Orange County. I grew up on the border of Orange and Los Angeles counties so to be able to play for the home town team would be a dream come true, as well as being able to be stay close to family and friends. Plus the warm weather is also a big selling point, especially after living in Wisconsin for four years.
Where do you see yourself going in the draft?
QS: *laughs* last time I tried to guess when I would get drafted I was way off so I have no idea. The only difference now is that people know what to expect from me. I'll go out there and leave it all out on the field. I think going so late in the DSFL draft was a nice wake up call. It taught me to not be complacent and to work as hard as I can. Now I'll do everything I can, even the stuff that only improves my game one or two percent because that stuff adds up. So my mentality going into the draft is just to be happy wherever I end up going. So many guys, including myself not even a year ago, work hard to prove their doubters wrong. I think that's the wrong approach. It may get them to their goal but many of those players end up unhappy. More players should work to prove their supporters right. Anger is a good motivator but love is a better one.
That's some good advice, do you have any other things to say to any NSFL hopefuls out there?
QS: Yeah, it's never too late to start. I played rugby up until college and never picked up a football until my first day of practice. The most important thing is to start now. The more time you have to learn the game and perfect it, the better the odds you have of making it to the next level. It's also important to be able to take criticism. Some of it may just be noise to discourage you but a good amount of it will be legitimate. You can never be too good at something. Being able to take and act upon legitimate criticism is a trait every great player has to have.
Who do you model your game after?
Probably Eric Weddle. He's getting up there in years but his days in San Diego were underrated in my opinion. Just being able to watch him as I was growing up and seeing how he played was really attractive to me. My favorite part of his game is the mental aspect, he's able to get everyone into position based on the opposing offense and that's something I strive to be able to do.
You grew up in Southern California right? Was there any difficulties moving from one coast to the other?
QS: Well I was born in Christchurch in New Zealand and moved to Long Beach when I was young. Long Beach and Palm Beach aren't too different weather wise. But holy cow Palm Beach is way smaller than Long Beach and I love it. The small population makes it so I always feel at home. Long Beach had over 400,000 people and everything just felt less personal than it does in Palm Beach. Not that I dislike Long Beach at all, there are advantages to living in a large city but Palm Beach is just more suited for me.
You grew up being a rugby player, what made you switch to football?
Well after I graduated high school I had initially planned to move back to New Zealand to play for the All Blacks. It turns out that I was ineligible to play right away so I went to college here in the states and picked up football to keep in shape. I fell in love with the game and after being denied again by the All Blacks I decided to pursue a career in football and I love it so far.
What was the biggest hurdle transitioning from rugby to football?
QS: Honestly it was putting all my effort out there in every play. In rugby union, there are no downs. The play is always live so I was used to being as efficient as possible while on the field to be able to make it through the whole game. When I started playing football my coaches yelled at me for my "poor effort" and it was hard to train myself to give it my all every play of the game because I was so used to conserving my energy.
Well I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions
QS: Of course, any time.