The 'Brick Wall' Hits the Big Time
Adam Schefter's exclusive chat with the first Offensive Lineman off the board in the inaugural NSFL draft
Adam Schefter's exclusive chat with the first Offensive Lineman off the board in the inaugural NSFL draft
The first ever NSFL draft is in the books. Dreams have been fulfilled and hopes have been crushed. GM's have reached and stolen, and players are carrying high expectations or chips on their shoulders. The stage is set for the inaugural season of the National Sim Football League.
Ben Longshaw, a top Offensive Line prospect out of Northern Illinois leading into the draft, is happy to count himself among one of the players whose dreams were fulfilled on draft day.
*TV recording plays*
"With the 16th pick in the 2017 NSFL draft, the San Jose SaberCats select... Ben Longshaw, Offensive Line, Northern Illinois".
Despite his critics calling into question the level of competition he faced at Northern Illinois, Longshaw was the first offensive lineman off the board, beating out rivals from the likes of LSU, Texas A&M, and Ohio State. After being picked at the midway point of the third round, Longshaw wouldn't hear another offensive lineman's name called until the start of the fifth.
Today, I sat down with Ben and discussed the lead-up to the draft, his feelings on the big day, how he's settling in at San Jose and what he's expecting from his teammates and the rest of the league this season.
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Adam: Ben, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me today.
Ben: Thanks, Schef. It's my pleasure to be here.
Adam: I can imagine people have been trying to get a hold of you nonstop since the draft, but you've been fairly quiet in the media. What's been going on since the big day?
Ben: [Laughs] Yeah, the moment I put my SaberCat hat on I could feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. Honestly, everyone who mattered to me was with me on draft day, and I'd already gotten the call from @Perkules and @ckroyal92, so I just switched it off. I just wanted to enjoy the moment.
Adam: You certainly seemed to be having a good time. Every time a camera caught you there was a big smile on your face. What went down following your name being called?
Ben: Oh yeah, it was an incredible experience. I couldn't stop smiling even if I wanted to. Honestly, my cheeks are still sore! Well, as soon as the draft wrapped up I was at home as quick as I could get there, packed up my things and was on a plane to San Jose. I was the first one at the HP Pavilion Center and I got to greet the rest of the draftees as they turned up, and that will always be a special moment in my memory.
Adam: Talk me through the lead-up to the draft. The call from the SaberCats GM's -- was that your first contact with them? I know that there was a leaked scouting report of theirs, did that change your mentality at all? Had you spoken with any other teams behind closed doors?
Ben: It wasn't the first time I'd heard from them, no. I actually got in contact with @Perkules directly after the All-American Bowl. Jameis was playing for the opposition so I got to watch him while I was off the field, and I loved what I saw. Once the game was over and the interviews were done, I had my agent put me in touch with the SaberCats and I basically just told them, "Hey guys, I want to play for you". To be fair, I had seen the leaked scouting reports before I made the call so that gave me the confidence to reach out first. I'm not sure I would have done otherwise.
Adam: How did they respond to your call? And you gotta tell me, Ben, was there anyone else chasing you that you knew of?
Ben: [Laughs] I was hoping that would get by you. Yeah, Carson Shmyr, the GM of the Colorado Yeti, actually reached out to me the day after I declared for the draft. That was pretty special. There was a lot of talk in the media about scouts undervaluing me because I stayed local in college, and to have a GM call me straight away and say they wanted me, that just washed all the fear away. I knew I'd get picked from that point on and I was able to just enjoy the experience.
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That being said, I couldn't be happier to have landed in San Jose. And back to your other question, they were happy to hear from me. Like I said, the scouting report gave me the confidence boost to make the call, and sure enough when I rang, @Perkules just said, "Yeah, we want you too. Let's see how things shake out".
Adam: How does it feel to be the first Offensive Lineman off the board?
Ben: It feels great. It validates all the work I've done from the first day I picked up a football, and the first day I picked up a defensive lineman.
Adam: [Laughs] Evidently there's a couple of guys who would like to see you try that in the NSFL. 1st round pick J.J. Reigns (@Shaka) managed to get a few questions in during one your pre-draft pressers, and he seemed to be sizing you up. What're your thoughts on that?
Ben: Oh man, Reigns was one of the highlights of the draft for me. Everybody's saying Garden this and Garden that, and then the Otters pick Reigns and set the tone for a crazy draft. It was a lot of fun. I've got nothing against @Shaka at all, and he's probably the best guy on the DLine in the league at the moment, so I'm looking forward to putting my critics to bed against him. But off the field, I'm sure we'd get along. He does a lot for the popularity of the league, and that's big in these early days and something that every player who wants a career in the NSFL should value.
Adam: Well we know who you're looking forward to facing on defense, and I can only assume you don't want to see another team's offensive guys light it up, so who in your huddle are you hoping blows the lid off the competition this year?
Ben: Like I said before, I've got a soft sport for Jameis. Loved watching that guy play, and I'm gonna love blocking for him. But I've also got a lot of love for Shane Weston. @Symmetrik gets his name called out right at the halfway point of the draft, and you can tell he's excited but a little disappointed too. Half the guys are already gone. But man, from the moment he turned up in San Jose I just said "Jameis, make sure you throw that guy the ball, man!" He's got all the tools. I heard @Rich on the radio saying it's too soon to even talk about steals, but if I had to bet my signing bonus on a guy being labelled a steal at the end of the year, it'd be Weston.
Adam: Speaking of signing bonuses -- 3 years, $7.5 million total. How do you feel about that? If my sources are correct, the only guy earning more than you in the league on the Offensive Line is Jogn Floggity of the Yellowknife Wraiths. @Jogn signed a 3 year, $9 million deal today. Are you happy with the money you're making?
Ben: Oh, man, no question. I wasn't crossing out lines in my contract or adding a couple zeros to the end of the figures. I signed the first thing they put in front of me, and that's the contract that you've seen. I just wanna play football.
Adam: So league minimum for your next extension then?
Ben: [Laughs] I wouldn't go that far. No, in all seriousness it's never been about the money for me. I want to win our team and our fans the championship. I'm never going to hamstring our team with demands to be the highest paid guy because of my ego. That's not me. But the GM's know that it's about respect, too; you don't table a $500k/year offer unless it's something that the player has discussed with you previously, or unless you think he's worth the bare minimum.
Adam: You're obviously eager to win a championship for your team and the city of San Jose. Do you think it's possible in year one?
Ben: Absolutely. Nobody knows how things are going to go even between now and preseason. You can be sure some guys who were drafted will fade away. Some guys who were nobodies will become superstars. Some guys will get injured and some who looked like risks won't get so much as a scratch. The game's too unpredictable. Do we have the talent to win it? Absolutely. But so do five other teams in this league. Do I turn up to the training facility each day, look at my teammates and think we will win it? You know it. We've got a phenomenal group of guys out here. Will we win it? That's for the Football Gods to decide.
Adam: Ben, it's been a pleasure. I can't wait to see you out there doing your thing. Thanks for your time.
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589 words - ready for grading
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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]===========================================
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]===========================================