(S8) - Weekend PT 2 - New Places

[37thchamber]

Antoine Delacour was never really in any danger of leaving Baltimore this offseason. "I had considered a move," he admits, "but after the death of the boss man, and all the changes we have in the front office, it wouldn't have felt right." However, this doesn't mean he has not made any changes. With Gekko's death, Hawks defensive captain Kurt Hendrix is now a changed man, and Delacour has shown a great willingness to step up into a more prominent leadership role.

"I'm not really sure what I need to do if I'm honest, I just try to do what needs to be done, and hope the guys follow." The Baltimore cornerback reveals. "It seems to be working." With his career entering its downturn, the six-time Pro Bowler and former defensive player of the year accepts that he has three, maybe four seasons of effective play left, and has signed an extension with the Hawks that will likely see him stay in black and gold through to the end of his career, though has also agreed to a team option, and has confirmed to the team's coaching staff that he is willing to play whatever role they feel best, if it benefits the team. "Not much has changed yet, but it could be in the near future." Says Delacour. "Whatever it takes to put this team over."

[GoonerBear]

Kolby Deringer's transition to the DSFL has drawn him to move to Kansas City, a place not terribly far away from his hometown of Marshall and alma mater in Austin, though a different culture still. One tip he's had to keep in mind as he eats out in the community is to not openly compare Kansas City barbecue to Texas. Even if he could win, he can't afford to chance starting a fight.

The steaming, muggy summers were already a part of life, and that has been somewhat comforting to Deringer he already has a feel for the climate. Another similarity stems from the Missouri River. Deringer has been out boating on two occasions on the river since his arrival, similar to outings in college north a ways to the Brazos River.

KC has also shown a vice Deringer needs to remain aware of and curb where possible - gambling. With riverboat casinos legal in the state of Missouri, Deringer may indulge the itch from time to time, though his family has always warned him of it, as though it were a demon lingering over the house. It had not helped his family lived in Louisiana for some time before their move, a state filled with as many casinos as a man could desire to visit. He is at least mindful enough to avoid sports gambling as a matter of ethical principal.

The opportunity to finally strike out on his own has opened up all the opportunity he has ever wanted...as well as the shadows of everything he could crave. Kansas City will offer plenty of both.

[Moosecop]

After the dust had settled from the DSFL Draft, Bucky Barnes had some packing to do... or did he? Barnes had entered the league in Season 7 as a waiver pick up by the San Antonio Marshals, far away from his home in Brooklyn or his alma mater Penn State, and had gotten the call that he'd been selected in the Season 8 draft to... the San Antonio Marshals. That was one of the biggest reliefs for the young safety as he doesn't enjoy the constant moving around that he thought would for sure come with being a d-league player. He's finally able to officially settle into his apartment in San Antonio for at least another full season and really get his bearings for the city. Not only that, but he had grown very fond of the team, staff, and ownership in his short time there and to know that they believed in him back was a great realization.

[kckolbe]

Last season, Fitzpatrick had the job of playing backup to Michael Vick, the three season starter for the San Antonio Marshals. Vick was a horrible QB, but he was the starter, which meant that he took the blame when the Marshals lost both their season game that could have given them home field in the playoffs, then again when the Marshals lost in the playoffs to Tijuana. In addition, he had a pretty decent grasp of the receivers’ speed, and was able to connect with them on some big plays. Add in his ability to make plays with his running speed, and Vick was a big play machine. Unfortunately for him, a lot of his big plays were huge mistakes. Sacks, fumbles, and interceptions were too common. After convincing coaches he could do better, he is now being given the chance as the full-time QB, and any losses will now be on his shoulders. In addition, he'll have to build chemistry with both old and new wide receivers.

[dropbear]

This being Howard Miller’s second year in the NSFL and second year with Colorado Yeti, he hasn’t had to make a geographical move. Instead, after being elevated into a leadership position on the team, Miller has found that he has had to move from the comfort of being a rookie to the pressure of being a leader in the locker room. Although the move was a daunting one, and expectations are high given the team’s accrual of new, young talent and their recent history of a severe lack of success, Miller has nonetheless enjoyed the shift into a role where he can lead from the front and motivate the guys around him to reach their potential. There’s a shift underway in Colorado, and it’s starting with the players and front office staff at the top. Miller hopes this reinvigoration can spread throughout the locker room and lead to the team snapping their losing streak.

[Ben]

As many people found out the hard way during their fantasy drafts, Ardie Savea has transitioned from running back to tight end. A player who might have been a good value pick as a TE will now be seen as a fantasy bust due to his high ADP.
His skills as a pass catching back should translate to the passes being caught in the short to intermediate routes from Borkus Maximus III. In talks with team management Ardie Savea was open to switching to which ever position would help the team the most. One option looked at was swapping to the defensive side of the ball as a line backer or safety. Ardie Savea's skills as a rugby player could be taken advantage of as a multi skilled athlete, since Ardie has continued to play rugby during the NSFL offseason.
In the end the best option for NOLA was to get as many offensive weapons on the field as possible for Borkus Maximus III to utilise.

[Renrut]

[speculadora]

Link to original in case there's any questions about what I actually did other than add some text

[PaytonM34]

Brian Mills announced this past week that he was going to be stepping down as GM for the Tijuana Luchadores. Living in Tijuana since being drafted by them in the S5 DSFL draft was a life changing opportunity for him, but since taking on the role of GM with the team back in late December, he has been splitting his workload between the New Orleans Second Line, and his DSFL team. After a quite successful turn around in Season 7, Brian Mills thought it would be best for the team to step down and let Nunccoepi run the team and hire a co-GM to aide him in the process of finally making Tijuana a legit contender. Brian vowed to still be a part of the team, but on a lesser level. Moving to New Orleans full-time will be a major culture change for him, but is excited to put his full effort in taking New Orleans to a playoff appearance.

160 words

[BWIII]

To be honest, when I was first approached about switching positions I was a bit skeptical. I mean linebacker is all I've ever known. Heck, I come from a line of linebackers; my father was a professional linebacker and my grandpa was a professional linebacker. Realistically I could have just flat out said no. I could have pulled the I'm a first round draft pick card and see what happened. When it came down to it though I decided to embrace it. I decided that the only way for me to grow as a player and an individual is put myself in such an uncomfortable situation and see what comes of it. So far it's been pretty great. I haven't played the position very long, but I feel like moving to defensive end might have been the best decision for my career. Obviously there's a long road ahead of me so we'll see what ultimately comes of it, but so far I'm enjoying the ride. I did alright in preseason and have a sack in each game so far on the year, but I try not to get too caught up in statistics because I realize sometimes my impact won't be felt on the stat sheet, but rather open up opportunities for my teammates to break through the line and make plays.