SIM FOOTBALL TALK
“VALUE”
For General Manager Spike Crown (@Bzerkap), there is a different word for players with so-called “red flags.” What is that word? Value.
Like all general managers leading up to the draft, Crown was as thorough as he could be with his evaluation of draft prospects, watching film, comparing the level of competition in college to what would be faced in the NSFL, gauging physical abilities and grading technique, and, perhaps the toughest area to evaluate, judging the prospect’s maturity and ability to integrate into the existing locker room culture. While different systems and philosophies on team-building strategy may slightly differentiate the way various general managers approach the on-field aspects of a draft prospect, there seems to be a much greater difference in how that last area is conducted. The opinions of locker room leaders, the culture of the city, and the individual values and personality of the decision-maker himself can result in perceptions almost impossible to determine. ALMOST.
With some teams, guessing priorities can be easier than with others. A week before the draft, Cushing was a consensus pick at the top of the second round, with some indications that he would sneak into the first. However, an off-field incident with former Prospect Games teammate Ardie Savea sent a lot of draft boards into disarray. Baltimore, having been in possession of the #8 overall pick, seemed to make their mind up quickly, shipping the pick to Philadelphia for a small trade up on later picks. Experts around the league generally expected the move. One anonymous source inside the Wraiths front office said of the matter “we fully expected Baltimore to quietly shop the pick around. This was a team that seemed loaded with talent in season one, went four and zero in the preseason, then fell apart during the season due to a poor locker room culture. Not repeating the same situation had to have been at the top of the Hawks list of priorities." Second and third priority were the secondary and offensive line, making Darnell Turner and Brokk Lee surprising, yet completely reasonable picks.
The majority of the league expected Philadelphia to pull the trigger and draft the controversial linebacker. After all, the Liberty, as an expansion team, had no existing locker room culture, and virtually every position aside from wide receiver was a serious need to address in the draft. Additionally, Philly fans have welcomed plenty of controversial athletes in the past, so it seemed likely, at first glance, that the Liberty was going to be Cushing’s destination. However, the situation was not that simple. Lack of an existing locker room culture also meant lack of clear lines, and too few vets that could be trusted to step in if situations with Cushing got too out of hand. Also, the fact that so many holes needed to be filled worked against Cushing’s stock as well. Philadelphia would need starters all over the field from the team’s inaugural draft, and having had several talented prospects voice reluctance to share a locker room with the outspoken Cushing meant making an already difficult task even more difficult, and filling an expansion team was difficult enough as it was. Micah Hendrix, an emerging offensive line prospect who had been demonstrating the same work ethic accompanied by none of the off-field drama, sealed the linebacker’s first round chances in Philly by simply being too good to pass up. And when Tyler Oles, a cornerback known for a soft spoken, team-first approach was available at number 12, Philadelphia had a chance to cement a responsible, hard-working culture in the locker room without any distractions.
With Philadelphia and Baltimore clearly preferring to avoid Cushing, the San Jose Saber Cats had a clear shot at the high risk prospect. Unlike the first two teams, San Jose had not been in talks with the University of Houston sophomore. On paper, the linebacker may have been good value, but with the Cats already possessing two capable, run-stopping safeties in Ja Brill and Clee Hardrool, as well as the only linebacker in the league who outscored Cushing on the Wonderlic in A.C. Hackett, San Jose simply wasn’t in need of a linebacker/safety hybrid. There may have been even more to it, as a recent interview with the Cats’ general manager revealed one interesting quote, “We've got no tolerance for egos in our locker room.” While the quote was not directly in response to Cushing, it does give one more reason for the west coast team to pass on him as well and instead select Jordan Yates with the eleventh pick.
That left the Yellowknife Wraiths at the 13th pick. The Wraiths had fielded a relatively middle of the pack defense in season one, and then lost Mark Ramrio and Tyler Varga in the offseason to the newly-formed Las Vegas Legion. Unlike the Saber Cats, Cushing represented a clearer need on the field. Also unlike the Cats, General Manager Spike Crown had been in contact with the prospect. Over the scouting period, no team invited Cushing for more interviews. Whether the tirade that later tanked his draft stock was the kind of behavior he had already witnessed, or whether Crown simply felt the risk was worth it, Yellowknife made the decision to draft the linebacker with the 13th pick. As with the picks before, this decision made more sense. The next three picks in the draft (finishing out the second round) would be running back Ardie Savea (whose draft stock seemingly was not affected by the spat with Cushing), safety Roman Thomas, and wide receiver Dustin Evans. Savea, the former rugby player, clearly had the talent to thrive in the offense, but the Wraiths had season one Most Valuable Player Bubba Nuck at running back and didn’t need any help there. Roman Thomas would have been a clear upgrade over Pablo Sanchez, but Cushing clearly offered a lot more on the field in that same role. Taking Thomas over Cushing was just bad business. Last in the round was wide receiver Dustin Evans. The Wraiths had previously lost Alexander LeClaire in free agency, and the number one offense would likely regress considerably without a replacement. However, with Josh Garden in the number one receiver spot, and Chris Orosz at quarterback (both of whom won the Season One Positional Excellency Award), Crown likely felt that the team could afford to wait to fill that need (and they would end up waiting until the fifth pick of the seventh round), and instead took Kevin Cushing.
*****
While Crown’s drafting of Cushing could easily be explained as a calculated risk based on circumstances, the same could not be said of his next move.
With the 42nd pick of the Season Two draft, the Philadelphia Liberty selected Matt James, a fast run blocker from UCLA. The pick was unsurprising at the time. The Liberty still had holes on the front five, and James seemed a promising enough talent for the fifth round. Things would quickly sour, however, as press statements from James’ representatives, the high profile Roc Nation, accused the Philadelphia front office of underhanded negotiation tactics and announced a hold out from team training activities. This was followed by a press conference and multiple press releases, and negotiations were shut down very quickly after they’d begun. Questions as to the motivations of James were called, as some reports suggested the draft prospect had little interest in playing for the expansion team, and was exaggerating the claims of abuse in order to force a trade to a more desirable landing spot. The ploy worked, and teams across the league began offering late round picks, generally seventh-rounders for the following year. One team, however, made an offer that blew the rest away. The Yellowknife Wraiths offered Jazzy J, an offensive guard drafted in the ninth round, as well as a fourth round pick, all for the rights to negotiate with James. The offer was quickly accepted, as it represented a higher draft pick than they’d spent as well as replaced the position. The offer raised a lot of eyebrows around the league. Why would Crown, who had been rumored to judge all of his decisions by a draft value chart of his own devising, throw that system to the wind for a player with so many red flags? We were given the chance to sit down two days ago with the Wraiths GM, and he shed some light on the decision.
SFT: First off, thanks for coming to do this interview. I know there’s a lot going on with preseason around the corner.
SC: There certainly is. You’re never really done evaluating talent, though. Even after the trade deadline, there are still waiver claims and draft prospects for the next year.
SFT: You’ve made some bold decisions lately, acquiring controversial players like Kevin Cushing and Matt James. What made you decide to pull the trigger on such high-risk prospects?
SC: We here at Yellowknife believe in the power of players. Talent rules this league, and we’re about acquiring the best talent.
SFT: But don’t other things than talent matter? Aren’t you worried about the reputation both of these players have?
SC: Players may have a bad reputation around the league, but that doesn’t mean they are bad people. Every player deserves a second chance.
SFT: With either one of these players, I could see taking that risk. But bringing in both seems like you are asking for your team chemistry to break down. How do you feel about that?
SC: We believe that our strong locker room can support any player in this league.
SFT: So having made these moves, among others, how do you feel about the Wraiths’ prospects this year?
SC: We are a top team in the league.
SFT: Well, then best of luck to you this year.
SC: Thanks
The decision to send Jazzy J to Philadelphia may not have been as generous as it initially seemed. The first female player in the league had just signed a three year, $11 million deal, and hadn’t responded by putting in much work. Reports circulated that immediately after signing the deal, she went on a press tour, missing the Wraiths practice session that week. It was not a positive sign. However, Matt James made sure there were no thoughts of a trade back, with a campaign selling t-shirts saying “Failadelphia” and a press release from Roc Nation offering to represent Jazzy J free of charge. The Liberty general manager took specific issue with the most recent release, saying ”it’s one thing to say I ‘mocked’ you…It’s another to say that I don’t support women’s rights in general. [Matt James] crossed a line.”
Thus far, indications suggest that the UCLA guard and U of H linebacker are not only fitting in well with their new teammates, but especially with each other. The two reportedly have their lockers right next to each other, and Cushing was the first on the team to be seen wearing James’ “Failadelphia” shirts, though not the only one. According to Pablo Sanchez, the second string safety, the two bonded pretty quickly. “The moment he got here, Cush just walked up to him and said ‘hey, nice to meet you, I’m the guy who wouldn’t be here if this team couldn’t handle bullshit.’ He let him know all at once that, you know, we’re on the same side and we got you, but you aint special. And that’s just how Cush is, and James was all for it, gave him a shirt, and the two were out [on the practice field] wearing it that day.”
It would seem that Crown’s gamble has paid off, and that the UCLA guard is practicing harder than ever before. It would also seem that, true to his word, he wasn’t done evaluating talent, as yesterday he shipped eleventh round cornerback Rafael Reyes and veteran wide receiver Jonathan Shaloiko to Baltimore in exchange for running back Levon Novel and wide receiver Damien West. West had an amazing Season One, hauling in 75 catches for 1010 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’s clearly an upgrade over Shaloiko. In addition, Novel rushed for 549 yards and 6 touchdowns behind what had been a pretty weak offensive line. Novel will slide in to the number two spot behind Bubba Nuck, while West will likely begin the season as the number two receiver across from Garden. There have been reports during training camp that the two players have lost motivation, but we don't need to ask Spike Crown what he thinks about league opinion. He's likely too busy preparing another deal, or just planning for the playoff visit his managerial skills will likely earn him.
Evaluation never ends, and for Spike Crown, it is all about value. Time and again, he’s found it.
((2137 words))
Graded
“VALUE”
For General Manager Spike Crown (@Bzerkap), there is a different word for players with so-called “red flags.” What is that word? Value.
Like all general managers leading up to the draft, Crown was as thorough as he could be with his evaluation of draft prospects, watching film, comparing the level of competition in college to what would be faced in the NSFL, gauging physical abilities and grading technique, and, perhaps the toughest area to evaluate, judging the prospect’s maturity and ability to integrate into the existing locker room culture. While different systems and philosophies on team-building strategy may slightly differentiate the way various general managers approach the on-field aspects of a draft prospect, there seems to be a much greater difference in how that last area is conducted. The opinions of locker room leaders, the culture of the city, and the individual values and personality of the decision-maker himself can result in perceptions almost impossible to determine. ALMOST.
With some teams, guessing priorities can be easier than with others. A week before the draft, Cushing was a consensus pick at the top of the second round, with some indications that he would sneak into the first. However, an off-field incident with former Prospect Games teammate Ardie Savea sent a lot of draft boards into disarray. Baltimore, having been in possession of the #8 overall pick, seemed to make their mind up quickly, shipping the pick to Philadelphia for a small trade up on later picks. Experts around the league generally expected the move. One anonymous source inside the Wraiths front office said of the matter “we fully expected Baltimore to quietly shop the pick around. This was a team that seemed loaded with talent in season one, went four and zero in the preseason, then fell apart during the season due to a poor locker room culture. Not repeating the same situation had to have been at the top of the Hawks list of priorities." Second and third priority were the secondary and offensive line, making Darnell Turner and Brokk Lee surprising, yet completely reasonable picks.
The majority of the league expected Philadelphia to pull the trigger and draft the controversial linebacker. After all, the Liberty, as an expansion team, had no existing locker room culture, and virtually every position aside from wide receiver was a serious need to address in the draft. Additionally, Philly fans have welcomed plenty of controversial athletes in the past, so it seemed likely, at first glance, that the Liberty was going to be Cushing’s destination. However, the situation was not that simple. Lack of an existing locker room culture also meant lack of clear lines, and too few vets that could be trusted to step in if situations with Cushing got too out of hand. Also, the fact that so many holes needed to be filled worked against Cushing’s stock as well. Philadelphia would need starters all over the field from the team’s inaugural draft, and having had several talented prospects voice reluctance to share a locker room with the outspoken Cushing meant making an already difficult task even more difficult, and filling an expansion team was difficult enough as it was. Micah Hendrix, an emerging offensive line prospect who had been demonstrating the same work ethic accompanied by none of the off-field drama, sealed the linebacker’s first round chances in Philly by simply being too good to pass up. And when Tyler Oles, a cornerback known for a soft spoken, team-first approach was available at number 12, Philadelphia had a chance to cement a responsible, hard-working culture in the locker room without any distractions.
With Philadelphia and Baltimore clearly preferring to avoid Cushing, the San Jose Saber Cats had a clear shot at the high risk prospect. Unlike the first two teams, San Jose had not been in talks with the University of Houston sophomore. On paper, the linebacker may have been good value, but with the Cats already possessing two capable, run-stopping safeties in Ja Brill and Clee Hardrool, as well as the only linebacker in the league who outscored Cushing on the Wonderlic in A.C. Hackett, San Jose simply wasn’t in need of a linebacker/safety hybrid. There may have been even more to it, as a recent interview with the Cats’ general manager revealed one interesting quote, “We've got no tolerance for egos in our locker room.” While the quote was not directly in response to Cushing, it does give one more reason for the west coast team to pass on him as well and instead select Jordan Yates with the eleventh pick.
That left the Yellowknife Wraiths at the 13th pick. The Wraiths had fielded a relatively middle of the pack defense in season one, and then lost Mark Ramrio and Tyler Varga in the offseason to the newly-formed Las Vegas Legion. Unlike the Saber Cats, Cushing represented a clearer need on the field. Also unlike the Cats, General Manager Spike Crown had been in contact with the prospect. Over the scouting period, no team invited Cushing for more interviews. Whether the tirade that later tanked his draft stock was the kind of behavior he had already witnessed, or whether Crown simply felt the risk was worth it, Yellowknife made the decision to draft the linebacker with the 13th pick. As with the picks before, this decision made more sense. The next three picks in the draft (finishing out the second round) would be running back Ardie Savea (whose draft stock seemingly was not affected by the spat with Cushing), safety Roman Thomas, and wide receiver Dustin Evans. Savea, the former rugby player, clearly had the talent to thrive in the offense, but the Wraiths had season one Most Valuable Player Bubba Nuck at running back and didn’t need any help there. Roman Thomas would have been a clear upgrade over Pablo Sanchez, but Cushing clearly offered a lot more on the field in that same role. Taking Thomas over Cushing was just bad business. Last in the round was wide receiver Dustin Evans. The Wraiths had previously lost Alexander LeClaire in free agency, and the number one offense would likely regress considerably without a replacement. However, with Josh Garden in the number one receiver spot, and Chris Orosz at quarterback (both of whom won the Season One Positional Excellency Award), Crown likely felt that the team could afford to wait to fill that need (and they would end up waiting until the fifth pick of the seventh round), and instead took Kevin Cushing.
*****
While Crown’s drafting of Cushing could easily be explained as a calculated risk based on circumstances, the same could not be said of his next move.
With the 42nd pick of the Season Two draft, the Philadelphia Liberty selected Matt James, a fast run blocker from UCLA. The pick was unsurprising at the time. The Liberty still had holes on the front five, and James seemed a promising enough talent for the fifth round. Things would quickly sour, however, as press statements from James’ representatives, the high profile Roc Nation, accused the Philadelphia front office of underhanded negotiation tactics and announced a hold out from team training activities. This was followed by a press conference and multiple press releases, and negotiations were shut down very quickly after they’d begun. Questions as to the motivations of James were called, as some reports suggested the draft prospect had little interest in playing for the expansion team, and was exaggerating the claims of abuse in order to force a trade to a more desirable landing spot. The ploy worked, and teams across the league began offering late round picks, generally seventh-rounders for the following year. One team, however, made an offer that blew the rest away. The Yellowknife Wraiths offered Jazzy J, an offensive guard drafted in the ninth round, as well as a fourth round pick, all for the rights to negotiate with James. The offer was quickly accepted, as it represented a higher draft pick than they’d spent as well as replaced the position. The offer raised a lot of eyebrows around the league. Why would Crown, who had been rumored to judge all of his decisions by a draft value chart of his own devising, throw that system to the wind for a player with so many red flags? We were given the chance to sit down two days ago with the Wraiths GM, and he shed some light on the decision.
SFT: First off, thanks for coming to do this interview. I know there’s a lot going on with preseason around the corner.
SC: There certainly is. You’re never really done evaluating talent, though. Even after the trade deadline, there are still waiver claims and draft prospects for the next year.
SFT: You’ve made some bold decisions lately, acquiring controversial players like Kevin Cushing and Matt James. What made you decide to pull the trigger on such high-risk prospects?
SC: We here at Yellowknife believe in the power of players. Talent rules this league, and we’re about acquiring the best talent.
SFT: But don’t other things than talent matter? Aren’t you worried about the reputation both of these players have?
SC: Players may have a bad reputation around the league, but that doesn’t mean they are bad people. Every player deserves a second chance.
SFT: With either one of these players, I could see taking that risk. But bringing in both seems like you are asking for your team chemistry to break down. How do you feel about that?
SC: We believe that our strong locker room can support any player in this league.
SFT: So having made these moves, among others, how do you feel about the Wraiths’ prospects this year?
SC: We are a top team in the league.
SFT: Well, then best of luck to you this year.
SC: Thanks
The decision to send Jazzy J to Philadelphia may not have been as generous as it initially seemed. The first female player in the league had just signed a three year, $11 million deal, and hadn’t responded by putting in much work. Reports circulated that immediately after signing the deal, she went on a press tour, missing the Wraiths practice session that week. It was not a positive sign. However, Matt James made sure there were no thoughts of a trade back, with a campaign selling t-shirts saying “Failadelphia” and a press release from Roc Nation offering to represent Jazzy J free of charge. The Liberty general manager took specific issue with the most recent release, saying ”it’s one thing to say I ‘mocked’ you…It’s another to say that I don’t support women’s rights in general. [Matt James] crossed a line.”
Thus far, indications suggest that the UCLA guard and U of H linebacker are not only fitting in well with their new teammates, but especially with each other. The two reportedly have their lockers right next to each other, and Cushing was the first on the team to be seen wearing James’ “Failadelphia” shirts, though not the only one. According to Pablo Sanchez, the second string safety, the two bonded pretty quickly. “The moment he got here, Cush just walked up to him and said ‘hey, nice to meet you, I’m the guy who wouldn’t be here if this team couldn’t handle bullshit.’ He let him know all at once that, you know, we’re on the same side and we got you, but you aint special. And that’s just how Cush is, and James was all for it, gave him a shirt, and the two were out [on the practice field] wearing it that day.”
It would seem that Crown’s gamble has paid off, and that the UCLA guard is practicing harder than ever before. It would also seem that, true to his word, he wasn’t done evaluating talent, as yesterday he shipped eleventh round cornerback Rafael Reyes and veteran wide receiver Jonathan Shaloiko to Baltimore in exchange for running back Levon Novel and wide receiver Damien West. West had an amazing Season One, hauling in 75 catches for 1010 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’s clearly an upgrade over Shaloiko. In addition, Novel rushed for 549 yards and 6 touchdowns behind what had been a pretty weak offensive line. Novel will slide in to the number two spot behind Bubba Nuck, while West will likely begin the season as the number two receiver across from Garden. There have been reports during training camp that the two players have lost motivation, but we don't need to ask Spike Crown what he thinks about league opinion. He's likely too busy preparing another deal, or just planning for the playoff visit his managerial skills will likely earn him.
Evaluation never ends, and for Spike Crown, it is all about value. Time and again, he’s found it.
((2137 words))
Graded
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