C: Hello again, this is Chuck Johnson reporting live from Tijuana. With me, I have the reigning Rookie Defensive Player of the year Mason Blaylock. Mason, it’s been awhile, and we have a lot of questions for you. What have you been doing to prepare for the new season?
M: Thanks for catching up with me again Chuck! It’s been a busy offseason for me. I’m a part of two new teams, so I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know my new teammates and learning the systems. Except for a big Thanksgiving meal, I have kept myself in great shape and feel ready to take on a new season. I’ve studied a lot of film and feel pretty good about our defensive schemes, but nothing will truly prepare until I hit the field.
C: Wow that’s great! Let’s dive into the NSFL draft first. You went 8th overall to New Orleans. Did that surprise you at all?
M: Not at all. I know only a couple people actually saw it coming, but I want to say I was one of them. There was a chance I could have gone off the board a little earlier of course, but the way things shook out made sense. When I was still available at pick 8, I just had a feeling. I had great conversations with the GM and scouts. That’s all you can really do. A lot of teams reached out and you just try to feel out where you rank with them. Trades always throw things out of whack so I’m just happy there weren’t any big moves that way either. I love where I’m at and can’t wait to be playing there soon.
C: Sounds like a great situation for you. It looks like you will be playing for the Luchadores for now though. Walk me through what that’s been like.
M: It’s been a positive experience so far. The GM and the team made me feel welcome right off the bat. The DSFL draft class came in shortly after so there are a lot of new faces in the organization which is nice. I think that helped. Being the only new face like in a trade situation can be a little uncomfortable at times. Everyone knows each other well and you are sort of an outsider. I’m happy about the timing of it all. I do miss Kansas City though. I had some great teammates there and I wish them all the best in the future. I just want to suit up and hit somebody at this point.
C: That makes sense. There is a lot to changing teams and it sounds like you are figuring them out. Does it bother you to be in the DSFL this season when some of our teammates were called up?
M: Not at all. I want to get that out there from the start. Sure, I would have loved a chance to be playing for New Orleans early on. We had a good conversation about it though and I agree that the DSFL is the best option for me. I get more time to develop my game and there will more opportunities this season in Tijuana than New Orleans in that regard. Plus, I get another season of returning kicks and punts. That’s always been one of my favorite aspects of the game. I like knowing that I can play on the defensive side of the ball while still getting the opportunity to score touchdowns too.
C: Last question before we let you go. What does Mason have in store for us this season?
M: Good question. I’m normally one to toot my own horn, so it’s kinda hard for me to say how I think this season will turn out. I guess if I’m being honest, I think my numbers will come down a bit. I think my stat line last season was pretty darn good. I didn’t exactly have the best support last season, so I got a lot more tackles than I would have guessed going in. Tijuana feels like we are going to be a really good unit defensively this season, so I think that will free me up a bit more. So I’m going to guess something like 90 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Hopefully I can tack on a couple picks too. In the return game, I’d like to break the Tijuana record of 386 punt return yards in a season. The most important thing for me though is an Ultimini. I’m in it to win it this season and anything less will be a disappointment.
C: I guess we will find out soon! Thank you for your time Mason and good luck this season!
M: Thanks Chuck!
M: Thanks for catching up with me again Chuck! It’s been a busy offseason for me. I’m a part of two new teams, so I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know my new teammates and learning the systems. Except for a big Thanksgiving meal, I have kept myself in great shape and feel ready to take on a new season. I’ve studied a lot of film and feel pretty good about our defensive schemes, but nothing will truly prepare until I hit the field.
C: Wow that’s great! Let’s dive into the NSFL draft first. You went 8th overall to New Orleans. Did that surprise you at all?
M: Not at all. I know only a couple people actually saw it coming, but I want to say I was one of them. There was a chance I could have gone off the board a little earlier of course, but the way things shook out made sense. When I was still available at pick 8, I just had a feeling. I had great conversations with the GM and scouts. That’s all you can really do. A lot of teams reached out and you just try to feel out where you rank with them. Trades always throw things out of whack so I’m just happy there weren’t any big moves that way either. I love where I’m at and can’t wait to be playing there soon.
C: Sounds like a great situation for you. It looks like you will be playing for the Luchadores for now though. Walk me through what that’s been like.
M: It’s been a positive experience so far. The GM and the team made me feel welcome right off the bat. The DSFL draft class came in shortly after so there are a lot of new faces in the organization which is nice. I think that helped. Being the only new face like in a trade situation can be a little uncomfortable at times. Everyone knows each other well and you are sort of an outsider. I’m happy about the timing of it all. I do miss Kansas City though. I had some great teammates there and I wish them all the best in the future. I just want to suit up and hit somebody at this point.
C: That makes sense. There is a lot to changing teams and it sounds like you are figuring them out. Does it bother you to be in the DSFL this season when some of our teammates were called up?
M: Not at all. I want to get that out there from the start. Sure, I would have loved a chance to be playing for New Orleans early on. We had a good conversation about it though and I agree that the DSFL is the best option for me. I get more time to develop my game and there will more opportunities this season in Tijuana than New Orleans in that regard. Plus, I get another season of returning kicks and punts. That’s always been one of my favorite aspects of the game. I like knowing that I can play on the defensive side of the ball while still getting the opportunity to score touchdowns too.
C: Last question before we let you go. What does Mason have in store for us this season?
M: Good question. I’m normally one to toot my own horn, so it’s kinda hard for me to say how I think this season will turn out. I guess if I’m being honest, I think my numbers will come down a bit. I think my stat line last season was pretty darn good. I didn’t exactly have the best support last season, so I got a lot more tackles than I would have guessed going in. Tijuana feels like we are going to be a really good unit defensively this season, so I think that will free me up a bit more. So I’m going to guess something like 90 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Hopefully I can tack on a couple picks too. In the return game, I’d like to break the Tijuana record of 386 punt return yards in a season. The most important thing for me though is an Ultimini. I’m in it to win it this season and anything less will be a disappointment.
C: I guess we will find out soon! Thank you for your time Mason and good luck this season!
M: Thanks Chuck!