Sit down with a fan (@nunccoepi)
1. With such a down last two seasons in SJS it can be helpful to dwell more on the positive. What has been the highlight of you playing career so far?
Yeah it has been a hard two seasons for SJS. For me personally, I think the highlight has just been improving every year. This year I made the transition to playing more speed rusher style than power rusher, and saw huge gains because of it. I not only had a career high tackles, but also a career high of forced turnovers with 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble and recovery. So, very happy with my progress, and I will continue to strive to get better each season. I want to make a pro bowl, and go down as one of the best linebackers in my era.
2. Your friend, Icy Douglas, was able to do what only two previous teams have done before: win back to back championships. What is next for him?
Just had lunch with Icy the other day, and man he is pumped about what Lucha has going right now. Not only are they winning championships, but they have created a culture that attracts talent. Guys are already saying Lucha is the only place they want to play this next season. Its crazy. As far as what's next for him, it sounds like he wants to continue this GM legacy him and Epictitus have started. I know he has gotten offers to go GM in the NSFL, but as a pair they are pretty unstoppable right now. No reason to change that. I think they stick together for the long-term.
3. You are entering the final year of your contract. Can you give us a preview of what we might expect towards the end of the season?
Yeah I think a lot guys would want to leave a team that has done as poorly as SJS has lately, but I think I will stick it out. While there are lots of guys I would love to play with in the NSFL, I think SJS is going to have some good years in the near future.
4. Some are saying that SJS will be improving rather quickly, especially with the top 2 picks in the upcoming draft. What do you think next season will look like for the Sabrecats?
Yeah I think it is not just the high draft picks this year, but all the guys we can bring up from the DSFL this year. I think we can definitely start winning again. I am excited to play with K. Deringer at LB. I am also excited to see what Flash can do at the next level. Also, with the crazy trade that just happened at QB, I am hoping we can make this a season to remember. Bringing in the Yellowknife legend Mat Akselsen is going to make a huge difference for our offense. Even though we know this is his last year in the league, he knows how to win championships. So, I am hoping the front office takes a win it all approach this year with him under center. It is crazy though, we thought Brad was going to be our franchise guy, but I guess the front office had other plans. I wish Brad the best in Yellowknife. At least he gets to play with his brothers again.
Sit down with a superstar (@nunccoepi)
To be linked here
Unsung Hero:
The Luchadores win back to back Ultimini championships. Pretty magical. There are many players and personnel who came up big this season for the Luchadores, but there are two unsung heroes who I think need mentioning: Thad Pennington and Xandra Troyski. If you are playing good CB, you should have very few traditional stats (Tackle, Int, PDs, etc.), as the ball is never thrown towards you. And that is exactly what Thad and Xandra did during the playoffs, locking down star WRs when it counted. Now, Thad is a DSFL superstar, we all know that. So why is he an “Unsung” hero? Well, late season the Luchadores coaching staff moved Thad from Safety to Cornerback. This switch made huge differences in overall defensive performance, but a huge sacrifice in personal stats for Thad. Thad put his team first. Likewise, rookie Xandra knew that she would need to work hard on getting better with speed and intelligence, but may not see the stats from this hard work. Both players playing together created a huge boost in our defense, as QBs were forced to throw into coverage or run the ball. So, in summary both Thad and Xandra sacrificed personal gain for team gain, ultimately helping the team win it’s 2nd Ultimini.
Future Talent:
Stats during playoffs:
1. With such a down last two seasons in SJS it can be helpful to dwell more on the positive. What has been the highlight of you playing career so far?
Yeah it has been a hard two seasons for SJS. For me personally, I think the highlight has just been improving every year. This year I made the transition to playing more speed rusher style than power rusher, and saw huge gains because of it. I not only had a career high tackles, but also a career high of forced turnovers with 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble and recovery. So, very happy with my progress, and I will continue to strive to get better each season. I want to make a pro bowl, and go down as one of the best linebackers in my era.
2. Your friend, Icy Douglas, was able to do what only two previous teams have done before: win back to back championships. What is next for him?
Just had lunch with Icy the other day, and man he is pumped about what Lucha has going right now. Not only are they winning championships, but they have created a culture that attracts talent. Guys are already saying Lucha is the only place they want to play this next season. Its crazy. As far as what's next for him, it sounds like he wants to continue this GM legacy him and Epictitus have started. I know he has gotten offers to go GM in the NSFL, but as a pair they are pretty unstoppable right now. No reason to change that. I think they stick together for the long-term.
3. You are entering the final year of your contract. Can you give us a preview of what we might expect towards the end of the season?
Yeah I think a lot guys would want to leave a team that has done as poorly as SJS has lately, but I think I will stick it out. While there are lots of guys I would love to play with in the NSFL, I think SJS is going to have some good years in the near future.
4. Some are saying that SJS will be improving rather quickly, especially with the top 2 picks in the upcoming draft. What do you think next season will look like for the Sabrecats?
Yeah I think it is not just the high draft picks this year, but all the guys we can bring up from the DSFL this year. I think we can definitely start winning again. I am excited to play with K. Deringer at LB. I am also excited to see what Flash can do at the next level. Also, with the crazy trade that just happened at QB, I am hoping we can make this a season to remember. Bringing in the Yellowknife legend Mat Akselsen is going to make a huge difference for our offense. Even though we know this is his last year in the league, he knows how to win championships. So, I am hoping the front office takes a win it all approach this year with him under center. It is crazy though, we thought Brad was going to be our franchise guy, but I guess the front office had other plans. I wish Brad the best in Yellowknife. At least he gets to play with his brothers again.
Sit down with a superstar (@nunccoepi)
To be linked here
Unsung Hero:
The Luchadores win back to back Ultimini championships. Pretty magical. There are many players and personnel who came up big this season for the Luchadores, but there are two unsung heroes who I think need mentioning: Thad Pennington and Xandra Troyski. If you are playing good CB, you should have very few traditional stats (Tackle, Int, PDs, etc.), as the ball is never thrown towards you. And that is exactly what Thad and Xandra did during the playoffs, locking down star WRs when it counted. Now, Thad is a DSFL superstar, we all know that. So why is he an “Unsung” hero? Well, late season the Luchadores coaching staff moved Thad from Safety to Cornerback. This switch made huge differences in overall defensive performance, but a huge sacrifice in personal stats for Thad. Thad put his team first. Likewise, rookie Xandra knew that she would need to work hard on getting better with speed and intelligence, but may not see the stats from this hard work. Both players playing together created a huge boost in our defense, as QBs were forced to throw into coverage or run the ball. So, in summary both Thad and Xandra sacrificed personal gain for team gain, ultimately helping the team win it’s 2nd Ultimini.
Future Talent:
Stats during playoffs:
[OPTION]Position: K/P
[OPTION]Archetype: Accurate
[OPTION]College: University of South Carolina
[OPTION]Nicknames: The Notorious D.U.G.
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Team History
[OPTION] S19 - Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
[OPTION] S20 - Tijuana Luchadores
[OPTION] S21 to S24 - Yellowknife Wraiths
[OPTION] S25 to S31 - New York Silverbacks
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Regular Season Stats
[OPTION] ---- Kicking Stats ----
[OPTION] S19 - 2 GP, 4 XPM, 5 XPA, 80.0%, 3 FGM, 5 FGA, 60.0%, 41 Long, 13 PTs
[OPTION] S20 - 14 GP, 18 XPM, 20 XPA, 90.0%, 19 FGM 21 FGA, 90.5%, 49 Long, 75 PTs
[OPTION] S21 - 13 GP, 34 XPM, 36 XPA, 94.4%, 17 FGM 21 FGA, 81.0%, 50 Long, 85 PTs
[OPTION] S22 - 13 GP, 43 XPM, 46 XPA, 93.5%, 27 FGM, 28 FGA, 96.4%, 56 Long, 124 PTs
[OPTION] S23 - 16 GP, 38 XPM, 39 XPA, 97.4%, 34 FGM, 36 FGA, 94.4%, 57 Long, 140 PTs
[OPTION] S24 - 16 GP, 39 XPM, 42 XPA, 92.9%, 20 FGM, 20 FGA, 100%, 52 Long, 99 PTs
[OPTION] S25 - 16 GP, 37 XPM, 38 XPA, 97.4%, 30 FGM, 32 FGA, 93.8%, 51 Long, 127 PTs
[OPTION] S26 - 16 GP, 34 XPM, 37 XPA, 91.9%, 25 FGM, 25 FGA, 100%, 47 Long, 109 PTs
[OPTION] S27 - 16 GP, 34 XPM, 34 XPA, 100%, 19 FGM, 22 FGA, 86.4%, 51 Long, 91 PTs
[OPTION] S28 - 16 GP, 33 XPM, 34 XPA, 97.1%, 39 FGM, 42 FGA, 92.9%, 55 Long, 150 Pts
[OPTION] S29 - 16 GP, 50 XPM, 52 XPA, 96.21%, 25 FGM, 33 FGA, 75.9%, 55 Long, 125 Pts
[OPTION] S30 - 16 GP, 46 XPM, 46 XPA, 100%, 24 FGM, 29 FGA, 88.9%, 56 Long, 118 Pts
[OPTION] S31 - 16 GP, 38 XPM, 38 XPA, 100%, 28 FGM, 33 FGA, 84.8%, 56 Long, 122 Pts
[OPTION] ---- Punting Stats ----
[OPTION] S20 - 14 GP, 91 Punts, 4138 Yds, 45.5 Avg, 18 Inside 20, 63 Long
[OPTION] S21 - 13 GP, 78 Punts, 3682 Yds, 47.2 Avg, 7 Inside 20, 71 Long
[OPTION] S22 - 13 GP, 73 Punts, 3383 Yds, 46.3 Avg, 16 Inside 20, 71 Long
[OPTION] S23 - 16 GP, 93 Punts, 4400 Yds, 47.3 Avg, 19 Inside 20, 72 Long
[OPTION] S24 - 16 GP, 95 Punts, 4433 Yds, 46.7 Avg, 18 Inside 20, 72 Long
[OPTION] S25 - 16 GP, 113 Punts, 5337 Yds, 47.2 Avg, 23 Inside 20, 72 Long
[OPTION] S26 - 16 GP, 96 Punts, 4606 Yds, 48 Avg, 15 Inside 20, 73 Long
[OPTION] S27 - 16 GP, 97 Punts, 4472 Yds, 46.1 Avg, 39 Inside 20, 69 Long
[OPTION] S28 - 16 GP, 89 Punts, 4231 Yds, 47.5 Avg, 39 Inside 20, 67 Long
[OPTION] S29 - 16 GP, 76 Punts, 3475 Yds, 45.7 Avg, 31 Inside 20, 68 Long
[OPTION] S30 - 16 GP, 72 Punts, 3341 Yds, 46.4 Avg, 28 Inside 20, 68 Long
[OPTION] S31 - 16 GP, 88 Punts, 4040 Yds, 45.9 Avg, 39 Inside 20, 65 Long
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Playoff Stats
[OPTION] ---- Kicking Stats ----
[OPTION] S19 - 1 GP, 2 XPM, 2 XPA, 100%, 1 FGM, 1 FGA, 100%, 18 Long, 5 PTs
[OPTION] S21 - 3 GP, 6 XPM, 7 XPA, 85.7%, 5 FGM, 5 FGA, 100%, 49 Long, 21 PTs
[OPTION] S22 - 1 GP, 1 XPM, 1 XPA, 100%, 3 FGM, 4 FGA, 75%, 38 Long, 10 PTs
[OPTION] S23 - 2 GP, 6 XPM, 6 XPA, 100%, 3 FGM, 4 FGA, 75%, 57 Long, 15 PTs
[OPTION] S26 - 1 GP, 5 XPM, 5 XPA, 100%, 0 FGM, 0 FGA, 100%, 0 Long, 5 PTs
[OPTION] S28 - 1 GP, 1 XPM, 1 XPA, 100%, 1 FGM, 1 FGA, 100%, 39 Long, 4 PTs
[OPTION] S29 - 3 GP, 10 XPM, 10 XPA, 100%, 9 FGM, 9 FGA, 100%, 51 Long, 37 PTs
[OPTION] S30 - 2 GP, 5 XPM, 5 XPA, 100%, 3 FGM, 3 FGA, 100%, 49 Long, 14 PTs
[OPTION] ---- Punting Stats ----
[OPTION] S21 - 3 GP, 25 Punts, 1150 Yds, 46.0 Avg, 2 Inside 20, 64 Long
[OPTION] S22 - 1 GP, 6 Punts, 247 Yds, 41.2 Avg, 0 Inside 20, 57 Long
[OPTION] S23 - 2 GP, 11 Punts, 493 Yds, 44.8 Avg, 1 Inside 20, 60 Long
[OPTION] S26 - 1 GP, 9 Punts, 422 Yds, 46.9 Avg, 2 Inside 20, 70 Long
[OPTION] S28 - 1 GP, 4 Punts, 163 Yds, 40.8 Avg, 1 Inside 20, 46 Long
[OPTION] S29 - 3 GP, 11 Punts, 489 Yds, 43.2 Avg, 1 Inside 20, 53 Long
[OPTION] S30 - 2 GP, 8 Punts, 391 Yds, 48.9 Avg, 3 Inside 20, 63 Long
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Trophy Case and Awards
[OPTION] 1x Kicker of The Year (S22)
[OPTION] 2x Punter of The Year (S25, S28)
[OPTION] 4x Pro Bowl (S22, S24, S25, S28)
[OPTION] 2x Ultimus Champion (S23, S29)
[OPTION] 2x NSFC Champion (S21, S23)
[OPTION] 1x ASFC Champion (S29)
[OPTION] 2x DSFL OPoTG
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Other Accomplishments
[OPTION] Tied Playoff Field Goal Length Record (57 yards in S23)
[OPTION] Team USA Member (S22, S23, S25, S26)
[OPTION] S24 Charity Tournament Champion (Atlanta Pink Ponies)
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION]Position: LB/DE
[OPTION]Archetype: Power Rusher Turned Speed Rusher
[OPTION]College: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Team History
[OPTION] S7 - Tijuana Luchadores
[OPTION] S8 to S13 - San Jose Sabercats
[OPTION] S14 to S18 - Baltimore Hawks
[OPTION] S19 - Arizona Outlaws
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Regular Season Stats
[OPTION] S7 - Tijuana - 45 Tck, 6 Sacks, 1 TFL, 0 Int, 8 PD, 0 FF, 0 FR
[OPTION] S8 - San Jose - 73 Tck, 2 Sacks, 7 TFL, 0 Int, 6 PD, 0 FF, 0 FR
[OPTION] S9 - San Jose - 88 Tck, 4 Sacks, 2 TFL, 2 Int, 4 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
[OPTION] S10 - San Jose - 117 Tck, 2 Sacks, 2 TFL, 1 Int, 1 PD, 0 FF, 1 FR
[OPTION] S11 - San Jose - 114 Tck, 5 Sacks, 1 TFL, 0 Int, 5 PD, 2 FF, 1 FR
[OPTION] S12 - San Jose - 40 Tck, 4 Sacks, 9 TFL, 0 Int, 13 PD, 0 FF, 0 FR*
[OPTION] S13 - San Jose - 26 Tck, 1 Sack, 4 TFL, 0 Int, 0 PD, 0 FF, 0 FR*
[OPTION]S14 - Baltimore - 90 Tck, 10 Sacks, 1 TFL, 0 Int, 14 PD, 1 FF, 0 FR
[OPTION]S15 - Baltimore - 96 Tck, 12 Sacks, 1 TFL, 0 Int, 15 PD, 0 FF, 0 FR
[OPTION]S16 - Baltimore - 105 Tck, 10 Sacks, 0 TFL, 0 Int, 16 PD, 2 FF, 2 FR
[OPTION]S17 - Baltimore - 89 Tck, 9 Sacks, 2 TFL, 0 Int, 3 PD, 1 FF, 0 FR
[OPTION]S18 - Baltimore - 85 Tck, 8 Sacks, 0 TFL, 1 Int, 16 PD, 0 FF, 1 FR
[OPTION]S19 - Arizona - 97 Tck, 3 Sacks, 0 TFL, 0 Int, 3 PD, 0 FF, 1 FR
[OPTION] *Season played as DE instead of LB
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Playoff Stats
[OPTION]S7 - Tijuana - 15 Tck, 2 Sacks, 0 TFL, 0 Int, 0 PD (2 games)
[OPTION]S12 - San Jose - 0 Tck, 0 Sacks, 0 TFL, 0 Int, 0 PD (1 game)
[OPTION]S13 - San Jose - 5 Tck, 1 Sack, 0 TFL, 0 Int, 0 PD (1 game)
[OPTION]S14 - Baltimore - 8 Tck, 2 Sacks, 0 TFL, 0 Int, 1 PD (1 game)
[OPTION]S15 - Baltimore - 13 Tck, 3 Sacks, 0 TFL, 1 Int, 2 PD (2 games)
[OPTION]S17 - Baltimore - 19 Tck, 2 Sacks, 0 TFL, 0 Int, 1 PD (3 games)
[OPTION]S18 - Baltimore - 14 Tck, 1 Sacks, 1 FF, 0 Int, 1 PD (2 games)
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Trophy Case and Awards
[OPTION] Tijuana Luchadores Ring of Honor (S24 class)
[OPTION] 5x Pro Bowl (S10, S14, S15, S16, S18)
[OPTION] 1x Ultimus Champion (S15)
[OPTION] 2x NSFL NSFC Champion (S15, S17)
[OPTION] 16x Defensive Player of the Game
[OPTION] 1x DSFL SFC Champion (S7)
[OPTION] 1000+ Tackle Club
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Front Office History
[OPTION] S8 to S12 - Co-GM of Tijuana Luchadores (Co-GM: nunccoepi)
[OPTION] S13 - Head Coach of San Jose Sabercats
[OPTION] S14 to S17- Co-GM of Baltimore Hawks (Co-GM: nunccoepi)
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Trophy/Award Case
[OPTION] 1x Ultimus Champion (S15)
[OPTION] 2x NSFL NSFC Champion (S15, S17)
[OPTION] 3x Ultimini Champion (S8, S9, S10)
[OPTION] 4x DSFL SFC Champion (S8, S9, S10, S11)
[OPTION] 3x DSFL Co-GM of the Year (S8, S9, S10)
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Overall Stats
[OPTION] Regular Season 85-40
[OPTION] Post Season 11-5
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Regular Season Stats
[OPTION] S8 - TIJ - 8-6 - 2nd in SFC Division - Made Playoffs
[OPTION] S9 - TIJ - 10-4 - 1st in SFC Division - Made Playoffs
[OPTION] S10 - TIJ - 10-4 - 1st in SFC Division - Made Playoffs
[OPTION] S11 - TIJ - 5-9 - 2nd in SFC Division - Made Playoffs
[OPTION] S12 - TIJ - 9-5 - 1st in SFC Division - Made Playoffs
[OPTION] S13 - SJS - 12-2 - 1st in ASFC Division - Made Playoffs
[OPTION]S14 - BAL - 11-3 - 1st in NSFC Division - Made Playoffs
[OPTION]S15 - BAL - 12-2 - 1st in NSFC Division - Made Playoffs
[OPTION]S16 - BAL - 7-6 - 4th in NSFC Division
[OPTION]S17 - BAL - 8-5 -2nd in NSFC Division - Made Playoffs
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Post Season Stats
[OPTION] S8 - TIJ - 2-0 - Won Ultimini
[OPTION] S9 - TIJ - 2-0 - Won Ultimini
[OPTION] S10 - TIJ - 2-0 - Won Ultimini
[OPTION] S11 - TIJ - 1-1 - Lost Ultimini
[OPTION] S12 - TIJ - 0-1 - Lost in SFC Championship
[OPTION] S13 - SJS - 0-1 - Lost in ASFC Championship
[OPTION] S14 - BAL - 0-1 - Lost in NSFC Championship
[OPTION] S15 - BAL - 2-0 - Won Ultimus
[OPTION] S16 - Did not make playoffs
[OPTION] S17 - BAL - 2-1 - Lost Ultimus
[OPTION]------------------------------------------------------------
[OPTION] Other Career Achievements
[OPTION] Lead Tijuana to first Franchise Ultimini (S8)
[OPTION] First DSFL Franchise to win 3 Ultimini's in a row (S10)
[OPTION] GMed the only shutout in Ultimus History (S15)
[OPTION] Created QuickKetchup Strategy Testing
[OPTION] Co-GM of Great Lakes Dragons in S24 Charity Tournament