As is custom this time of the season, the New York press hall is buzzing with anticipation as reporters anxiously await the arrival of the Silverbacks' general manager, Peter Brand, and the team's seasoned veteran defensive tackle, Bubba Thumper. As the pair enter, silence fills the room. It is clear these two are tired, and although Brand steps to the podium with a smile on his face, the energy from the stage is not the same. As Thumper takes his seat, Brand taps the microphone and begins to speak.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Obviously, this is not how we wanted this season to end; to come this far and fall short, that's not exactly our style. There's a ton that this team and this organization have to be proud of this season; we never could have imagined making it even this far. But after drawing the one seed and then being forced to play on the road, it is clear we still have some work to do."
"Now, let's field some questions, shall we?"
BT: "I've said it before and I'll say it again: I still have gas in the tank, and I intend to play until I'm out of steam."
"Obviously, I take some issue with going on the road as the top seed, but my hands were tied. I don't make the rules in this league, and unless the people who do take enough issue with what happened to make a change, we're stuck with what happened."
BT: "Edd's a great kid. Obviously if you look at my numbers and at his numbers, and hell, Rapid Eagle's numbers, you see us competing for that top DT spot on the regular. My best days are behind me, though...not sure if that's the case for them."
"I'm happy for Leon. I worked with him all last season, trying to get him ready for this, and I think he's going to flourish in this new role. I'm glad to line up next to him. That's a competitor right there."
"And uh...I guess I'll say pancakes. I don't know. Bubba is our team's foodie."
BT: "Waffles all day. I'm a big fan of some good chicken and waffles, and nobody in the city beats Pies 'n' Thighs."
"As for making the postseason with the Silverbacks...I made it my goal in this league to hang some banners. I hung one with Colorado, and I fully intend to hang one for New York. The fact we made the postseason, that's a step in the right direction, but we ain't finished yet."
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Obviously, this is not how we wanted this season to end; to come this far and fall short, that's not exactly our style. There's a ton that this team and this organization have to be proud of this season; we never could have imagined making it even this far. But after drawing the one seed and then being forced to play on the road, it is clear we still have some work to do."
"Now, let's field some questions, shall we?"
Quote:SchwarzNarrBT: "Uh...wow. I don't know how to even begin answering that. Obviously I loved my time with the Yeti, and there are a ton of people from that team who I have a lot of love for, but I don't know that I can fairly say there's one I miss most."
For Bubba: Which Colorado Teammate do you miss the most?
Quote:infinitempgPB: "Our goal is always to keep finding ways to make this team the best in the league, and we've been doing that very quietly these past two seasons. This feels like the offseason we could start pushing to make some noise, but honestly, we know what works for us, and we're going to keep doing what we do best."
For Peter: Tough loss today, but the season as a whole is nothing more than a huge success. What are the next steps for this franchise? Any peeks into your draft strategy and FA strategy you can give us?
For Bubba: how much longer you gonna do it?
BT: "I've said it before and I'll say it again: I still have gas in the tank, and I intend to play until I'm out of steam."
Quote:zaynzkPB: "We were young last season. Very young. The talent was all there, we just had to grow into it. And now we've done that, and we intend to continue playing at the highest level."
To Peter:
They Silverbacks went from having a very leaky defense last year to having one of the best defenses in the league, what changed?
What are your thoughts on having to go play an away game as the #1 seed
To Bubba:
Who is your greatest rival at DT and why is it Big Edd?
How did it feel becoming more of a secondary name in the d-line with the amazing performances from newly transition McDavid?
"Obviously, I take some issue with going on the road as the top seed, but my hands were tied. I don't make the rules in this league, and unless the people who do take enough issue with what happened to make a change, we're stuck with what happened."
BT: "Edd's a great kid. Obviously if you look at my numbers and at his numbers, and hell, Rapid Eagle's numbers, you see us competing for that top DT spot on the regular. My best days are behind me, though...not sure if that's the case for them."
"I'm happy for Leon. I worked with him all last season, trying to get him ready for this, and I think he's going to flourish in this new role. I'm glad to line up next to him. That's a competitor right there."
Quote:TomasnzPB: "I know nobody expected this team to go as far as they did this past season, and as much as we're a bit disappointed we couldn't see it through, we know we've accomplished something special, and our goal is to build on that. We're returning basically the whole team next season, plus probably a couple new pieces, so we're excited to take another step forward."
For both, how was it making the post season with the silverbacks for the first time
For Peter, any reflections on the team you started the season with or projecting where the team will Be start of the next season? Any concerns?
For both, waffles or pancakes? And best NY location for your favourite?
"And uh...I guess I'll say pancakes. I don't know. Bubba is our team's foodie."
BT: "Waffles all day. I'm a big fan of some good chicken and waffles, and nobody in the city beats Pies 'n' Thighs."
"As for making the postseason with the Silverbacks...I made it my goal in this league to hang some banners. I hung one with Colorado, and I fully intend to hang one for New York. The fact we made the postseason, that's a step in the right direction, but we ain't finished yet."