03-18-2019, 01:09 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-22-2019, 08:38 PM by JKortesi81.)
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Ready to be graded
Season 15 Prospect Bowl is over. It brought exciting games upon us and some insight into a crowded and talented draft class. The Pacific Owls came back from a 0-2 start to claim the title with an excellent performance by both the offense and the defense.
Unfortunately for the Atlantic Blackbirds, the results did not come as expected; they ended with a 2-3 record and out of the playoff contention. They faced the East Cobras in the Consolation Game, where they recovered from a 20-3 score to win 31-20 with 3 touchdowns and 154 yards for running back Max Vaz. The defense once again kept the Blackbirds in the game, making some adjustments at half time and delivering big stops during the fourth quarter which the offense capitalized with 3 unanswered touchdowns.
Now that the time for the rookies to shine on the field has come to an end, they'll turn their attention to Draft Day. There are several questions in the mind of every player, like who will get his named called first? how many rounds will it take to be selected? will I go undrafted? and many more that make them feel uncertain or nervous; nonetheless, we know that whenever we hear their names, they'll be ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead.
We had the opportunity to sit down with some of the Blackbirds' players and asked them about their thoughts on the upcoming draft. Here are their answers:
TE Michael Rood Dcross
What do you think about your performance in the Prospect bowl?
“I think I played pretty well. Led all TEs in receptions, tied for the lead in TDs by tight ends, and had the 2nd best blocking record of the TEs to boot.”
Who do you think gave the best performance for the Blackbirds?
“Not sure to be honest - gonna go with one of the defensive guys in Rock Hardshaft. Dude’s a stud.”
If you had to choose only one attribute that better describes you as a player, what would it be?
“Hands. I’m nothing if not sure handed - I hope I can use that skill to make meaningful contributions in the DSFL.”
What are your expectations for the upcoming DSFL draft? At which round do you see yourself getting picked?
“I don’t even want to speculate. I’ll go wherever I go.”
What team would you like to get drafted by?
“No one in particular! I’ve had discussions with a few of the GMs and they all seem like great organizations to play for.”
Who do you think goes as the 1st overall pick?
“I honestly haven’t been paying attention that closely. Probably one of the RBs or LBs.”
OL Jacob Rowan[span style=\\'font-size:14pt;line-height:100%\\'] <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Vedin[/span]</span>
What do you think about your performance in the Prospect bowl?
“Pretty good so far in my mind, but I’m noticing more and more how weak I am at run blocking”
Who do you think gave the best performance for the Blackbirds?
“Well got to give props to my fellow offensive players, I got to say Vaz, even with my horrendous run blocking he was able to perform insanely good”
If you had to choose only one attribute that better describes you as a player, what would it be?
“Strong”
What are your expectations for the upcoming DSFL draft? At which round do you see yourself getting picked?
“Well I just want to get drafted, that’s it then I’ll take it from there”
What team would you like to get drafted by?
“Well I would be nice to be drafted by a winner. But number one is getting drafted by a team that believes in me.”
Who do you think goes as the 1st overall pick?
“I think a lot of teams are going to look for players on the winners of the Prospect Bowl. So somebody on the Owls.”
LB Rock Hardshaft <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Rouchicus</span>
What do you think about your performance in the Prospect Bowl?
“I think I showed the GMs of the DSFL what I bring to the field. I wish that my output would have led to a few more Ws, but it is what it is.”
Who do you think gave the best performance for the Blackbirds?
“When you look at what my man Carlomagno Rey was able to do on offense with a dual-qb offense, you can't help but be impressed. He's a monster and he's going to be a hell of a target in the DSFL.”
If you had to choose only one attribute that better describes you as a player, what would it be?
“Grit. I've never been the fastest or strongest player on the field, but I leave it all on the field, as cliche as that sounds. I'm going to bust my ass each and every play out there. Rock Hard effort. 100% of the time.”
What are your expectations for the upcoming DSFL draft? At which round do you see yourself getting picked?
“Expectations? Oh man, I'm not sure that I have any real expectations. I think it's hard to know what to expect when you have as many players coming into the league as this year does. As far as where I think I'll be drafted, I think I deserve to be a 1st rounder. I led the Prospect Bowl in sacks and was all over the field on defense. Whoever ends up taking Rock, is going to be watching a stud defense all season long.”
What team would you like to get drafted by?
“Ha, that's a bit of a loaded question isn't it? I'll say this, I really enjoyed being in Atlanta for the prospect games. Good nightlife and not too far from the beaches of Florida. I wouldn't mind being down south.”
Who do you think goes as the 1st overall pick?
“It kills me giving love to another offensive player, but the Candyman showed out this Prospect Bowl. That guy ran all over the place. That Taffy is no laughing matter.”
LB Lightsout Lewis flyeaglesfly29
What do you think about your performance in the Prospect Bowl?
“Overall, I am not terribly disappointed with my performance, but I think that it could have been better. I love playing the linebacker position, but I also want it to be known that I am willing to play anywhere at the next level. Even if that means possibly moving to safety or another position. I just want to have all my options open!”
Who do you think gave the best performance for the Blackbirds?
"I would have to go with Rock Hardshaft or Lucas Knight here. Both of them did a lot of great things at their respective positions and I am excited to see them at the next level!"
If you had to choose only one attribute that better describes you as a player, what would it be?
"Dedication. I am very dedicated to becoming the best player possible and I think that shows through my level of commitment on and off of the field."
What are your expectations for the upcoming DSFL draft? At which round do you see yourself getting picked?
"To be completely honest, I am not 100% sure what DSFL Gms' are looking for specifically right now. If it is based off of effort off the field, then I see myself being a top 2 round pick, but if it is more performance based then I could be a few rounds later."
What team would you like to get drafted by?
"I just want to go somewhere that I am going to be able to contribute for. I have heard from a few different teams and as long I get to be on the field then I am cool with it. However, if I had to pick one team right this second, I am a fan of the Pythons."
Who do you think goes as the 1st overall pick?
"Given that Norfolk is an expansion team and need people to make an immediate impact then I would say that they probably go offense first and therefore I would say the first overall pick would be Terry Taffy."
LB Johnny Slothface slothfacekilla
What do you think about your performance in the Prospect Bowl?
“Overall I was pretty disappointed with my play in the Prospect Bowl. I really only had one good game I would say, and the rest of the time my teammates really did a great job of picking me up. I was hoping I could make more of an impact with my pass rush and show scouts that I have the tools for the next level.”
Who do you think gave the best performance for the Blackbirds?
“I'm going to give Vaz and Rey the co-offensive mvps for the Birds, and Knight and Hardshaft my co-defensive mvps”
If you had to choose only one attribute that better describes you as a player, what would it be?
“Hard-working, Alpha male. Jackhammer. Merciless. Insatiable.”
What are your expectations for the upcoming DSFL draft? At which round do you see yourself getting picked?
“Based on which GM's have talked to me I'm thinking I'll go in the third round”
What team would you like to get drafted by?
“I would be happy to play for any of the teams. I feel like I have a good chance to go back to Tijuana.”
Who do you think goes as the 1st overall pick?
“Allen Josh”
S Quentin Sinclair MaxGnarland
What do you think about your performance in the Prospect Bowl?
“I think I played well the first 3 games of the bowl but fell off the last couple of games. That’s on me and I’ll keep improving so that doesn’t happen again.”
Who do you think gave the best performance for the Blackbirds?
“The best single game performance for me would be Vaz’s 3 touchdown game. But best overall performance for the whole bowl series would be Knight, he tore it up the whole series.”
If you had to choose only one attribute that better describes you as a player, what would it be?
“I would describe myself as a ballhawk, as soon as I see the ball leave the quarterback’s hands I’m there to try to make a play.”
What are your expectations for the upcoming DSFL draft? At which round do you see yourself getting picked?
“The upcoming draft is full of talented players and I honestly have no idea what round I’ll be going in, I think it just depends on a team’s needs.”
What team would you like to get drafted by?
“I don’t really have a preference to what team I go to. I’m just appreciative of getting the chance to play and show my abilities.”
Who do you think goes as the 1st overall pick?
“I honestly have no idea who will go first. There are so many promising players in this class along with the fact that it’s a huge draft class. There are at least 5 players that I can name off the top of my head that deserve to go 1st overall.”
S Walt Green Duilio05
What do you think about your performance in the Prospect Bowl?
“Initially, I thought I was crushing it out there. The first few games I was making plays all over the field. I got excited and felt I deserved being named the leader of the "Black Hole" by my teammates. However, I am not proud of my last performance in the consolation bowl, I expected more out of myself than just 3 tackles. At the end of the week though I truly believe we Blackbirds had the best defense in the bowl.”
Who do you think gave the best performance for the Blackbirds?
“Aww man, that is a tough choice. You know I gotta highlight one of my fellow defenders, but which one? Hmm. I gotta say Rock Hardshaft, with Lucas Knight a close second. I went with Hardshaft because he had a sack in every single game we played, including a safety. That is nuts. It makes my job easier when the DL and LBs are pressuring the QB. Thanks, guys!”
If you had to choose only one attribute that better describes you as a player, what would it be?
“Focus. Speed. I am speed.”
What are your expectations for the upcoming DSFL draft? At which round do you see yourself getting picked?
“That is hard to say. I'm sure GMs want to ensure they get one of the top QBs or RBS, but also this class of defenders is deep. I know purely based on experience and attributes I'm not the top Safety, but I'm pretty darn close. It is really tough to estimate which round I'll be selected in, but my goal is to be one of the first 3 or 4 safeties off the board.”
What team would you like to get drafted by?
“I grew up cheering for Portland. They're the closest professional football team from where I am, so it'd be super exciting to spend my DSFL years with them.”
Who do you think goes as the 1st overall pick?
“Me personally I would make sure I had the QB or RB with the most potential. Based off what we saw in the Prospect Bowl I'd say Leaf Jr or Taffy.”
CB Xerxes Ridley plantane
What do you think about your performance in the Prospect Bowl?
“I think I didn't quite play up to the expectations that I had for myself. I made some big plays and was able to create turnovers for the offense, but ultimately I don't think I did enough to give our defense the edge that it needed to win the Prospect Bowl. As I expected coming out of college, I need to focus my energy into improving my speed to make more tackles on the field and become more of a problem for receivers in the backfield.”
Who do you think gave the best performance for the Blackbirds?
“Honestly, it's hard to pick just a single player because the entire defense played so well as a cohesive unit. When certain players weren't having their best nights, others would be dominating to accommodate. If I really did have to pick a single player though, I'd have to say Hardshaft was our MVP this season. He absolutely annihilated the offensive lines and quarterbacks in front of him. His sacks and tackles for loss were essential for the success of our defense and that pressure forced quarterbacks to make riskier throws, which led to the interceptions that we had in the backfield.”
If you had to choose only one attribute that better describes you as a player, what would it be?
“I think as a player, I'm nothing if not determined. No matter how much of a deficit my team is in, I never lose hope of a comeback victory. As you saw in the first few games of the season, where I had late interceptions and that large kick return, I firmly believe that games aren't over until the goose eggs come up on the board. Even in the consolation game, you could see that the Blackbirds would not be kept down and we managed 21 points in the fourth quarter.”
What are your expectations for the upcoming DSFL draft? At which round do you see yourself getting picked?
“Honestly, it's hard to really predict what is going to happen in this draft. This is the largest, most stacked DSFL class the league has ever seen and as such, competition for the top spots is cutthroat. I have contributed all I could on the field and off the field for my teammates and my own personal stock, so I hope some of the GMs will have taken notice to that. There is a very deep cornerback class this time around, but even so, I expect to get picked in the second round.”
What team would you like to get drafted by?
“I get asked this question a lot and honestly, my answer never changes. I don't care. Any team looking to win and help me improve as a player is a team I'm looking to join.”
Who do you think goes as the 1st overall pick?
“Now this is a question that I really don't know how to answer. I'm not sure how desperate teams are to fill certain positional needs. As an expansion team, I'm not sure if the Seawolves would trade down to get more picks to fill up their young roster or if they'd go all in on a certain number one player. I've seen a lot of talk about Allen Josh being the number 1 pick, but honestly, if it is the Seawolves, I see them going in on a quarterback like Brock Landers to form their offense around. Gambling on a passable quarterback making into a later round could be a death wish for a young team, so I don't quite see them doing that.”
CB Lucas Knight ven_knight
What do you think about your performance in the Prospect Bowl?
“It felt great being surrounded by so much talent on the defense, it made me brought my best for every game. I think I made some great plays when it matter the most, like my pick six against the Foxes; hopefully it doesn't go unnoticed” [laughs]
Who do you think gave the best performance for the Blackbirds?
“Tough question, man. Everybody had splash plays throughout the tournament. But if I had to choose, I'm down to three: my MVP for offense is Rey, he caught everything thrown his way; as for defense, MVP goes to Hardshaft, he had sacks, safeties, TFL he was everywhere. Also I'll like to nominate Green for team support MVP, he was like a team captain to me, always keeping our morale up.”
If you had to choose only one attribute that better describes you as a player, what would it be?
“My perseverance. I want to become the best corner of the league and I can only do so with hard work on and off the field; I don't intend to quit anytime I hit a wall, I'll just embrace the bad times to better enjoy the good times.”
What are your expectations for the upcoming DSFL draft? At which round do you see yourself getting picked?
“I'm excited and a little bit nervous at the same time; I'm just going to be there cheering everytime I hear one of my teammate's name. To tell you the truth, I'm not thinking much about when I'm going to be drafted, the only thing that matters is my name getting called.”
What team would you like to get drafted by?
“So that's the trick question huh. I don't really have one in particular on my mind at this moment; I'll be happy to be part of any of them and contribute as much as I can.”
Who do you think goes as the 1st overall pick?
[Laughing] “Man I suck at doing mock drafts; I'll tell you my top 3, not particular order not preference: the Candyman Taffy, More a RB than a QB Leaf Jr and Run Forrest Run.”
This is all for now as we’ll keep a closer look into the development of our young Blackbirds’ players. Don't forget to tune into the DSFL Draft on March 18 at 8 pm EST on Twitch
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Special thanks to [url=https://forums.sim-football.com/showthread.php?]Dcross[/URL], [url=https://forums.sim-football.com/showthread.php?]Vedin[/URL], [url=https://forums.sim-football.com/showthread.php?]slothfacekilla[/URL], [url=https://forums.sim-football.com/showthread.php?]Rouchicus[/URL], [url=https://forums.sim-football.com/showthread.php?]flyeaglesfly29[/URL], [url=https://forums.sim-football.com/showthread.php?]plantane[/URL], [url=https://forums.sim-football.com/showthread.php?]Duilio05[/URL] and [url=https://forums.sim-football.com/showthread.php?]MaxGnarland[/URL] that provided the interviews featured in this write-up.