**2027 Words - @JKortesi81's Birthday Week 1.5X media
The DSFL Combine is where the greatest young college athletes gather to show off their talents to the GM’s, coaches and owners of the DSFL Franchises. The Minnesota Grey Ducks brass appeared early to get their eyes in on the next group of graduates. It had been a rough road for Minnesota. The last 3 seasons had not resulted in trips to the postseason and more often than not straddling the .500 record line. For a franchise that once was the cream of the crop in the DSFL, winning back to back Ultimini titles, they desperately wanted to make it back to the grand stage.
They entered into the draft needing offensive help, looking for a true number one receiver. There were a lot of good options out there, Squidward Tentacles, Jason Waterfalls and Vincent Sharpei Jr (who the Grey Ducks ended up drafting in the second round). But as the combine went on, the Grey Ducks eyes quickly turned their attention to an… unlikely candidate.
Mason Malone, the Quarterback out of USC.
Now an inquiring mind might wonder why their attention would be in his direction. Malone was a great quarterback at USC for sure and he would go high in this draft but Minnesota would not be one of those teams. They already had Kazimir Oles Jr on the roster and he was likely their QB for the upcoming season so why look at Malone?
He had just posted a 4.53 second 40 yard dash.
That turned the heads of every single coach and GM in the room. That was the fastest time not just for a Quarterback but also was exceptionally even for the skill positions. Not to mention the fact that this was coming from a Quarterback that was not seen as a mobile threat or a scrambler, but a set foot on the ground field general passer. As the combine went on, Malone just continued to impress the Minnesota brass. He was quick from side to side, he was agile, he was strong and from what they heard from his coaches, he was a fine leader in the locker room. After Minnesota interviewed him, Russ Cayhill told the other Minnesota front office members:
“He’s the one”
***
As for Mason himself, he felt the combine had gone exceptionally well. He had earned the attention of several teams and there was a general sense in the combine that he would go high. His performances at USC, his general attitude and combine results had turned heads and his whole home town of McCall, Idaho was anxiously holding its breath, wondering where their favourite son would go. While everyone was sure he would go high, there was one question that everyone was wondering:
“Would Malone still play Quarterback?”
A lot of teams had asked him about his positional flexibility and if he had ever had experience in playing other positions. While Mason had never played any other position but QB, he had trained often with the skill positions players, running backs and wide receivers. The only thing was that Mason had never played those positions in an official game, either in high school or college. But his training with them, day after day in both McCall and at USC had increased his physical attributes exponentially so theoretically speaking, he could play one of the skill positions. That being said, doing so would be a massive gamble for any team to take on, a decision that may cause many teams to flinch away from drafting Malone at all. Then as draft day approached and the world watched on with interest, one team decided that Malone’s attributes and sky high potential was enough to take the risk. The Commissioner walked to the podium and announced the pick:
“With the 4th overall pick in the Season 29 DSFL Entry Draft, The Minnesota Grey Ducks Select… Mason Malone, Quarterback, USC.”
The entire town of McCall celebrated as if they had just won the Superbowl. Mason himself could only sit there as the tears started flowing. He had done it. He had made it to the DSFL. He was inching closer and closer to his dream of making it to the ISFL. After a weekend of partying with his hometown and his family, Mason packed up his bags and headed for Minneapolis for training camp. It was there where he would get the answer to his burning question.
Based on his combine results and raw attributes, they wanted to convert Mason to Wide Receiver. Mason had said if a team can redirect his training to the role he would more than likely accept the position change and throughout camp, the Grey Ducks brass would begin his retraining into his new skill role. This wouldn’t be easy and any slips up in this training camp could result in him getting cut and being only remembered as a draft bust. As he had done many times before, he put his nose to the grindstone and began working again. With the help of his new coaches, the raw athleticism of Malone began to shine and he started to develop a good rapport with his new QB, Kazimir Oles Jr, who had first thought of himself as a mentor to the young QB as he was heading off to the ISFL soon but now was working with the young athlete to turn him into a deadly wide receiver. Malone’s hard work and determination to succeed did not go unnoticed by the higher ups of Minnesota or the media as reports began to flood in of how impressive his camp had been and how he would make for a great 2nd wide receiver for the team and how with him on the team, Minnesota could potentially look to once again make the playoffs for the first time in 3 seasons. That’s when the announcement dropped.
The coaches of Minnesota had decided that not only would Mason be joining their receiver core but he would also be the number 1 receiver. A huge task for any player but this was near impossible task for a QB convert to wide receiver. The media was abuzz with questions and predictions that this was another sign of Minnesota tanking for another miracle talent in the next draft, that is until the head coach of the team, Gregory Ragg, stepped up and let his thoughts be known:
“We are putting Malone at WR1 because we believe in his talents and we believe in the skills he has shown us at this camp. You can laugh at us and mock us all you please, but this decision was not made in haste or made by mistake. We will rally around Mason Malone and we will play good football.”
This not only stunned the media in question but also Mason who was watching from afar. This team believed in him. For the first time in his life a team actually believed he could be the star player right off the bat. The Minnesota Grey Duck brass had no idea how much that meant to the young talent and once he heard it he made a silent vow, that he would do everything in his power to make sure that Minnesota never once regretted making that decision. Head Coach Ragg’s comments were backed up by General Manager Cayhill as he said this about Malone:
“Drafting Mason was a decision that took some courage, on both sides. He had only played QB before, but we saw the raw talent that was underneath and took a chance. He accepted, and absolutely blew us away with his performance on and off the field.”
With the world on his shoulders and all the expectations and love from his home town at his back, Mason Malone stepped out with his team for the first time in a Minnesota Grey Duck uniform. It was time to bring the Ducks back to the playoffs and he would do whatever he had to in order to get there.
***
When Head Coach Ragg said that they would play good football, he probably would never have guessed how good they would play. Of course every head coach wants his team to do well but they also have to tamper those expectations with reality and with great teams like Kansas City Coyotes, The Portland Pythons, The Dallas Birddogs and the reigning champion London Royals, it would be a struggle for the newly rebuilt grey ducks. Little did he know what would happen.
The Minnesota Grey Ducks didn’t just play good football, they would be the outright #1 Seed of the DSFL with a 10-4-0 record. The team defence, which already formidable from Season 28, finish 1st in points allowed became one of the most feared in the league, being the 3rd best run stopping defence and the best pass stop defence in the league. What took notable massive steps forward was team offense. Oles Jr would put on a season to remember with 4094 yards and 31 touchdowns as a QB while also setting the league record for pass completion percentage (64.2%) in a season. Running back John Huntsman had a dominant season, securing his place as the best running back in the league with 1470 rushing yards (100 more than any other running back in the league) while also scoring 14 touchdowns (13 rushing and 1 receiving) for a season that very few running backs have ever had in the pass happy DSFL North.
But the biggest shock of all and the grandest revelation in the league and for the Grey Ducks was the performance of Wide Receiver Mason Malone. The QB Convert from Idaho proved every draft analyst, football reporter and blogger with a webcam wrong as he would have a season for the ages. From his first game against London where he would gain 46 yards to his finest performance where he would set a 154 yard mark (again against the London Royals in week 12) Malone continued to get better and better as the year went on and would prove that he could hang with even the best in the league at the position. The Duck Pond would get louder and louder every single time Malone would make a big play or go on one of his 75 yard runs for touchdowns.
Malone would end the year with 87 receptions, 1498 Yards and 9 touchdowns. The yardage mark in particular turned a lot of heads. The all time rookie record in the DSFL was set by Chunt the Badger of the Dallas Birddogs in season 27 with 1405 yards. Mason Malone didn’t just reach that mark, he shattered it, as the commentary team made sure everyone remembered the run.
“Malone receives from Oles, he gets a block and runs down the sideline and is brought down at the 28 yard line. That will be enough! He’s done it! Move over Badger, save a place for Mason!”
“There’s only one rookie receiving champion and there’s only one Mason Malone!”
Of all the single seasons in ISFL and DSFL history, there are very few that come close to Mason Malone’s Season 29. When the season began, everyone laughed at him and the Grey Ducks and wrote them off as jokes. When it ended, The Grey Ducks were outright first seeds and Malone would be regarded as not only a candidate for rookie of the year, but a possible MVP candidate. A season that nobody would have predicted to happen and in Minnesota, nobody will ever forget. Now the post season is upon the DSFL and the Grey Ducks are looking to finally bring the Ultimini after nearly a decade without a run. With their revamped offense, especially their new all star wide receiver, there are very few in the league that would bet against them. Mason’s place in the story of the Grey Ducks has been secured but now, he wants more. He wants to take the team that gave him the best possible chance to succeed and a chance to win it all again. It is time now to chase the biggest prize… with the team that believed in him.
The DSFL Combine is where the greatest young college athletes gather to show off their talents to the GM’s, coaches and owners of the DSFL Franchises. The Minnesota Grey Ducks brass appeared early to get their eyes in on the next group of graduates. It had been a rough road for Minnesota. The last 3 seasons had not resulted in trips to the postseason and more often than not straddling the .500 record line. For a franchise that once was the cream of the crop in the DSFL, winning back to back Ultimini titles, they desperately wanted to make it back to the grand stage.
They entered into the draft needing offensive help, looking for a true number one receiver. There were a lot of good options out there, Squidward Tentacles, Jason Waterfalls and Vincent Sharpei Jr (who the Grey Ducks ended up drafting in the second round). But as the combine went on, the Grey Ducks eyes quickly turned their attention to an… unlikely candidate.
Mason Malone, the Quarterback out of USC.
Now an inquiring mind might wonder why their attention would be in his direction. Malone was a great quarterback at USC for sure and he would go high in this draft but Minnesota would not be one of those teams. They already had Kazimir Oles Jr on the roster and he was likely their QB for the upcoming season so why look at Malone?
He had just posted a 4.53 second 40 yard dash.
That turned the heads of every single coach and GM in the room. That was the fastest time not just for a Quarterback but also was exceptionally even for the skill positions. Not to mention the fact that this was coming from a Quarterback that was not seen as a mobile threat or a scrambler, but a set foot on the ground field general passer. As the combine went on, Malone just continued to impress the Minnesota brass. He was quick from side to side, he was agile, he was strong and from what they heard from his coaches, he was a fine leader in the locker room. After Minnesota interviewed him, Russ Cayhill told the other Minnesota front office members:
“He’s the one”
***
As for Mason himself, he felt the combine had gone exceptionally well. He had earned the attention of several teams and there was a general sense in the combine that he would go high. His performances at USC, his general attitude and combine results had turned heads and his whole home town of McCall, Idaho was anxiously holding its breath, wondering where their favourite son would go. While everyone was sure he would go high, there was one question that everyone was wondering:
“Would Malone still play Quarterback?”
A lot of teams had asked him about his positional flexibility and if he had ever had experience in playing other positions. While Mason had never played any other position but QB, he had trained often with the skill positions players, running backs and wide receivers. The only thing was that Mason had never played those positions in an official game, either in high school or college. But his training with them, day after day in both McCall and at USC had increased his physical attributes exponentially so theoretically speaking, he could play one of the skill positions. That being said, doing so would be a massive gamble for any team to take on, a decision that may cause many teams to flinch away from drafting Malone at all. Then as draft day approached and the world watched on with interest, one team decided that Malone’s attributes and sky high potential was enough to take the risk. The Commissioner walked to the podium and announced the pick:
“With the 4th overall pick in the Season 29 DSFL Entry Draft, The Minnesota Grey Ducks Select… Mason Malone, Quarterback, USC.”
The entire town of McCall celebrated as if they had just won the Superbowl. Mason himself could only sit there as the tears started flowing. He had done it. He had made it to the DSFL. He was inching closer and closer to his dream of making it to the ISFL. After a weekend of partying with his hometown and his family, Mason packed up his bags and headed for Minneapolis for training camp. It was there where he would get the answer to his burning question.
Based on his combine results and raw attributes, they wanted to convert Mason to Wide Receiver. Mason had said if a team can redirect his training to the role he would more than likely accept the position change and throughout camp, the Grey Ducks brass would begin his retraining into his new skill role. This wouldn’t be easy and any slips up in this training camp could result in him getting cut and being only remembered as a draft bust. As he had done many times before, he put his nose to the grindstone and began working again. With the help of his new coaches, the raw athleticism of Malone began to shine and he started to develop a good rapport with his new QB, Kazimir Oles Jr, who had first thought of himself as a mentor to the young QB as he was heading off to the ISFL soon but now was working with the young athlete to turn him into a deadly wide receiver. Malone’s hard work and determination to succeed did not go unnoticed by the higher ups of Minnesota or the media as reports began to flood in of how impressive his camp had been and how he would make for a great 2nd wide receiver for the team and how with him on the team, Minnesota could potentially look to once again make the playoffs for the first time in 3 seasons. That’s when the announcement dropped.
The coaches of Minnesota had decided that not only would Mason be joining their receiver core but he would also be the number 1 receiver. A huge task for any player but this was near impossible task for a QB convert to wide receiver. The media was abuzz with questions and predictions that this was another sign of Minnesota tanking for another miracle talent in the next draft, that is until the head coach of the team, Gregory Ragg, stepped up and let his thoughts be known:
“We are putting Malone at WR1 because we believe in his talents and we believe in the skills he has shown us at this camp. You can laugh at us and mock us all you please, but this decision was not made in haste or made by mistake. We will rally around Mason Malone and we will play good football.”
This not only stunned the media in question but also Mason who was watching from afar. This team believed in him. For the first time in his life a team actually believed he could be the star player right off the bat. The Minnesota Grey Duck brass had no idea how much that meant to the young talent and once he heard it he made a silent vow, that he would do everything in his power to make sure that Minnesota never once regretted making that decision. Head Coach Ragg’s comments were backed up by General Manager Cayhill as he said this about Malone:
“Drafting Mason was a decision that took some courage, on both sides. He had only played QB before, but we saw the raw talent that was underneath and took a chance. He accepted, and absolutely blew us away with his performance on and off the field.”
With the world on his shoulders and all the expectations and love from his home town at his back, Mason Malone stepped out with his team for the first time in a Minnesota Grey Duck uniform. It was time to bring the Ducks back to the playoffs and he would do whatever he had to in order to get there.
***
When Head Coach Ragg said that they would play good football, he probably would never have guessed how good they would play. Of course every head coach wants his team to do well but they also have to tamper those expectations with reality and with great teams like Kansas City Coyotes, The Portland Pythons, The Dallas Birddogs and the reigning champion London Royals, it would be a struggle for the newly rebuilt grey ducks. Little did he know what would happen.
The Minnesota Grey Ducks didn’t just play good football, they would be the outright #1 Seed of the DSFL with a 10-4-0 record. The team defence, which already formidable from Season 28, finish 1st in points allowed became one of the most feared in the league, being the 3rd best run stopping defence and the best pass stop defence in the league. What took notable massive steps forward was team offense. Oles Jr would put on a season to remember with 4094 yards and 31 touchdowns as a QB while also setting the league record for pass completion percentage (64.2%) in a season. Running back John Huntsman had a dominant season, securing his place as the best running back in the league with 1470 rushing yards (100 more than any other running back in the league) while also scoring 14 touchdowns (13 rushing and 1 receiving) for a season that very few running backs have ever had in the pass happy DSFL North.
But the biggest shock of all and the grandest revelation in the league and for the Grey Ducks was the performance of Wide Receiver Mason Malone. The QB Convert from Idaho proved every draft analyst, football reporter and blogger with a webcam wrong as he would have a season for the ages. From his first game against London where he would gain 46 yards to his finest performance where he would set a 154 yard mark (again against the London Royals in week 12) Malone continued to get better and better as the year went on and would prove that he could hang with even the best in the league at the position. The Duck Pond would get louder and louder every single time Malone would make a big play or go on one of his 75 yard runs for touchdowns.
Malone would end the year with 87 receptions, 1498 Yards and 9 touchdowns. The yardage mark in particular turned a lot of heads. The all time rookie record in the DSFL was set by Chunt the Badger of the Dallas Birddogs in season 27 with 1405 yards. Mason Malone didn’t just reach that mark, he shattered it, as the commentary team made sure everyone remembered the run.
“Malone receives from Oles, he gets a block and runs down the sideline and is brought down at the 28 yard line. That will be enough! He’s done it! Move over Badger, save a place for Mason!”
“There’s only one rookie receiving champion and there’s only one Mason Malone!”
Of all the single seasons in ISFL and DSFL history, there are very few that come close to Mason Malone’s Season 29. When the season began, everyone laughed at him and the Grey Ducks and wrote them off as jokes. When it ended, The Grey Ducks were outright first seeds and Malone would be regarded as not only a candidate for rookie of the year, but a possible MVP candidate. A season that nobody would have predicted to happen and in Minnesota, nobody will ever forget. Now the post season is upon the DSFL and the Grey Ducks are looking to finally bring the Ultimini after nearly a decade without a run. With their revamped offense, especially their new all star wide receiver, there are very few in the league that would bet against them. Mason’s place in the story of the Grey Ducks has been secured but now, he wants more. He wants to take the team that gave him the best possible chance to succeed and a chance to win it all again. It is time now to chase the biggest prize… with the team that believed in him.