ESPN Insider Interview Series Volume 1, 2008 Season Preview

[ESPN Insider]

Stewie: Baby Genius

ESPN Insider: You were popped head first out of that infernal sow Lois, was that a better or worse experience than watching last years epic encounter between West Virginia and Boston?

Stewie: I do not know, I mean you’re comparing Football to that retched woman. Football is a deep passion of mine and is a great resource in my attempt to take over the world; I mean win loyal fans to our fan club. So I guess I would have to say being birthed by that infernal sow was worse.

ESPN Insider: At the last IFLFC Meeting I complained about the high price of membership dues and was promptly blasted by some sort of laser beam, what gives?

Stewie: I have no idea what you’re referring to. My laser was confiscated by Lois before our meeting, vile woman! But as for your concern about high member dues, we are currently working on ways to address that... VICTORY IS MINE!

ESPN Insider: I know Meg has the hots for Virgil Sepulveda, hottness aside, give me your view of how Virgil and the Mountaineers will do this season?

Stewie: Meg? Meg who? OHHHHH MEG!!! Yeah we have been concerned over here zeal for Sepulveda. We are not sure if she likes Virgil or the Cheerleaders that are always around him.

As for the Mountaineers, as we all know watching these teams, Vermont is always a team to deal with year in and year out. They pulled off a very solid draft and even found Virgil a few solid receiving prospects to target. It will be nice to see how the team gels during the pre-season, because the East will be tough this season.

ESPN Insider: As A Mules season ticket holder, how much ridicule do you take?

Stewie: More then I'm willing to admit! But we where impressed with the results early in the year, it did show us fans that there could be a bright future for the Mules. Unfortunately that will not be this year. With Opie down for the first 9 weeks of the season and newly acquired Nigel Booker in Houston, it does not look like this is the year for the Mules. Maybe we will at least stay out of the top 5 picks in the draft.

ESPN Insider: You get to sell the fat man by the pound and collect a cool pay day. You take that money to Vegas and lay it all down on 1 team to win the IFL title in 2008, who is it?

Stewie: I would probably lose my money if I went with my gut. I personally like Columbia. They are returning 75% of their starters from last season, and have a solid backup should JC go down. But if I had to put all my eggs in one basket! I would have to say the Cleveland Claws. They are a team that continues to improve and even though they are in a very tough division, I can see them going all the way this season.

[kingfc22]

ESPN Insider: You were popped head first out of that infernal sow Lois, was that a better or worse experience than watching last years epic encounter between West Virginia and Boston?

Ouch. I take back what I said earlier about your work.

[ESPN Insider]

ESPN Insider: You were popped head first out of that infernal sow Lois, was that a better or worse experience than watching last years epic encounter between West Virginia and Boston?

Ouch. I take back what I said earlier about your work.

:lol:

[ESPN Insider]

BOSS: Madison Demons

ESPN Insider: Following a slight downswing in 2005 and 2006, you returned to the top of the NFC North last year and went all the way to the NFC Championship game. Do you feel this team is a legitimate threat to the NFC Crown?

BOSS: I think we have a good chance. We need to take some of the pressure off of QB Will Irby. Irby has been a good player for us but he can't do it alone. We need to be able to show we can win games without his arm. I'm talking about running the football. We need to get more balanced on this team. In my opinion, we have become too one dimensional. Expect a more balanced team this year. When we won the IFL Championship in 04' we were a running team. We ran it down your throats and played hard nosed defense. Were looking to get back to them ways but with a player like Irby were looking to pass more then we did them days.

ESPN Insider: RB Charles Bell was selcted with the 10th overall pick in this years draft, does this signal an end to the Cody Reyes era in Madison?

BOSS: Cody Reyes is a heck of a ball player. His playing time has dwindled here the past few seasons but he doesn't gripe. He just wants to win. He is a team player. If he wants out, he hasn't said a word to me. He loves it here in Madison and the fans love him.

ESPN Insider: How big is the addition of RT Jared Swink to this offense?

BOSS: Well Jared came over in the Joe Otey deal with SLC and were extremely glad to have him. Like i said, were trying to improve our running game and he is a key addition. He should help out quite a bit opening holes for Bell, Davidson and Reyes.

ESPN Insider: Some have suggested that the weakest part of your team may be your secondary, how do you feel you match up against some of the more high powered offenses in the NFC?

BOSS: I agree that our secondary needed a major overhaul. We have keyed on that area our last few drafts. I'm not sure but we may have the youngest secondary in the league right now. Were excited about these guys, especially Preston Benson. This kid is gonna be a good one. Some of the other guys like Poole, Ferguson and the rook Howland are gonna be good players as well.

BOSS: Our secondary was torched for a lot of yards last year but thats the breaks when you start rookies in the secondary. We don't regret the move as these kids got valuable experience.

ESPN Insider: With Dakota in diseray on and off the field, do you feel that Pittsburgh is now your biggest roadbloack in back to back division crowns?

BOSS: Without a doubt the Power are a fine team. You are talking about one of the finest DL's in the IFL. They have holes just like everybody else but they are well coached and ready to play every Sunday. I always look forward to our matchups. They are our biggest rival and the division title usually hangs in the balance.
Don't count out Lansing. They have a ton of talent but just haven't put it all together yet. When they do, Pittsburgh and Madison could both be in trouble.

[ESPN Insider]

MrBigglesworth: Pittsburgh Power

ESPN Insider: 3 Straight 1 and done playoff appearances, what will it take for the Power to get over the hump?

MrBigglesworth: I took over the team after a 4-12 year, so just to make the playoffs three straight years is something that I am happy about. Better pass defense in the playoffs though is what we need. The teams we have played in the playoffs, we have handled their offenses in the regular season, but then when the playoffs came around the pass defense failed. It's all about defense. And like in any close games, we need to get more of the breaks.

ESPN Insider: Alvin Mann made strides last season, do you feel like it's time for him to step up and be a more dependable leader for this team?

MrBigglesworth: At this point I'm not sure that Mann will be the starter week 1. Mueller made great strides in the off-season, and he already comes in with a pretty good history. It could get interesting, I'm toying with a two-headed monster at QB. I may also just hand the reins over to Mueller to see if he can handle it, so I can trade Mann before his current contract runs out.

ESPN Insider: David Rodrigez doesn't get near the pub some of the more flamboyant backs in the league do, do you prefer it that way or would you like to see some more props thrown his way?

MrBigglesworth: Rodrigez is a workhorse back. He gets the ball 340 times every year, has never even been dinged up, and he is actually the third highest rushing back in the history of the IFL behind only Crosby and Tart. Last year he managed 49 catches, third among RB's. He is an Emmitt Smith type instead of a Barry Sanders type, and that inherently doesn't get as much ink. But he is just as big a part of our success and our turnaroud.

ESPN Insider: This is always such a tight division, does the wear and tear of the regular season hurt you come playoff time?

MrBigglesworth: We always have half a dozen players injured come playoff time, and the competitiveness of the division certainly plays into that by never giving any teams in the division time to rest their players. But the only reason it is close is that we aren't good enough during the regular season. Well, we're good enough against the North, who we are 10-2 against the past two seasons! We were a last second FG away from having a bye in the first round, we can make that improvement this season.

ESPN Insider: Some local columnists have criticized your decision to play indoors, claiming "it's not Pittsburgh style football", how do you respond to that?

MrBigglesworth: Hey, wasn't my decision and it's not my style. I inherited the stadium. We have good support for a new stadium, but the one we have is in excellent shape and rated as the second best in the league. It's hard to justify the expense of a new stadium considering those conditions, especially just to open the roof. Make no mistake though, the next Pittsburgh stadium will have no roof, retractable or otherwise.

[ESPN Insider]

Morellomre: Lansing Ogres


ESPN Insider: Is their a QB controversy in Lansing between Todd Terrel and Scott Nelson?

Morellomre: There is no controversy..at this time it is it is Nelsons team. He came in mid-season went 6-3-1, threw 14 TD's while only getting intercepted twice, and really opened up the offense. We are excited about what this season holds now that we have had a whole offseason and training camp to tailor the offense to Nelson's skillset.
When we drafted Todd we felt like we were drafting a cornerstone of the franchise and last year many GM's around the league had the season pegged as Terrell's breakout. The only thing that broke however was his knee. And boy did it ever BREAK. He still will not be fully recovered til at least midseason and we as an organization do not in anyway want to rush him back and endanger his full recovery. Todd was a special player and if he makes a full recovery then he will have more then a fair shot to take his starting spot back.

ESPN Insider: Only Reno and Salt Lake allowed more points than you last season, how do you feel you can turn that around?

Morellomre: (laughs). This is my 5th season and it seems every year im trying to pull a rabbit out of my hat to make the defense work. On paper i think we look good. Despite our terrible stats i think the D really came on last season. I find it funny how the defensive player of the year can be on one of the worst defense but Isaac Edwards did just that (129 Tkls, 3 sks, 7 ints, 1td). We resigned Edwards to a long term deal, try build on a strong, cohesive unit. In my opinion Lynn Phifer is one of the most underrated players in the league haveing posted 176 tackles and 10.5 sacks over the last 2 years from the DT position. Our line is strong with Phifer, Razo, Bratzke, and now the addition of John Ash. Thats alot of big bodies to get around for the run. Edwards leads our LB's. Since coming over in the blockbuster trade for the 1st overall pick, Anthony Autry has not fulfilled expectations. We feel however that its not a lack of effort but just a bad luck injuries. If he can stay healthy he can team up with the solid, if unspectacular Rusty Hodges to form a nice CB duo. Add to that a healthy Richard Sibley and Richard White who gets the most from a limited amount of skills then any player ive ever seen. On paper it looks good..but lets see how they look on the field.

ESPN Insider: Chris Webb has been the incumbent at RB in Lansing since day 1 of your franchise, does the drafting of Graham Kruse in the first round this year signal an end to the "Spider" Webb era for the Ogres?

Morellomre: Spider has been the cornerstone of the Lansing franchise since the league's inception. He is entering his 9th professional season and will be 30 years old. History dictates that running backs over the age of 30 cannot take the beating they used to. The guy we wanted had slipped off the board so we decided to take the best player available according to our board (Kruse). We are very excited with what he brings to the team and we think we got a real steal. With the addition of such depth we can lighten the load on Spider and keep him healthier towards the end of the season.

ESPN Insider: Isaac Edwards had a monster season in 2007, can we expect more of the same from him in 2008?

Morellomre: Edwards is just now entering his prime as he is only in 4th year and will be 26 years old. With a front four of Razo, Phifer, Ash, and Bratzke it only frees Isaac up to make even more outstanding plays this season.

ESPN Insider: What do you consider the keys are to you making a run at the NFC North title this season?

Morellomre: The the single thing we need, and all teams for that matter, it to stay healthy. As long as we're healthy i know we can play with, and beat any team in the league.

[ESPN Insider]

Argot: Dakota Spirit

ESPN Insider: Your plan to move to Chicago has fallen thru, fan support is low, you've mentioned the possibility of full blown rebuilding mode, how hard will it be to build a winner in Dakota?

Argot: (Ken laughs), well you certainly put your finger on a problem there, haven’t you.

Well, first of all, regarding the move to Chicago, I want the fans in Dakota to know that it was truly a business decision. If you look at the figures, we have lost money every year except for the first year in the league, and we only made money then, because there were no signing bonuses that first year. We have also ranked dead last in the amount of money that our team brings in for a family of four on any given Sunday. Now the reason I say this was a business decision is that even though we were selling out almost every game, we were still going in the financial hole every season.

Now, you know that I have been one of the loudest proponents of revenue sharing in this league, and have asked the commissioner if there is any way that we can provide equity around the league. We didn’t want to move to Chicago. We love it here in Dakota. But when your financial situation starts impacting your ability to recruit good coaching, then you need to look at some solutions. We can’t compete with the Metropolitan cities that Newark, Houston, and Boston draw from. Look at Columbia, my guess is that you will see a dramatic rise in financial backing with their move to Atlanta.

So, our first experiment, raise ticket prices, wasn’t a huge success. You might have noticed that ticket sales plummeted and the upper deck was empty all last season. Our board of advisors and investors convinced me that this was the sign that while Dakota fans were loyal, they weren’t going to be able to sustain a fiscally stable franchise here. So, we submitted the plans to move the team.

I didn’t realize how big the backlash would be. It made me feel sick and excited at the same time. I had to have a police escort just to get into the studio today. I’ve had hate mail, seen my body hung in effigy, you name it. These Dakotans love their team. And that’s when I noticed a small error in the figures. You see, while attendance plummeted last year, the only seats that were missing were the upper deck. A majority of our fans DID pony up the extra cash for season tickets. What I miscalculated, however, was the upper deck where working class moms and dads brought their kids. They would drive in from as far west as Montana and Wyoming to see the Spirit play. Families used to schedule their trips weeks in advance, and head out Friday night for Sunday’s game. Many times they would take off from work on Monday in order to get back home.

You see growing up on the east coast, I never had that issue, the closest stadium was never more than an hour away. That’s lesson number one in knowing your constituency.

So last year, they just stayed away. I forgot the value of “hometown heroes” and boosted ticket prices beyond their ability to pay. Not because they didn’t want to, but because they couldn’t afford to. I could kick my own butt for alienating them.

ESPN Insider: So, can you build a winning franchise in Dakota?

Argot: Ah, thanks for reminding me of the real question. Yes. Yes we can. And we have already put in place one of the greatest promotions in our history. All upper deck seating this year is only $10. We lowered some of the other seating just a bit, but we are hoping that everyone who bought a seat last year will keep up with their PSL’s for this year. I haven’t seen the projections yet, but we’re praying for good things. Anything is better than last year. But here’s the kicker. Even with less than half of our stadium full last year, we still didn’t lose as much money as the year before. So, in theory, if we can get our “upper deck” families to come back, we should be able to not only break even, but bring financial stability to our team.

ESPN Insider: After 2 straight seasons where you in a neck and neck race for the division title, how hard was it to fall to the back of the crowd last season?

Argot: It wasn’t easy. There were times that I avoided reading the local and national papers to keep from being reminded of our lack of enthusiasm. But I think it actually started the year before.
If you remember, in 2006 we were given a hard time in the pre-season press about how we were mediocre. So after losing to our division rivals, Pittsburgh, in the first game, we rattled off six wins in a row. This, even, with Gus McGwire coming off of the bench when Hooten went down. We were sitting on top of the division at 6-1. And then the wheels came off. We only won two more games that season, both at home, finishing at 8-8. and out of the playoffs—again. So when we started the season last year we were pretty high on ourselves, after beating Lansing and then Portland, but when we lost to Pittsburgh again in the 3rd game, it was almost as if we had been snakebit. We lost 3 more in a row after that and never recovered.

When I took over back in 2005, I inherited a team that didn’t have a lot of stars, but had some good team cohesion. I was afraid to make any bold moves, which has brought criticism from the national press. So with Rocco aging, we felt that our timetable was running out. We made a couple of moves, none real flashy, because we didn’t want to totally sacrifice our future. I think we have a more realistic idea about where this team is right now. We know that we need to make some changes.

ESPN Insider: You mentioned Rocco Hooten who had a bad year last season. In this, his 15th season, is it time to move on and begin to groom someone else for the future?

Argot: I don’t know that it’s all Rocco’s fault. Our offensive line wasn’t as good, last year, and had some injuries. I know he made some bad decisions, and I think Rocco himself would say that he was disappointed with the number of interceptions he made last year. Rocco has always been part of the heart and soul of this team, I think that is why we’re experiencing such an identity crisis. There were rumors floating around that Rocco was going to retire.

We waited on McGwire’s contract, but when we knew Hooten was returning, we allowed him to go to free agency. We were also preparing to look at a top rated QB coming out of the draft, but despite the early college predictions, pro scouts didn’t show a clear favorite. We picked up Jorge Best in the 4th round who is competing this preseason with Patterson for the back up role, we are hoping that these two would develop, but not sure that will happen with Hooten in command. And for right now our commitment remains with Hooten.

This is his last contract year, I am sure that some time this season we will sit down with him and talk with him about the future, but for right now. He is the leader of this team. We have even brought Jonathan Corso back this year. Corso has always been Hooten’s safety net. But he will be without Chris Camp and possibly Alverez this year.

ESPN Insider: Are you looking to move some of your higher priced veterans before the season begins?

Argot: Like I said, Alverez looks like the only one going at this point. We have shopped a number of others, but most teams only had interest in Alverez and Camp. However, there are a number of players who have already contacted us about being traded, because they know a rebuilding is going to occur. I perceive there may be some vultures out there who are already looking at our roster, but our demise is vastly overrated.

ESPN Insider: If you had to present 1 player as the face of the Dakota franchise, who would it be?

Argot: Excellent question, this team has never been about egos and personalities. We have worked hard on being a team, which is why our defense has been so stifling. Everyone does their job. I could propose a number of players who are rated high by scouts throughout the league, but it is yet to be seen whether they will continue to be part of this organization in the future given our situation.

We are hoping that Clarence Qualls, our first round pick this year, will be a centerpiece for a new generation of players, but with his holdout it has been difficult to see yet, just what he can do.

[MrBigglesworth]

Argot: ...If you remember, in 2006 we were given a hard time in the pre-season press about how we were mediocre. So after losing to our division rivals, Pittsburgh, in the first game, we rattled off six wins in a row. This, even, with Gus McGwire coming off of the bench when Hooten went down. We were sitting on top of the division at 6-1. And then the wheels came off. We only won two more games that season, both at home, finishing at 8-8. and out of the playoffs—again. So when we started the season last year we were pretty high on ourselves, after beating Lansing and then Portland, but when we lost to Pittsburgh again in the 3rd game, it was almost as if we had been snakebit. We lost 3 more in a row after that and never recovered.

Your season ends week 4 this year :twisted:

[ESPN Insider]

The Veteran Voice: Historian

ESPN Insider: Do to the war in Iraq, the Goverment seizes all the IFL's assets to pay for Haliburtons contract and the league shuts down, name the 5 players you'd put in the IFL Hall Of Fame.

The Veteran Voice: Wow. This is a tough one. Do I go with the guys who have put up the best career numbers or do I go with the dominant players?

QB Nigel Booker leads the list. The guy flat out makes the play when needed and he has 15 4th quarter comebacks. The 133 TD's thrown is not too bad either.

QB Harold Lozier would get my vote. He has led the Vipers to two IFL Bowls and has come away with a ring. Not to mention that he had an outstanding day in the title game against Oakland.

LB John Maynard gets a nod as well. Hey we have to show some love for the defense and all he does is make tackles.

RB's Jacque Crosby and Alan Crespo round out my top 5. Crespo is only entering his 4th year, but it is clear he is well on his way to being enshrined some day.

ESPN Insider: What 10 year plus veteran do you see making the biggest impact in the league this season?

The Veteran Voice: Without a doubt, it is Columbia's Julian Cartagena. Columbia has made the playoffs every year behind JC and this will be the season he gets them into the IFL Bowl.

ESPN Insider: All the 60+ year old Head Coaches are wrangled up and sent off to the old folks home to play electric football and sip cocoa, you can let one of them keep their job, who is it?

The Veteran Voice: My name is the Veteran Voice. I would not be true to my word if I did not choose Lester Mineo to stay. The oldest head coach in the IFL at 69 years old should be given a chance to at least retire with a record above .500. If it takes him until he turns 80 then so be it.

ESPN Insider: You're given a magical potion that makes an old man young and spry again. But you only have enough for one person. What retired player do you give it to?

The Veteran Voice: I would have to give it to Dewitt Flynn. Out of all the retired players, I think if Flynn was given a longer career he might have put up some incredible numbers.

ESPN Insider: The year is 2020, who has the most storied franchise in IFL History?

The Veteran Voice: I'm going to go out on a limb and say the Columbia Fire. They have one of the best veterans in the game with JC under center. Their roster is very deep and they have a young kid in Deron Markel who is waiting in the wings.

[ESPN Insider]

John Clayton: Inside Man

ESPN Inisder: Your bosses at ESPN are giving you tickets to any regular season IFL game this season that you want, what game are you going to?

John Clayton: I'm always a bigger fan of games when the stakes are at their highest and looking at the exciting Week 17 divisional matchups I think the game to see will be Madison hosting Pittsburgh for what will most likely decide the division. The games between these teams can go either way and I know both teams will be trying to prove something after disappointing losses in the playoffs last season.

ESPN Inisder: Predict for me the participants of Imperial Bowl VI.

John Clayton: It'd be easy to pick Norfolk and Little Rock again, both teams kept their cores together and both have made 2 trips to the Imperial Bowl in their history. However, I'll go out on a limb and go with Iowa City from the AC and Madison from the NC. Barring injuries, both teams have the talent to make it.

ESPN Inisder: 8 divisions in the IFL, who wins em?

John Clayton: Iowa City, St. Louis, Norfolk, Albuquerque
Madison, Little Rock, Lawrence, Oakland

ESPN Inisder: Who has a better season with their new team, Nigel Booker in Houston or Chris Chaplin in Salt Lake City?

John Clayton: Booker's weakness in Houston will be his lack of talent at WR, but talented QBs can overcome that and make their targets better. Chaplin has to deal with a young offensive line that may not be able to offer him enough time to find his loaded WR corps. I'm going to give Booker the nod here because Houston's division is weaker allowing for more opportunities for bigger games and also because I think Timmerman is going to have a huge year, taking a lot of pressure off of Booker.

ESPN Inisder: Who throws for more yards this season. Tobias Stanfield or Gene Hamilton?

John Clayton: Stanfield. Hamilton's numbers balooned after the trade of Wesley Connell left Oakland without a meaninful run game. With 2nd round pick Rico Bailey in the mix, Oakland will try to maintain more balance to keep opponents off guard. Lawrence, on the other hand, has had a talented running back for a few seasons, yet still airs it out like there is no tomorrow. Unless they get out to early leads on a lot of their oppenents, I don't see that changing.

[ESPN Insider]

Cringer: Little Rock Toads


ESPN Insider: You made a huge trade last season in sending Frank Wideman and Olin Holst to St. Louis, did you ever imagine that you would win the Imperial Bowl following that decision?

Cringer: Not at all. I thought te Toads where at the start of a slow decline. Holst and Wideman were major players for my team. Holst a #1 WR, and Wideman was the nose tackle in the 3-4 defense. And Wideman was a monster, there was no replacing him even though we were happy with Cedrick Lemos and how he is playing at NT for us.
What ended up happening is a couple other guys stepped up their games to fill Wideman's spot, even though they didn't play NT. Carl Cronin at DE is one, and another younger player in SLB James Barber. Both made some big plays, and picked up the slack in tackling.

ESPN Insider: What is it like playing year in and year out against the high powered offenses in the NFC?

Cringer: There are some scary offenses in this conference, that's for sure, and it can be rough. The Toads have been lucky enough to have some solid defensive backs though, and a group that we have been able to keep together.
We have had a little luck too I think. Julian Cartagena has two years where he missed a lot of time, and that guy sure can be a thorn in our side. There are two games where we can say we have gotten the best of him over the years, and that's it.
Oakland and Salt Lake City I think we have been a little lucky with the last four years. We never really had a game against them when they were playing their best ball. Madison, well I think we match up well with them and the team is confident against an all out passing team. Vermont always scares our coaching staff though, and our record against them shows why.
Overall, I think we haven't seen the best of a lot of these offense yet. Salt Lake is changing gears so maybe we have with them, as well as Columbia. Oakland is only going to get better though and that is scary. Texas and Tulsa could explode at any time, that is something I keep waiting for. Newark gets a passing game going and they could be unstoppable. Lawrence can wing it and that won't be stopping anytime soon. And Reno has shown they can reload and keep it going.

ESPN Insider: Does Ralph Given get near the credit he deserves for both his and this teams success?

Cringer: I am not sure what it is, but there is just something about Ralph that prevents him from reaching that superstar status maybe. He has some great games, and has had a couple really good seasons, but the team gets the attention. He seems to like it that way, although I am sure some more endorsement money would be nice for the guy. the 2007 season did open some eyes though I feel. He had that 5 TD game against Reno to win that shoot out, and that really showed he can step it up to that next level if he has to, that level where a guy takes over a game and lets the team ride on his shoulders. He doesn't do it very often though, so maybe that is why he gets overlooked some.

ESPN Insider: 3 Straight division titles, 2 Imperial Bowl appearances, what keeps this team at such a high level?

Cringer: A great core group of players who know theirs jobs and that have been together for multiple years now, and a coaching staff that is the same. We have a guy at each position who leads by example. We have also done well with moving younger players into key roles. James Barber at SLB was huge for our defense. We drafted him knowing the great Richie Currin would be moving on, and Barber is now almost as good as Currin was and eventually could be better. James Brown was a great guard for us, but Perry Perkins with little experience in this league, came over from Reno last year and played pretty good. We will be tested this year again though, as we move in a couple more young guys at center and WILB.

ESPN Insider: How does a team full of so many elite players get along so well with nary a bad word said about each other?

Cringer: It's quite a remarkable thing to see nowadays in this era of "me first" athletes.[/b]
The guys know this is a team effort. We don't get anywhere without working together and keeping it together all the time. The guys also know that eventually they will get their time, or game, in the spotlight. That's how things are set up here, we don't fully depend on one guy at all times. Dixon can step it up one week, but the next week it could be TE Flores having a huge game, and the next week it could be WR Kennedy going for over 100 yards. On defense, maybe Hernandez has a big game, and Cronin answers that he next week. Love, Lindo, Rochester, McGuire....they all know they will end up getting atleast a couple of starts and they will all get on the field at some point, even though they all play the same position in cornerback. Oh, and we also try to weed out the players who we feel don't fit. Tod Woods was a great DT for us, but just wasn't going to be a long term guy once we got to know him better. He was a little more about himself then the players we like on this team. Wanted the huge, outrageous contract. Didn't work as hard as we liked. Things like that.

[ESPN Insider]

Iceman99: Columbia Fire

ESPN Insider: With only 2 more seasons to go in Columbia, do you want to bring this city a title before you head to Atlanta?

Iceman99: Yes, we would love to bring a title here to Columbia before all is said and done. We feel that it would be a great way to thank our current fans for their support over the years, and it will also allow us to show our future fans that they are getting a top notch organization.

ESPN Insider: For 3 straight seasons you've come up just short in the division race against Little Rock. How frustrating is it to be so close and come up just short every year?

Iceman99: Yeah this one stings a little, Little Rock is one of the best teams in the league and they always seem to have our number in the regular season. It was bitter sweet last year coming up second in the Division again, but we did get revenge by eliminating them from the playoffs. We are hoping that this will be our year to getting over the dreaded Little Rock hurdle.

ESPN Insider: After 2 straight Conference Championship game defeats, you fell to Newark in the WildCard round last year, has the frustration reached a boiling point?

Iceman99: Well last year was a year that for some reason just did not feel right. We started out very slow but came on strong at the end. In all honesty we where surprised we made the playoffs. Our Division was SUPER tough last year... So while it hurt to lose, it was not a major blow.

ESPN Insider: Do you feel that the lack of a feared ground game has hurt you in recent years?

Iceman99: Well the addition of Mercury Buckner has given us the ability to run more, but I do feel that it has had a small impact to our overall success. But we feel with Buckner in the backfield that we can produce a solid run game over the next few seasons and change the mindset of how others view the Columbia offense.

ESPN Insider: What does this team need to do to surpass Little Rock in the NFC South?

Iceman99: BEAT LITTLE ROCK!!! We control our own destiny with them. We obviously have to win games during the regular season, but the building block to taking the NFC South is to beat Little Rock. Beating them will give us the upper hand.

[Pirates]

The Veteran Voice: I would have to give it to Dewitt Flynn. Out of all the retired players, I think if Flynn was given a longer career he might have put up some incredible numbers.

I miss the Dew. Curses!!!!!

[MrBigglesworth]

Woods got along very well with his teammates this past year, anchoring the best scoring defense in the NFC!

[ESPN Insider]

StillSeekHim: Texas Trojans

ESPN Insider: Years of being an also ran have degraded your fan support and attendance, following up on last years 10 win season, what can you do to restore public support for this team?

StillSeekHim: Public supoort for the team will come from putting "W"'s on the scoreboard. We look forward to the callenge of making this a team that can compete on a year to year basis, injuries permenting.

ESPN Insider: QB Clayton Chung and WR Glen Bess have long been lacking in mainstream hype despite their numbers, last year they kicked things into the stratosphere with their remarkable seasons, can we expect more of the same from the duo this year?

StillSeekHim: Yes you can. We will try and balance the attack more Ryan Deing and Jamal Strong more involved in the offense. If we can increase Paul Brown's per avg carry from 3.58 to what he did in 2006 (4.27) we may give our opponets something more to look at than just Chnug and Bess.

ESPN Insider: How hard do you forsee it to be competing in the same division with perrenial powerhouses Little Rock and Columbia?

StillSeekHim: We have our work cut out to compete with the likes of Columbia and Little Rock. We plan on modeling our franshise along the lines of these great franchises.

ESPN Insider: You've been quietly methodical during this offseason, your first in the league, what have you taken in about your division foes and their teams?

StillSeekHim: Their records speak for themselves. We will start to free up cap money here and draft players that can come in a help ASAP. Building through the draft while we free up money to bring players in FA will help us stay competitive and hopefully stay a notch ahead of my conferance foes.

ESPN Insider: CB Roman Bond has been very impressive in his first 2 IFL seasons, do you see him as a key in shutting down some of the more high powered offenses in the NFC?

StillSeekHim: He will be the key along with our LB's. IF we can get pressure on the QB we may have a chance here and there. Because of our money situation, we are not able to bring in quality backups so it will be interesting to see how our season will go.