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Well, ‘IFL….Unlocked’ made it to the second edition so welcome back folks.
Although the new Cleveland Clawz GM has already had an official welcome to the league, we thought this would be a good point to get to know him a little better.
So here we are….The ‘Big Interview’ with Clawz supremo: Brando.
The 'Big Interview'.
Q: Hey Brando. Thank you for sitting down with us for the ‘Big Interview’.
Can I ask you, why ‘Brando’?
My name's Brandon and I don't really have an online name I usually use. In other leagues I've just been "Jets GM" or something, but I didn't want to do that this time. My best friend always calls me Brando, so I figure that's as close as I have to a nickname.
Clawz Executives adapted quicky to Brando’s unique management style.
Q: What part of the states do you live in and which is your favourite NFL / College team?
I live near Seattle and am a big Seattle Seahawks fan.
My Dad and I have gone to games since the early 90s when we were first able to get season tickets.
Getting to be there with him for the NFC Championship win back in 2005 was probably the best sporting event I've ever been to.
Though the upset of the Saints two years ago was pretty awesome too.
I've never seen so much sheer fan craziness as I did after Marshawn Lynch's run.
Now I split a pair of seats with my Dad and go with him sometimes and my wife sometimes.
My wife had never been to a pro football game until 2006 and was always a little pissed that I went to so many. Then my dad was out of town for one and I took her. About three minutes into the game she said "Okay, I get it. This is great."
Mrs Brando knew something was up when she saw their Wedding cake.
Just want to say, also, that I'm not one of those Seahawks fans who still harps about the officiating in Super Bowl XL. I'm of the mind that you don't have the right to complain about officiating in a game where you miss two field goals, give up long touchdowns, drop key passes, commit legit killer penalties, turn the ball over in the red zone, allow the other team to convert on 3rd-and-28, etc., etc. I don't follow college football all that closely, though I used to. I'll turn on a few games a year just while I'm working around the house and I usually watch the national title game.
Q: Have you played football yourself and if so which position?
I only played in the neighborhood, but never organized.
The league near me had weight minimums and I was kind of a shrimpy kid.
By the time I was big enough to play, I would have been playing with kids 2-3 years younger than me, so it didn't really appeal to me.
I was already doing baseball in the spring with All-Stars all summer, so I was pretty focused on that.
I kind of regret it now, though.
Brando and his brothers were late developers
Q: Can you give us a few of your all time favourite NFL players and explain why you like them?
The first player I really idolized was Steve Largent.
I think I just latched onto him because he was the best player on the Seahawks during the 80s.
More recently, I really liked Walter Jones. He was just so dominant and so effortless doing it.
Here's a great link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-BSrVsRDs
Q: Do you have an NFL team you love to hate?
The Steelers would be the closest I get.
Steelers? Don't like 'em!
Q: Do you follow other sports and if so, which teams?
I used to follow a lot of sports, but since we had my daughter a few years ago, my time is more limited so I decided to focus primarily on NFL football.
Q: What’s you all time favourite movie?
Gosh, I have no idea.
I like a lot of movies….Chinatown, MASH and Goodfellas come to mind immediately, but ask me again next week and I might have a different answer.
Q: Would you call yourself a seasoned FOF player or are you relatively new to the game?
I'd say I'm fairly seasoned.
I played for years at another league that has a group of pretty good players.
My teams were usually in the playoffs, but I never made it past the conference championship.
The team that I built and left right at the beginning of the regular season did win the Bowl over there the season I left, so I was a little happy about that.
Q: Do you play in other FOF leagues?
I don't at the moment and I don't anticipate that I will.
I was in another league that simmed three times a week.
I like to immerse myself a little bit and that was just getting to be too much time.
Q: You’ve had a little time now to check out your new team, the Clawz. What do you make of your new franchise?
My initial impression was that it's a team that's kind of nearing the end of its run.
The QB and some other key players are getting old, but our two top receivers are still young.
I'm going to give it a whirl this year and see what this group can do.
Q: The previous GM, Mike, was pretty successful. Are you up to the job as the new GM?
I hope so. I've always felt pretty confident in my ability to accumulate talent. I don't feel like I always game plan great, so that's an area I'll need to improve to keep this team competitive.
No pressure from the Clawz fans Brando.
Q: What are the strengths and weaknesses of your roster?
The key weakness from my perspective is depth and I've tried to do my best to patch that up.
We didn't have anyone who could hold down the fort if Perkins got hurt for a few games and were thin in other areas.
As far as strengths, I like the offensive talent. We've got good starters at every position and if we stay healthy we should be productive.
The middle of our defense (NT, ILB and S) is the big question mark. I like our edge defenders.
Q: Which Clawz player do you see as indispensable?
Corey Perkins, no doubt. If he goes down for a long period, the season is over.
Captain Indispensable – Corey Perkins
Hopefully with a young, capable QB taking over for Perkins and a revitalized defense that makes us a regular contender.
I've never done a real tear-down, so I'm hoping we can re-stock and avoid a bad stretch.
We'll see, though.
Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge facing your franchise?
Just combating the inevitable talent drain that happens after you've been good for a long time.
We don't have a ton of top-line talent and some of those guys are aging.
Q: The AC North division has been a dogfight recently. Can you win the division this year and what do you make of the rest of your division?
I like how competitive this division seems to have been.
I honestly don't see us winning the division because I just don't think our defense is good enough.
I'd put my money on Wichita, though each team has a shot.
Q: If you could chose to sign 1 player from last years IFL Champions, the Killer Whales, who would it be and why?
Honestly, maybe K Nicky Blades. I don't know what to make of my rookie kicker, but I'm holding out hope that if a good GM took him in the 4th round, that he's going to grow. He did hit a 52-yarder in week 1, so that's a good sign.
Q: In your opinion, which IFL franchise has the best nickname? The best color scheme?
I'll say my favorite nickname/logo/color scheme combos are the Vancouver Killer Whales and the Anchorage Lynx. I also like the Little Rock Toads.
Q: Who is your favourite to win the Championship this year and why?
I haven't been able to do a full survey of the league, but the depth of talent Lawrence has is impressive. Of course, you don't count out the reigning champs.
A big thank you to Brando for running with the ‘Big Interview’.
That’s all for this edition.
Catch you in Unlocked #3.
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