Chris Berman: Welcome football fans, Boomer here and today we’re with superstar HB Maurice Jones-Drew of the Kalamazoo Coyotes. Welcome Maurice.
MJD: Thanks Boomer, great to be here and talk with a legend such as yourself.
CB: The honor is all mine. First things first, what a game you had against the Cougars! 98-9 as the final score? Let me read off a couple of notes I have here…55 broken tackles, 419.5 rushing yards, and 6 rushing touchdowns. Would you call it the most dominating HB performance in all of GLB?
MJD: Haha, that sure was a hell of a game on the statsheet. But seriously, there is no way I could’ve put up those numbers without the rest of my squad. I know it’s cliché for athletes to praise their team like this but these guys really deserve it. Props to our defense first of all, anytime we score 14 TD’s, that means we give their offense the ball at least 15 times and our defense managed to only allow 9 points.
CB: What about on offense?
MJD: Well, Connor was great. I mean, I know I’m getting a lot of attention from this game but 270 yards through the air and 4 TD’s is phenomenal! If teams think they can just load up in the box to stop me, then Connor is gonna burn em’ through the air. I might be biased but I think Ning Lyght might be the best WR in the league. Not to take anything away from DeAngelo or Dayton because they're awesome wideouts but Lyght just knows his way into the endzone. I think it's because he spends most of practice doing TD dances and he really just wants to show them off. Haha...kidding of course but our receiving corp is top notch. Our blockers, the guys who never get any credit, are probably the ones responsible for 419 yards. I broke a few tackles but the line did a great job holding defenders off. Overall we’re a tough team to beat.
CB: So was that the best performance ever?
MJD: I’d have to say no. Someone else had 8 TD’s in a game and Lawrence Frankel averages 200+ yards per game so I'm sure he's had a few great games. Not to mention the fact that I haven’t really been following the stats of the other elite backs like Goddard or Sticks…those guys are pretty phenomenal too. It was definitely a personal best but I don’t want to take anything away from the guys who have been in the league longer than I have.
CB: And the 55 broken tackles?
MJD: Well, that’s just about heart and the willingness to lower your shoulder and go through guys twice your size. A lot of people are surprised when a HB would rather go through a DT than around him.
CB: What about this play? http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?pbp_id=885064 How’d you manage to break through THREE defenders trying to take you down all at once?
MJD: Well, as you can see from the replay, this was one of our trick plays. Our FB and TE are supposed to pretend to have the ball and run towards our own endzone and while the defenders are distracted, I get a running start and barrel through the unsuspecting defenders like a bowling ball through the pins. That’s just an example of Ronin’s coaching genius.
CB: Speaking of Ronin, how has he been as a coach and owner?
MJD: He’s been phenomenal. We’re winning and pulling off huge upsets that no one but us ever expected. I’ve heard a lot of complains lately about bad owners all around the world but I couldn’t be happier. He’s definitely a player’s coach ya know? The kind of guy who will take everyone’s opinion into account and is able to balance winning with keeping everyone happy. The great guys on our team probably make it easier for him but managing a good, winning team is never a easy thing.
CB: So where does Maurice Jones-Drew stand in comparison with the other HB’s of USA Pro? Are you at Lawrence Frankel’s level?
MJD: Lawrence Frankel? Not yet. I mean, hopefully I can get there someday and run out 200 yards every game but that’s a tough thing to do in this league. GLB is kind of like the NFL. When you rank HB’s in the NFL there’s LT and then there’s everyone else. In GLB there’s LF and then there’s everybody else. When it comes to actual ranking you can never really be sure because there’s so many great backs out there. I already mentioned Keith Goddard and Declan Sticks but there’s a ton of other guys like Julius Brown and Jon Stewart that deserve recognition too. Just to be considered one of the top 10 backs in this league would be pretty flattering in my eyes.
CB: You joined the league pretty early, do you feel like your one of the grizzled veterans now?
MJD: Not a chance, I’m still learning and improving every day. I’m playing with some of the pioneers of GLB so I look up to those guys a lot for help and advice. I try to help out some of the younger guys when I can but I’m still pretty new to this whole thing too.
CB: Well, you’re certainly doing well for yourself.
MJD: Thanks, I’m just really looking forward to test our team in the postseason.
CB: Any thoughts on the postseason and how close the race for playoff spots in the East are?
MJD: Well, we’re almost locked into #3 right now so basically we’ll be playing whoever ends up as the #6 seed. The funny thing about USA Pro East is that the #4-#9 teams all have the exact same record right now and the Mustangs are at .500 and could really come in and play spoilers for one or two of these teams. We could legitimately play 7 different teams in the 1st round so we have no idea what to expect but you better believe the Coyotes will be watching the standings closely.
CB: Despite not knowing who you guys will be facing, how do you think Kalamazoo will do in the playoffs?
MJD: Not to be cocky but I honestly think we have a championship quality team. I don’t think any team is really head and shoulders above the competition now. It’s no secret that the Pushovers, Juggernauts, and DDT are considered the 3 top teams in the league, but if you want to be the best you got to beat the best right? I’m just excited to play these games and see how everything turns out. There should be some great games.
CB: Which team would you like to play most, starting with the Eastern Conference?
MJD: To be honest, I’d love to play the Juggernauts again. We beat them in a pretty close game during the regular season but they managed to completely shut me down. I remember having 30 total yards or something. Their defense was just swarming and they have some great tacklers out there who know how to get to the ball-carrier. They’re probably one of the teams that no one wants to play but the path to the championship game goes through Philly and Dark Lotus and we’re looking to win it all.
CB: What about a team out West? If you guys win the East, who would you like to play?
MJD: Well if we just went through the Juggernauts and Pushovers then I’d really like to play Bilboz iz Blockz but unfortunately that’s not going to happen. Seriously though, any of those playoff teams in the West look tough. I’m gonna say I’d like to play DDT for the championship though. That way it’ll be more undisputed you know? We don’t get a lot of opportunities to play Western conference teams so we might as well play the best. Can you imagine a title run through the Juggernauts, Pushovers, and Dump Trucks? That’s a tough road but that’s the great thing about USA Pro, no matter what anyone else says, we have the best teams in the world here.
CB: Well MoJo, thanks for your time, it’s been a pleasure.
MJD: No problem Boomer, anytime.
MJD: Thanks Boomer, great to be here and talk with a legend such as yourself.
CB: The honor is all mine. First things first, what a game you had against the Cougars! 98-9 as the final score? Let me read off a couple of notes I have here…55 broken tackles, 419.5 rushing yards, and 6 rushing touchdowns. Would you call it the most dominating HB performance in all of GLB?
MJD: Haha, that sure was a hell of a game on the statsheet. But seriously, there is no way I could’ve put up those numbers without the rest of my squad. I know it’s cliché for athletes to praise their team like this but these guys really deserve it. Props to our defense first of all, anytime we score 14 TD’s, that means we give their offense the ball at least 15 times and our defense managed to only allow 9 points.
CB: What about on offense?
MJD: Well, Connor was great. I mean, I know I’m getting a lot of attention from this game but 270 yards through the air and 4 TD’s is phenomenal! If teams think they can just load up in the box to stop me, then Connor is gonna burn em’ through the air. I might be biased but I think Ning Lyght might be the best WR in the league. Not to take anything away from DeAngelo or Dayton because they're awesome wideouts but Lyght just knows his way into the endzone. I think it's because he spends most of practice doing TD dances and he really just wants to show them off. Haha...kidding of course but our receiving corp is top notch. Our blockers, the guys who never get any credit, are probably the ones responsible for 419 yards. I broke a few tackles but the line did a great job holding defenders off. Overall we’re a tough team to beat.
CB: So was that the best performance ever?
MJD: I’d have to say no. Someone else had 8 TD’s in a game and Lawrence Frankel averages 200+ yards per game so I'm sure he's had a few great games. Not to mention the fact that I haven’t really been following the stats of the other elite backs like Goddard or Sticks…those guys are pretty phenomenal too. It was definitely a personal best but I don’t want to take anything away from the guys who have been in the league longer than I have.
CB: And the 55 broken tackles?
MJD: Well, that’s just about heart and the willingness to lower your shoulder and go through guys twice your size. A lot of people are surprised when a HB would rather go through a DT than around him.
CB: What about this play? http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?pbp_id=885064 How’d you manage to break through THREE defenders trying to take you down all at once?
MJD: Well, as you can see from the replay, this was one of our trick plays. Our FB and TE are supposed to pretend to have the ball and run towards our own endzone and while the defenders are distracted, I get a running start and barrel through the unsuspecting defenders like a bowling ball through the pins. That’s just an example of Ronin’s coaching genius.
CB: Speaking of Ronin, how has he been as a coach and owner?
MJD: He’s been phenomenal. We’re winning and pulling off huge upsets that no one but us ever expected. I’ve heard a lot of complains lately about bad owners all around the world but I couldn’t be happier. He’s definitely a player’s coach ya know? The kind of guy who will take everyone’s opinion into account and is able to balance winning with keeping everyone happy. The great guys on our team probably make it easier for him but managing a good, winning team is never a easy thing.
CB: So where does Maurice Jones-Drew stand in comparison with the other HB’s of USA Pro? Are you at Lawrence Frankel’s level?
MJD: Lawrence Frankel? Not yet. I mean, hopefully I can get there someday and run out 200 yards every game but that’s a tough thing to do in this league. GLB is kind of like the NFL. When you rank HB’s in the NFL there’s LT and then there’s everyone else. In GLB there’s LF and then there’s everybody else. When it comes to actual ranking you can never really be sure because there’s so many great backs out there. I already mentioned Keith Goddard and Declan Sticks but there’s a ton of other guys like Julius Brown and Jon Stewart that deserve recognition too. Just to be considered one of the top 10 backs in this league would be pretty flattering in my eyes.
CB: You joined the league pretty early, do you feel like your one of the grizzled veterans now?
MJD: Not a chance, I’m still learning and improving every day. I’m playing with some of the pioneers of GLB so I look up to those guys a lot for help and advice. I try to help out some of the younger guys when I can but I’m still pretty new to this whole thing too.
CB: Well, you’re certainly doing well for yourself.
MJD: Thanks, I’m just really looking forward to test our team in the postseason.
CB: Any thoughts on the postseason and how close the race for playoff spots in the East are?
MJD: Well, we’re almost locked into #3 right now so basically we’ll be playing whoever ends up as the #6 seed. The funny thing about USA Pro East is that the #4-#9 teams all have the exact same record right now and the Mustangs are at .500 and could really come in and play spoilers for one or two of these teams. We could legitimately play 7 different teams in the 1st round so we have no idea what to expect but you better believe the Coyotes will be watching the standings closely.
CB: Despite not knowing who you guys will be facing, how do you think Kalamazoo will do in the playoffs?
MJD: Not to be cocky but I honestly think we have a championship quality team. I don’t think any team is really head and shoulders above the competition now. It’s no secret that the Pushovers, Juggernauts, and DDT are considered the 3 top teams in the league, but if you want to be the best you got to beat the best right? I’m just excited to play these games and see how everything turns out. There should be some great games.
CB: Which team would you like to play most, starting with the Eastern Conference?
MJD: To be honest, I’d love to play the Juggernauts again. We beat them in a pretty close game during the regular season but they managed to completely shut me down. I remember having 30 total yards or something. Their defense was just swarming and they have some great tacklers out there who know how to get to the ball-carrier. They’re probably one of the teams that no one wants to play but the path to the championship game goes through Philly and Dark Lotus and we’re looking to win it all.
CB: What about a team out West? If you guys win the East, who would you like to play?
MJD: Well if we just went through the Juggernauts and Pushovers then I’d really like to play Bilboz iz Blockz but unfortunately that’s not going to happen. Seriously though, any of those playoff teams in the West look tough. I’m gonna say I’d like to play DDT for the championship though. That way it’ll be more undisputed you know? We don’t get a lot of opportunities to play Western conference teams so we might as well play the best. Can you imagine a title run through the Juggernauts, Pushovers, and Dump Trucks? That’s a tough road but that’s the great thing about USA Pro, no matter what anyone else says, we have the best teams in the world here.
CB: Well MoJo, thanks for your time, it’s been a pleasure.
MJD: No problem Boomer, anytime.
Last edited Apr 9, 2008 17:12:29
