The Coliseum looms large as your correspondent enters Rotenbach, in the state of Wissenland, home of the league leading Rotenbach Razorbacks.
DFN is welcomed to “the Pit” home of the Razorbacks. Certainly more opulent than the moniker suggests.
We are ushered to sit down on a nice sofa, surprisingly it is made not of pigskin, but of very smooth cowskin. The famous whiskey that was served in Talabheim, is also on the table. A plate full of various types of pigmeat is served, most outstanding is the smoked bacon. In comes SpecialOne in a cheerfull mood, happy see another face than the usual pestilence, Robbert Graaf.
DFN: Coach, you took the brave decision to not restructure at seasons’ end, what figured into your decision?
SO: I might start off by being unpopular with this statement, but we don’t really believe in the restructure. I would hate going down that route ever. Ofcourse a team can be so beat up, that there is no other way, but it doesn’t feel right with me to do it. Besides. This season we would only gain very little from a restructure. So the cost of not being able to trade, but gaining very little value was not working for us, so we hit the trade marke instead.
DFN: How do you feel your draft went?
SO: It went very well. Apart from the previous draft where I had a sudden idea, this time we stuck with the main plan. After we lost Brandon Taylor, we decided it was time to get a new type of player in as our star blitzer. And with his 2 cas and a couple of surfs we are very happy with the start of Alec Ogletree. He is a real 1st rounder. In other words, I was left out of the process, and Johnson DeVille ran the show completely.
And we made a huge steal with Tyler Wilson in the 4th round. he was the real gamble, as we wanted a thrower, but didn’t want to pay too much for him. His 2 Tds in 2 games says it all.
But, really. The draft was only the finishing touch. Selling our -MA, +ST lino and during a couple of good trades getting Westbrook and Wagner the other way, was the real trick in this uprising from us. We got our support Blitzer, and we got the shutdown corner I failed to draft last draft.
DFN: The season start has been ideal and the Razorbacks are hitting hard, what has been the most pleasing aspect for you?
SO: The team came out with a bloodrush in their eyes, like a boar not fed in many days. They has been ready to eat them all, and oh my. Foxes were first on that menu, then came Thunderbolts. We have racked up almost as many cas in 2 games as we did the entire last season. But what has made me really proud is the defence. They have stepped up this season with 2 shutdowns out of 2 posible. Many aspects of our game are working very well right now.
DFN: Is there anything you feel the team can improve on?
SO: We can always get better. Our primary focus is on agressive but not tilting defence. Its a fine line to walk, but that is where we put our efforts. If the opponent doesn’t score, we have at least a draw in our hands. And we like to improve our group of linemen. A difficult group to work with, as they tend to die before being stars.
DFN: Is there any player on the squad you hope to have a breakout season?
SO: After several seasons with many dead ogres, we have hired a new ogre caretaker, and hopefully he will help our ogres to live longer. With Chance Warmack we have a real beast. And with his 3 cas in game 1, he was a major asset in that win. I hope to see him do well this season.
DFN: Has there been anything surprising to you in the DLE this season so far?
SO: Yes! US! We are leading the whole thing after 2 rounds. I did not see that coming. Also, I think seeing Legion and Manticores as the ones being on top of SHCE is something to watch out for. I hope Legion can keep the pace, as I like their style of play.
DFN: Van Houten is off to a flying start, given the change in management at Averheim, do you see him as favourite to take home the Van Kassel Award again?
SO: As we are implementing our new style of play “Just win, baby” then we will have a hard time keeping track of Classics Nagurski and Sluggers Morris. Those 2 will be in front this season I think. But I hope DeVille will give Van Houten the space he needs to unfold his talent this season also.
DFN: KFCS is looking competitive as ever, any special tricks in mind to keep you a top?
SO: No tricks. Well. All the teams in our division got better, stronger players than us. So we need to keep our distance in the games, and hopefully the 3 others will go down in flames fighting each other. Oh and in these games Van Houten will have a key role.
DFN: The ARC Power rankings have familiar names at the top, do you see any dark horses breaking in or do you see the Super Bowl finalists from amongst those upper tier teams?
SO: We will see some teams like Gunners, Patriots, White Wolves up there again this season. But I also see other teams being able to join the big party late in the season. I would point to the Grizzlies as a dark horse in SHC. they have an excellent coach. Very good trader, and plays some solid ball. In the KFC I think the Unicorns can take advantage of the change in coach from Flashfurt, and they can run with that division, and get a very good deep run in the playoffs.
And with this, we end the press conference, but that is not the end for your correspondent, as he gets the privelege of being shown the famous Pigsty. This is where the Razorbacks bring their piggies to be eaten allover the Empire.
Specialone insists I send his kind thoughts to the Sluggers of Talabheim for providing them with… fresh meat… I am proudly shown an agreement that the Sluggers have signed, where they will send all leftovers from their enemies “table” from l Sluggers home games, out to the Pigsty.
With their hot start, business is booming in Rotenbach and your correspondent sees no reason why this won’t continue
