Drewwbacca, recently caught up with Drewwbacca and had a chance to sit down and reflect on his time as a coach in the NDL, now that we're 2.5 seasons into the revival of NDL, following the return of EACFB, with the calendar year 2025 game. Drewwbacca had lots to reflect on, whether that be discussing his 30 years of gaming history, or just what it means to be a paltry 8-23 in his NDL career so far. Let's take a look at what he had to say...
Q: You came on board for S29, what brought you into the NDL?
A: My friends. I don't have any of my IRL friends in the league, that's not what I'm saying. My friends is essentially another way to say, "lobby ball." I love my friends dearly and have a great time dynasty'ing with them, but being honest, playing games against them can at times, be the most frustrating shit. When I saw this community, who shares the same level of passion for this game as I do, and then to play it in a sim fashion, with rules and accountability...... that's the chef's kiss of CFB video gaming! I couldn't not be a part of this!
Q: There's a fantastic blend of old and new, in the league. As a newer member, what are your thoughts on the league overall, thus far?
A: First, let me start by acknowledging all Admins and guys who do the "heavy lifting" to keep this league running, and being as immersive as it is. There's frankly nothing else like it, anywhere! Next, I wish I could have experienced this league back in the day, before the likes of Discord, and before this website became as robust and professional as it is. I can't imagine what the evolution of this has looked like from the early 2000's, to the 2020's, and for those that are still apart of it, since those early days...amazing! After a shitty day of work, what's better than logging onto Discord, seeing surprising scores or stats come across the wire, or sifting through the live chat, where Petty D is almost always giving someone the business. I'm also in the midst of a, 1-15 slide, having lost my last 6 games, and that doesn't even include Beefy Cup.... yet through it all, I haven't felt the need to throw one controller, I've never not had fun playing against whomever, and the coaching conversations have always been cordial. I could go 0 for my next 100 games, and thought doubt may creep in, I'm here for the long haul man....
Q: You mention a 1-15 slide, and 6 consecutive losses. How do you internalize that, process it, and then move on from it? Surely it cannot be easy logging on to take your next, almost certain defeat?
A: Well, I guess you start by saying, I've developed something of a Stockholm Syndrome. I identify with my captive, opponent coaches, because I want to be them!!!! What better way to motivate you than to continually take your beat downs. That can only make the taste of victory that much sweeter... And if it's sweeter for me, think of how fuckin sick whatever sorry sack loses to me, is going to feel!! That alone is the motivation I need to keep trudging forward. It's the old "cup of happiness" analogy. Coaches are filling their cup of happiness, while emptying mine, during the coarse of my usual beat downs.. Well, there's only one way to refill your own cup.. Empty someone elses!!
Q: After season 29 you could have stayed at Maryland. You chose to move on. After season 30, where you lost BGSU, they were available in the S31 draft, and you almost took them again but decided to look elsewhere. Now you're here, in sunny Denton, TX with the Mean Green. Talk to us about your stops so far, what they've meant to you and what your future looks like to you?
A: Yeah, ya know, that first season in NDL was an absolute roller coaster. Despite my horrible record, and despite some absolutely nasty blowouts in there, I've been competitive in a lot of games. It's actually almost sickening, how many times I've outgained an opponent and had a disparate T.O.P. in my favor, and yet still lost...it's that INT bug.... but yeah looking back, maybe leaving Maryland was a mistake. Essentially, I did what a bum would do, and I ran from something "hard" looking for easier pastures.... Let this be a lesson to you other 133, the grass isn't always greener!!! I enjoyed my time at Maryland, there were enough pieces there to be a competitive midfield team in that league. Ultimately the driving force was the fact that a lot of good coaches were making a home in the B1G and I chose to seek a more even playing field with coaches at my level, in a new conference. You talk about season 30 at BGSU, and while I can live with the decision to leave Maryland, I'd have to be honest and say not accepting a contract offer the second go round, despite being released from the school after the season ended was a big mistake. Right now, BGSU has one of the better rosters its ever had, and if you look at the success even someone like myself was able to have with Harold Fanin the TE and RB Terion Stewart, yeah, I think leaving there was a mistake. Those were my dogs, and if we had kept that thing together, maybe we could have built something special. But ya know, the past is the past for a reason. I'm here now, and these boys here at UNT, they're a great group that I enjoy being a part of. We may not have the record or pizzazz to show for our efforts, but make no mistake, here we are molding men. That's first and foremost in life. Football is secondary. As for next season and beyond..... we've got 8 games left this season, that's where my focus lies.
Q: It seems like we have a pretty good idea of what makes you tick in this league, so beyond your motivations for the future, reflecting on your past so far, what are some of the highlights of your NDL career?
A: Well, with a record like mine, there aren't many.... but that's ok, because we embrace self deprecation. With that in mind, let me highlight for you my most memorable achievement. Go back to S29 real quick, Billy Edwards Jr was my starting QB at Maryland. He had himself a day against Oregon, throwing 5 INT's, but that's not the crazy stat. The crazy stat is that on those 5 INT's, Edwards himself made the TD saving tackle, 3 times. Which, at 3 solo tackles, made him my leading tackler for the game... Forget total yards, time of possession, or anything like that, if you ever had to look at a box score and figure out where a game was lost..... let it start and end with your QB being your leading tackler....ooooooffff!! It's really not that bad though, that shit is actually kinda funny when you think about it. It's an eyebrow raising stat that would give anyone pause. Good or bad stat, that still counts for something, lol. On the positive side, the dudes in here are great. OldManWobbles has been very supportive of me, during my continued losing. VegasXXii took time to bring me to his "school of defense" and though I retained but a fraction of the knoweldge he provided, I've greatly improved on that side of the ball, thanks to his help! I've also developed a fun rivalry with SuddenBlues and have several other dudes in here who look to be future OOC locks. That's nice, because even if a particular season is going shitty, knowing you'll get your chance again next year is motivating.
Q: Anything else you'd like to share with us, that may not have been prompted by our questions so far?
A: Yeah, for sure. Mostly just a shoutout to the rest of this motley gang, for coming together and largely being a civil group of 134, who can talk about subjects and interact in a welcoming environment. It's been a blast. Also, I'd just like to say, for anyone else who may post a shitty record, and think about quitting, Iron sharpens Iron. Playing in this league and getting my ass whooped, has provided me a chance to study and learn this game from those of you who play it at a higher level. Now, when I go into my own friend group, to dynasty, I'm cooking these fucking fools. Credit goes where credit is due, I'm only pimp smackin' those ho's because ya'll gave me the tools to do it.
Thanks for doing this Drewwbacca.
Yeah, yeah, for sure. Thanks for asking me to do this. It was good fun, taking the time to stop and reflect a little bit. And to all my NDL'ers, if you need a W, just come schedule me in OOC!!
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