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Office Hours with Prof. QB

by Qbstud | 4 years ago | 0 Comments

Office Hours with Prof. QB

Every week I will be holding office hours with the SML, giving my thoughts on the happenings around the league, and giving others opportunity to come in and share their own thoughts. If you ever want to be heard, feel free to step into my office.

This week we have the return of the one, the only, Coop!

  • Although you're a familiar face to some, you're still relatively fresh this go round with the SML. why don't you tell us about yourself?
    • My last name is Cooper & what I’ve been called since I was a pre-teen. I grew up in the Ozarks in southern Missouri. I then moved to Springfield, MO where I went to college, met my wife, & lived for 15+ years. We moved to Colorado a few years ago to be by the Rockies & have some better weather for our liking.
    • As far as gaming goes, I started very early on with an Atari, then a Nintendo & so on. I’ve played Madden since it was created. Online sim leagues I’ve played in since about M12 or M13. I’ve help run a league since M25. That is how I know some of the other SML members since before I joined.
  • You were in the SML previously weren't you? What lead to the falling out previously?
    • Yes. I was lucky enough to get the 32nd pick this cycle w/ the Dolphins. I built them to my liking by season 3, but the gameplay was getting old for me. I wasn’t having fun winning or losing. I quit at 4-2 & deleted madden from my console.
    • Obviously, I didn’t stay gone for good & now I’m back. I have a Bears squad that is worse than my Dolphins were.... which I didn’t think was possible!
  • So it sounds like you had success with that dolphins team, but struggling with the shell of a team you have now. Compared to the rest of the SML, where would you rate yourself on a scale of 1-10, and why would you consider yourself at that point?
    • There is some really good competition here. I’d give myself a 5.
    • My user skill is average & I try to win with scheme & defense. I don’t prep or look at my opponents rosters before I play. I just jump in and try to craft each game’s scheme around what I’m seeing on the field.
  • How do you feel the SML now compares to when you were here before? Both in skill and content.
    • Skill level is about the same I’d say. You’ve got some continual SML playoff owners gone like Oshii & Gov. But you also have some new cats that are making their SML mark; Yourself, Sunday, & even Dan today just picked up his 1st SML playoff win.
    • Content is hands down a step up since the early M20 seasons. You & Pauly are always bringing new podcast. Meats, Peepaw (ZZ), Field & Prime always dropping new pods.
    • Commentating games was sort of new in season 2-3. Now you all are jumping on and adding that other level to the to the SML.
  • If you were able to make one decision as commissioner, what would it be and why?
    • I’ve been a commish for a number of years & like what I see here. The one thing I would change is switch the league over to a “coaches only” league.
    • Owner mode, and even coach mode for that matter, leave a lot to be desired in the current versions of Madden.
    • The available funds aspect in FA & resigns isn’t really realistic in owner mode. I could care less how many hotdogs I sell or how much my players jerseys cost in the gift shop.
    • The real life NFL makes so much money that is shared with each team. No team would run out of funds to sign players when there is still cap space open & available to them.
  • All right, we'll end with giving you an open mic, whatever you want to say to the SML feel free.
    • To all the SML, top to bottom, keep doing your thing. The admins & content creators are going above & beyond every week. I appreciate getting the opportunity to join back up & show my mediocrity on the SML field.
    • Good luck to you in the playoffs & cheers to all my beer drinkers & chocolate milk drinkers out there.

QB’s corner:

In QB’s corner I’ll focus more on what’s going on around the SML. I know we have a ton of guys that do great work in predicting games, so I will be focusing more on the other aspects of the league.

My topic of the week this time will be the OGs falling out with the league. This is something that really affects of all of us, even those of us who haven’t been around as long and don’t’ have as strong a relationship with the departed as others. A league that has longstanding comradery is a strong one.

That being said, in order to have a group or organization of any kind you have to know what your principles are, and you have to stick to them even when that means making tough decisions. Gov, Oshii, and Hass were all well-beloved members of the league, and they were excellent users to boot. However, the call to move on from them was the correct one.

What did these three have in common that lead to their departure from the SML?
***Note: I have zero inside information and less than zero power/say in the matter***
All three of these guys were excellent users and great to have in chat, but they also had checkered pasts gameplay-wise. What I believe the final stake in the ground for each of them was the inability to adapt or adjust their play to conform to SML rules. Each of them ran a very particular style of game, and I would assume were given multiple requests and then warnings to vary it up a bit.

The most glaring proof to this point was the recent departure of Hass, as he said days before being booted that “I’m going to play the way I want regardless.” That level of dissent cannot be tolerated, especially in an organization with a strong central government like the SML. Although each of them will be missed, by bearing down on this behavior, especially when it is repeated without remorse, we help maintain a strong foundation for years to come. Losing a brother in the SML should never be celebrated, but it is time for the new wave of talent in the SML to step-up, and fill the void that has been left.