Episode 493: Mason Newton (Wranglers)

Richard and Malcolm welcome another first time guest to the show when Mason Newton (NAZ) joins them to talk about the WILD Western Conference! Plus a recap of week 15, turning our focus to teams in the playoff picture, and of course, PICK EM'

Episode Transcript

(00:13):
Shuh. Hello everyone, and welcomeonce again to the one the only the

(00:39):
Fans show. I am. Yourhost is always the tea man, Richard
Teman, and the man in theother box, well he is most definitely
team Hoktua. Yeah, yeah,yeah, his father, Malc Malcolmoy.
How you doing man, I'm doinggray Man, I'm doing great. Always
glad to be here. Man.What so you know it's an I don't

(01:00):
have a TikTok, but I haveInstagram, Facebook, ex, Twitter,
whatever the people want to call itnow, and I swear it doesn't take
much for me to somehow miss somethinglike I didn't know about the Harrison Bucker
thing until people started making fun ofthe Chargers schedule release video which had him
in the kitchen, and I waslike, why is this such a big

(01:21):
deal? So then I have toI have to, like, you know,
an old white guy google it,like why is Harrison Bucker in a
kitchen? Funny? Literally probably justa phrase like that. And so all
of a sudden, I start seeingthese memes of this hawk Ta girl and
I'm like, what now that's onTikTok and so I'm not on there,
but I feel like there's a lotthat it doesn't that I miss and it

(01:41):
doesn't take much for me to missit. So I will get caught up.
I will try to get you know, uh in sync with the world
of pop culture and whatnot. Butyeah, I watched that video, hilarious
interview. It's just like, Ithink she's already got merch and all this
stuff and probably a whole lot ofDMS that she's got to try to filter

(02:05):
through. But imagine, imagine.Don't feel bad though. I'm right there
with you, man. I feellike my my younger brother reminds me constantly
how how old I am, becauseI mean, I'm really just as far
as like this extracurriculus im on Hulu, Netflix, Instagram. I said,
I don't really do too much anythingelse TikTok for sure and that, but

(02:29):
I miss I miss everything too,man, So you're not alone on that.
All right, fair enough, Well, this is episode four hundred and
ninety three. We're going to recapweek fifteen, which there was a lot
that happened and then a lot thatkind of you expected, and some not
so much as far as the happenings. But first we want to give a

(02:50):
huge shout out and thank you toour fans. We have been approved for
credentials to go to the IFL NationalChampionship Game in sunny see Las Vegas in
August. But now the question ishow to MALC and I get there,
And so Malk put a poll outthere if we were to do like a
go fundme, would you guys wantto contribute? And the reaction has been

(03:13):
awesome, so clearly, Malk,they want to see us at the championship
game. And we will post alink for the go fundme once we have
the numbers crunched as far as what'sgoing to take for Malx's fly, my
flight in the hotel and we'll dolike you know, a ballpark of a
per dium for food in and out. Specifically, I'm not going to church

(03:35):
it up like It'll be a lotof Internet burger for me. But no
booze. That's that's a no nofor funds like that on a business trip.
Any booze or partying done will beon our own dime at that point.
So we will get the go fundmeposted and again thank you guys for
supporting us and wanting us to bedown there. It's gonna be a lot

(03:55):
of fun. Can't wait to seemalk for the first time in a long
time and finally in the same spacedoing fan show. Yeah, it's about
time. It's about time, man. I mean you can't. You can't
beat that, man, I definitely, you know, I'm a fan of
the virtual but like I said,I'm a little old school in a sense.

(04:18):
I mean like it's you can't.You just can't beat the in person
man. Vegas too, Man,what better place to be in but in
Vegas is absolutely Yeah. Give memy first time there, Max, probably
first time as far as at thisarena, you know, where the Nighthawks
play. And so we've got someheadlines to get to. Also the good,

(04:40):
bad and funny, which is howwe start every episode for me,
Good bad and funny. I'll makeit quick. Danje and I my wife,
we went to visit family on herside in Boise, her dad and
her grandparents and then her brother andher two nephews, and so the good
was we got to see family.But bad, oh twenty hours in a

(05:01):
car, man, and it waslike ninety something oh three hours into the
drive down there, our check enginelight comes on and we're like what,
like, what the fuck? Becausewe're not even midway through the drive yet.
And at that point, if ourcar breaks down, there's no roadside
assistance in the world that's going totake you, you know, back to

(05:25):
your hometown or to your destination.It's gonna be whatever podunk town you're nearest
to. And so the funny aremy skills at corn hole. There was
a cornhole tournament because her dad's workhad a picnic and so there was a
tournament, and I was like,Oh, this will be fun. They
take their corn hole very seriously,and I started to think about it.

(05:47):
There's been games like that or sportslike that that I've kind of wanted to
take up as like, you know, over thirty, average white guy with
limited athletic ability, you know,darts, pool, bowling, cornhole?
Why not? And I think itranks last as far as requiring a certain

(06:10):
amount of skill. There is noskill to cornhole. There's just not.
There's a lot of luck, butas you work your way up billiards.
I think darts are a lot ofa lot of skill and very little luck
because you have to be very accuratethrowing. And then I think pool would
be the next one because you haveto it's all geometry right, it's all
angles. You got to be upon your angles, how hard you hit

(06:33):
the ball. So that's a lotof skill, very little luck. Bowling,
I think is a lot of skill, but there's probably more luck involved
with that than there is with dartsand then with pool. But with corn
hole, man, it is justall luck. I hit the board so
many times and didn't make it inand it just like slipped right past the

(06:53):
hole. I was like what,And then the next guy would throw same
thing, but it actually went inand I was like, this is rigged.
So I will not be taking upcompetitive corn hole because I feel like
it's one of those sports where ifI spent a day out of my week
just practicing corn hole, come tournamenttime or whatever, it's gonna be where

(07:15):
it doesn't matter how much I practice, luck will come into play and I
will get beat by some random,like twenty year old kid who's like this
look like fun. So I stayaway from from the games like that.
So that's my good, bad andfunny for the weekend. I'll take it.
Man. I'll say, you knowwhat's funny? Over rich? I
think, just based off of whatyou said, I might identify as a

(07:40):
white guy over thirty years old.Because for some odd reason, every sport
that you named, oh for thepool, bowling, corn hole. Surprisingly,
I'm just naturally good at like Iplay. I play corn hole for
the first time and one of myfriends cookout that like not even two weeks

(08:01):
ago, and there for some oddreason, I was just really good.
And like people were like, youplayed it before, I was like never,
Like, it's just it's fun ofme. But it's crazy cool.
Like I said, it's just oneof those things, like I think I
learned from my uncle and then heshowed me how to shoot one time,
and then from there it was justit was a done deal. I couldn't
tell you, man, but Imean that just might be. This might

(08:22):
be the case. Man, Igotta change mythnicity on my ID. Yeah.
Man. But as far as mygood, bad, and funny,
I don't have a bad or funny. I guess I got a kind of
a make up for the two badsI had last week. Okay, but
this time I just have two goods. A big week for sure for LSU

(08:43):
and their lumps. You know,Angel Reese, the women's basketball phenom coming
out of LSU. She was thefirst rookie in the w NBA rookie in
the twenty twenty four draft class toget one hundred point, to reach one
hundred points and one hundred rebounds,which was cool to see. You know,

(09:05):
we all knew she was gonna kindof be one of the factors on
whatever team she was drafted to,but it's it's cool to always see that,
like rookies their skill translating so wellto the pros. It's it's not
an easy thing to do. Ican imagine that she she's making it luk
easy, so that's really cool.Also, she Carrie richardson the track and

(09:28):
field athlete l s U. Shequalified for the women's open one hundred meter.
I don't think it's the relay,it's just the one hundred meter dash.
This past weekend, I think shebroke up the record. I don't
remember what the time was specifically,but she qualified for the Olympic team,
and this year the Olympics are inParis, so you know, I'm sure

(09:48):
I'm sure she's super excited about that. You know, the US team is
lucky to have such a great athlete, and I mean it's gonna be fun
to watch. I try to Itry to dip in and watch the Olympics
every time they come around. ObviouslyI don't catch all the events, but
the ones that I'm interested in thatI saw can take a look. You
know, as a former track athlete, I'll definitely be tuned into the track

(10:13):
and field events. So I mean, that's that's my week. Is It's
pretty cool to see that. Yeah, I'm I'm excited for the Olympics.
But at the same time, there'sthere's such a simple and funny truth to
it. Winter Olympics are the onetime every four years that we actually give
a shit about curling or snowboard.I mean, I always like snowboarding.

(10:35):
I used to go snowboarding all thetime. I had season past the Mountain
Spokane. I used to shred itup, believe it or not. But
you know, there's loge and curlingand the skiing with the bow and arrow
or whatever it is, and sothe Summer Olympics same thing. It's the
one time every four years that youhave to care about tennis or track and

(10:56):
field on a grander scale, orwrestling that's not elbow drops from the top
rope. So it's it's a greattime to be an American because we do
really well. But a lot ofthat is because we have like all the
best athletes from other ethnic backgrounds competingfor us. So that's that's the great

(11:20):
thing about the Olympics. But Ido love when athletes get to compete for
more than just their school, theirteam, their state, whatever, their
country. Is a huge deal.So the good good on them. I'm
excited for it. So yeah,the w n b A, I think
is really starting to I think they'reonto something. I think they're on to

(11:43):
So I'm going to leave it toyou to keep an eye on that.
But that is our good, badand funny or goods and no bads or
funny and bad and no good orwhatever it is. But that's what it
is right there for this week,brought to you by F three Energy and
so funny story. I didn't knowthat the two cases they sent me were

(12:07):
different things. There's a case thatwas like your regular energy drink for the
morning and then the case apparently fornight So I drank three night ones three
days in a row before I wentto work, and I was like,
why am I so tired? Andit like says on here, it was
just like you know, quality.Sleep improves mood, improves sleep, and

(12:28):
I was like, there's a lotof sleep on this can and I'm like
an hour into my shift at work, so oh fundamental. All right,
rats, congrats to the Florida PanthersNHL champions. Good for the state of
Florida. I guess all of Canadayou'll have to wait another year to see

(12:52):
if you guys finally crowned champion upthere, so that brings us too.
IFL headlines from week fifteen, theWild West Man the Western Conference is starting
to get crazy as the Eastern Conferencebecomes more and more of a clearer picture.
Frisco locks up the second playoff spotwith a win over SF fifty five

(13:13):
to forty. But our good friendDavid, who's the photographer for the San
Diego Strikeforce, posted this in oneof the IFL fan groups, and that
is that there could potentially be afive way tie for the top spots in
the Western Conference. Basically, SanDiego and Arizona are tied for the fourth

(13:35):
playoff spot right now, the tiebreakergoing to San Diego for having a better
conference win record, and then thereare two big games Bay Area in Vegas,
and then NAS and San Diego.The only thing that is certain right
now is Bay Area must win twogames to clinch first place in the West.

(13:56):
So there is a lot that canhave happened. There was a lot
that did happen this weekend in thatregard, So before we get too far
into the West, the Blizzard lostto the Wheelers, just like Malcolm predicted,
snaps a six game winning streak,and so now the longest active winning

(14:18):
streaks in the league are back toback games by I think four teams.
As I posted with the power rankingsyesterday, but you know, I think
we all kind of felt that wasgoing to be the thing to happen.
Was Quad City coming out because theyknew that their postseason lives depended on beating
the Green Bay, and with aGreen Bay just locking up their playoff spot

(14:39):
and now seeding is all they haveyet to determine, then it was kind
of right for the taking. Butnow apparently I have to pick against Quad
City for the remainder of the season. I can no longer pick Quad City
to win any game, So Icannot believe that it became a thing over
the weekend. So thirty seven totwenty seven was your final their good job,

(15:03):
Wheelers. And then we've reached thepoint, Malcolm and I in the
season where we're not going to focustoo much on games where the outcomes were
either what you expected or the matchupswere irrelevant as far as the postseason stuff.
So bay Area over DC thirty fourto thirty two. I think we
all expected that probably not to beso close. That was way closer than

(15:26):
I think a lot of us thought. But bay Area still gets the win,
and that's the important thing. SanDiego over Tucson forty one forty that
one also very very close, alittle too close for comfort, nineteen twenty
eight at half Tucsons, so they'vegot some second half stuff they got to
figure out before the season's over.And then Tulsa over Iowa fifty four forty

(15:48):
eight, and that means Tulsa nowhas back to back wins and they are
still in it. They're still inthe postseason picture as far as that fourth
or even third seed, because Massdid get their win over Jacksonville forty four
thirty, so that pretty much knocksthe Jacks out. Mass is gonna look
to tighten up their grip around thatthird seed, but Tulsa not completely out

(16:14):
of it yet, so switching gearsto the west, Vegas beat Arizona fifty
five fifty. Huge win for Vegas. They were rut but now they seem
to have snapped out of it.They are also back to back win streak
right now. The last one wasI think Duke City, which we all
kind of expected, but a toughone for Arizona for sure. Adult Sneed

(16:37):
had a great game, but itwasn't enough. And then the game of
the week, you and I bothtalked about this, NAS defeats San Antonio
seventy four sixty eight, and thisone I love because it's exactly what you
expect from two teams in the playoffpicture at this point in the season.
This game, it came down totwo things. So in the second quarter

(17:03):
there was a turnover on downs forNAS and then San Antonio marches down the
field and scores. So they goin at halftime with I think an eight
or seven point lead. But nowNAS is chasing points like the whole rest
of the game. And the onlytime that that changed was in the fourth
when there was a pick six,a very uncharacteristic pick six by Castronova.

(17:25):
And now they're chasing points late inthe game, and they had chances to
tie up and then potentially win it, but unable to do so. It's
kind of crazy. We talked Samup so much last week about being in
the MVP conversation. It looked likea few of his throws there at the
end were just a little too high. So we'll see how san Antonio does.

(17:48):
Both teams needed the win, NASgot the win, and so now
I wonder if san Antonio's playoff hopeshave gone from kind of fifty to fifty
to slim to none with this launch. But malk there was a few games
that you took note of. Whatdo you have for us from Green Bay
and Quad City? Yeah? Man, that was a fun one to watch

(18:11):
for sure. Two teams that,like you said, are very very competitive.
I kind of figured, like wespoke on last week, that Quad
City would have that that edge onlybecause they're still looking to secure their postseason
uh you know, run if youwill. But all the same, Green

(18:34):
Bay competed Initially what kind of stuckout to me The game certainly wasn't in
Green Bay's favor. You can seethe just the disappointment on coach Roverson's face.
You know the first two offensive drivesquad c that he came out and
uh scored put points on the board. I think now I'm certainly a Judson

(19:00):
fan. Man. He was.He was slinging the man with the guy
I want to say, Karan Ashley. He one of those young receivers that
Rod mentioned when we had him on. Definitely, definitely a difference maker man.
He pulled a hat trick in thefirst half with three receiving touchdowns.
Great great athlete, and you know, certainly something somebody who they're going to

(19:22):
have to look out for in thepostseason. You know, I'm sure he's
one of those guys who, likeI always say, they catch fire at
the perfect time. Because he Iwant to say, he got his fifth,
sixth, and seventh receiving touchdown thispast week. But other than that,
he's kind of been with a lotof people would probably call like a
pedestrian receiver. He's doing what he'ssupposed to do, but nothing really standing

(19:48):
that stands out to a defensive backand back end. But you know,
this game really showed the skills set, showed how it's supposed we could be
in the past and run. Actually, yeah, some rushing yards as well.
But yeah, really, really reallya stud for sure. Towards the
end of the half and the firstthe opening of the second half, green

(20:14):
Bay came back a little bit.They were, you know, making a
force to you know, putting upa fight really and you know, kind
of stayed in the game. Butultimately, I want to say, what
was the game changer for them?They had a few key penalties that took
them that kind of worked in quadCiti's advantage. For a team that's hoping

(20:37):
to make some noise in the postseason, you can't. Penalties are are a
killer, man, You can't.You can't have that. You know,
the best teams aren't always the mostskilled teams. They're the most the most
disciplined teams. And if you're notdisciplined in the postseason, then you know
a lot of teams are going toexploit that. All the same, man,
I can't take away from Green Baysis off. They sent me a

(21:02):
little gear, So I mean,I certainly can't be upset. But yeah,
man, Qua City, big upsto them because they earned that one
for sure. Yeah they did,and you know that is going to make
things a little clearer. Like Isaid, when it comes to the IFL
playoff picture in the Eastern Conference,because that one I think was going to

(21:25):
get locked up first. We justdidn't know how soon. In fact,
if you look at the standings rightnow, so Quad City six and six,
number four, Mass seven and sixat number three. But Tulsa with
that win puts them two games behindMass and only one behind Quad City.

(21:45):
I mean you could say Iowa's,well, they're three back or whatever,
but you know, Tulsa's win overIowa I think kind of meant a little
bit more as far as Tulsa's stillbeing in the mix than Iowa because the
tie would go to Tulsa anyway ifthey ended up finishing with the same record
and somehow being both in the playoffpicture. But the West Man that is

(22:07):
going to be a mad dash forthose playoff spots apparently all of them,
all four in the West. Butyeah, good on Quad City. We
didn't have a chance to go backand watch the Vegas and Arizona game because
I guess there was probably copyright issue. The broadcast was not good. You
could see it all over the comments. So they had they advertised that they

(22:32):
had a broadcast team there and Idon't know if that was for the Caffeine
TV or what, but I checkeda few times while we were, you
know, visiting family, just tokind of see what was going on,
and it sounded like the guy who'son PA duty was plugged into the YouTube
broadcast. So you heard music andthen you heard like, what had just

(22:52):
happened? That's a first down forblah blah blah, put your hands in
the air, blah blah blah,like you just don't care. And I
was like, Okay, well it'shappening, and this is where the championship
game is going to be. Sothere's a lot of concern around that.
So I guess that could be malsbad because we would love to go back
and break that game down for youguys. But we're fifteen weeks in and

(23:15):
the venue that will host the championshipgame had a not great broadcast. And
that's putting it politely. However,on a much brighter note, whoever is
running Vegas's Twitter account deserves a raise. I'm going to throw this tweet up
from the weekend right now. Sothe Vegas Nighthawks tweeted or X is that

(23:40):
how you say that? I don'tknow, I don't care. It says
to the visiting rattlers fans booing everypenalty marker they don't like. We have
a present you may find helpful,and it's an image and probably a link
to the twenty twenty four IFL rulebook. So that was hilarious. That
made me laugh because people think thatit's just me that has like an issue

(24:03):
with Arizona and the fans or guyor whatever, and it's like, clearly
it's not just me, Like ifanother team has to tweet at you about
the rule book or whatever, Ithink it's pretty well known throughout. But
anyway, that is our Week fifteenIFL headlines in recap. But first,
some notable performances. Jimmy Robinson withmass they ran all over the Jacksonville Sharks,

(24:29):
seventeen attempts for one hundred nine yards, only one TD but still that's
some great work on the ground.Then we had Josh Jones of NAZ nineteen
of twenty five for two hundred andtwenty two yards, six touchdowns through the
air, no interceptions and two tdson the ground. And finally TJ.
Edwards fantastic footwork once again, sixteenattempts for one hundred and nine yards or

(24:55):
one hundred and four yards and threetouchdowns on the ground. So teams that
need to be taking care of business, all right. I know there was
some close scores and we were surprisedby some of those, but if it's
a w for you at this pointin the season, that is all that
matters. And so that is ourlook back at week fifteen. Week sixteen

(25:18):
should be no shortage of entertainment.But first it has come to the portion
of the show where we are goingto welcome a very special guest, a
member of one of those winning teamsin the mix for the West. That's
right, ladies and gentlemen, joiningus now from the Northern Arizona Wranglers,
fresh off their big win this lastweek over the Gunslingers. He's a member

(25:38):
of the defensive line. Mason Newton, Mason welcome, how you doing.
I'm good, appreciate being out.Yeah, man, I'm sorry for the
delay. I know we had toshuffle some schedules around. You had an
interview. I was actually an extrain a town three hours away for a
show on TV. Can't say toomuch, but being in Montana, it's

(26:00):
kind of a big deal. Aroundhere. So that's that's all I'll say.
I was an extra on TV today, but anyway, welcome, Thank
you so much for your time.This was a big get by Father Malk
Malcolm McCoy. So I'm going tolead off with the first question, which
is the most obvious, and thenI'll let Father Mouth take it away with

(26:21):
some questions for you. So obviously, the West crazy right now, as
far as the playoff picture, thescenarios, tiebreakers, all that, but
you guys got it done against anotherplayoff hungry team in San Antonio. So
now that that game is over withand you guys are right back in it,
how's it feel. It feels greatthat I tell you. You know,

(26:44):
going into it, they're a superhigh score I'm pretty sure, but
their quarterbacks number one. Their offenseis number one, if not number two.
They were super high scoring. Andyou know, we knew that it
was going to be an absolute shootout, and oh man much a shootout for
sure. So it's good to comeon top of that one. So yeah,
I was telling Malcolm, I said, this is this is the game

(27:07):
that you expect from two teams lookingfor a playoff spot at this point in
the season. It was back andforth. You guys were chasing points after
a turnover on downs in the second, and then it came down to a
pick six in the fourth that changedeverything. I mean, that is that
is what we love about this gameand the sport, especially at this point

(27:27):
in the season. For sure.For sure special guests and one of my
dogs, man Bason. You knowwe played on the same team. Bro.
Good to see you again. Brother. What's going on? Man,
Good to see you. Big dogshad to be here, man, for
sure. Now you said something earlierabout how like you guys like it was
a shootout the game entire time.I want to back out of my circle

(27:49):
back to that. But first,a little bit of personal about you,
man. I gotta say, Man, I gotta give you flowers. Bro,
you're one of the one of thebest athletes I've seen, like just
as far as all around. Uh, one of the best athletes I played
with personally for sure. So becauseI mean I think when we met out
at the Duke City workout, You'reyou came in as a linebacker. Yeah

(28:12):
yeah, they needed you to playd line. You know you did that
without without even a pete. Man, you just picked it up and ran
with it a little into the season. You even played some old line too,
and uh, I mean it wasit was no drop off man.
Like like you said, the naturalposition was linebacker. You played D line
where it seamlessly, you know,went to old line, and I mean

(28:32):
did even better over there. Igot to ask you, man, where
exactly did this athleticism come from?Man? You know, uh my mom
apparently was a hell of a volleyballplayer. So yeah, I think I'll
piggyback a little bit off of that. But you know, a long time
ago, they told me you justgot to keep just keep grinding, because
you know, you you never knowwhat you're capable of until you start doing

(28:55):
it. And you know, Ifound my loving football was originally a soccer
players, you know, got thatquick work. But now you know that
I've played a lot of these positions. So I originally started in high school,
what was it, right guard?I started freshman year, so I
played right guards, tied a littlebit of offense behind me, and then
you know, I got to playlinebacker, running back, tied it in.
So I've played a little bit ofeverything. But you know, I

(29:18):
just it's just staying hungry, Iguess high school man. And that's that's
what's up for sure, because Imean I think and uh, I forget
who it was. It may havebeen Reached, who just say it all
the time back at Duke City,but he was like, it's not necessarily
about who can play their position,and the best is who can do the
most for that team. And youdefinitely do a lot for the teams that

(29:41):
you've been on and I've been watching, so I mean appreciate that for sure.
Man, Like I said, circlingback to San Antonio, how did
you not make the task too bigor overwhelming for yourself and like the rest
of your teammates. Well, youknow, I know, we thought they
were going to kill us on theair. So originally we came in ears

(30:03):
pinned back, ready to go getthat you know, pass rush. But
they ended up killing us on theground for the first little bit. So
we had to you know, recollectourselves, readjust take away the run game
and then you know, force themto play, force them to pass with
us, force them to keep that, you know, score after score,
possession after possession. So uh,it was a hard one to rally,
that's for sure, but you know, we got it done. We got

(30:23):
a young team and you know theythey are hungry, so I'm excited for
what we can do coming up.You know, we got another tall task
this week too. So you beingone of those guys who aren't you aren't
quite vetted yourself, but you dohave a lot more experience than a lot
of these guys. How is howhas that been for you, like kind

(30:47):
of taking on that leadership bro andleading the younger guy. You know,
it was a little rough because Icame mid season, so you know,
after the AFL kind of went belly, I ended up coming, so it
took them a little bit to adjust. But now that you know, they're
starting to understand, oh okay,he's been here, he kind of knows
what's going on. They're starting tolisten to what I'm saying, starting,
you know, kind of a piggybackoff of energy and other things like that.

(31:11):
So you know, I'm not avery loudspoken guy, so it's hard
for me to do that. Buttry to just lead by example is my
biggest thing. My questions are alongthe lines of, you know, where
we are in the season and howmuch we still have yet to determine with
such little of the season left,So do you even know what the scenarios
are right now? For you guys, I'm gonna be honest, it's a

(31:33):
it's a pretty large math equation,but nobody on the West side is clinched
yet, so anything possible. Yeah. So there was a post in one
of the fan groups where there couldpotentially be a five way tie and it
could come down to I think thethird tie breaking scenario, which is just
a nightmare at this level. I'mjust gonna let you know that right now.
If it's not head to head,you might as well just be like

(31:55):
really so, But you know,Area is the only one really that is
sitting a little bit more comfortable thanthe rest of the teams in the West
because if they win two, thenthey've locked it up. They're done.
But there's still a chance then mathematically, for you guys in the third spot
right now, to come and jumpup and take that first spot. But

(32:17):
I think for you guys, it'sprobably what's right in front of you because
you went and lost to Arizona andin that week went from the third seed
to out of the picture entirely,and now with a win over San Antonio,
you're right back into the third seed, Like, I don't know how
you guys do it, but justfrom you to us at this point in
the season, mentally, emotionally,physically exhausted, and to have that kind

(32:42):
of swing from week to week,like, how are you guys keeping it
together? You know, it's it'sdefinitely a struggle. But coach coach,
excuse me, Coach Moss always breaches. You know, got to put hay
in the bar, got to doyour your week, your work every week,
got to be prepared, got tobe ready for the task. And
you know, we got San Diegoup this week. We had San Antonio

(33:02):
last week. So we put thehay in the barn and we just finished
the game. You know, wewent out there, played ball. We
got it done. But you know, it's it's a little hard to even
look at it because you got theseteams that are so close to each other,
winning, losing games, losing closegames. It's hard to really keep

(33:22):
track. So I don't think anyof us are really too focused in on
who's on top. But I knowwhat we are focused on is winning out
because if we do mathematically, youknow, we could take that top one
or two seeds. So for youguys, and you know, being back
at the third seed now after beingout of it for a brief period of

(33:45):
time, you are back to controllingyour own destiny. What what's the message
like from coach Moss as far asyou know your guys is week to week
and just you know each opponent.Yeah, one possession at a time is
you know what he preaches, onepossession. You know, defense, get
our stops offense, We got toscore. And you know that's that's kind
of the best message you could sendbecause everyone does their job, you should

(34:07):
come out on top. I knowthe IFL is crazy though you never know
what's going to happen. Well,I was watching that game and I was
explaining to malk and like I saidto you, it was a picture perfect
game as far as where we're atin the season right now, like this
is the kind of football you expect. So you guys do a you know,
turnover on downs in the second theygo down and score, and now

(34:29):
you guys are chasing points pretty muchall the way into the fourth quarter,
and you can't predict or depend onthe defense to get a turnover, let
alone a pick six. So whenyou guys are in that fourth quarter,
and you know that whoever wins thatgame is likely going to have a much
higher percentage of being in the postseason. Like, how do you calm the

(34:51):
nerves and stay focused because it's notjust about getting the win, it's about
like, we need this win inorder for ABC and D to happen.
That's a that's a great point,you know. I think having a young
team as we are, they're notone hundred. They don't know how I
guess topsy turvy. This can behow one win or one loss can send

(35:12):
you to the bottom or bring youall the way to the top. So
they're kind of new and they're experiencingall of this, so it's easier to
keep them locked onto the prize andyou know, keep them focused down down
range. So I believe that's what'shelping us out a bunch. But I
mean, that's that's what I gottasay for sure. Hey, it's it's
a tough spot to be and youknow, you guys are excited, you're

(35:35):
coming off a huge win. Obviouslyyou wish you would have gotten that one
against Arizona because things would be alittle bit more clear as far as your
guys' position. But basically, it'swin out in your in, you know,
win in your ind But there's stilllike so many things and and I
don't envy your guys's position as faras how many weeks there are in an
IFL season, it's it's a ridiculousamount. So you guys are banged up,

(35:58):
bruised, beat up, and andjust kind of want a break.
But you can't take the foot offthe gas right now. So we talked
to mccorker, you know, earlyon in the season. He was having
a fantastic season still is, andyou know, we wanted to get kind
of a rookie perspective and talk abouthow fun your guys' offense had been to
watch and special teams as well withhim on it. But it was the

(36:19):
defense that stepped up in a hugeway to get that win against San Antonio.
So from you, obviously you're adefensive guy, but what's been the
most impressive aspect of the game,or maybe a player that's really stepped up
to help you guys in this recentsuccess when you needed it the most.
You know, I got to giveit to our dbs, you know Banks
the last couple of weeks, bigplace high, same thing going out against

(36:43):
Vegas. Big plays our dvs arewhat's really ceiling the deal in most of
our games, catching you know,the game ceiling pick for you know that
big pick six for basically the turnof the game that you know, I
put us up. But I haveto give it to our dvs. There's
really no one person in general,because you know, if one dB doesn't
do their job, he throws themall off. They got to work as

(37:05):
a unit. So I'm glad they'restepping up the challenge. Well said,
man, that's a great breakdown,and you guys are having a lot of
fun, but also guys, youknow, taking it very serious because this
is when it matters in the season. Malc any final thoughts or questions for
Mason from you before we cut themloose? No, no, all man,

(37:27):
I mean, it's just I'm justenjoying here in your thought process on
a lot of this, the happeningsand you guys the season. Man.
Definitely looking forward to a good agood h rest of the regular season and
a strong playoff run from you guys. Made so, I mean, good
luck to you, bro. Appreciateit. Yeah, are you team Hawktua
Mac? I mean I nowadays.That's the problem. I'm telling you,

(37:52):
some of those memes got me here. It's funny and into me. I'm
like, all right, what's goingon here? Oh man, that's too
funny. That's been the question ofthe day that the great debate is if
your team Hawk Tour or not so, meme of the Year or something like

(38:15):
that, probably must have I loveit all right, man, Well,
hey, thank you so much forspending some time with us. I'm glad
we could shuffle the schedules and stillmake it work. But we love having
new faces on the show. It'salways nice to uh, you know,
expand our role of decks of peoplethat we can call on be like,

(38:36):
hey, you want to talk shopor some I f L. And this
is what it is. It's justme and Milk hanging out talking to you
guys, getting your perspective. Andwhat better time to do it than the
push for the postseason, which youguys are writ in the thick of it.
So thank you again so much foryour time. Man, We really
appreciate it. I appreciate you guyshaving me out. It's good to good
to see some new faces and faces. So all right, so one more

(39:00):
time for the man in the trenchesdefensive lineman Mason Newton of the Northern Arizona
Wranglers, who right now control theirpostseason destiny, currently number three in the
West. Can they keep it up? Well, you got to tune in
each week to find out, butwe wish them the best of luck,
safe travels for your remaining games,Mason. But again, thank you so

(39:21):
much for your time. We'll talkto you next time. Thank you,
guys. I appreciate it all right, And one more big thank you to
Mason Newton of the Northern Arizona Wranglers. Like I said, it's going to
be a lot of fun to watchhow this season finishes out. Just the
regular season and then we still havethe post season, which is crazy,
and I'm sure that if we dohave pick'em, the punishments are going to

(39:43):
be that much worse for playoff fans. Show between me and Milch, but
all good things must come to anend, and my winning streak has done
such, thankfully, with no helpby Arizona. It was sad. I
couldn't believe that it came down tonas and San Antonio really wanted the gun

(40:05):
Slingers to still be in it.But Malk picked against Castronova, our good
friend down there, and it provedto be enough. So I'm sure he's
got one in his back pocket thathe's been holding on to for a while,
which is why I need to justlet everybody know that my punishments from
Melt could have been way worse.But with every win extending my streak,

(40:29):
I had to think, Okay,he had to have had one kind of
ready just in case, and sonow whatever I do for him, he's
gonna be like, oh, it'slike that, and then probably adjust accordingly.
So I had to really practice selfcontrol and pace myself because I knew
that with every week that passed thatI won, that it was going to

(40:50):
come back on me eventually. Sohere we are. We will get to
Malcolm's punishment for me after our picks, but right now we've got Week six
team to predict. There are noFriday games once again, so we'll have
a super Saturday, and we startoff with the Frisco Fighters and the San
Antonio gun Slingers and Malk. Sinceyou won last week's pick them, why

(41:13):
don't you tell us who you thinkis going to come home with the victory
in this one? Man, thisis a great game. Man. It's
hard to say. It's really hardto say, especially with both teams playing
in a top form right now,but you know, I gotta go with
the hot hand. Frisco just cameoff of de wut and they're looking damn

(41:34):
good. Might have add so,like you said, t J. Edwards
just came off a great Russian performance, one of many this season. So
you know, I'm sure he's he'sready to you know, continue and just
carry on where he left off fromthis past week. So I'm taking Frisco
on this one, and I amgoing to take a page out of your
book and disagree because Frisco has lockedup their playoff spot. So like how

(42:00):
you picked Quad City last week againstGreen Bay after such an event, san
Antonio is literally playing for their playofflives right now. I said they needed
to win the first three out thegate. They got two out of those
three. I don't think they're quiteout of it yet. This is do
or die for them if they lose. Like I know, it's not a

(42:22):
conference game, but it is abig deal, Like you have to keep
pace with the other teams with onlyfour weeks left, So this one is
everything for san Antonio. They win, they're still in it. They lose,
they're out like playing and simple,So I will pick san Antonio.
I'm Malcolm likes Frisco. We're offto a great start so far. This

(42:43):
one a battle for who wants tobe last in my weekly power rankings.
The two songs Sugar Skulls taking onthe Duke City Gladiators. I don't know
which team technically needs this more.There's been a changing of the guard for
City, as we mentioned last week, so they did perform significantly better than

(43:04):
they have where Tucson had to leadat halftime and then fumble that away.
Both lost the tough opponents, youknow, top three opponents in the league.
But somebody's got to win this one. I'm gonna go with Duke City.
I don't think I've picked City likeall season long, but I'm gonna
go with Duke City to win athome. Yeah, Okay, there we

(43:29):
go. Yeah, something something hasto be in the air, man.
I don't know what it is,but Rich picking Duke City, I don't
know, and I'm I'm gonna goahead and disagree with you here. You
know, I would love to pickDuke City, but I just don't see
it. Man. You know,neither team is really really doing too good.

(43:51):
Like you said, the playoff pitchof the both of them is kind
of great out but at this pointthey're just kind of playing for pride,
and I know that Tucson would hateto lose to a team that only has
one victory at this point. Notto say they're doing too much better,
but I definitely think they'll play betteragainst Duke City in this game. So
I'm going with toon. Yeah,it's a game that, like, how

(44:15):
do you predict this, right?I mean you basically flip a coin and
pick heads or tails. Duke Citywent toe to toe with one of the
top teams this last week, andso I really think that they could be
onto something. We'll see though.Next to one next one is another one
kind of in the similar realm,but not entirely. I don't know if

(44:36):
Sue falls it realizes that they're outof the playoff picture just yet, I
think they still have a dash ofhope. This loss to Frisco was a
killer, so I don't know ifyou get the forks out or not,
but Jacksonville goes into Sue falls,So malk who do you think in this
one, you know, shut outto my boy be over there in Jacksonville.

(44:57):
But I think this is an easypick on me. I'm taking suit
Falls. I just don't think Jacksonvillewas. I think at this point in
their season they know that there's nottoo much else to do. They're just
kind of raid to pack it inand uh, you know, take that
that first flight back homes. Sosue Fall, like you said, they're
still playing like they they they're youknow, first and second seed, you

(45:22):
know, so uh yeah, I'mtaking them. They'll definitely take it home
as week, I think so.A buddy of mine who goes to the
Sue Fall Storm home games, saidthat at the end of this last game
against Frisco, it felt in thearena from the sidelines just the overall attitude
from the team that they had likegiven up. So not not good.

(45:45):
And I don't think Jacks, Imean, they could very easily give up
because they haven't exceeded expectations this yearat all. And it sucks when you
have San Antonio in the playoff pictureright now and you both came from the
NA l one's the raining champion,So you can't say, like if they
were both, you know, likeDuke City and Tucson be like, well,

(46:06):
you know, they just need toget caught up to the talent level.
But obviously Jackson is not as advertisedthis year, so I think that
they actually have more to play forbecause you know, there's still a chunk
of the season left. They're alsoplaying not just for pride, but kind
of to prove a point that theycan hang with the talent level at the

(46:28):
IFL. So I actually think Jacksonwill gonna win on the road this week.
So yeah, we're going back andforth. I love this pick them.
This is great gauntlet, all right, So we're different on that one.
The next Saturday game, This onewill be interesting because with the loss
that green Bay had against Quad City, they're now tied with Frisco. Both

(46:50):
have locked up their playoff spots,but seating now becomes what are we playing
for? And they're tied, butobviously green Bay has the type breaker in
the win over Frisco. They can'tafford to lose anymore. Frisco is going
to continue to win, and theyplay Tulsa, who is still very much
in the playoff pictures. So greenBay and Tulsa ooh, man, I

(47:15):
think Green Bay really wants to havethe road to the championship for the Eastern
Conference go through Green Bay, andI think they realize that they can't afford
to lose anymore. Yes, they'velocked up their playoff spot, but there's
still so much more to play for, and you don't want to make the
mistake of coasting and letting another teamin. We've seen that before and it

(47:37):
does not bode well. So Ithink they will probably stick a fork in
Tulsa this weekend and get that win. Yeah, yeah, I really can't
disagree there. I think it reallycomes down to what's more important to each
team. You know, win ismore important for Tulsa, like you said,

(47:58):
they're playing to still make it into the playoffs. Green Bay already
locked the best spot, but they'replaying to kind of uh, I guess
the path at least resistance. Theywant to like you said, they want
the road to be through Green Bay, and it's always easier to play at
home, especially in the playoffs.But it's tough, man, it's tough.

(48:20):
Like like we said before with UH, with Quad City and Green Bay
this week, it's uh, You'reyou're playing a different team when they're fighting
for their playoff spot. So man, I gotta go with Tosa, right,
I gotta. I gotta do it. Rich. You definitely are running
gaunt and it's crazy. I'm wearingmy green Bay against them. But man,

(48:44):
Joey b don't don't. Don't hateme, man, I'm sorry,
brother. I think I think Tosais they they have a lot more to
fight for at this point. They'rethey're going to ask for their stuff back.
MANI like that you're in green Bayyear and you're picking against green Bay.
You also don't match your bedspread today. You have a Blizzard shirt,

(49:06):
but there's not like snow on yourbed or a white sheet. I don't
know. I don't know what itwould be this time, but let them
win this weekend, then I'm gonnamake it happen. So I'm get fun.
Fact for this game, Tulsa isthe only team not currently in the
playoff picture that has a back toback winning streak. The other teams that

(49:29):
are also on active win streaks,if two, are actually in the playoff
picture currently. So that's something tokind of pay attention to because Tulsa,
I don't know, I hope it'snot too little, too late, But
it seems like maybe they have foundtheir rhythm or at least their identity.
So we differ on that. Can'tbelieve Malcolm just did that. We're in
the green Bay shirt. You know, you're not helping our rivalry with their

(49:52):
social team. You know, wewant to talk about great rivalries in the
league, great rivalries this season.The best rivalry season has been US versus
the Blizzards social media team. Ohlike, hands down, that's the best
rivalry right now. Okay, movingon. Next Saturday game is Bay Area

(50:13):
and Vegas. This is a hugeone. This one is one where both
teams need it because bay Area theyare currently the number one, but Vegas
is right there behind them, andso with the remaining schedules being what they
are, this is one that bothneed as far as if they want to
not only host a postseason game,but possibly have the championship go through their

(50:38):
town and their arena. So,man, this is this is a tough
one, malcol Let you take itto be one hundred percent honest, which
I didn't watch the Bay Area andDuke City game all the way through.
I'm going to go out on alimit say it was probably so close because

(50:58):
knowing what they're playing for and compareto what Duke City as playing for,
I don't think they played It wouldbe surprising for me to see if they
played their their starters all the waythrough. You know, I think they're
they're in the mode of kind ofresting guys and you know, just just

(51:19):
gearing up to go ahead and makea good postseason run. But with that
being well, with that band said, I don't think I don't think we
saw anything close to their best footballwhen they played against Duke City. That's
that's a that's a very deceiving game, I would say. But I think
I think bay Area is gonna takeit to Vegas. It's gonna be a

(51:40):
great game for sure, but Ithink, uh, you know, Bear
is going to prove to be toomuch for him. Well, and these
were the last two remaining undefeated teams, right and then Vegas finally was the
sole one standing. But Vegas iscoming off of a huge win at home
against Arizona. They're at home again. But bay Area, it's like they
live for these games because somehow thegames against like the Duke Cities and Tucsons

(52:02):
are close, but when it comesto the teams that it's like these are
probably going to be the teams you'llsee in the postseason. It's like they
turn it on. So I agree. I think bay Area is probably gonna
get it. So we both agree. Finally, five games later, we
agree on one, and that isthat bay Area will go into Vegas and

(52:22):
take care of business. So thenext one is another one that will potentially
determine how the West is won,and that is the San Diego Strike Force
against the Northern Arizona Wranglers, bothcoming off huge wins and this game and
whoever wins, it will be nodifferent. So, man, this is
tough. San Diego needs it,probably more than NAS, but I think

(52:51):
both need it. I don't thinkeither one is out if they lose,
but it's just like, if youwant to continue to control your own destiny,
then this is a game you haveto win. And I think San
Diego has the better team right now. I think they know what's at stake,
and Northern Arizona really got lucky.Win is a win no matter how,

(53:12):
and their defense stepped up huge whenit needed to last game, but
they were chasing points for a majorityof that matchup against San Antonio, and
I think if they find themselves chasingpoints against San Diego, which is very
likely with Nate Davis and them,I don't know if the lightning will strike
twice on the defense and they getit back. So I like San Diego.

(53:34):
That's true, that's true. Ican't argue there. I definitely gotta
go with San Diego with that.Man, I said too, Nate Davis.
Man, he's a guy. Imean, it's hard to play against
him any in any situation, muchless knowing that, you know, we're
so close to the end of theseason. I know, like you said,

(53:55):
I don't think a loss for themwould really be too much of a
difference in their postseason birth. ButI do think he's he's looking at,
you know, close out this seasonstrong and give them their best opportunity to
win come to postseason. So youknow, it's it's uh, it's gonna

(54:15):
be a game. It's gonna bea game for sure. But I think
San Diego is gonna win too.So I agree with you on that,
all right, we both like SanDiego. That brings us to our next
Saturday game, Iowa Barnstormers pretty muchout of it, taking on the Arizona
rattlers who are still very much init, but that loss last week definitely

(54:35):
hurt them. So currently they're onthe outside looking in. But so many
tie breaking scenarios that it's enough tomake your head hurt if you think too
much about a malc who You're gonnataken this one? Man, I know
you hate to hear this one,but I'm taking Azy for sure. Like
I said, Iowa was all butyou know, on their way out,

(54:59):
they know that Arizona knows that.So the last thing Kevin Gadvill won is
to take a take a al toa team like this. So no,
Arizona, They're gonna put it bestbefore it. They're gonna take the de
w for sure. There's I've playedthis through my head so many times and
there's just nothing I can think ofthat makes me believe that I could,

(55:22):
you know, logically, pick Iowaand have it make any semblance of sense.
So I will pick Arizona reluctantly.That's all I have to say about
that. So we both pick Arizona. Okay, moving on, and that
brings us to our Week sixteen finale. There are no games on Sunday.

(55:43):
Interesting little tit there, but Mondayis how we close this one out,
so we probably will record on Tuesdayagain. But Quad City the Steam Wheelers
taking on the Massachusetts Pirates. Thiswas a huge win for Quad City Earlier
this season. It said a lotabout mass because you and I were curious
about, you know, how goodthey would be against tough opponents. So

(56:07):
this is very much one that bothteams need, but not necessarily for like
their postseason fate because you're looking atthe number three and four for the Eastern
Conference playing each other. But Ithink Quad City really needs a back to
back win for a change, becausesince like week I don't know, but

(56:29):
like five games ago, Quad Cityhas literally been win loss, win loss,
win loss win. It's crazy.So I think that they really need
to finish strong this season, andit starts in mass I just don't believe
in mass right now. I thinkit's their playoff spot to lose. Quad
City is going to come in hungry, They're going to come in focused,

(56:51):
and I think Quad City is goingto get the win. And that being
said, that means that per ourdeal, I have to pick the Massachusets
Pirates. Let me pick quad Citybecause they think they're superstitious now, like

(57:15):
they think that if I pick them, they lose. So I have to
put it down officially that my pickis the Massachusetts Pirates. Oh I love
it, I love it. Ilove it. Man. Some people,
some people wear the same jersey everygame day. Some people picked off as
the same and it works. Itworks, man, I like it.
Just let it be known to thoseQuad City guys who are who do know

(57:37):
you so well that nothing personal.You're just trying. You're trying, You're
looking out for their best. Butwith that being said, yeah, I'll
go a Quad City because we seemit seems like we got something going here.
I'm biking it, so, Imean more so than like you said.

(57:58):
It's not so much that I Idon't like what mass is doing.
It's just that Quad City showed mea different gear this past week, man,
So I'm liking it. I'm likingQuad City right now. I'm liking
them for some serious action come postseason. So I'm taking them for sure.

(58:19):
So we are different on five games, and I feel like I should put
this out there for the Steam Wheelersfans that if this is the game that
determines who wins and who loses pickhim this week that they should have to
be included in my punishment because I'monly making my pick mass because of them.
Like that is how much I loveand care about the good people love

(58:39):
Moline, Illinois, the Quad Cityarea. And so don't don't ever say
I didn't do nothing for you guysout there. They don't deserve you rich.
You're a good mind. But Iwill say one of my favorite quotes
of all time is Michael Scott.We have we actually have this quote framed
up on our out in the livingroom, and it says I'm not superstitious,

(59:02):
but I am a little stitious.And it's hilarious to me because I've
never won. I've said that wordso many times and I never once thought
of it like that, and soI love it so much because that is
honestly how I feel about me andsports. I'm not superstitious. I'm just
a little stitious. Like That's that'swhere we are right now. This is

(59:27):
my stitches. Uh, sports manis a little absolutely okay, So that
is our pickum, and now it'stime for Malcolm to uh inform me of
what my punishment is. I'm surehe's been waiting a long time for this
one. Some malcl let's have it. You are absolutely right about me just

(59:53):
cooking up something crazy. I'm goingout to you, but you've been keeping
it pretty light with me, andI want to. I want to,
much like yourself, I want tohold off on our craziest punishment until we
get to the playoff picture. Butuh, this one, in the name
of sportsmanship, I want to seesomething I think myself and the fans will

(01:00:13):
enjoy. I want to see youtake We're all familiar with the jersey swap
pictures, you know, like withuh, you know, athletes after the
games they swapped jersey whatever the caseis. I saw on Instagram, actually
it was it was a guy.It was like on some page dedicated to
like, you know, bromances andstuff like that. It was a guy

(01:00:37):
who just two random dudes who uhjust ran into each other at the club
and became friends and stuff. Theydid a jersey swap just with their regular
shirts. So they want to dohad like like a button down and the
other one had like a throwback jerseyor so. I thought that was the
funniest thing. So I would loveto see you do a jersey swap with

(01:01:00):
random you could choose. You canchoose the employee of the choice. But
go to any store and I wantto see a jersey swap picture with the
RAND employee. Okay, they canput that off. It's gonna be hard
with somebody random. I'm sure Icould swap with a few people. I'll

(01:01:21):
figure it out. I will,I will figure this out. But I
got a T shirt swap with somebody? Great, Yeah, yeah, for
sure, just hold them like thejerseys or something. It'll be funny.
But I can't wait to see it, all right, So that is my
punishment. You can watch for thaton Instagram. Don't forget to follow us

(01:01:44):
on all of your favorite social mediachannels, like us on Facebook, follow
us on Instagram and x or Twitteror whatever. Instagram is the one that
we're on the most. We're thebusiest there, but that's just because Malcolm
I have friendly banter that has tobe posted the stories every time. But
also you can hear us on allyour favorite podcasting platforms, Apple, Spotify,

(01:02:09):
iHeartRadio, and then our home isspreaker dot com and every Wednesday on
Express Radio at Live three sixty fivedot com. But most importantly, if
you don't want to just hear us. If you want to see us in
all of our shenanigans, then hitthat subscribe button on the YouTube channel,
so that will do it. Forepisode four hundred and ninety three, the

(01:02:30):
countdown to the IFL Championship continues,so for to Father Malk, Malcolm McCoy,
I am the team man, RichardDemon. This has been another exciting
episode of the Fans Show and wewill see you next time.