Episode 495: Royce See (Fighters)

An episode that is truly MUST SEE!
Richard and Malc welcome another fresh face to the show from the great state of Texas. Fresh off their dominant win over the Gladiators and being the new number 1 in the weekly Power Rankings, Royce See, of the Frisco Fighters joins the boys to talk about why the Fighters are the team to beat in the IFL. Plus, a recap of Week 17, NAZ's miracle win and pick em'!

Episode Transcript

(00:13):
Shut up. Hello everyone, andwelcome once again to the one, the

(00:39):
only, the fan show. Iam your host is always the tea man,
Richard Timon and the man in theother box. Well, when we
talk about people that have that dogin him, he is a Sheetsu.
It is the father Malc Malcolm McCoy. How you doing that? He the
most barosa shit? So you eversinging too? I'm doing all right,
man, you I'm doing alright.I think Sheetsu is a perfect fit because

(01:02):
it's both parts well dog, butit's also like one of the most manicured
dogs around like that. That stuff'sgot to be on point. You take
care of your dreads like an ownerof a Sheetsu takes care of their their
grooming and well being. So hey, that's one of the most high that's
the highest honor you can get asa as a as a person with drid.

(01:23):
So I'll take it, man,I appreciate it. Well, it
is the week after the fourth stillgot all ten, so that's good.
We hope you all had a happyFourth of July. At is episode four
hundred and ninety five, which iscrazy because I looked at the calendar and
did the math, which took awhile because me and math don't mix very

(01:45):
well, and if my calculations arecorrect, episode five hundred would be the
episode that we would do after thechampionship game. So that's that's how crazy
that is. It's all perfect blab. So we gotta go we gotta go
big for that. But yeah,so that's where we're at right now.

(02:07):
We've got two weeks left of theIFL season. We had a crazy week
that will recap, but first Iwanted to give everybody a quick go fund
me update. We continue to receivedonations, so we will continue to receive
donations. We're hoping. My personalgoal was to have half of it by

(02:27):
this Friday or this weekend so thatwe can book our flights because once you
get within a month of trying tofly as when the prices start to jump
up a little bit. And sowe had it calculated based on what they
were a couple of weeks ago.So hopefully things don't change too much.
But the link is very much liveand you know, we can find it
on our Instagram all over the place, our stories, people are sharing it.

(02:52):
Big shout out to those that haveWe thank you so much. Our
Twitter or X and then of course, the Facebook page is where you can
find the links there. But ifeverybody that saw our story with the link
at the beginning of yesterday donated liketwenty five, we would already be at
halfway. So you know, itdoesn't have to be a lot. The
people that have donated, you know, have donated good chunks, so we

(03:15):
thank them for that and for helpingus get hopefully where we want to go.
Today's fit is brought to you bythe Iowa Barnstormers. This week in
Fans Show history, six years ago, the Iowa Barnstormers defeated the Soup Fall
Storm to earn their one and onlyso far IFL Championship. I was there

(03:36):
and it was crazy just how thiswhole thing came together. You can see
highlights and clips on the fan showFacebook page from that day. But a
fun little fact there, and I'mnot going to take too much time for
the good, bad and the funny, but I realized that I had one
last week, but because it wasthe first of the month, I was

(03:57):
like, we got to do aput it to bed. Well, still
just as good this week, butlast week, July first, was Bobby
Bonie a day, So that isthat's my good, bad, and funny
because he is that former All Starfor the Mets that gets paid one point
two million dollars every July first untilthe year twenty thirty five, So so

(04:24):
good for him, bad for theMets, and just freaking hilarious all around.
I mean, that's the kind ofcontract I want to be. Hey,
I'm telling you. I'm telling you, it doesn't get any better than
that. People talk about how Ohat the time, I suppose it wasn't
the item. It seemed crazy becausehe was taking such a such a pay

(04:44):
cut seemingly, But I mean,in a long run, he was the
one got the last lab and it'sstill getting the last lab up until twenty
thirty five. So good man,Man, that's all right. He's he's
living, breathing proof and reality ofthat thing that people share on Facebook or
used to do and their groups offriends being like, Okay, if you

(05:04):
could get paid a million every yearfor the rest of your life, or
a hundred million right now but thennever another penny later, Like which would
you like? That's that's basically he'slike, I'm gonna take a million every
year for sure, for sure.Man. That's hilarious. Man. So

(05:25):
that was my good, bad andfunny. I wanted to get through it
quick because we've got a lot todiscuss. But Mauth, did you have
anything good, bad, or funnyfrom the weekend? Yeah? Yeah,
just a good and funny and nobad. It was quite a few,
you know, tumultuous things going onthis week, but I'd rather stay away
from it. I'm a focus onthe good and the funny. How about

(05:46):
Arthur Jackson, Man, you knowthat's our gay you know we had them
on last week, great gay,great football player. Had a huge week
this week man. Not only wasit his birthday, but before they capped
off the week with when he alsoproposed to his girlfriend. You know I
like and her and fiance. Yeah, really really good week. And if

(06:09):
I'm not mistaken, I could verywell be wrong, but I think it
was on his birthday too, Sowhat better way to cap off a week
with a w after you know,proposing to your life partner and you know,
making it officials. So that's that'sreally good for him. As for
the funny, I'm taking a differentdirection. We did we I don't think
we talked about a bunch of differentsports here on the show, but I

(06:31):
don't think we covered gymnastics yet.And a topic that kind of like surface
is ever so often here is howwatered down and soft, if you will,
sports are becoming nowadays, not onlyas a player, but on the
coaching side too. MICHAELA. Skinner, a former Olympian Olympic gold medalist,

(06:57):
spoke on how an organization called SafeSports is making sports a lot more difficult
for coaches. You know, apparentlyI haven't really heard too much about the
Safe Sports Organization up until I readon it, but they're apparently an entity
that acts as like a checks andbalances type of type of governing system for

(07:23):
coaches. They try to make itso that coaches aren't too hard on players
or you know, mentally abusing playersor whatever the case may be. And
while that can very and has beena huge issue, you know, it's
kind of been laughed at because,you know, coaches can't even use their

(07:44):
normal tactics just to push players andget the best out of them. And
Mikayla Skinner came up. She's aroundmy age. I think it said she's
twenty nine, but she came upin that era that I like to call
the last era of actual physical sports, you know, because it seems like
after my time it just kind ofgradually got more and more so. But

(08:07):
you know, I'm sure she's usedto that, that uh, that coaching
where you know, it's not alwaysfun, it's not always a great practice.
You know, your coach is gonnapush you and they're trying to get
the best out of you. That'sthe best, that's that's what their job
entails. And for her to speakon that as a gymnast, it just
kind of shows how far reaching,you know, the sports. I guess

(08:31):
water down or softness is reaching too, so it's it's kind of it was
just kind of funny to read thatand see that it doesn't only apply to
football and basketball or baseball what peoplewill call it a major sports. It's
even you know, reaching as faras gymnastics and things like that. So
you know, I'm hoping to seea change in that. But you know,

(08:52):
I mean, it's just sports iswhat has come to nowadays, I
suppose, well, and it's thesad truth. There's such a fine line
between what's what's coaching and what's liketaking it too far, and it just
it changes every generation you talk toabout it. I mean, there's the
the dads of coaches now that werejust like you know, in my day,

(09:15):
it was you know, the coachwould like smack you around and tell
you that you were a worthless pieceof shit, and that was coaching,
you know, that was constructive.And now and now we've we've fast forwarded
all the way into where it seemslike everybody gets a trophy just for participating,
you know, a trophy of somekind. And I think there's got
to be a happy middle, Ireally do. But it is something that

(09:39):
I haven't treaded into because my experiencewith you know, coaching and sports is
very limited. But I do knowthat there's players that will defend coaches that
tell them that they can be betterand that that you know was pathetic or
that play was horrible. I thinka lot of is the verbiage in the
language used and in some of thelanguage as well. But yeah, you

(10:03):
would know better than I do.But yeah, it's not just exclusive to
one sport. It's it's it's allover the place. The reason we don't
talk about gymnastics is because you andI, neither of us are flexible by
any means at all. So alittle bit. So that that's our good,
bad, and funny for the week, and that will bring us to
IFL headlines from week seventeen. Therewas a lot that happened. Who's in

(10:26):
who's out of the twenty twenty fourplayoff picture. Well, we have your
answer as of this last week.Who was in Bay Area which we all
kind of knew, San Diego.We're going to talk a little bit about
that, Frisco, which we alreadyknew, Green Bay and Massachusetts, So

(10:48):
a little bit more clarity there onthe D but even more clarity on the
out. Who's out of San Antonio? Unfortunately, Duke City we kind of
knew, Tucson absolutely, Jack Iowaand Sioux Falls are all out. So
still in the mix you have Vegas, naz and Arizona in the west.
In the east, you have QuadCity in Tulsa. So malk was right

(11:11):
and I was wrong. That's right. Screen grab it, get it on
record. He picked SD to getto the fourth playoff spot, and they
might be. They might be thenumber one. That's how crazy things have
gotten since we had that conversation.In San Antonio is out. So the
first big game was San Antonio andMassachusetts simply because you know, this was

(11:37):
kind of a measuring stick game forMassachusetts, but San Antonio was playing for
their postseason lives. I pretty muchfigured that they were out after they had
lost the previous week, but thiswas like, there's still a chance.
Mathematically in the scenarios, there wasstill a chance. So I hate looking
at it now thinking that once allwas said and done that weekend, that

(11:58):
it is basically a meaningless game becausethe team that lost is still in the
postseason and the team that won issomehow out, you know. So it's
just it's crazy to me. SamCastronova put on another great performance, only
had a single interception, but thefinal score there fifty eight fifty five.
So I'm gonna go ahead and givethe Gunslingers their flowers because it's not like

(12:24):
you see this thing every day.Duke City did not have a good time
adjusting to the IFL when they joined. I think they're still struggling kind of.
But you had two teams. Oneis the former champion of the league,
these two teams came from and forSan Antonio to be in the mix

(12:45):
all the way up until the thirdto last week of the season is incredible
to me, so props to them. They clearly did not have as hard
a time adjusting to this level ofcompetition as Duke City has or as Jacks
has, and that's, in myopinion, the biggest disappointment of the entire
season is Jack's underperforming when there wassuch a high level of expectation, maybe

(13:07):
too high. But San Antonio camein, they did their thing, So
props to them. I look forwardto seeing what they bring next year.
I think this was a good previewof what they're capable of. Big factors
going to be. Do they getCastronova back? I think he's your lock
for offensive player of the year.So that was the first game, and

(13:28):
then we had San Diego and Vegas, and you know San Diego, there
was the scenarios San Diego needed towin, but also have naz or Arizona
lose. That turned out to notbe the case. Final score sixty to
fifty nine, and Malc, Ithink you broke down this one. I

(13:50):
did. I did. And itwas a fun one for sure. You
know, kind of expected both teamsto kind of come out swinging, and
they certainly did. Both scored ona opening drafts and uh, you know,
from there the first half was certainlya shootout. You know, you
got your standout guys, Alij theLily's in San Diego, he connected well.

(14:11):
Nate Davis connected a couple of timeswith Alge of Lily early on h
you know, putting them in agreat position. But the funny thing is,
contrary to what I thought, theydidn't they They trailed almost the entire
game up until I think the thirdquarter. But at which point, you
know, uh, they started takingthe lead a little bit, and they

(14:35):
kind of gave a lot of guyswho normally don't get as much I guess
acclaim or as much spotlight to signa little bit. You know, Arthur
Jackson did indeed have a touchdown Ithink in a couple of receptions. But
like I said, Lily, RudyJohnson, you know all those guys,
you know, they showcased how importantthey are to that team. Not to

(14:58):
mention how stout the defense was.You know you had Dai Kwon, Artists,
Elijah Bell, you know Elijah Billwith the two interceptions. Great game
by him, man. Like Isaid, artists certainly been a force to
be reckoned with on that D line. Just the entire season. It's good
to see him making those plays whenthey matter. Also Byron Cooper, you

(15:18):
know, the other d N whodoesn't get as much spotlight, either had
a few big plays to just youknow, really stand out performance by those
guys, and it ended up comingdown to the last the last drive,
you know, and you know,the like I said, the San Diego
defense did what they were supposed todo. You got to take away and

(15:39):
then pretty much put the game tobed. So it was a fun one
to watch. I certainly suggest thatyou take a look at it if you
haven't already. For our fans,yeah, San Diego, so they get
the win in their end, theyhad the tiebreaker as far as head to
head over NA, So I'm notsure what where the confusion came in from
the if L as far as wellthey need Latin as to they beat them

(16:00):
twice. But I guess talking tosome of the people you know who have
been around for the last few years, said that the first tiebreaker has changed
back and forth a few times.In my mind, and I think in
everybody's mind default tiebreaker the first oneis head to head match up, right,
and then you get into conference strengthof schedule and then whatever the hell

(16:22):
else is down that rabbit hole.But I guess the IFL switched for a
while to conference record was the tiebreakerinstead of head to head, and I'm
like, okay, I think itdoesn't make any sense, Like, let's
not make it more complicated than itneeds to be. So San Diego is
in, they could very well getthe number one seed still after bay Area

(16:45):
lost, which was another fantastic game, which we'll get to here in a
second, but another good one,this one. I mean we're trying to
only talk about the games that reallymatter. This one did kind of I
mean half of it. Like itwas Quad City in Suit Falls. Quad
City needed to win, I mean, they needed that win right to stay
in the playoff hunt, even thoughthey look like the clear cut team to

(17:10):
get that fourth spot because Tulsa.I mean, you just can't really depend
on them to win when they neededto. But same to be said about
the Steam Wheelers. I am notthe curse because Quad City got this win
in overtime forty five forty four.This was, you know, great job
for Quad City. I really wantto see them finish strong, get back

(17:32):
to back wins and not take aloss coming up and just go into the
postseason heads held high. They stillhave to lock up that playoff spot,
so they can't take their foot offthe gas. Just yeah, I don't
think I would really want them to. I think, you know, if
you've been back and forth for likesix or seven weeks, like you know,
go for the throat, you know, sweep the leg, Johnny.
So that was a good one there. SF obviously out and they were trying

(17:56):
a bunch of new pieces, andwe hope that Claude Davis finds a new
home. We didn't know last weekwas his last game, not this recent
game, but the week before washis last game with the Storm. He
announced he had told me right beforehe announced, which was tough because we've
been trying to get Claude on theshow and I feel like now we can

(18:18):
even more because he can just kindof be relaxed and say whatever he wants.
And that's like a guest that weneeded to have on the show for
a while. So either way,though, best look to him. What
he's been able to do at agethirty five at that position has been nothing
short of spectacular, especially to watchthis season. So Quad City gets another
win and that brings us to thebig one. And I think we all

(18:41):
knew that for several reasons. NASin Bay Area, NAS gets to win
forty seven forty six, and sobay Area with that loss. We'll get
this part out of the way.First, bay Area with that loss does
not lock up the number one seed. They could still fall to number two.
Technically with San Diego getting to win. Who San Diego, I think

(19:02):
we can all agree. Peaking atthe perfect time. They are winners of
four in a row. Frisco alsowinners of four in a row. Those
are the longest active winning streaks inthe IFL right now. And it's two
teams that I believe truly are thenumber one and number two team. But
you know, power rankings are whatthey are. Let's not get too far
into that. But this game,and I know you agree with me on

(19:23):
this. If you're somebody that lovessports, but maybe your belief in a
higher power or like divine intervention hasbeen kind of on the fence. This
should have cleared up anything for youbecause the way that this game went,
NAS went in trailed the entire game. It was at one point it was
twenty eight to seven, but inthe third, it was forty to fifteen.

(19:47):
At any other time, a teamlike nas the Wranglers have no business
winning this game. But they wouldgo and score twenty four points in the
fourth quarter, and they would successfullyconvert two on side kicks back to back,
and then just to bring it withinone point, their kicker after the

(20:11):
last touchdown they scored, did adrop kick and was successful after missing the
previous one. He was fifty tofifty for drop kicks. He was fifty
to fifty on I think field goalattempts as a whole, like this is
not a guy like Ernesto Lecayo wholeads the league and dropkicks or anything like.
It's very much like flip a coinand that's going to be the outcome.
And then with four seconds left,he's got to hit the deuce.

(20:34):
Because there was a few scenario talksthere was like, okay, he could
hit the deuce and that puts thema point ahead, and then with like
a second off the clock, thenBay Area still has a chance to kick
a field goal, and when theycould try for a third on side kick
and see if they can score afterthat, blah blah blah blah blah,
Okay, you've got four seconds,so yeah, a deuce is gonna be

(20:55):
what you do. He nails thedeuce like it was probably good by that
much. And then when Bay Areatook over, they attempted a field goal
and it was wide left. Imean, there, you you cannot tell
me that there is not some kindof higher power at work when there is
that outcome for NAZ who. Imean, they had every reason to lose

(21:19):
that game. If you look atthe box score, you're like, what
did did d Kwan Neil get hurt? Did like their whole offense decide to
just like go to the bench andthe fourth like, what what happened here?
I know that Rob Keith was furious. His postgame interviewing is very upset.
But you can't be like I knewthe whole game. I was like,

(21:40):
it doesn't matter what the score,like NAS is going to win this
game. Like you just don't understandhow these things work in sports, Like
you said, my my college coachhe used to call in the football gods.
You know. He was saying,you know, if you if you're
doing everything you're supposed to do,if you're treating a game with respect,
like you need to and uh,you know, you live right than the
football guys, and bless you.Apparently NAZ is doing something in favor of

(22:06):
the football guys. I don't knowif they get some kind of shrine over
there that they you know, payinghonesse to or whatever the case is.
But they're doing something right because Imean that normally just you don't you don't
see stuff like that every day orevery weekend, should I say? But
it also goes to show and like, uh, several guests that we've had
on attested to this, and youknow, we've been around the indoor game

(22:27):
long enough to see that anything canhappen. It's such a fast paced game,
man, It's like these offenses areso explosive. You can't take your
foot off the gas for one secondor one quarter in ah, you know
Bay Area's case. You know,because NAS is a great team. They're
a great team, man. Theyhave talent all over the board. And

(22:49):
you know, although I would Iwould not have. I think you're alone
on expect just knowing that NASA wentbecause I mean watching that game, I
was all, this is this isover? You know, So I mean
it was a great game to watch, and like I say, it just
reminds you what game we're playing,what game we're watching, that you know,

(23:10):
you get you can have a turnaroundand you know a change of momentum
just like that. I'm not sayingthat you wish for tragedy all the time
if you're in a tight spot asa football team, but when when stuff
like that unexpectedly happens to a team, the death of a coach, player,
a parent, something like that,there's just a different sort of aura

(23:33):
around that team, whether it's athome or on the road, that next
game is different. And yeah,I think you could tell that they were
feeling it the first half of thegame. I mean, they look like
they were about to find every reasonto lose that game that they could.
But when you look at the fourthquarter and you see twenty four points scored.

(23:53):
They had two successful back to backon site kicks, which just getting
one is like the odds on thatare terrible. You had to get a
drop kick after to add two morepoints just to bring you within one,
and then hit a deuce to winit. Like, as the announcers are
talking through everything that had to happenwith I think less than a minute left,
I'm like, Oh, they're winning, Like they're absolutely, without a

(24:15):
doubt winning this game. I meanspirit of coach Moran, whatever you want
to call it. When they weregoing through everything that had to happen,
after everything that had already happened,I was like, they're winning this game,
Like there's just there's not a chancethat they lose this game. And
then you add in the fact thatthey had to win just to stay in
the postseason hunt because with the screwup that the IFL had with the scenario

(24:37):
San Diego winning put them in andso now NAS has to continue. I
think they have to win out tobe in. I'm not sure if there's
anybody that has to lose. Idon't have the scenarios fresh memorized off the
top of my head, but everythingwas on the line for NAS in this
game, and for them to goon the road against the reigning champs,
the number one team in the leagueat that time, you know, however

(25:00):
you want to spin it, andfor them to do what they did nothing
short of a miracle. I mean, that's the sports miracle in my books.
So good for NAZ. That wasincredible to watch. I think,
biggest comeback in team history. Soeverything was there, so good on them.
I don't know if they get tocash in on something like that more
than once, but still to justwitness that was special. Other scores around

(25:22):
the league, we had Jacks overIowa sixty nine forty three, that lone
game, Arizona over Tucson. Nobodyknows how to lose like Tucson does.
Man forty four to thirty seven yourfinal, they had that game. They
had it, man, I gottoo excited. And then Frisco over DC

(25:45):
eighty one fifty five. The Fightersdropped, but eighty Burger on the road
and or the new number one teamin my power rankings. I think that
they can no longer be the quietestbest team in the league like they're now
definitely a team to watch, especiallyfor game winning streak. Just like San
Diego. They're peaking at the righttime. But some notable performances both for

(26:07):
Frisco no surprise there Edwards fifteen tonineteen, two hundred and twenty six yards,
nine touchdowns through the air, nopicks, and a touchdown on the
ground. And who did he throwsome of those touchdowns too? That was
mcclurge, who had seven receptions okay, seven receptions one hundred and fourteen yards

(26:29):
and of those seven receptions five touchdowns. Gonna be interesting to see how the
league picks its players of the weekthis week, because well, it's gonna
be Frisco. We know that,So that will do it for our week
seventeen recap. We've got two weeksleft, but for a lot of teams
just one game left because there's still, oddly enough, a couple of buys

(26:53):
that teams have to get out ofthe way. My opinion on the schedule
has become very popular amongst the fans, even a photographer friend of mine and
some others. They're just like,yes, mid July, like have the
fourth, take that week off forthe players and then come back and finish

(27:14):
it off with the championship August isjust not good for business all around.
So apparently I'm onto something, notlike I haven't covered this league for nine
fricking years or anything like that.But I digress. So that brings us
to the portion of the show wherewe welcome a special guest, and this
one very fitting after the competition thatwe saw last week, especially with one

(27:37):
team in particular that we just gotdone gushing about that's right, ladies and
gentlemen joining us now from Frisco.One of the fighters. It is royce
Ce Royce my man, welcome tothe program. How you doing. I'm
doing great, man, Thank youguys for having me. Yeah, it's
a pleasure. Me and Malk we'reboth we're pro defensive guys like we love

(27:57):
talking to you defensive folks out there. You've had great last couple of games
Frisco. And go ahead and correctme if I'm wrong. But all season
we've watched these teams kind of riseand fall, but Frisco has maintained just
this kind of right under the radarlevel where you guys have taken some on
the chin, but it never lastsvery long. Where of Vegas, you

(28:18):
know, they were the last undefeatedteam. They're two and six now since
then, and then it seems like, you know, Green Bay went on
the long winning streak and now they'verecently lost. But you guys sitting on
four straight and I'm starting to payattention now with two weeks left, as
I think the rest of the leagueis. But is that a fair assessment
of you guys just kind of beinglike right there under the noise and everything.

(28:42):
Yeah, that's one thing that wereally focused on this season is taking
it one week at a time.Coming into the year, we knew we
had thirteen straight which is you know, long for any team, So pretty
much taking it one week at atime, understanding, you know, it's
not really what happens in the middleof that, but what happens at the
end being able to get to thatchance getting the playoffs and get the Vegas.

(29:03):
So that's always been our focus,and I feel like we handled it
pretty good this year. Yeah,I know, there's only a few weeks
left, and of course there's gonnabe a lot of talk about Frisco.
Regular season Frisco and postseason Frisco seemedto be two very different piece. I'm
sure you've probably heard a lot ofthat, But every year is different.
What in your mind makes this seasondifferent? Yeah, this season has been

(29:25):
a lot different, just because wefaced a lot of adversity this year.
You know, we had a fewtough, close games that we lost,
but it actually helped us, Ifeel like in the long run, you
know, being able to be withyour teammates here in those moments, those
playoff caliber games, you know,those games we lost were all close,
and it was to give the youngguys a big picture of what the playoffs

(29:47):
look like. So that's pretty muchthe biggest difference that we've had this year,
and I think it's going to paydividends when we get on the playoff
run as well. Excellent good assessmentthere, So I've broken the ice mouth.
He's a defensive guy like you.I'm gonna let you have at him.
You know, don't get him confusedwith the magical defensive genie there,
Royce. I don't believe he's upfor granted wishes right now, but he

(30:11):
does have some questions for you,for sure. For sure. Like you
said, Man, I'm a fellowdefensive guy, myself a fellow linebacker,
so I mean, I'm definitely abig fan of your play bro, So
you know, yeah, of course, man, of course I gotta get
the flowers when they do. Man, I want to start off with obviously,
it's no shortage of talent. Andon the Frisco Fighters, man,

(30:33):
you know you got that mod stepA quarterback and TJ. Edwards on the
offensive side. On the defensive side, you know yourself got Charles Williams.
You know, two very like y'allbecome household names. I would say,
especially with Frisco fans. I mean, I'm watching the games, I'm hearing
your name, Charles, name,Paul, just every defensive draft. It

(30:55):
seems like, I gotta know,bro, Like just as far as the
dynamic of like practice and stuff,do you like going up against such a
great offense and the offense going upagainst such a stout defense? Do you
think that attributes to you know,you guys pulling out those those convincing wins
or is it more so like thecoaching that's involved. Man, that's a

(31:18):
great point. And you know welike to say we're playing the best of
the best each each week. Youknow, in practice we have we we
actually put that entire practice when we'redoing best on best, good on good.
So that really where our confidence comesin those close games is you know
we've already been through this, youknow, going against stuff like t J.
Edwards. You know our receiver cordI feel like it's the best in

(31:41):
the league running back court, offensiveline. So each day we're going to
best the best. You know,me and Charles, we always try to
keep that temple up, knowing thateach day that we can get better and
better, so it pays off duringthe game. Yeah, man, And
it's showing for sure. It's definitelyshowing. Man, I know the value
of facing like a strong offense orstrong defense like and just in practice because

(32:04):
it makes the games that much easierfor real. So guys kind of being
almost under the radar, I don'tknow what it is, man, y'all
been handling business all season, butit seems like y'all just don't get that
that it's talked about as much aslike other teams. For some odd reason,
man, is that something that y'alllike kind of carrying, like have
a chip on your shoulder? Y'allreally don't care too much about it.
Almost definitely, it definitely gives achip on the shoulder. But the big

(32:30):
thing, though is our coach.Coach coach, he does a great job
is keep us focused, you know, not worried about the outside noise,
knowing that if we do our job, you know, we're going to get
toward we need to go. Andthat's that's one thing we like to focus
on for Shure. I like it, man, I like it. I
like it always. Like every teamI've been on, you know, the
coaches they always preach like, youknow, keep the outside noise to a

(32:51):
minimum. You know, you can'tget too high or too low on with
the with the fans and the criticshave to say, because I mean,
all you know, it didn't matter, like what matters is going on?
How so I feel that well,my question is mainly your guys's conference.
All season long, people have talkedabout how stacked the Western conferences, and
I mean deservedly so. I mean, you've got some real powerhouses over there,

(33:13):
most notably right now, I'd saySan Diego the Strike Force is the
most dangerous team in that conference.They've also won four straight, sharing the
longest active win streak with you guysin Frisco. But you know, you
look over at what you guys havein the East, and you have Quad
City very back and forth, GreenBay having the season of a franchise of
a lifetime really right now. Andthen you have these other teams kind of

(33:37):
in the mix mass doing well,but can they hold themselves up against tough
teams? I mean, how doyou guys measure success in a conference that
people looks like kind of I don'twant to say like the leftovers, but
you know what I mean, it'slike it's not getting the attention that the
West is. Yeah. No,that's a great point, man. And
the big thing about the East rightnow is there's all good ball teams.

(34:00):
Know, everybody has the opportunity toget to the point where they want to
go. My biggest thing, Ifeel like it's about being consistent. You
know, who can be consistent inthose ball games that really matter. You
know, we played some tough teamsplaying San Diego. We did get a
win over them. But they're startingto put it together at the right time,
and I feel like that's really what'simportant. You know, they're able
to clinch the playoffs is last weekendand that's something that we're watching over here

(34:22):
in the East as well. Youknow, who can put that together.
So that's our biggest thing, youknow, being able to finish off the
years strong, getting this last oneagainst Iowa and keep that moment and rolling.
You know, we're at the pointwhere we're starting to talk about championship
storylines and what there are. GreenBay is a big one because they've never
been to the championship, you know, in the IFL, and they're having

(34:43):
a great season. Obviously they wouldhave to go through you guys vice versa,
you know, in that side ofthe conference. Another one is you
look at powerhouse teams and we've gotthe San Diego Strike Force, and I
think an ideal matchup for them wouldbe you guys with Edwards, that two
headed monster at running back, thatyou guys have your defense, their defense,
their offense, and I mean it'sjust like a dream matchup in my

(35:05):
opinion. But the big thing,the elephant in the room for Frisco is
getting not just to the postseason,but what you guys do there. So
what would it mean you know,from you and just the pulse of the
fans and the community and the teamthat the veterans on Frisco to have a
deep run and possibly go to thechampionship finally, you know as the Frisco
Fighters. Yeah, man, itwill mean everything. You know, Frisco

(35:29):
there is huge fan base. Knowwe have the best fans in the league.
You know, they're always supporting usat the games. You know,
that'll be huge, not only forthe for us as a team being able
to be able to cap this run. Of course with the victor of the
championship, we'll be able to getthat to the fans, you know,
be able to bring that to Frisco, I will mean a lot for us.

(35:50):
Is that any kind of monkey onthe back right now like that you
guys have or is that just morenoise you got to block out? Now?
Man, we knew what it wascoming into the year. You know,
Frisco has always been right there atthe conference championship and you know last
year left a bad taste in ourmouth. So you know we're motivated to
make it happen this year. That'sthe that's the goal. Yeah, man,

(36:13):
So I gotta I gotta ask youas like I said a fellow linebacker,
man, you're part of a veryprestigious few amount of individuals in the
IFL with over eighty tackles and alsoI think you have what twelve four loss
as well, which is among thetop five. I'm not mistaken. You

(36:35):
know myself personally, I was alwaysI still have like a very cerebral football
player. I kind of diagnose whatplays maybe run just based on formations or
like you know, pre snap reedsand stuff. Yeah, I mean you're
flying around out there, man.Are you more like a pre snap read
type of guy? Are you justlike a read and react. So our

(36:57):
defense is based on you know,being able to react based for pre snap.
Our coach, coach, new coachMalcolm do a great phenomenal job putting
us in the right position. Sogoing into the week, you know,
we're comfortable. You know, theywant us playing fast, being confident,
and that's one thing that allows usto make those plays, you know,
being able to diagnose things from filmstudy. Like you said, you know,

(37:17):
you see throughout the week, youknow the plays coming. When you
see that numation, can you trustyour preparation. And that's one thing I
feel like we've been, you know, really good at throughout the season,
batting through injuries that we had overthe time, but being able to stay
true to ourselves, understand what wehave to be and being able to stut
those plays, you know, haspaid off a lot for us. Well,

(37:38):
I did think of a couple morethat I had real quick ones though,
since we've got you, which isyou know, we we thank you
so much for you know, followingthe show and joining the show and interacting
with us. You know, we'realways happy to have guys like you on
defensive guys, no brainer. Wealways love to have the defense on the
show. To get their flowers.So in the you know, in the

(38:01):
spirit of giving flowers, if there'sa teammate of yours that you want to
shout out right now that's either likemost improved or been a real difference maker
for you guys as far as yourrecent success, especially for straight you can
go ahead and give him a shoutright now. Oh man, I mean
I'm gonna have to give out ashout out to my guy TJ. You

(38:21):
know, he's he's battled through alot of things this year, you know,
starting off, coming in, gettinginjured, coming back, you know,
being focused. He wasn't even reallysupposed to be playing, you know,
just seeing that, being able tosee him step up when we needed
the most, it paid off alot. Man. So being able to
go go up with a guy likethat all week, you know, really
gets your mind set, right.I want to give a shout out to

(38:43):
him because you know that's that's myquarterback one for sure. Well in the
last one, I promise it's thelast one. Your guys' last two games
have been something interesting. Because youguys are no strangers to rivalries. You
guys in Tulsa have a great rivalry, but there was two games ago.
It was you in San Antonio andthey were playing for their playoff lives,
and I said to Malk, Isaid, if they lose this, they're

(39:05):
out, even though it was kindof still not decided entirely, but you
guys go beat them into them heartbreakingfashion. And they're kind of a rival
of you guys, both being Texasteams. And then you go and drop
an ady burger in d C againstthe Gladiators this last week. You know,
are those victories just a little bitmore special, especially considering where we

(39:28):
are in the season and what youguys are looking to ultimately achieve. Oh,
most definitely, Richard. Those youknow, we know going into playing
San Antonio, those games are tough. You know, they're within five three
points every time, So getting thatwin was huge for us. And then,
like you said, going to DukeCity a very improved ball club.

(39:49):
You know, I feel like they'rereally going in the right direction, and
you know, getting that way intoto conabat week is great for us.
All right, man, Well,I'm sure San Antonio didn't appreciate the there,
but hey, you know, sweepthe leg, man, when you've
got the opportunity to sweep it evenif they're not in your conference. So
I like your guys' mentality right now. Like I said, you guys are

(40:10):
playing phenomenal ball right now and havinga hell of a run. So I
want to thank you so much foryour time in joining us here on the
show. It's been a real treatfor me and malk Yes, sir,
I appreciate you guys for having me. Man, I'm supporting all the way.
Like I said, appreciate everything youguys do, all right, So
one more time, give it upfor a proud member of that stingy Frisco

(40:30):
Fighter Defense roy C as they arerolling right now, winners of four straight
looking to have the road to thechampionship on the Eastern side go through Frisco.
Thank you so much again, myman. You take care of yourself
and enjoy the rest of the season. Yes, sure as well. Appreciate
it all right. And that bringsus to our favorite portion of the show.

(40:51):
Well, I mean, it dependson how last week panned out.
For me. This is not myfavorite portion of the program this week,
but I digress. It is timefor our pick them week eighteen. Two
weeks left to punish each other Malkwas successful our one and done game coin
flip game, Jackson Iowa. Reallyoh well, oh well, I still

(41:15):
love you barn Stormers. As youcan see, I decided to suit up
with Barnstormers swag today to honor youguys. So it's okay, there's no
hard feelings, but we have apunishment for me after this. But let's
go ahead and get to our picksfirst. So Week eighteen Saturday, no
Friday games, so we get superSaturday. We start off green Bay,

(41:38):
fresh off of a bye week.They've locked up not only a postseason birth,
but a home playoff game. However, the outcome of this game could
very well determine if the road tothe championship goes through Green Bay or if
it'll make a stop there and thenhead to Frisco because Frisco is the other
team in the mix. But theywill visit Jacksonville to take on the Shark.

(42:00):
So that's a that's a road,that's a road treck for the Blizzard.
Malk, you won pick them lastweek, so you get the honor
of picking first this week. I'mgonna I'm gonna go against the grain here.
Wow, and I'm gonna say I'mgonna say Jacks not only the spice
things up, but I think Ithink they're having like a kind of a

(42:24):
kind of end of the season high. I don't know exactly what to call
it. I'll give you that.Yeah, No, they seem to be.
And now, if we would havehad this Jacks that we just saw
this past weekend earlier in the season, I would have loved to see it.
It would have, you know,made for a better look coming out
of the as the champs over there, and uh, you know, it

(42:45):
would have been more more along thelines of what we expected to see.
But I mean, the cars feelwhat they what they did, and uh
you know, they're not much ofa of a postseason thread or or anything
of bad nature. So but Imean they are still having fun. You
can tell that they're enjoying what they'redoing. They're trying to dash some hopes

(43:06):
of some some some other teams.So I'm gonna say Jacksonville in this one,
so we'll definitely see. I justwant to point out that Malcolm was
sent a swag from the Blizzard andhas since picked against them twice, so
that real thanks for the free stuff, and they're gonna request the request the

(43:28):
shirt Bay, what I see whatyou're saying, picking up what you're putting
down, And I do agree thatJacks is they And I mentioned a few
episodes ago I said, I thinkJacks is playing for just to prove that
they're not as bad as as peoplehave now made judgment about, you know,
since coming into this league. Inthe competition, I think they're playing

(43:52):
for pride, to prove a lotof people wrong. And that's good for
them, not so good for greenBay. I'm gonna go with green Bay
because I think the bigger picture ofthings, green Bay looks at what Frisco
did to Duke City this last weekand and says, okay, clearly,
like our work is not done yet. I know that they're happy with They're

(44:13):
pleased with making the postseason. They'rehappy with having a home playoff game.
But they're gonna be thrilled to havethe championship go through green Bay if they
can help it. And so awin on the road against Jacksonville I think
says a lot, even despite Jacksonville'srecords. So I'm gonna go with green
Bay in that. So we're alreadyoff to differing great, that's gonna be
a fun week, all right.The next next Saturday game, this is

(44:38):
the Soup Fall Storm, the newlook Sue Fall Storm. It looks like
all the faces there are new aregonna go on the road to take on
the Iowa Barnstormers. This one isanother coin flip, but I'm not gonna
I'm not gonna pull a malk hereand wear the stuff and pick against them.
I will pick the Barnstormers to winat home. And uh yeah,

(45:00):
I think Seo Falls still figuring stuffout, but we'll see. Yeah,
yeah, I like. I likeIowa and because not only are they but
like you said, one of thekey factors that you know, they got
a lot of new places over there. So I don't think that they expect
to have the chemistry down, youknow, completely, just yet. I

(45:22):
think they're more so looking for thefuture. We'll look into the future.
And you know, with that beingthe case, they, like you said,
they still have a lot to figureout. They don't have it all
together this yet. So I'll takeIowa as well in this one, okay,
And so that brings us to thenext Saturday game. And since I
can pick however I want, thatmakes things a little better for this one.

(45:45):
It is Quad City on the roadagainst Tulsa. This one I think
will be probably the game to watch, not because of records or anything,
but these are the last two stillin it in the Eastern Conference. A
win for Tulsa, what does thatdo? But this would be the first
time the Quad City would get backto back wins if they do, since

(46:08):
mid season, So that would behuge for them. I said, they
need to finish strong if they're gonna, you know, go to the playoffs,
and that's what they need to dohere. But malcol let you pick
first on this. What are youfeeling? I like Quad City. I
do. I think they understand thatstrong finishes is one hundred percent necessary.
So Tulsa at this point, they'rethey're in their way and you know they're

(46:34):
gonna try to they're going to handlethem according So yeah, I'm taking Quad
City for sure. Yeah. Iwill take Quad City as well, just
because I want the I want everyteam in the postseason to have a winning
record, like more than anything I'veseen postseasons where there's one team that limps
in and it's just like like couldwe not call an audible here and like

(46:55):
insert certain you know, amendments orwhatever that say. In the event of
this, we go to the otherteam with the best record. You know,
you don't. You don't want tohave the Western Conference sitting there like
they get in and they lost morethan they want. I don't. I
don't want it. So love QuadCity, Love Tulsa. I want Quad

(47:15):
City to win this strictly for thefact that I want to have strong teams
in the postseason, because this isotherwise been a great season. So we
both like Quad City there. Thenext Saturday game, this one both teams
playing for Pride. At this point, I don't know if we'll see quite
the performances that we did last weekfrom them. I think for one of

(47:35):
them, they're probably hoping maybe alittle bit better performance. It's the San
Antonio and the gun Slingers taking onTucson and the Sugar Skulls, and Man
Marshall texting me, he's like,we're going to write books on how to
lose games a fumble man, AndI was. I kept checking in on

(47:57):
this game, and I'm like,no, they won't. They can't.
Like, like I said, that'stoo much good to happen on the weekend
for me. Sure enough, theyfumble it away. Malk what are you
feeling in this one? Uh,san Antonio for sure. Man. Like
you said, Tucson, you know, I loved how they were looking about

(48:22):
mid season, or a little beforethe midway point. They had a lot
of promise. I had a lotof uh you know, they they signed
a few key names at the whatseem like the perfect time, but it
just started going downhill. Man.I hate to see that for a team
that you know starts off so well. And uh, but you know,

(48:44):
again, that's how the Cards feelfor them, san Antonio. There,
they know their playoff hopes are over. But at the same time, playing
for pride is certainly a big thingfor teams. They don't want to They
want to they want to leave whattheir heads tail has. So I think
that, you know, they stillhave a little low left in the tank

(49:06):
and they're gonna, you know,bring that to Tucson. So I guess
yeah, And I was wrong.Last week was not their last home game.
It's next week, so I thinkthey're gonna look to get another win
and then really finish out their inauguralseason with the IFL on a high note.
It sucks. It sucks that they'renot playing for a postseason birth because

(49:28):
the competition has been so good fromthem since they started off zero to four,
But I don't think they have anythingto hang their heads about. So
I like San Antonio as well inthis one to get a win on the
road, and so that will bringus to the next Saturday game, and
this one, aside from Quad Cityand Tulsa, is probably the biggest game
of the week. We have theVegas Nighthawks in Northern Arizona to take on

(49:52):
the Wranglers. This one very interestingfor the simple fact that NAS has to
win to stay in the postseason picture, and I think defeating Vegas would solidify
them getting in over you know,Vegas, they don't have the tiebreaker over
the Rattlers. But Vegas has onlywon two games. I think they're two

(50:15):
and six since they were the lastsole remaining undefeated teams. So I'm not
really sure what's up with Vegas rightnow. I mean, when they play
well, they're like one of thebest teams in the league, like they
were for the first whole half ofthe season, But lately it's like they're
finding ways to lose as opposed towhen they were finding ways to win.

(50:35):
I'm gonna go with NAZ at home. I think this last game, be
it divine intervention, luck, whatever. I think that they know that they're
playing for their postseason lives and thatthey can take a Vegas either way.
This is a good kind of litanustest for just how good is Northern Arizona

(50:59):
right now. So I like theWranglers, Yeah, yeah, I feel
that, and I have to agreewith you. I like NAS and this
you said Vegas was they were.They were teams out to be, you
know, the best in their conference. For sure. I thought they were
gonna you know, carry on thatuh that undefeated streak throughout the like at

(51:22):
least the majority of the season,but it seems like they kind of ran
out of steam along the way.Unfortunately for them, NAS is the complete
opposite because of the most recent passionof their coach. They seem to,
you know, be reinvigorated. Theyhave that new life and like you said,
you know, the the that divineintervention is certainly on their side as

(51:45):
well. One key thing to pointout about Vegas too, that I heard
the commentator say quite a bit duringthat, uh that game against San Diego
this past weekend. They They havequite a few new faces over there as
well, if I'm not mistaken.I looked at the transaction report. I
think they they let go of sevenguys, but then they picked up another

(52:07):
seven, so you know, somebig change is being made over there.
I think NAS NAS definitely gonna winthis game. Yeah, and so we
both like NAS and that will bringus to our last game, the Week
eighteen finale. Not all teams areplaying, there's still some buys to get
out of the way, and itis a Saturday game, so another super

(52:28):
Saturday for us. It's the DukeCity Gladiators in Bay Area to take on
the Panthers. I don't think it'sgonna be much conversation or debate about who
wins this one, but Malc,you do the honors. Who do you
like first? Yeah, I'm takingDuke City. No, man, I
can't even do it. I loveDuke City, man, but yeah,

(52:51):
Bay Area for sure, it's gonnatake this one home. Man. I
still follow Duke City on social media, and you know they're they're you know,
hyping it up and trying to getthe fans to get engaged and put
some butts and seats and stuff.Just just you know the last game,
and you know this and that thewho last who rah, if you will,

(53:13):
but I don't think it's gonna matter, man. Bay Area is just
an entirely different class than Luke City, and they're gonna show it for sure.
It's not gonna It's not gonna beany question. I don't think.
Yeah if bay Area. The onething I've learned this season, if they
lose, they don't lose long likethey It's like one and done, which

(53:34):
you hope isn't the case when youget to the postseason. But obviously you
know they're gonna be back at home. This is an opponent that should be
a layup win for them to helpget their confidence back. So I'm gonna
go with bay Area as well.I mean, it has all the makings
of a trap game, but comingoff of a loss like they had against
NAS, I just don't think it'sgonna happen. Trap games are a lot

(53:55):
harder to come by in the IFL. So that is our Week eighteen.
Pick them, And now it's timefor Malcolm to tell me what my punishment
is from this last week. I'mhonestly for sure I kept the light.

(54:15):
I kept the light I did.I put a lot of thought into it,
for sure, but uh, youknow, I figured that I give
you the courtesy of letting you choosebetween two that I came up with,
ok based on you know what youhave at your at your at your disposal.
So question for you. One,do you own a hula hoop?

(54:37):
Or could you get your hands onthe hula? Oh yeah, I could
get my hands on one pretty easy, perfect one. But I'm sure there's
a way to get a hold ofone somewhere. Okay, okay, okay,
perfect. So I would love tosee you do a hula hoop routine.
Two, I forget the artists whomade the song. I'll look it

(54:58):
up and send it to you whenwhen I when I do my research.
But the song it's called the jokeis on you. But I want to
see a hula hoop routine because Ihave to be long. You know,
it would be a good little thirtyseconds or so. But yeah, I
need I need to see that forsure. I think that will put us
in the in the in the festivemood coming up on you know that championship

(55:22):
game. I think that's what thefans need to see, all right,
hula hoop routine. Got it,okay, I think it was. That's
better than because if you didn't havea whoop, I would have I would
have asked you to do a hopscotchto find Well, I don't know.

(55:43):
I'll let you know because I'll goto the sporting goods store this week and
I'll let you know. It's easierto find Chalker for sure. For sure,
for sure, I leave it atyour behests for now. But yeah,
I think the fans need to seea little take it back to the
school yard a little bit. Thenyou know, I have a little fun
with it. So not to mentiontoo, I forgot to say the the

(56:07):
my punishment for last week. Forsure, it's still on the way.
It's definitely in the way. Butbecause I didn't know that because of the
fourth and like you know, allthe festivities they had, no I realized
that later. I was like,oh, I had to do that.
Okay, I get it for sure. And the green turtle they actually had
it was it was pretty cool.They had a live band play the day

(56:29):
where they know me to the karaoke, so I wasn't able to get in
there, but I did go,and uh, you know, shared the
gofund me with a few people,so you know, they told me they'll
get to it when they when themoney comes their way. So you know,
I'm expecting we're expecting some some somepretty generous contributions coming in soon.
But you know, very much,very much still in a way, So

(56:52):
about that one, for sure,for sure. All right, folks,
Well that will do it for episodefour hundred and ninety five, five away
from five hundred, Crazy to believe. And Malcolm's been it's just such a
treat to have on these last Ithink twenty yeah, something like that,
fifteen. But he continues to getmore and more ingrained to the culture,

(57:16):
and that's been the funnest part isjust to see him embrace the controversy,
embrace the hate sometimes like I justsee it and I'm like, I'm so
proud. There's plenty of it.Yes, don't forget to give us a
like and a follow on all thoseplatforms that are applicable. So x give
us a follow, and on Instagram, give us a follow. Instagram's the

(57:38):
most fun with the stories and thebanter and everything. The link to the
GoFundMe is of course, you canfind it on the x Somewhere in there
there's an ex post or a tweetabout it. You can find the link
in the bio for the Fan ShowsInstagram page and then give us a like
on Facebook and you can find thelink to the GoFundMe there as well.

(58:00):
We're so thankful for your donations forthose who have and plan to as we
get ready for the Championship just overa month away. So give us likes,
give us follows, and then subscribeto see us on the YouTube channel.
You can hear us on Apple,on Spotify, on iHeartRadio and of
course Spreaker dot com and every Wednesdayon Express Radio on Live three sixty five

(58:24):
dot com. So for Malcolm McCoyaka Father Malc, I'm the team man,
Richard Tieman, this has been anotherexciting episode of the Fans Show and
we will see you next time.