Lou: So we'll start out with the easy stuff
Lou: Name? Age? and Where you at?
Swamphawk: Edward Barnett...42...Warren Michigan, just north of Detroit. the trailer park from 8 mile was in Warren. We also have the General motors Technical Center
Swamphawk: Work for Comcast
Lou: doing what?
Swamphawk: I am in the Customer relations division of the sterling Heights office. We solve problems
Lou: Haha...you sound like a Comcast commercial
Lou: how long have you been doing that?
Swamphawk: I used to work for a company that did contracting work for Comcast for about 5 years, and I decided to get into the main company for the benefits.
Swamphawk: Been with comcast since 2/26/2007
Lou: understandable. married/single? any kids?
Swamphawk: Single no kids. I was close once with the true love of my life, Jane. I do love kids and spend time with some of my buddies kids!
Lou: Those are the best kind, my sister has a couple kids, and I get to have fun with them and if they do something wrong, she has to be the bad guy..haha
Swamphawk: And you get to see Harry Potter movies and such
Lou: Yup...Where did you go to school?
Swamphawk: Rochester high School and Wayne State University in Detroit (DII)
Rochester Michigan....Maddona went to rochester Adams, the other rochester High school.
Lou: Very cool, did you know her?
Swamphawk: No...but I like to talk like a tourist guide!
Lou: I totally understand, I went to the same high school as Todd Hundley and played wiffle ball with Dan Wilson in his backyard...same kinda thing
Swamphawk: Wow...you have way cooler names to drop!
Lou: Hmm...Dan Wilson/Tood Hundley....Madonna....I would say that Madonna might get the nod in that one. How did you get into WiS?
Swamphawk: My buddy who is spartans05 told me about this site where you could make up a team with any player and run a league and the rest is history
Swamphawk: Started with baseball and football sims and jumped on GD as soon as I heard about it
Lou: I started with the baseball as well.
Swamphawk: I have to imagine a lot of people did
Lou: I couldnt wait to put Sandberg on a team. Who were the guys that you wanted to have on your team right away?
Swamphawk: setting up a team with anyone is a real baseball kind of thing...Gorman Thomas, Rogers hornsby, Steve Carlton, Ozzie smith
Swamphawk: I always put the hitters I like and used stats and what not for the hitters
Swamphawk: woops, meant stats for pitchers
Lou: those are all retired players, are there any guys or teams that you follow now?
Swamphawk: I still follow baseball and like a lot of current guys. Pujols, Posada, The AL Champion Tigers (YEAH). I just do not have the time to get into the people like I used to
Lou: What was it like being in Detroit with the Tigers playing well after all those years of being down?
Swamphawk: there is a real energy in the city. The wings and the Pistons have been good for a while, but when the Tigers are doing well the whole town in abuzz. This is a great sports town!
Lou: There has been a lot of success there, as a Chicagoan I'm a bit jealous. outside of the Bears and the Sox a couple of years ago, its been pretty dry.
Swamphawk: The Bulls Pistons playoff series was good. I think the Bulls are the team of the future. Next year you might send us home!
Lou: We'll see. I don't think Noah was the right pick for us. But. with the Cubs Im starting to get used to the disappointment. Anyways...
Swamphawk: I will never forget the 1984 NL playoffs when the padres beat the Cubs
Lou: Why is that?
Swamphawk: At the time it seemed like all the press was assuming a CHI-DET series and I had some CHI friends so when they jumped out in the first games it was like I stopped paying attention and Boom the Padres come back
Swamphawk: It was almost surreal
Lou: I was only 3 years old, but the name Leon Durham is still a cuss word in my parents house
Swamphawk: I want to stress that I love the Chicago people and all their teams, I only hate the glory hogging bastards from NY
Lou: haha...I am going to refrain from commenting on that one.
Lou: you said that when you heard of GD, you got in right
away. In what world and during what season did you start playing?
Swamphawk: I started in Wilkinson in Season 1. Coast Guard in the FFC.
Lou: So you have been in since the very beginning? How many teams do you have now?
Swamphawk: 4...Camp, Bryant, Wilkinson and Rockne. I have a BCS team in Camp (Mississippi State)
Lou: Do you play under any other user names?
Swamphawk: Well just Pinnacle23...woops that is a secret. No I do not have any other names!
Lou: Uh oh, cats outta the bag.
Swamphawk: Yeah, that one was for Snake
Lou: Do you have the "typing guy" persona too?
Swamphawk: No. I am one person. Everything I type is what I believe. I only have one view on any issue. I say what I believe and back it up. I can change my mind and have done so
Swamphawk: There is no outside persona...maybe a little humor now and again but no split personalities
Lou: Ok...I want to hang on for a bit before we get to the forums stuff (consider this the teaser) and cover the GD coaching related stuff first.
Lou: You have a pretty solid GD record, 688-358. Were you successful right away or did it take some trial and error?
Swamphawk: My first season was good, but I didnt really know what I was doing. I have done a lot of experimenting. I played a few seasons with no formation practice. I played a season with only Pro-set on offense. I played a few seasons with 3 offenses and 3 defenses. I learn some things and other remain a mystery.
Swamphawk: It is very hard to learn some things in this game. I think some things are almost impossible to actually learn. You also want to try to win so giving up a season to learn a gameplay issue is sometimes hard
Lou: I can agree with that. When you are paying to play, its hard to say, this season is to find out how much this affects the game.
Lou: For 3 of your teams, this is your first season there, how come you moved around with so many of your teams?
Swamphawk: Each one has a story. I Just got to BCS level in Wilkinson from non-BCS and so my loyalty took a serious hit. I accidently didnt renew my team so I lost it, and with a low loyalty I had to go back to DIII. I picked up a great team and won a few CCs but I dropped them because it was kind of boring. I just grabbed another Wilkinson team because I want to get back in the bigs there
Swamphawk: I just got promoted in Rockne
Swamphawk: And bryant was just boredom
Swamphawk: I get bored and like to jump
Swamphawk: I think one of the best things about GD is the first few seasons with a new tea,
Lou: Yeah, I do as well. But you took over a lifetime Sim in D1 though...i dont know how you can get bored with that
Swamphawk: Well I am sticking with it. I love taking over bad 1A teams. I am in a very tough conference and had another mediocre year. Hope I can turn it around next year
Lou: I have done it as well and its a tough challenge. When you take over a new team or are rebuilding, do you have some kind of set plan or method that you use?
Swamphawk: I always cut if I have bad guys. sims always have that extra K and P. I look to what I can live with and what I need right now. I always pick the formations I want and do not try to fit the team. I want the team to become me, not me become the team. I like a large class my first year, better turn around. Always look for a QB. OLs and DBs are a priority.
Swamphawk: I try to win. Fail or go ahead I try to win now and as much as I can
Lou: Thats the name of the game to me. You have teams at all levels except d2 at the moment. Which level have you had the most success at and which is your favorite to play at?
Swamphawk: I like DI the best. I like 1AA least. DII is a close second best. Good coaches and people seem to be a little more open at the level. 1A is super competitive and DIII is the paradox between Super teams and bad newbies. 1AA is ok, but it seems like it is the hardest to work in from a logistics standpoint.
Lou: What do you mean "hardest to work in from a logistics standpoint"?
Swamphawk: Recruiting is hardest at 1AA. Needs the most monitoring and most research. Need to scout teams the most at that level because 1AA teams seems to have a real flair in styles. Good 1AA teams tend to be REAL good. Just always seems like the most work
Lou: With the "Uber-update," as you like to call it coming, change is on the horizon. This new collusion policy seems like the first step. What are your thoughts on the implementation of this new policy?
Swamphawk: It is a good idea. I said that coaches for the most part will follow the rules if the rules are presented in a clear way. I do feel that if you want to cheat you can and it will be hard to prove. the issue is going to be how much evidence will be needed for a conviction
Swamphawk: I do think that collusion hurts the game as a whole
Swamphawk: The recruiting scheme is balanced and deals disrupts the balance
Lou: For the most part I agree, would a more full D1 (or D whatever) help to lessen the impact?
Swamphawk: Not really. It would fix a great many other things but if there are 50% coaches or 80% coaches deals still disrupt the delicate balance
Swamphawk: I actually believe that collusion is less of an impact at D1 then DIII. More money and less schools means more competition, but at DIII a few deals could really make a few teams
Lou: I have read you say that you have a background in politics, what is that background?
Swamphawk: My Degree is Political Science and Have done work on several local campaigns. I also am very active in politics. Calling talk shows and writing in blogs to get my views across
Swamphawk: I am a news junkie and a talk show addict.
Swamphawk: Progressive Conservative
Lou: Larry King-type talk shows or Jerry Spriinger ones?
Swamphawk: Rush, Medved, Savage, Ingram, Hannity and Bennett
Swamphawk: Called Rush and Medved several times
Swamphawk: And of course the local connection. Peter Werbe in Detroit. A true left wing legend in political talk!
Lou: Progressive conservative? I never would have noticed from the forums.
Swamphawk: Pro-Choice and a few others. Mostly Con!
Lou: I know you have been outspoken about change in GD, but if we talked about all of them, this would be like a 6 hour interview. What are the things you feel are the 2 most important changes that need to be made in GD?
Swamphawk: GD needs to feel more like football and be more fun. GD feels like an accounting class sometimes. The terms are all not really football ones. No one says conservative or aggressive offense. Most of the position are too generic. The formations are too rigid. The game is geared to keep good teams on top. there should be a solid turnover over a few years. This is a sore point for some coaches but not being able to get to the top in a few years detracts from the game.
Swamphawk: Some of the things you have to do to win are actually counter-Intuitive to football
Lou: such as?
Swamphawk: You should need a K and a P. You should need 3 QBs. You should play your best guys most of the game.
Swamphawk: the whole advanced depth chart isnt good for the game
Swamphawk: It makes the bench as important as the starters
Swamphawk: Depth shouldnt be as important as it is
Lou: So...no double duty kicking specialists and no advanced DC? What set up would be a better way to decide who is playing and when?
Swamphawk: Starters should be picked. when they get tired the bench should sub in to get them rest. There should be some alternate formations, but you should have a huge disadvantage when you are not playing your 5 starting OLs
Swamphawk: OLS practice and work as a unit.
Lou: Do you feel that would be a better reflection of real life gameplay?
Swamphawk: I think that is clear. The current system of trying to get people to play at optimum levels by moving playtime around isnt happening in any football strategy session
Lou: Wouldn�t you say that every football coach wants to play his players at optimum levels by keeping them rested?
Swamphawk: What I mean is you should want your starters in most of the time. Bench should be a sub, not an option of 85% starter or a 95% backup. Teams practice as a unit, when the unit isnt there gameplay drops off
Swamphawk: The advanced chart just sets up unrealistic situations that people are exploiting
Swamphawk: I think more players should have upside but not be able to impact a team the first year.
Lou: Andynomore said something similar. He said the recruits as a whole are too good and need to be a bigger difference between the top and the middle.
Swamphawk: Is the rumor about carryover reform true?
Lou: which rumor is that?
Swamphawk: I used to ask that in every developer chat and post it all over. It was the start of the great Carryover wars!
Lou: haha. would that be the other big change you'd want to see made? are you still pro-carryover reform?
Swamphawk: I am more pro carryover reform than ever. The fact is that it almost came to pass and people in WIS see the good of it.
Swamphawk: Carryover reform will come to pass...I am saddened that the controversy I created may have held it back!
Lou: What method of reform are you most supportive of?
Swamphawk: The HD model or possible every level can keep the dollar value of 5 schollies.
Swamphawk: or 3 or 6 or whatever. that would make the higher levels a little more flexible
Lou: How so?
Swamphawk: Well the schollies at 1A are $15k so 5 would allow for $75k at DIII it would only be $15k
Lou: You said that you like to have a big class when you take over a new school, and for that year, you would have a huge advantage in recruiting. but when you have a big class, you have a small class somewhere else. How would a team with a 4 or 5 person class compete for a recruit with a team that has a 16 person class?
Swamphawk: Well you might have to look elsewhere. The real issue is how often will that happen. Most of the time you will be going against people with a number of recuits within 10. That means at 1A that is $150k. You almost always assume that a longtime coach has over $150k so how do you compete with that
Swamphawk: And ever year many coaches will have similar warchests as you.
Swamphawk: The whole class size issue is a side bar at best
Lou: What about the claim that it reduces recruiting to a lottery of which recruits get placed close to your school? Does distance recruiting become less viable?
Swamphawk: No. You still have the same chance of landing a distance recruit. We are reducing everyones money. It will create a more vibrant recruiting environment as people will all be in the same financial boat. It will also increase the value of prestige, as it should be.
Swamphawk: the main point about Carryover Reform is that it feels like you are losing money when in fact you are gaining recruiting power
Lou: If recruiting is done in terms of effort, how is less money to put forth that effort increasing power?
Swamphawk: Money is based on its value. A 1950 dollar had more buying power. By reducing the total pie we are increasing the value of each dollar!
Lou: You said that there should be a better turnover of top teams? In addition to carryover reform and reduction of the role of depth, what would help to increase that turnover? And why should there be turnover?
Swamphawk: Teams should have a realistic chance of getting to the top. It should be hard for a team to maintain its level across multiple seasons. Parity makes the game better. GD doesnt have that. The best team should lose to a better gameplan more. there should be more random events that turn the tide in a game. Homefield helps but it isnt enough. Look st USC losing to UCLA in the last game, that does not happen in GD enough.
Lou: What type of random events are you talking about?
Swamphawk: A team should have a bad game for no reason. A team should have a great game for no reason. A player should make a monster play that turns the tide. the game is ery generic and centrist.
Swamphawk: JEFFK SUCKS
Swamphawk: woops was that out loud
Lou: How would it be decided which team has a good game when? Does that eliminate the "good gameplanning"
Swamphawk: You have to play the game every day like everything will be normal
Swamphawk: but sometimes the best laid plans do not work
Swamphawk: People and teams play poorly. People and teams play great. Not every game but more often than never
Swamphawk: Some things you cannot plan for, and that is why we play the games. I think most GD games could be called in
Lou: Where did the faceoff with Jeff come from?
Swamphawk: He started it and he admits that. I have said he made me famous. He just started following me around, and even started calling my mother a whore. He side steps it all now, claiming it was a big mistake, but he still does it.
Swamphawk: He really believed that I somehow was ruining GD and had to be stopped
Swamphawk: He claims he changed his mind but all evidence to the contrary
Lou: Any amicable resolution in sight?
Swamphawk: I have sent him emails offering to talk it out, and he has said he likes the current situation. He may be a great GD coach, but he is a bad person.
Swamphawk: Nothing he does really bothers me and having the greatest GD coach come after you is kind of a badge of honor
Swamphawk: I would love to get it behind us, but I think he does not want that. he likes being the jerk!
Lou: geez close..wow is there anything that you want to have a forum to talk about?
Swamphawk: I have a forum. The GD forum. I have the ability to talk about anything I want and let some people try to stop me. I stand for a better GD. A GD for the masses. I stand for the little guy and the guy who just started at DIII. I stand for anyone who has no NC. We are the backbone of GD and we deserve respect.
Lou: So people with a NC dont deserve respect?
Swamphawk: That isnt the issue and you know it. There is a belief that success gives you a right to talk in the forums. that if you do not have an NC your words carry less weight. the only thing a person with an NC can tell you is how they won an NC. Everyone else that plays has the same rights to speak and be heard by GD and the GD community
Lou: i do know it...i feel that way to sometimes (i just won my frist, does that mean i magically have impact now)
Swamphawk: Top Coach Mafia will send you a sign up form...lol
Lou: haha
